Major is my new roomate.  After losing my yellow lab, Bailey, to cancer last spring, I now have a wonderful Great Pyrenees letting me live with him.
One week after saying goodbye to Bailey, I arranged to visit a top Great Pyrs breeder to see if I would be able to take on a puppy.  I had had a Great Pyr as a child and remembered the dogs as gentle giants.  I also liked the guard dog quality the dogs are know for.
The puppies were adorable and full of energy.  These guys already had homes waiting form them, but I needed to see if I would, in fact, have the energy to take on a younger dog.
The breeder mentioned that an owner was returning their 7-year-old Pyr that afternoon for placement.  The family’s circumstances no longer were ideal for such a large breed.  Although another party was coming to see Major, the breeder eliminated them because they did not have a fenced yard, which is a must for Pyrs.
I stayed until Major arrived from NJ.  I spoke w/the tearful owners.  They felt that I was qualified so they handed him over to me w/his toys, leash, and bowls.
Major is a delight.  He is so gentle and is the star of the neighborhood.  He loves rides and hangs his big head out the window whenever we are out on the road.  He especially likes the cold weather.  I often take him to my friend’s elderly shut-in parents for visits.  They light up each time we stop by.
He also is a con-artist.  He was well behaved and stayed downstairs with a baby gate at the steps the 1st two weeks he was in my home.  Then he knocked the gate down and roamed the house.  He does have some separation anxiety and can do some damage, so I wanted to contain him somehow.  I bought a taller gate and started leaving him in the kitchen.  Again, he was good for two weeks and then one day met me at the front door.  I went to the kitchen; he had opened the gate, which was not an easy feat.  I pushed a heavy wing chair in front of the gate, but he found a way to get around it.  I pushed the chair to the other side, and he found a way to get around that.  Two gates are now stored in the garage.
He also was underweight.  I started adding canned food and broth etc. to his food.  He has gained a few pounds, but now he picks out the canned food and will kick the bowl towards me or knocks it over when he wants more.  I now think his name should be changed to Major Domo!
Last Christmas, I found an artist to draw portraits of the family dogs.  I believe the drawings were the best gift idea I have had.  Bailey’s drawing is framed and hangs in my kitchen (his favorite place).
This year, I found another artist to do small acrylic pet paintings to place in another room or office.
My dogs are my best companions.  Bailey was a gentleman, who was with me through some of my toughest years.  Major is a majestic guard, who has quickly found a place in my heart.

— Anne from Frederick, MD