Bodhi
| I once referred to Bodie as "the fearless one", and this pretty much described him those first 8 weeks of life. Bodie possessed a certain zest for life and would not leave any stone unturned. Bodie is now living in CA with his owner Cooper. Even though Cooper didn't know this when he purchased Bodie, his family has a history with the ES breed. His great grandmother and great step-grandfather, Frederick Preston Search, raised black and tan ES. Mr. Search was the first president of the English Shepherd Club of America that was founded by Tom Stodghill in TX. |
February 2005
Bodie is quite the young man. He is turning out to be everything I hoped he would be. He is so intelligent, and maneuvers
through new situations with the greatest of ease and confidence. We have run into many dogs and people, and he can
instantly "feel out" the situation, and knows how to respond to each individual. There have been no problems at all with other
dogs, and even dogs that would normally be aggressive with new dogs seem to be O.K. with him. I have had several other
owners be amazed at Bodie's patience and equally amazed at their own dog's mellow or playful behavior. He is much more at
ease when he is off the leash, so I try to find hiking trails and areas where he can be free.
March 2005
Bodie is amazing!! He's hitting his early teens (I guess) and is beginning to defend me and the home front (including the car).
He has quite a bark, but it is silenced the second I even look at him. He has made quite the stir here in Marin and everywhere
else we go. I can't even walk down the street without constantly being stopped by eager admirers. People are amazed by his
markings, symmetry and calm and grown-up composure. Yes, he's a real sweetheart still. I have set up a huge obstacle
course of potted plants (mostly fruit trees) in the back yard, and have taught him to maneuver through it and weave in and out
at top speeds. He understood instantly! He also herds the neighborhood Boxer and Golden down the street to the park, and
then herds them in circles until they are to tired to go any further. The problem is, when they are pooped, Bodie is just getting
going, and he and I end up chasing each other around and around.
April 2005
As far as listening to me and going through the "teenage stuff", he's been quite amazing. He understands instantly, but is still a
little protective of me, my roommate, the house, and the car. But it’s pretty under control. He is so trainable! I have trained
him to walk with me off the leash (although I always keep it with me) and he always stays close by. When he sees
approaching dogs I just give a quick whistle or call his name and he instantly quells his urges and comes back to me. I even
have him waiting at the corners before we cross the street...He doesn't know why, but at least he's doing it, and without me
asking.
June 2005
Bodie is great! He has filled out a bit, and I think he is pretty much full-grown. His personality is amazing. He is definitely a
shadow, and I often trip over him when I don't see him right next to me. I really have not had to train him all that much, he
just seems to adapt and pick up on what I want him to do, or how to behave.
Bodie has taken up singing...But only to folk music with singers that have high voices. He whines in and almost harmonizes
with them.
June 11, 2005
Today while wandering through Golden Gate Park I came across a perfect tree
for climbing. Bodie was playing with a toy poodle and a Bermese Mountain dog.
He didn't notice me climb the tree, but once he looked up and saw me he went
nuts, running in circles and yapping. I looked over at a friend and next thing I know there is a dog licking my heel. Bodie
jumped about 5 feet up the tree, and then wrapped himself around it and inched his way all the way up to me using his front
dewclaws to the utmost. He climbed about 15 feet up and then 10 feet across a slender branch! I almost fell out of the tree
when I saw him! I had to hold him and climb down together. It was amazing! If only my friend had a camera.
Bodie is quite the young man. He is turning out to be everything I hoped he would be. He is so intelligent, and maneuvers
through new situations with the greatest of ease and confidence. We have run into many dogs and people, and he can
instantly "feel out" the situation, and knows how to respond to each individual. There have been no problems at all with other
dogs, and even dogs that would normally be aggressive with new dogs seem to be O.K. with him. I have had several other
owners be amazed at Bodie's patience and equally amazed at their own dog's mellow or playful behavior. He is much more at
ease when he is off the leash, so I try to find hiking trails and areas where he can be free.
March 2005
Bodie is amazing!! He's hitting his early teens (I guess) and is beginning to defend me and the home front (including the car).
He has quite a bark, but it is silenced the second I even look at him. He has made quite the stir here in Marin and everywhere
else we go. I can't even walk down the street without constantly being stopped by eager admirers. People are amazed by his
markings, symmetry and calm and grown-up composure. Yes, he's a real sweetheart still. I have set up a huge obstacle
course of potted plants (mostly fruit trees) in the back yard, and have taught him to maneuver through it and weave in and out
at top speeds. He understood instantly! He also herds the neighborhood Boxer and Golden down the street to the park, and
then herds them in circles until they are to tired to go any further. The problem is, when they are pooped, Bodie is just getting
going, and he and I end up chasing each other around and around.
