It’s Gideon the GReat with a report from foster care. Things are still going exceptionally well for me as I adjust to life here. I can tell that my strength and leadership are greatly respected by the locals. I find I can occasionally let my guard down and indulge in some fun and games with Foster Mom. I especially enjoy tug and have found several toys that I parade around with. I’ve also manipulated…I mean, earned the right to lay on the couch. This was achieved by repeatedly putting a paw on the cushion and deploying my Warrior hypnosis skills until Foster Mom brought out a bed sheet and invited me up. This higher vantage point results in improved watching-over capabilities which I am able to execute through closed eyes. You’re impressed, I know. Unfortunately I have discovered that Foster Mom also has some hypnosis skills and she can make me melt by kissing me between the eyes while scratching my ears. Sometime I must work on my resistance to this technique.

We go on a walk or two a day here and I have been deemed a superb walker. I don’t sniff, I don’t even mark. I wait patiently while the other two K9s do both. Constantly. A good Warrior is tolerant of the less noble. I have also been deemed a most excellent snuggler.

Foster Mom is having a difficult time finding something this Mighty Warrior will eat. Kibble is for the peasantry and a Warrior will always hold out for moist food. We’re using the trial and error method to find something I will consider palatable. The resident K9s cross their paws with each attempt and seem pleased when I’m unimpressed with the latest selection. It occurs to me that they have grown wider since I got here. Foster Mom is surmising that perhaps consuming moist food is why my teeth are in dire need of a cleaning. I’ll need to have them taken care of as soon as I get into my forever castle.

I’ve also been completing a series of exercises as part of a personality assessment. A Mighty Warrior has A LOT of personality so this was a walk in the dog park for me. I’ve scored in the ‘easy’ quadrant for almost everything including grooming & nail trimming, bathroom habits, vet visits, social skills and treat taking. I’m in the ‘manageable’ quadrant for eating, relinquishing high value items (I’ll give up most everything freely but I didn’t want to give up my rawhide without being offered a treat in its place), and space needs (this one isn’t really fair in my opinion because I can’t help that I’m tall and lanky. On the other paw, I guess I wouldn’t have to nap in the middle of the couch).

Contact your placement adviser if you’d like to schedule an interview. I will give all serious inquiries my utmost consideration.

Mighty Warrior Factoid: A Mighty Warrior will hide his face when sleeping in order to remain all stealth-like.

Gideon the Great here reporting that I have selected my forever family.   I will now be protecting five humans and a dog at multiple family castles and I am up for the challenge.  It was very obvious how badly this family needed me and I am happy to oblige.   I fear for my foster family, however, because the resident K9s simply cannot be trusted to thwart an intruder.  It is much more likely that they would engage said intruder in a game of ‘let’s empty the treat jar’.   Alas, not everyone can be mighty but Foster Mom assures me things here will be fine so I’m off to protect my new peeps.

Mighty Warrior Factoid:  Greatness is not diminished just because a Mighty Warrior can be heard jumping off the bed when a human gets home from work.  It can be assumed that the Mighty Warrior did indeed protect the castle all day.

From Gideon's new forever home...

Hi RAGOM, it's me, wonderful warrior dog Gideon. This house is an active one, but I am training all of them in to my likes and dislikes... in fact I have the younger ones bowing down to me and have them running here and there to get me toys. I have demonstrated my loyalty, loving nature and responsiveness which they must like a lot because they keep calling me their "handsome big boy" which makes me smile and wag that big tail of mine.

I am also digging the fact that I can see across the kitchen table and that this family of mine is none too neat when they eat. All this means is that I have a role to fill in this household which is to clean up after them. Someone called me "Hoover" today and I had to correct them on my name. The dog food here is okay... I wish my mom would be a little bit more generous with that gravy canned food which has made me the mighty warrior I am today.

The other dog in the house, Patch, is growing to like me. She thought my prancing on my walk this morning was pretty spectacular and offered her tennis ball to me several times. Doesn't she know that great warriors don't carry tennis balls in their mouths as we are trying to smile proudly as we display our glorious stature?

Life is good and I will have my forever family trained in no time. Dad works out of the house most of the time so he responds to my every need. He mentioned something about having to learn to type with one hand...he better learn how quickly as we great warriors love and need the attention.

Thanks for taking care of me and loving me when I needed someone the most! I am happy being me because of all of the wonderful people in my life.

Your mighty warrior - Gideon