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<br/>​</div>Even though Jaxon's backyard barbecue had ended on somewhat of a sour note because of his inebriated friend's rude behavior, Gabriel Alcantara looked forward to hearing from Jaxon. He'd been hoping that his new friend would provide him with more information about adopting one of the dogs at the training academy. Even though Gabriel knew that Jaxon would carefully hand pick a suitable dog just for him, he was anxious about becoming a<i>dog dad. </i>Gabriel worried that he'd mess up or not be a suitable candidate for adopting a dog because he'd never had one of his own before.<br/><br/>Gabriel could hardly contain his excitement after ending the phone call with Jaxon, who relayed the reassuring confirmation that he was approved to adopt. Jaxon and Gabriel negotiated a time to visit to the training academy for the following day, and he could barely contain his excitement. He was able to sign onto the internet from his Chromebook, once he had finished his evening shift at<i>Picaduras. After a shower, he</i>spent several hours on the internet reading about different dog breeds, and how to properly care for them. There were so many things to buy for dogs and Gabriel clicked on links that focused on all breeds and sizes of dogs as well as other pets.<br/><br/>Since he was unsure about the size of the dog he planned to adopt, he saved<i>Chewy.com</i>and<i>Petco.com</i>and bookmarked them for later when he knew what kind of dog he'd fall head over heels in love with.<i>Maybe Jaxon wouldn't mind going dog shopping with me, Gabe thought to himself</i>. Jaxon would know much more about the dog than he would, at least initially, and if he couldn't find what he needed in the pet store in town he could always order what he needed online later. Logging off for the evening, Gabriel watched a documentary on the History channel about the Aztec Indians, and then went to bed to get some sleep for the night.<br/><br/>With the bright sunlight streaming from the window of his bedroom, Gabriel realized Saturday morning had finally arrived. He excitedly sprung out of bed early in order to get ready before Jaxon arrived to pick him up at the casita. He was showered, dressed, fed and<i>ready to rock and roll</i>by the time Jaxon pulled up in his pick up with Kiv riding shotgun. He offered Jaxon a warm greeting while opening the passenger side door and climbing into the seat. After fastening his seat belt and closing the door, Kiv was on the receiving end of his warm hand, going to work at massaging the thick fur behind his pricked ears.<br/><br/><b>"Hola, Kiv! Happy to see me, boy?!"</b><br/><br/>A note of surprise caused his voice to rise in pitch when he heard Jaxon say the word,<i>Rottweiler.</i><br/><br/><b>"A Rottweiler? That breed sounds familiar. I was searching the internet for dog breeds last night after you called, just trying to see what kinds of dogs they were and what they looked like. There are so many!"</b><br/><br/>Gabriel mused.<b>"Goliath, sounds like a big dog. I can't imagine it being the name of a five pound chihuahua like my Tia has."</b><br/><br/>The cab of the pick-up filled with Gabriel's sunny laughter, followed by an anxious question.<b>"A good watch dog, but will he be okay with me as a companion?"</b>he asked.<br/><br/>Jaxon mentioned the eleven month<i>Cane Corso,</i>and had some concerns about his own ability to be firm and not let the dog push him around. Although Gabriel was trying to be open-minded about the adoption, he couldn't shake the thought that he wasn't experienced enough with training a dog like that, but he asked Jaxon more questions, just for clarity's sake.<br/><br/><b>"Still a puppy then. What's his name? Do you think its possible that with whatever dog I choose, that I can find a dog obedience class or something to help me adjust to having a dog? I don't know what I'm doing, since I've never had a dog before in my life before so I'm a little nervous about that."<br/>
</b><br/>Jaxon had proven thus far to be a very patient man, and Gabriel felt confident that he'd make sure that both the dog and himself were comfortable first, before any final decisions were made.<br/><br/><b>"I don't have any supplies or food yet. I thought it might be better to wait and see the dogs you've chosen first. You know what they eat and how much, and I'd really like it if you'd come shopping with me for what I need later, if that's okay?"<br/>
</b><br/>The next twenty minutes as Jaxon drove to the training center was full of more questions and Gabriel listening attentively as he received a reassuring lick of confidence from Kiv. The sound of barking dogs from the kennels met his ears as Jaxon parked the truck, and he unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out on the passenger side. Jaxon let him know he'd be seeing one dog at a time, and that was a comforting thought since he recalled a Rottweiler and a Cane Corso as being pretty large in size, and often appeared much more imposing in person.<br/><br/>The first dog Jaxon took out of its kennel was Goliath.  And boy was he huge.<br/><br/><i>"Ese es un perro enorme!</i><b>"</b>Gabriel said.<br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: that is a huge dog!</div>
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</div><br/>Gabriel watched the six year old dog as it interacted with Jaxon's dog, a smile blossoming on his lips. Goliath had a muscular, massive, powerful body. His coat was jet black and sleek, with the patches of brown fur on his head and underbelly in sharp contrast. Gabriel noticed the slight limp when he ran, but was focused on his big, blocky, rounded forehead with rusty patches over his eyes, cheeks and muzzle that gave him a dignified appearance. As he approached, Gabriel studied him and caught a glimpse of his warm, intelligent brown eyes.  Gabriel thought to himself that maybe he might be easier to train than the Cane Corso, who was technically still a puppy.<br/><br/>He waited for the dog to approach him before extending his hand, palm up for the dog to sniff. Once Goliath had gotten a good whiff of the Mexican, Gabriel brushed his hand across the gleaming black fur covering its muscular frame. He crouched down to give him a little more love, and almost got bowled over in enthusiastic response.<br/><br/><i>"Dios mío, tú también eres fuerte! </i><b>No wonder they call you Goliath!" </b>Gabriel laughed, looking up at Jaxon from the ground, brushing dirt off his jeans.<br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: Oh my God, you're so strong too!</div>
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"What happened to Goliath? Why does he have the limp, and does he need more medical help or is he completely healed?" </b>Gabriel asked.<br/><br/>He liked the dog so far, but did want to know as much as possible in order to make the best decision. But from the looks of it, Goliath had definitely chosen Gabriel.<br/><b><br/>
"More belly rubs?" Yes, yes more more!" </b>Gabriel laughed, scratching the dog's belly as he rolled around on the ground beside him.