Family: Amy Simon, Maya and Leila Kumar, and Olivia Kaltner
Pet: Dobby
Age: 6 years old
Breed: Mutt
Adoption story: We decided we wanted to adopt a dog and had visited many local shelters without finding quite the right dog for our family. Then we met Dobby. He was so happy, excited, energetic, and loving. He just wanted to be petted and play tug of war — he was a wagging bundle of high-energy love.
We thought his brindle coat, soft fur, and big smile were adorable. He was only 8 months old, and even though we had been looking for a dog that was 2-3 years old, we couldn’t help but take him home. The shelter had named their dogs for Star Wars characters (he was named Bark Bark Binks) but we wanted to give him his own name. We debated many, including Pumpkin, because his fur was quite orange when he was young. But we love Harry Potter, and his ears were so large and pointy when he fully perked them up, that we landed on Dobby.
We hadn’t had a dog before so we had a lot to learn, but he quickly became the loving, cuddly, playful family dog he is today.
Likes: He loves to go on hikes in the redwoods, sniffing everything as he goes. He loves long walks and doesn’t get tired, even after many miles. He enjoys camping and exploring new parks. When he sees us get out the hiking pack he knows what is coming and goes jumping and bounding to the door, barely able to contain his excitement until he is strapped into the car. He likes the car because he knows it means it is time for a hike. He loves to lie in the sun and will move around the house to find the sunniest spots for napping. He loves to cuddle and will climb up on the couch to sleep next to us and always wants to be near us.
He has trained us well and insists we give him a pillow or lap to rest his head on. He loves being petted, especially behind his ears and on his belly. His favorite spot in our house is a giant fuzzy bean bag chair, and he also likes fuzzy blankets. His favorite foods are apples, cucumbers, strawberries, popcorn, cheese and any kind of meat. He loves chewing on bones and stuffies, especially his big lamb.
Dislikes: He is terrified of scooters and skateboards. He spits out carrots if one falls on the kitchen floor and he goes to scoop it up, thinking it’s something yummy. He hates skunks ever since being sprayed. He also hates loud alarms (they must hurt his ears). He doesn’t like having his nails clipped and his teeth brushed. He dislikes, but tolerates, baths. He hates the rain and getting wet.
Interesting facts: We wanted a midsize dog and when we adopted him, he was 35 pounds and the shelter estimated he would be 45 pounds when full grown. In reality he grew to be 70 pounds!
When we first brought him home he was terrified of many silly things — umbrellas, balloons, watermelons, stop signs, Halloween decorations, and our Thanksgiving turkey — but he quickly outgrew his fears. He used to tear apart his stuffies in short order, but he has grown to prefer playing with them gently and cuddling with them. He is bilingual and understands commands in both Spanish and English. He is a maximum four-trick dog — every time we teach him a new trick he seems to lose one of his other skills.