introducing Ludo (with a cameo by Boulder)

let's introduce my boy ludo.  

in 2020 (when the world fell apart) i had to rehome frank because the new landlord didn't allow pets and i had to move with a swiftness... fast forward a year and in 2021 i told said landlord that i was going to move out because i really missed my dog and wanted a dog.  he agreed and i tried to get frank back.  frank is in a wonderful home with people who love him, and when i reached out, they simply couldn't part with him.  he is now part of their family.

so i felt a bit better about getting another dog.  i reached out to the same farmers that i got frank from to see if they had any puppies.  lo and behold they did!  

meet ludo bunnybutt lobo!  

this beautiful little boy stole my heart upon first sight, and (as they say) the rest is history.  max (my son) and i drove 3+ hours to get him from northern wisconsin.  

met the woman at a truck stop, exchanged cash for puppy and away we went.  

ludo is a texas heeler.  i chose the heeler initially (when i got frank) for their stamina and energy.  frank was also a heeler.  notably, frank and ludo are cousins.  their mothers are sisters. being a texas heeler simply means that the dog is 1/2 australian cattle dog (blue heeler) and australian shepherd.

one thing i didn't consider when i got ludo is how much more hair the shepherd part causes... these dogs shed constantly.  there is never a time when my house is hairless anymore, except for the 5 minutes after vacuuming. 

                                             ludo's father and mother respectfully. 

ludo was born with a hip deformity.  his right rear hip has no socket (see how the ball of his femur is just hanging out there not attached?).  the only things holding his leg in place are the tendons and ligaments.  the bones are just chilin' there independent of each other on that side.  eventually he may need to have the leg removed but for now... he's doing just fine.  as of today he is 4 years old and ran his first 14 miler yesterday like a trooper.  contrary to generalizations about this breed he is not destructive when he's bored.  he's just really annoying and bothersome.  he is so very smart and wants what he wants when he wants it.  he is nice (not friendly), which i deeply appreciate about this breed of dog.  he loves other dogs but is very indifferent towards most people.  he is NOT a cuddly dog, which i originally attributed to the breed, but there are a lot of heelers that are VERY cuddly with their people.  my boy is just not one of them.  he likes to be near me, but he doesn't want to be snuggled or held.  he prefers to be scritched on the butt and hugged from behind as opposed to in the face.  he likes to run, go paddle boarding, lots of walks with his dog friends, and to lay around like a slug when he isn't moving around.  he's not nearly as high energy as frank was or as the breed suggests.  i guess i'm fortunate that way.