Guinness. While we didn't come to an easy agreement on the name, the final decision was made, and Guinness was chosen. It was based on the idea that his markings are reminiscent of a draught of the beer, as it settles. You see it, right?
He's much smaller than we've normally had, even smaller than Polka was. Ah, Polka. You're still very missed in the household. Guinness came to us weighing about 110 pounds, and believed to be around a year and a half old. This was in mid-February.
I'm a little confused about what to write. He's a shy dog, still nervous about meeting strangers, still barking at men who come into the house, as opposed to looking for affection, like Kitty and Danforth. He eats his meals very quickly, which we assume stems from his history of being starved. We believe that he would have been much bigger, based on the size of his paws, had he not been stunted by starvation. He's a striking colour, and once he does acclimatize to a stranger, he's difficult to separate from. Even my sister, who is not a fan of dogs, wanted to find a way to comfort him when we took him for a ride on the subway. He just sucks you in with his neediness. Which you have to consciously make sure not to feed too much.
And he has shown a bit of improvement of fitting in, and the other two are non-plussed about him, which we're glad for. He plays briefly with Danforth, which we're glad for, although I would love for the two of them to get even more playful, I have to remind myself to be patient. He's had a tough past life, and it might take a while for him to actually get rid of his demons.
Below are some pictures captured in the first few months of him joining us in our little house.