Ok, I admit it right up front, first line of the first paragraph—Lewis gets the occasional people food.  It’s not my fault.  Some of the blame goes to the King himself.  He sits there patiently watching your every move.  He even knows that when people sit at certain places (like the table), then he will come in from the playground (aka, the yard) for his fair share.  Excuse me, I should have said, “what he THINKS is his fair share.”  How bad is it, you ask.  Well, I won’t deny that he gets his own plate at breakfast.  The point is, he is a dog, but he really is more than that.….but don’t tell him I said that, because it’s already difficult to get him to go out and be a dog.

The trouble is, his definition of a dog varies ever so slightly from the norm.

For instance, please consider the following evidence, uh, I mean examples:

• Lewis fools you into thinking he is all dog when in fact he digs up his slimy, muddy tennis balls and brings them into the house (after knocking on the door—not a common doggie trait).  He then proceeds to drop them at his front paws, looks up at you, and dares you to try and get it.  You lunge for the ball and AHA!  He lets you win, because THAT’S WHAT HE WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE!  Despite his 140 lb. carriage, his favorite game is catching a bouncing tennis ball in mid-air, which is why this whole routine started.
• My particular favorite non-dog trait of the big guy is his relaxation posture.  He will lie down right up against the side of your chair, and as he dozes off, he will hold one of his rear legs up in the air for you to hold while he sleeps. (and in answer to your inevitable question—I don’t know why he does that.)
• Sometimes, Lewis is so bold as to move to the front of the chair and make like a 140-lb. foot stool.  I have to say though, he is pretty comfortable in that role (no shoes please).
• I think the goofiest Lewis gets is when no one is home.  Instead of staying inside where it is cool or warm depending on the season, he insists on assuming what I can only surmise to be a protective posture.  Evidenced in the attached photo, Lewis hides between a holly bush and an azalea bush.  Again, I’m only guessing, but I believe breeding is at work here.  Farmers bred the Pyrenes to guard sheep.  The dogs were so good at what they did, the farmers would often leave the dogs alone with the sheep and return in a few days. Of course, true to form, when you return, he actually herds you back into the house.

• A corollary to the bushes episodes occurs when he gets wet from the rain or the sprinkler.  Even though his coat is water repellent, he likes to walk through the line of bushes to dry off.  Consequently, the bushes around here have no leaves on them below a certain level in direct correlation to Lewis’ height!  The whole procedure looks like a car going through an automated car wash.

Next time:  Part II: Lewis with the flora and fauna.