In the animal rescue world, a “bonded pair” refers to a pair of animals that should be adopted together. In most cases, they were either surrendered by their owner together or found together.

We adopted Lando and Rascal individually, Lando in 2008, and Rascal in 2011. By now, however, I’d say they have become a bonded pair!

This is not to say that they have to be together 100% of the time, but I really believe that they enjoy each other’s companionship.

If you are thinking of adopting an animal, and you have the resources (time, money, space), then please don’t overlook bonded pairs! Double the cuteness, double the fun!

I mentioned a while back that I was having difficulty training Rascal to sit. We signed both dogs up for private training lessons, and after only two sessions, Rascal learned “sit” and “down”!  He doesn’t know the verbal commands yet, but he knows that he is supposed to do them at certain times, which is even better.

Today was our fourth session, and it was wonderful to see how much progress both dogs have made!  For 8 and 9-year-old dogs, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they really impressed me today. Good work, guys!

When we adopted Rascal, he was already about 9 years old. He had been attacked by a larger dog and possibly hit by car, for which he had two separate surgeries. He also had some old pelvic fractures, possibly from being abused by a previous owner.

As a result of this, he is a somewhat nervous, skittish dog.

Dog experts say that one of the best things that you can do to build confidence is teach a dog some basic commands, so that they know what type of behavior is expected of them. Whoever owned him before did not teach him any commands, not even “sit.” I have been unsuccessfully attempting to teach him to sit, but the most common method (holding a treat above his nose and moving it backwards) just leaves him standing there, confused, on all fours, while his adopted brother gets all the treats! It’s heartbreaking, really.

Any tips on how to teach a 9-year-old dog to sit?

This is Lando (a.k.a. Dizzle, Dizz), an 8-year-old chihuahua jack russell mix who we adopted from the shelter in San Mateo, CA, three years ago:

Lando’s likes include bacon, eating stuff off the street, hunting gophers, and Asian girls.  My brother took this picture, hency the fancy use of black and white and soft background focus.

This is Rascal (a.k.a. Razz), an almost 9-year-old chihuahua Boston terrier mix who we adopted in Los Angeles a few months ago:

Rascal’s likes include sitting on your lap, biting pant legs, fetching, and snuggling under blankets.

Since I work from home, Lando and Rascal are not only my pets, but my assistants.