As dogs age, they get calmer. With Labs like Sienna, this is a phenomenon for which you eagerly await. Since BJ grew up with Labs, he (and therefore I) assumed that most dogs were on a similar life path consisting of two to three years of high energy followed by the golden years of being a good, calm dog. This assumption is what has made Gus seem like such an anomoly. He's been a good ole' calm dog since we acquired him at six weeks old. During Gus's first year with us, we used to muse over what kind of dog he would grow to be. Our running joke was that as lazy as he was at only a few months old, he would probably be comatose by the time he reached three. Turns out, our joke was somewhat prophetic.
This January, Gus turned three years old. Since then, he hasn't really moved. You may have noticed that all the pictures I've posted of him lately have been him laying down. That is because he rarely, and I mean rarely, ever stands up. He's a good big brother, and he plays with Zoe, but he doesn't actually stand to do it. He just lays down and swats at her as she runs in circles around him. We had two extra dogs in the house this weekend (BJ's parents visited). The other dogs had a good time running in the yard, and Zoe and Buster wrestled around the house. Gus did none of this. I think he saw Buster's visit as a welcome vacation from entertaining Zoe. Apparently the whole laying and swating thing can get exhausting.
I would worry about this incredible onset of lethargy, but I'm pretty sure it is just Gus. You may remember that BJ and I spent a ridiculous amount of money at the vet trying to figure out Gus when he was about six months old, and the eventual diagnosis was that he was just weird and a little stupid. Even though dogs do change a lot in their first three years of life, I'm pretty sure Gus has not changed on those particular facets of his personality.
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