Brandon Laxson: "So tell me about Lando!"
Bill Guerin: "He's a great Bernese: a mix between a Bernese mountain dog and a great Pyrenees."
BL: How old is he?
BG: He's nine months old and he's just over 100 pounds. He's a big dog.
BL: Big dog, does he have a big personality?
BG: Yes. He loves it outside. Even in those couple weeks of extreme cold [around the holidays] where it was like minus 20, minus 30, he's outside. We're used to Bernese mountain dogs who are very docile but he has the protective side of the great Pyrenees where he's pretty loud. He sees or hears coyotes in the back and he goes crazy. If he sees anybody walking around he's on guard. But, he's super friendly and a bit stubborn… not a bit stubborn, he's extremely stubborn but I love him.
He's spoiled. We make no bones about it. He gets part of the couch and when he wants to come in the bed he can. He's extremely spoiled and he's our only dog. He came at the right time.
BL: When did you get him?
BG: My wife surprised me with him. He was a belated Father's Day gift. I've surprised my wife with two dogs before that so she's always threatened to get me back. She really got me. I had no idea he was coming. We've always had Bernese mountain dogs and just by chance, this was six, seven years ago, I met someone at this gas station who had one of these dogs, a cross between a Bernese mountain dog and a great Pyrenees. I've always been saying, 'What a cool dog.' So, she tracked down a breeder of great Bernese and that's what she got me.
BL: What's your favorite memory of him?
BG: Just getting him, it was a big surprise. It was right in the middle of the Kevin Fiala trade. We had just agreed to the trade and I was on the phone with (Minnesota Wild Assistant GM) Chris O'Hearn. I was trying to get him to make the trade call and my daughter came in saying, 'Dad, we need some help with some stuff in the car.' I said I was busy and she was very persistent, which was kind of weird. So, I said, 'Okay, but I'm going to be on the phone with Chris.' Right when he picked up, I walked out into the garage and I said, 'Sorry, I gotta call you back. Kara just came home with a dog.'
BL: Why the name Lando?
BG: His birthday's May the Fourth, so we had to go with a Star Wars name. We felt like 'Chewie' has been overused so we went with 'Lando.'
BL: Anything else about Lando?
BG: He's just awesome. He's a great dog. We love him. He's just good with everybody. He loves everybody. The only thing is he's still a puppy and he's huge and we have to be aware of that, around little kids and people that aren't comfortable with dogs. He still doesn't know his own size and strength. But he's super friendly, he's awesome.
