Picture Bobby relaxing on a dog bed.

Bobby's owner is actually Graeme, the gentleman who shares our property with us.  He chose the name in memory of his cat Bobby.

Bob, Bob-Dog, Dingo-butt.

January or February, 1999.

He looks like the standard generic brown mutt.  Our guess was that he is primarily a German Shepherd and Pit Bull cross. In the fall of 2009 we had his DNA tested, which revealed the following breeds:
- Boxer (this breed is a "secondary" contributor, which means it's a fair amount of his makeup)
- German Shepherd
- German Shorthair Pointer

There could be other breeds in there also, but he's such a mix that they just didn't show up.

Bobby is a mid-sized dog, weighing around 55 pounds (25 kg).  He reminds us of a dingo dog, which is the source of one of his nicknames.

He has a fairly average mid-sized dog bark.  He doesn't usually bark unless something is going on near our property, though on occasion, he stands way out in the yard and barks all by himself.  I don't know whether he sees something on those occasions or just feels like hearing his own voice. His howl is a long, drawn-out, one-note affair that doesn't vary up and down in pitch at all. 

Some friends of Graeme found Bobby as a little puppy after he'd strayed or been dumped.  He was headed to the Pound when Graeme intervened and brought him home.  Bobby the cat had died unexpectedly a few months earlier, leaving Graeme petless, so Bobby was a welcome addition.

He was dog number three at the time, and, being a puppy and all, harassed poor Spook mercilessly.

Bobby is quite friendly and affectionate with people he knows and enjoys rubbing up against people, much like a cat does.  He's also friendly with people he doesn't know if he sees us being friendly to them.  He does, however, have a strong protective instinct and I have no doubt that he'd attack anyone who threatened us.  During goose mating season, when my goose Gabriel got obnoxious and attacked me, Bobby often stood just outside the geese's enclosure and barked angrily.  If he could have gotten in, Gabriel would have been history.

Bobby and Finian didn't always get along well and had a few spats, all of which Bobby initiated.  When we called in an animal behaviorist, she pointed out that Bobby picks fights when he knows we're watching, either because he wants to impress us or because he knows we'll protect him if Finian goes ballistic.  He sometimes gets aggressive with the other dogs when someone is petting him and another dog comes over, asking for attention.  Luckily, we've learned how to manage this behavior and the dogs are mostly peaceable.

He was the world's most obnoxious puppy and was forever stealing things and chewing them up and pestering the older dogs.  We were kind of surprised when he grew up to be well-behaved and pleasant.

Tick fever (Ehlichiosis), which we keep at bay with antibiotics one week every month. Arthritis, which we treat with Carprofen.

In the spring of 2013, Bobby was diagnosed with a form of soft-tissue sarcoma. The only reliable treatment for it is amputation of the affected leg. Given his age and his arthritis he's not a candidate for amputation, so we decided to just give him whatever time he has left. So far, the tumor, which is on his right elbow, has not grown much and does not seem to be bothering him at all. 

Bobby is really into guarding his property.  When he's not "on duty," he enjoys following us around as we take care of the outside chores and he loves going for walks, though now that he's elderly and arthritic, he often skips the evening walks.

Bobby was good friends with Spook.  Now that Spook's gone, he mostly hangs around with MacKenzie.