jasper the friendly...tooth fairy??

Here's our 8 year old foster-dog, Jasper.

Despite his fearsome looks, he is the sweetest, most sensitive little....dog. He has his hang-ups, however, as we have learned recently. For example, he has taken to "lying" to me early in the morning when it is time for me to get up for work. I get up, and shuffle into my slippers and bathrobe, then click softly to him to get up off his bed and go outside for his morning "constitution". Lately, likely due to the frosty air, he has rather enjoyed staying lounged out on his bed. In an effort to raise him, I've tried getting closer to him and calling him again, to which he opens his eyes for a moment, looks into my face briefly, then quite literally squeezes his eyes shut again very quickly, as if I may not have seen him open them at all. No amount of clicking or "wooing" has been able to get him up on those mornings. I just let him lie there and be the lazy old man that he is.

Recently, he lost his OTHER bottom fang. The first was lost to a long-ago battle with a metal kennel. His most recent loss was due to his penchant for chewing on the woodwork in our basement. We are convinced that he suffers from some form of canine separation anxiety/madness. No amount of chew-toys, or peanut butter filled anything will pacify his rage. Apparently only the woodwork surrounding the door of our basement will alleviate his distress. As a result, he now suffers from canine two-top-fang-only syndrome. He, however, doesn't even really seem to notice. He simply goes about his doggy days in blissful peace...or ignorance, never minding that he only has half the fangs with which he was endowed.

Yet we love him still.