Tyler celebrated his 11th birthday on September 22, 2004. He weighs about 28 pounds (TT's range from 18 to 30 pounds). He is black (TT's come in many colors, including bi- and tri-color, sable and brindle) with white paw tips, tuxedo shirt and goatee--SO HANDSOME! He does not shed but will mat if he isn't brushed regularly. If we allowed his coat to grow out (the way TT's are shown), he would look like a miniature Old English Sheepdog but usually we keep him in a more manageable puppy cut, especially in summer. He has the typical TT tail, which is long and feathery and curls up onto his back.
And what a personality! Tyler is so HAPPY. He is a very friendly and playful free spirit whose favorite activities include going out for a walk-and-sniff, chasing and wrestling with our cat, retrieving a ball and playing hide-and-seek.
While very intelligent, Tyler is also quite stubborn--a TT trait, it seems. He understands many commands and can perform several cute tricks but will ignore us if he would rather do something else. He guards our yard with confidence and always stands his ground--he has never done the submissive, flat-on-the-back routine to anyone, man nor beast. When there is nothing exciting going on he likes to curl up in a chair for a snooze, sprawl on our porch sofa, or sit on a window seat and watch the world go by. His fears are few--he will jump up into our laps if he hears thunder or firecrackers and runs out of the room with his tail unfurled if he sees an empty cardboard paper towel roller (??) or if we light a fire in our fireplace.
Tyler is neither a barker nor a trouble-maker. He has a couple of unattractive habits (believe me, you do not want to know) but is generally very trustworthy when home alone, chews only his bone, will often sleep late when WE want to, and goes happily into the nearby Pet Resort and Salon when we go away.
UPDATE: I am very sad to report that we lost Tyler to bladder cancer in the spring of 2005. We miss him terribly!