Everyone, meet Duke!
IMG_5712 by cara, on Flickr

Don't let the calm poses fool you, he can do some damage! ;) Invested in some NylaBones and he's getting much better mileage out of those.
IMG_5717 by cara, on Flickr

He's great at being a lump most of the time.
IMG_5723 by cara, on Flickr

What a beauty! If you're having troubles with toys being destroyed try this: http://starmarkacademy.com/products/everlasting-treat-ball/
My dog has jaw muscles like a pit and it took him about a year of determined attempts to tear this thing apart. I highly recommend this thing to anyone with a busy chewer.
I found it at Petsmart for twenty bucks. Worth every penny!

Thanks for the toy suggestion!

Love this shot, I can almost smell the doggy breath from here He looks like a Chocolate Lab and maybe part Elk too ;). What's his name?

Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Mulie Deer. lol. His breath was pretty hot and muggy if I remember correctly lol. His name is Grizzly Bear (Griz for short) and weighing in at 110 He's earned it! I imagine your handsome lil lump is much better behaved than my hellhound!

Just a wee bit on the extremely well behaved side. Duke is actually my trained service dog for when I am having rougher days, he used to be in service to my mom prior to her recent passing, and was reassigned by his trainers to work with me instead, since I was eligible to receive. He's exceptionally well behaved, and equally stubborn at times. (I call him my prima-donna service dog, he needs to be given a lot of encouragement.)

He's had a fairly boring and rather depressing life up until we got him a month back, so he's spent this last month re-exploring his puppy side and what it means to play and be a dog (responsibly, since service dogs have a lot of rules of do and don'ts) on top of establishing his working bond with me.

He'll be at most outings, so folks should have a chance to meet him. Just fair warning, when he has his vest on he's working and can't be touched, not even petted. I only ever vest him when I need him at my side, and I imagine it will be rare for him to be vested up in most locations we would meet at (my conditions are neurological and somewhat complicated, but suffice it to say that I tend to be much better off away from city life - prospecting is my favorite release). When the vest is off, he's good to go to pet and play - just no tug-o-war allowed, and he must never ever be given "people" food ... both can destroy a lot of training.

(There is always somebody who assumes they are exceptions to the rules, including the first incident when he was by my side at my mother's funeral reception... some idiot fed him scraps thinking I wasn't looking. I may be retired, but that man met TSgt Thompson in all his "verbally administered behavioral modification" (aka arse-chewing) glory. I rather hope that part of me stays retired, but history seems to repeat itself with people thinking they are entitled to show no self-discipline, and endanger $12,000 of training.)

No problems from me! I respect the dedication and work put into service animals! Thank you for your service and congratulations on your service dog placement!

Duke is beautiful, love the long golden hair and big happy smile!
I fully understand where you are coming from Jason! Great to see such care and dedication. After all, they are a very important part of the family.

I agree with Jessie, thank you very much for your service!
True heroes in my heart.