What is Sadie?

We keep asking ourselves the same questions: Is Sadie a full-blooded Lab? Is she a mix? And if so, a mix of what?

Clearly the Lab in Miss Sadie Mae is strong. But she is little ... very muscular ... and, dare I say it? Aggressive. An aggressive Lab tends to be an oxymoron like Hell's Angels, freezer burn and unbiased opinions.

Sometimes I think there is Pointer in her. Remember the cartoons from our childhood? A Pointer would be on the hunt, spot the prey, stop dead still, with one paw raised, tail pointing straight back and nose pointing right at the target? Yeah, Sadie does this! A lot.

Kevin thinks she might have the dreaded Pit Bull genes in her. It would explain the aggression. It would also explain her amazing strength and sinewy physique. If you catch her in the right light, looking from above, and she rolls her ears back to hear something (so that they aren't flopped over) I can see a resemblance to the Pit family. I've checked out some online forums about this and they say the Pitador is a great dog. None mentioned aggression, but they did talk about mischief. I looked at a lot of their pictures and just don't think she resembles them much.

No, I think, and definitely hope I'm right, that Sadie is just a sad Labrador Retriever - no mix involved. Her aggression is probably a side effect of the starvation. In humans, an anorexic's body will eventually begin eating away at muscle mass, including the brain, to find nourishment. I think this is what happened to Sadie. Her behavior issues are a result of her starvation.

So, how do I solve the issue? No idea. But tonight I am starting her on intensive crate training. I start law school Friday and won't be home all day ... it's time to bite the bullet.