We just wanted to pass on some pictures of Jake and let you know that he is doing well and that he has grown into a very good-natured and kind dog. He is still surprisingly small — he only weighs 41 pounds! But, we think his size is great, and we laugh when people ask us if he is a mini-boxer.

Jake can sit, shake hands, and is generally quite obedient, and he is a good swimmer, and he absolutely loves to play with other dogs. His favorite playmates are Molly and Bailey, and we take him to daycare every week or two so that he gets to play with other dogs. And he loves to look out the window. He will sit and look out over our front or back yard for hours. And he thinks it is his job to chase away any squirrels or birds that happen to venture into our back yard. He takes great pride in it.

Unfortunately, we have recently learned that Jake has hip dysplasia. The good news is that it is not too serious and his surgeon has suggested that we treat it with aspirin and glucosamine for now and see if it will get some better over time. And it turns out that it’s actually a good thing that Jake is so small because it takes some of the pressure off of his hips, so we are hoping that surgery will not be necessary for him. Other than that, he is just a playful, healthy puppy.

So, there’s the Jake update. Enjoy the pic!

Tim and Sheila