Gösta is our 1-year-old Australian Labradoodle who approaches life with the enthusiasm of someone who’s just discovered that everything in the world is AMAZING.
The Basics:
If our household was a Finnish bus stop, Gunnar and Sven would be standing politely apart, avoiding eye contact, while Gösta would be the friendly European tourist chatting with everyone and asking about their day. He arrived in August 2024 as a 4-month-old ball of red energy from the Netherlands and immediately decided that life is too exciting to waste time being reserved.
Gösta is currently navigating the challenges of teenage puppyhood while trying to establish his place in a household with two older, neutered brothers. It’s like watching a enthusiastic exchange student try to become class president on their first day – ambitious, endearing, and occasionally causing diplomatic incidents.
The Food Fanatic: I have never seen a puppy more obsessed with food. For six months, mealtime was like hosting a one-dog rave – jumping, bouncing, spinning with pure excitement. Teaching him to simply sit and wait patiently for his bowl became my greatest training achievement to date.
The “Me First” Champion: Gösta has appointed himself first in line for everything – treats, scratches, grooming, going outside, coming back inside, and especially going downstairs in the morning (where he nearly tackles me in his enthusiasm). His strategy is simple: physically insert himself between everyone else and whatever good thing is happening.
The Sock Sommelier: This dog has refined tastes – specifically for my husband’s dirty socks. He’s learned to open the hamper cabinet and carefully select the smelliest socks, which I then find distributed throughout the house like aromatic treasure.
The Social Director: While his older brothers maintain their dignified Finnish reserve, Gösta believes everyone needs more sniffing, more attention, and definitely more physical contact. His solution? Tackle everyone and then sit on them to ensure maximum closeness.
Picture this: it’s raining, and Gunnar and Sven are standing on the porch with identical expressions of disgust, possibly crossing their legs rather than venture into the wetness. Meanwhile, Gösta is doing victory laps in the yard, splashing through puddles with the pure joy of someone who’s discovered that water falls from the sky FOR FREE. The older dogs watch him like he’s completely lost his mind, while he’s having the absolute time of his life. This perfectly captures the personality divide in our house – the reserved older brothers and the puppy who thinks everything is the best thing ever.
“Life is AMAZING and you should never, ever sit still if you can help it! Don’t be like Sven on that couch – get up, explore everything, sniff all the things, and make sure you’re first in line for all the good stuff. If it’s raining, that’s even better! Run around in it while everyone else watches from inside. And definitely steal some socks – they smell like love and make great toys. Most importantly, remember that every single thing that happens is the BEST THING EVER, especially if food is involved. Oh, and if someone’s getting attention, just sit on them. Problem solved!”
Gösta joined our family in August 2024 and has been teaching us that life is much more exciting when approached with puppy-level enthusiasm. His intelligence (top scores on smart dog tests!), energy, and love for everyone and everything continues to keep us on our toes every single day.
