This is Uma. She’s such a sweetie! My mom adopted her in September, and I wish, I wish so hard, that I could suddenly land in a living situation that allows for a dog half as intelligent as her.

Whassup guurrrrl!!

She may not look it, but she’s a big puppy. When my mom got her we had to fatten her up a bit, so now she’s at a proper weight for herself, one hundred pounds instead of seventy-five.

Current state of "rope toy?" Not so great.

Uma is a great dog. She’s so friendly – but not jumpy – and she’s extremely smart. She’s used to entertaining herself, too, which is really endearing. When my mom takes her to meetings, she lounges and sleeps, but when I brought her a gift, she picked that rope toy right up and started tossing it for herself. Puppies that know when to play and when to lie down are really special, and Uma is just that – very special. She’s something else.

Unfortunately Uma has strong alpha female instincts, which aren’t mixing well with Tashi (who is severely emotionally damaged herself – Let’s just say not everyone should be allowed to have dogs.). Uma is going through obedience training (and excelling with gold stars), but her competitive upbringing (another not-smooth story) has made that alpha female complex of hers unlikely to subside.

Tibetan Mastiffs are beautiful dogs, but they are rare because of their largely undomesticated natures. They’re great, but they’re not for everyone. Uma is unusually social and responsive for a Tibetan Mastiff, but it’s important to know that there are some parts about her that will never change. If you or anybody you know is experienced with larger dogs and looking for a superpup, please leave a comment! She’d be particularly great in the home of a family with either no other dogs or just a male dog. (Her and Yogi are great play buddies, which will make this separation really sad.)

And look at those dot eyebrows! (In Tibetan folklore, those dot eyebrows represent always being awake. Definitely helped out when Tibetan Mastiffs served as the protection for buddhist monks.)

Blink.