Larry the Lab loves his red bandana and the eggs and toast he gets for breakfast but is not really fond of having his photo taken. To get this shot took a long time. Sometimes getting a dog to smile is not easy.
Larry is a black Labrador Retriever mix and he lives with Carla Butzerin in the North Admiral neighborhood. He's only been with her for about 18 months even though he is almost ten years old because her sister's son was afraid of him. He's a gentle dog but because it was an issue she took him in.
"He's been really good for me," she said, "I've had to walk him and I just adore him. He's the sweetest dog."
Larry gets a cup of kibble and "two eggs and toast for breakfast," she said and, "a cup of kibble and a half a cup of whatever I'm eating for dinner." He's a big bacon lover for treats.
He's not a highly trained dog but he knows how to sit and shake hands. "I wish he would heel better but it's me that can't train, it's not him that's not smart," Butzerin said.
Larry was abandoned at age 1 1/2 at a motel on Aurora Ave. So he was taken to the Seattle dog pound and he was adopted by Butzerin's future brother in-law and his wife at the time. When she passed away, Butzerin's brother in law remarried Butzerin's sister.
They lived on Alki and he was a great dog even then Butzerin said.
So Larry has gone from being in a motel, to being in the pound to being rescued by a loving couple to living in north Admiral with a lady who feeds him eggs and toast. Pretty lucky.
Larry is not fond of fireworks, she said. "Around the 4th of July when people start, he's so afraid of firecracker noises he will just turn around and bolt for home. So we just keep him in the basement."
"He's a pretty funny dog," she said, "so you get constant laughs."
How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:
Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Animal Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.
Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.
