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Malcolm has now been with us for more than a year and a half, so it's time for another list of things Malcolm likes and dislikes!

Bad lighting = fuzzy photos, but if I moved, he'd move

Things Malcolm Likes

Food - Your food, his food, anyone's food. He's mostly pretty good about leaving you alone while you're eating, but he's rarely far from the kitchen if someone is in there and definitely at your feet if you're eating. We know he's really tired when he's not responding to the presence of food.

Popcorn - He knows not to get into the bowl when we're sitting on the couch and eating, but the moment a piece drops anywhere else, it's his.

Praying - Blake and I usually say our mealtime prayers together while standing in the kitchen and holding hands. It's not uncommon for Malcolm to come stand in between us and bow his little head too.

Dog Park - There is a great dog park about 2 miles from our house, behind the library. We try to go a few times a week and Malcolm is a big fan. If we're walking toward the route to the dog park but, at a certain junction, turn right for home for a shorter walk instead of left for the dog park, he will very likely protest, usually in the form of sitting or pulling. Sorry, dude.

Blake has been inspired by Thomas Kinkade

Fuzzy selfie!

Snuggles - Malcolm is a champion snuggler. Sometimes he's off on his own in the papasan or on the floor, but when he wants to snuggle, he is fantastic at it.

His people coming home - You know he's especially excited when it turns into a full body wag.

Sleeping in our room - We used to make him sleep in the bathroom, but we switched to our room after a few months of trust building. He goes to bed so much easier now, sometimes before us.

As Blake said: It's a dog's life

Weekend sleeping in - He's not allowed on our bed, except for two times - as we're getting ready for bed and if we're sleeping in on the weekend. We realized after awhile he doesn't need to go pee at 6:30 (or so) when he jumps on us and begins cuddling, and we're trying to enjoy a few extra lazy snoozes ourselves, so we let him stay.

Weekend morning snuggles

Cute and he knows it

Things Malcom Dislikes

Smoke alarm - Nothing makes Malcolm retreat to a happy place in his mind (or behind the couch) faster or for longer than the smoke alarm. Even if it only beeps once or twice, he's not himself for awhile. Luckily, his happy place is quiet and non-destructive. You can imagine how fun this was for everyone when the smoke alarm went haywire one morning around 5:30.

Hi guys!

Leaving the dog park - If you don't have a treat to convince him it's time to go, be prepared for a game of chase.

Missing his humans - If one of us is traveling, Malcolm tends to act a little weird around bedtime for the first night or two.

We love seeing deer on our walks

Overall, Malcolm is a friendly, good-natured, energetic dog. He's really settled into our pack and we're glad he's around! It took some time, but as we've all gotten to know each other better, we've gotten down to a pretty good rhythm of things. He's fantastic at walks, doesn't make messes in the house, hasn't chewed on any furniture for awhile, is super great with other humans and animals, and is just generally a really good dog. It would still be nice if we spoke each other's languages sometimes, but it works out just fine anyway most days.

Jump!

Thanks for being awesome, Malcolm!