He’s now a year and a half old, and we’ve had a significant summer! Uly got fixed in June, and as is common in large breeds, he also underwent a gastropexy to prevent GDV. As a result, the beginning of the summer was a bit slow. We did get him a little suit to keep him from picking at his sutures, and as a benefit, it made him look like a little man from the turn of the century, about to go for a swim and an egg cream at the beach. Just needed a little straw hat.

Why yes, that is the little beachgoer out on the roof. How did he get there? He decided to leap through an open window. What was he doing up there? Just chilling. That part of the roof is a single story, but I’ve seen him jump down from a twelve-foot-tall bulkhead, and we didn’t need that happening when he was still in recovery. He eventually came inside and abandoned his roof inspection after being promised treats.

After an extensive recovery (nearly six weeks!), things returned to normal fairly quickly. Walks with buddies. Playtime in the property. He enjoys fetch for a time, but his favorite game is a toss-up between tug-of-war and chase. While his energy has remained boundless, he’s now slowly starting to figure out the nap thing—as long as he gets his walk in.

Your typical Uly Day is as follows: wake up slowly, this can be anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes. Harass the people until they give you breakfast. Eat breakfast. Go outside to pee. (Yeah, he waits until after breakfast.) Hang out outside for a bit. Harass the people until you get a walk. Take a lovely walk, maybe see friends, or go to the beach, or the forest, or a rare combo of all three. Return home for frozen bone time. Yay! Enjoy bone. Nap and poke around until dinner, maybe demand a play session or two. Dinner time. Yay! Okay, now it’s time for TV. That’s not a joke; he loves to gnaw on bones and watch whatever we’re watching. Otherwise, he pouts about it or harasses us. Finally, bedtime. Dream of doing it all again tomorrow.

This summer, my little sister moved in with us. She has been helping train Uly, and he has been making really good progress. He’s just so happy and is so food motivated, he’s eager to listen and please. He’s due for another haircut, and it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches the rainy season when sleeping outside isn’t as desirable as it is in the summer. Maybe he’ll finally learn to curl up in front of the fireplace. Guess we’ll find out.

This has been your Summer 2025 Pupdate.