Below are pictures and updates from Bender's new family in Austin, TX. Click here to see pictures of Bender during his first 8 weeks at Deepwood Acres. Pictured below at 8 years old. Pictured below at 7 years old.     Pictured below at 6 years old.     Pictured below at 5 years old.         Pictured below at 4 years old.     Pictured below at 3 years old.                 Pictured below at 1.5 years old. Bender got to go to his first minor league game.   Between two of the innings, they did a "Flex Contest" where they put the camera on kids who would then flex their muscles.  They gave me a little notice, so they showed a few kids, and then showed Bender with his front paws on my shoulders.  They declared him the winner. During the game, one of the teams marketing reps came to me and said they are going to be showing The Sandlot in the park, and they want Bender to come back and hang out during the movie. Stats: 1.5 years, 205 lbs

Pictured below at 1 year old.

Hey Sandy, I finally got some good, recent pics of Bender to share.  We took Bender to the vet for his first annual checkup.  He weighed in at 197 lbs. He's doing well.  We recently took him to a farmer's market, and he was the main attraction.  I kept having to walk around, because if I stood in one place for too long, a crowd would gather.  At one point while Nicole was buying some veggies from a vendor, Bender and I probably had 20 people in a circle around us just gawking, asking questions, and waiting on their turn to pet him.  It is absolutely crazy how much attention he draws. Cheers, Brandon

Hey Sandy,

Bender is almost 9 months old now and is about 160 lbs.  The time has flown by!  He still behaves very well when we are at home, and he is starting to relax more around new people.  He still goes to class every week, and I think he will be a very well behaved boy once he calms down and has a longer attention span.  Bender is big enough to look like a full grown dog to most people, so we get some shocked looks when we tell people that he's only 8 months old.

Brandon

Hi Sandy,

I just wanted to give you an update and share some pictures of Bender.  Bender has been a great puppy.  It is amazing how quickly he grows and learns.  He is now 24 weeks and 108 lbs.

We started doing training immediately, and by 12 weeks he was already knew quite a few commands.  Bender did puppy class for 7 weeks, and he was always the star of the show.  It was crazy to see how big he was compared to other "large" dogs close to his age.  Bender was towering over a German shepherd puppy that was a couple weeks older than him.  Bender is now in adolescent class, and he will be for the next 5 months.  He's doing great, and Nicole is enjoying taking him to adolescent class since she couldn't take him to the puppy class.

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I expected Bender to get more attention than most dogs because of his size, but the reality has far exceeded my expectations.  The first time I took him to the vet, the vet techs all had to come say hi to Bender while we were in the lobby.  There were other dogs in the room, but they may as well have not been there.  Bender draws focus away from every other dog he has encountered.  We took him to an outdoor mall on a busy afternoon, and during an hour of walking around, I rarely made it more than 10 yards without being stopped.  People's reactions are all so similar it is comical at this point.  Typical reactions:

"Oh my God! Look at those paws!"
"How old is he?"
"Oh my God! He's only XXXX weeks?!?"
"How big will he get?"
"Wow...you should invest in dog food."

That same scene has played out hundreds of times.  I'm half expecting Bender to answer the questions himself one day since he's heard them so frequently.

I hope all is well in Maryland!

Cheers,
Brandon