April 2005
As far as listening to me and going through the "teenage stuff", he's been quite amazing. He understands instantly, but is still a
little protective of me, my roommate, the house, and the car. But it’s pretty under control. He is so trainable! I have trained
him to walk with me off the leash (although I always keep it with me) and he always stays close by. When he sees
approaching dogs I just give a quick whistle or call his name and he instantly quells his urges and comes back to me. I even
have him waiting at the corners before we cross the street...He doesn't know why, but at least he's doing it, and without me
asking.
June 2005
Bodie is great! He has filled out a bit, and I think he is pretty much full-grown. His personality is amazing. He is definitely a
shadow, and I often trip over him when I don't see him right next to me. I really have not had to train him all that much, he
just seems to adapt and pick up on what I want him to do, or how to behave.
Bodie has taken up singing...But only to folk music with singers that have high voices. He whines in and almost harmonizes
with them.
June 11, 2005
Today while wandering through Golden Gate Park I came across a perfect tree
for climbing. Bodie was playing with a toy poodle and a Bermese Mountain dog.
He didn't notice me climb the tree, but once he looked up and saw me he went
nuts, running in circles and yapping. I looked over at a friend and next thing I know there is a dog licking my heel. Bodie
jumped about 5 feet up the tree, and then wrapped himself around it and inched his way all the way up to me using his front
dewclaws to the utmost. He climbed about 15 feet up and then 10 feet across a slender branch! I almost fell out of the tree
when I saw him! I had to hold him and climb down together. It was amazing! If only my friend had a camera.
December 12, 2004
Hi. We're back! Bodie was such a champ! He didn't make a single noise on
either of the flights. He just went to sleep. Occasionally he would wake up and
lick my hand and then would go right back to sleep. After we left you, we went to
the mall down the street and got me some coffee and a bagel. He was a little
nervous at first, but that lasted only about 5 minutes, then he was tearing around
the mall wanting to meet everybody and smell everything. It took about 5 minutes
to get used to the leash as well. He also loved his puppy carrier! While we were
waiting he would play (within leash distance) and then jump into the Sherpa bag to
rest. The flight from Texas to Oakland was the long one, and it took forever for
the shuttle bus to take us to my car, but he didn't go the bathroom or even whine
at all. He simply waited until he was walking on grass.
He loves his new home, and has been boldly exploring the ins and outs of every
room. The only problem being that there are full-length closet mirrors in 4 of the
rooms, and he thinks there are more little guys in every room. It is very funny to
watch his face and body language when he sees the mirror. He got a little to into
it, so we had to tape newspaper on the bottom of all of them for now. He seems
to be adjusting fine. No fear at all. He whines every now and then, probably
because he misses you guys. But there is always something new for him to find
and chew on. Mostly my clothes, slippers and rugs so far... Today I'm spending
the day cleaning and puppy-proofing the house, which means getting everything
off the ground and suspended upward somewhere. He got me up pretty early this
morning with tremendous energy! The first wave is finally wearing off and he's
taking a nap finally... He really bonded to me quickly, and now follows me
everywhere, occasionally wandering off to find something new to play with. But
a short high pitch whistle, and he's right by my side.
Hi. We're back! Bodie was such a champ! He didn't make a single noise on
either of the flights. He just went to sleep. Occasionally he would wake up and
lick my hand and then would go right back to sleep. After we left you, we went to
the mall down the street and got me some coffee and a bagel. He was a little
nervous at first, but that lasted only about 5 minutes, then he was tearing around
the mall wanting to meet everybody and smell everything. It took about 5 minutes
to get used to the leash as well. He also loved his puppy carrier! While we were
waiting he would play (within leash distance) and then jump into the Sherpa bag to
rest. The flight from Texas to Oakland was the long one, and it took forever for
the shuttle bus to take us to my car, but he didn't go the bathroom or even whine
at all. He simply waited until he was walking on grass.
He loves his new home, and has been boldly exploring the ins and outs of every
room. The only problem being that there are full-length closet mirrors in 4 of the
rooms, and he thinks there are more little guys in every room. It is very funny to
watch his face and body language when he sees the mirror. He got a little to into
it, so we had to tape newspaper on the bottom of all of them for now. He seems
to be adjusting fine. No fear at all. He whines every now and then, probably
because he misses you guys. But there is always something new for him to find
and chew on. Mostly my clothes, slippers and rugs so far... Today I'm spending
the day cleaning and puppy-proofing the house, which means getting everything
off the ground and suspended upward somewhere. He got me up pretty early this
morning with tremendous energy! The first wave is finally wearing off and he's
taking a nap finally... He really bonded to me quickly, and now follows me
everywhere, occasionally wandering off to find something new to play with. But
a short high pitch whistle, and he's right by my side.
Current photos and letters used with permission.
Bodhi 2 years old