October 20, 2006

Pet of the Month

Oreo

By Laura Firchow
Staff Writer

Oreo, a 6-year-old, German Sheppard, Irish setter and Labrador mixed breed dog, is November’s pet of the month.

Oreo is the perfect name for this sweet pet, whose fur is black on her back and white on her underside, closely resembling a favorite treat for many children, Oreo cookies.

Oreo spends most of her time laying around and giving plenty of love to her owners, the Heaths. Photo by Laura Firchow

Oreo became part of the Heath family when she was only a 2-month-old puppy. A friend of the family, whose dog had a litter of adorable black and white puppies, gave her to the Heaths.

She was a very active puppy who loved to run around the house, knocking over anything that was in her path, according to owner Jonathan Heath.

Although Oreo may still be considered a puppy by some, she has calmed down a great deal since her early years. Now her favorite hobbies are lounging around the house and resting.

“She’s a bit of a home body,” said Kristy Heath, the family’s mother.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Oreo’s lounging habits. She seems to offer endless comfort and love to her owners and shows them how to take time and relax from their busy schedules.

Like several other dogs, Oreo likes to take a break from her regular diet of puppy chow and water, and indulge in any human food that may be left on the counter from time to time. One indulgence she will probably never forget was the time she decided to down an entire pound of See’s candy.

Chocolate does not typically agree with a dog’s stomach, and sometimes sends them on an emergency trip to the vet. But Oreo seems to have a stronger stomach than most other dogs and after a couple of rough hours, she recovered quite quickly from her chocolate feast. She may be one of the only dogs who can eat a pound of chocolate and live to tell the tale.

The Heaths’ children, Jonathan, Brittany and Heather, are all stellar swimmers. Unfortunately, they cannot say the same about their dog. Most dogs have a natural instinct and ability to swim when they are in the water.

“Most dogs know how to swim. This one sank,” said Jeff Heath, the family’s father.

The Heaths discovered Oreo’s lack of swimming ability while camping a couple years back. Oreo was exploring the campground and decided to walk out onto some rocks not far from the shore of the river they were camping on. She started barking to get the family’s attention and soon after fell off the rock. Instead of lifting her head above water and swimming to shore, Oreo looked like she was sinking under water and drowning. The family quickly came to her rescue.

“Luckily no CPR was needed,” Kristy said jokingly.

Now, Oreo is a little apprehensive when water is nearby. She especially hates getting baths, and stays out of the rain as best she can. Her family has diagnosed her with “aquaphobia.”