Rufus!

Rufus is my dog.  He’s a great dog.  He’s intelligent, kind, goofy, and crazy about ducks.  

His first love was snow.

Even when he was just a little puppy, I knew I had a great duck dog on my hands.  The first time he ever swam on his own was chasing after ducks.  It was a proud day.  He swims all the time now.

Rufus with his best bud, Brooke.

He’s about 15 months old now and I’ve been training him to be a retriever and hunting companion.  So far, he has shown a lot of promise.  There hasn’t been anything I’ve tried to teach him that he hasn’t picked up in an afternoon.

Rufus and his duck.

Rufus is also crazy about people.  He’s super friendly and great with kids. 

He gets along great with other dogs too.

Rufus with his cousin, Gunnison.

He is a Lagotto Romagnolo.  It’s an ancient Italian breed whose name means “Lake dog of Romagna.”  Here's a video from Dogs 101 on Animal Planet about the breed.

Rufus brings me a lot of joy and happiness.  I hope he sticks around for a while.