The Grimmaroni & Cheese

It wouldn't be right if each pup didn't get their own intro post, would it? So we'll start with my ride-or-die and the reason I ever even started a dog Instagram account, Grimm.

Grimm was born November 1st, 2021 and I brought him home on December 27th. He was the last puppy left of the litter because every other puppy was a blue merle and apparently no one was interested in a black bi-colored Australian Shepherd. He came from what I now realize was a backyard breeder, which I'll do another post all about. I've since learned better, but I believe I was meant to find him however it had to happen.

At the time of this post, Grimm is just over one year old. He's a black bi-colored Australian Shepherd mix, which I didn't know when I got him. I thought he was a purebred Aussie, but it doesn't matter in the least. Although, I will say knowing more about him definitely helped me to understand him and his needs better. Grimm is Mr. Social. He loves everyone, dogs, people, whoever, whenever. He is a typical Aussie in the sense that he's very energetic, loud, and has a huge butt he loves to wiggle. His herding instincts are somewhat there, but I don't think he quite knows what to do with them. He's obsessed with playing and eating. His favorite toys are probably stuffed toys he can rip and shred and then balls, specifically the Chuckit variety. Treat-wise he's really into anything meat-based, but we've learned that he absolutely loves lamb trotters from one of our favorite brands, Wild Nourish Pet. I also learned pretty quickly that Grimm has a chicken sensitivity, so that makes finding treats and food difficult sometimes.

I did an Embark DNA test on Grimm because I wanted to stop people from trying to convince me that he was a Border Collie because of his coloring and the fact that he still has a full tail. I also found out that Australian Shepherds often have a common health issue relating to the MDR1 gene. This means that many Aussies cannot have certain common medications that contain Ivermectin (I'm not an expert, at all, so if you're concerned please do some research and talk with your trusted veterinarian). It turns out that Grimm is a carrier for the MDR1 mutation, so I keep that in mind when I'm looking at medications like monthly heartworm and flea/tick prevention. Once I made it through the health part, I found myself very surprised by his breed mix. The American Pit Bull Terrier really threw me for a loop, and I'd never even heard of an English Shepherd.

I learned a lot when I got Grimm, and I believe that he's the reason I've become what my boyfriend calls the "ultimate helicopter dog mom". I research treats, foods, toys, gear, and everything else dog-related pretty much daily to make sure I'm doing the absolute best to keep him happy, healthy, and fulfilled. I've also dubbed him the unofficial mascot of my nephew's baseball team since Grimm goes to most games and has been watching the kids play for the better part of a year.

Grimm is a great dog, and he's exactly who I needed and came to my life when I didn't even know I'd been missing him.

Coming up next for Grimm and me:

• Training to run together

• Working towards his AKC Trick Dog Titles

• Continuing to work on finding an off-switch

• Learning not to be overly aggressive with his affection when he meets new people and dogs

Thanks for learning about Grimm, and if you want to see more of him, check us out on Instagram at HerRunningTails, follow our hashtag #herrunningtails, or follow Grimm's special hashtag #itsthegrimm.

Thanks for reading this tail, and hopefully many more!

Danielle & Grimm