Call Me Dr. Doolittle

Animal lovers; you either are or you aren’t.  I would throw myself in the “am” category.  I get it from my mom.  We had animals throughout my youth.  We took in strays, we took in retired working dogs, oh there’s a cat who needed home….sure, we’re a domesticated zoo (or it felt like one at times.

Recently, we joined a homeschool co-op.  So far, it’s been a wonderful experience.  My daughter is making all sorts of friends and the moms are truly a fantastic group of ladies.  We meet at two different homes, depending on who is hosting.  Last week, the home we met at had a variety of pets.

My daughter walks over holding a little ball of fur.  Her heart had been captured by none-other than “Hammy the Hamster” (as she called him).  Ut-oh…I see where all this cuddling, cooing and petting is going….Yup, to the dreaded, “Mom, can I have a hamster?”

Sure enough, we didn’t even make it home and the question slipped out of her mouth before I killed the ignition upon pulling into the driveway.  Oh boy!  Her dad was going to be “thrilled” at this latest animal prospect.  Her dad never had pets growing up. Our first rescue was almost cause for divorce.  Yup, I was getting the dog and he could stay if he chose to.  Sounds harsh, right? Nah!  Did you miss the title of this blog??  *smile*

Deterrent.  What could I use as a deterrent to the child who remembers everything?  Ah ha!  I research and presentation report. Yeah, that’s the ticket!  Ok, I foolishly thought she’d fall for that.  Oh no!  My ever-vigilant, hamster-wanting child welcomed the challenge.  Heck, she even bumped up the start of school by a week so she could start on her paper.

She insisted on visiting the library last weekend to check out books on hamsters.  She voluntarily took those books to daycare and wrote and entire page of facts and general information about hamsters for her presentation.  That caught me off guard.  She was please as punch at her progress.

Later that evening, I wrote out questions she needed to find answers to in order to present her paper.  She did all that before dinner so she could move her parental presentation to right after dinner instead of the following day.

Considering she has never stood in front of anyone, spoke about what she learned and was doing so on a subject of great interest, I’d say she did a fantastic job.  She closed her “argument” with if allowed to get a hamster, it would help teach her responsibility and help her grow as a person in pursuit of caring for animals.

Uggh!  She played the responsibility card and she sounded sincere.  Knowing her father had said he didn’t want a hamster in the house, he leaves the presentation saying, “it’s up to your mother”.  Well, shoot.  she knows I can’t turn away a pet opportunity.  In fact, I know she’s counting on it.

Final delay tactic; going to the pet store to price out supplies and the cost of adding a rodent to our home.  I should mention, she had asked her Godfather if he’d buy her the hamster, if I agreed.  What a kid, securing the financial part of her endeavor. She’s one smart cookie!

The lil miss and her pup

             “Smokey”

The lil miss was feeling creative this evening.  I hear her giggling and flashes are going off sporadically.  The camera! Sure enough, the lil miss is on the couch, laying down, arms extended out in front of her.  What is she doing?  Why taking selfies with her pup!

Ut-oh…she caught us taking selfies

That’s right, a mini photo-shoot was taking place in my livingroom.  The kid is a camera addict.  Smokey, the pup, was more than happy to oblige his kid companion.  He adores her.

As you can see, the cuteness and the fun were definitely a good combination. Oh my lil miss….

Let me get that spot for you…right ….THERE!

              A girl and her pup.

Did you know….

Did you know that one, you should never forget your phone at home when you go out, even for an hour?

Did you know, while you are out, your uncrated dog can trip your home security alarm?

Did you know, it wasn’t his movements that tripped the alarm?

Did you know, when you have a breed, who is half German Shepherd (GSD), they tend to be a bit protective, esp. in the house?

Did you know, if your protective GSD mix perceives a threat or sees an animal in your backyard, and he rushes the window, it trips the alarm stating “glass breakage”?

Did you know we got home in time to cancel the police response that a certain canine prompted?

Did you know a certain GSD mix will return to being crated when we aren’t home?

Did you know looks are deceiving?

Here is the culprit, trying to eat his canine brother’s new dog dish.  Apparently, it’s meant to be a toy, but no one told this human about that, who promptly removed it from said culprit’s mouth.  Ahh life with canine kids….never a dull moment.

                                     Reeses

Am I Fat; dog thinks so

It’s the only logical explanation I can come up with. We’ve finally gotten to the point in our puppy training, where Smokey (the grey pup in the pic) will go to the door and wait to go out. Sometimes he’ll utter a sound or two so I know he’s there.

Once he’s out, if he barks after doing his business, eating rocks, digging to China, etc., I immediately go get him as to not to disturb the neighbors. Both my dogs are inside dogs and are tethered when they go out. The chaos that ensues when they aren’t just isn’t worth it.

I have put Smokey out, sat down to work, heard his bark, gotten up, gone outside, bent down to unchain him, walked him in, and sat back down. I have repeated this process over a dozen times in the last couple hours.

The only explanation for this is, my dog thinks I’m fat. LOL

Side note: The brown and black dog, Reeses, is a fence jumper. He thinks I’m fat too because boy when he thinks I need a workout, he’ll break his leash and lead me around the neighborhood until I run out of breath.

You Gotta Fight, For Your Right…

Did you really expect me to end that with party? Silly you. As I was waking up, this topic was taking formation.

I have two dogs, a hubby and a Cal-King (wider than a standard king) bed. You would think there would be room to spare. Quite the opposite; courtesy of my canine friends.

The dogs are not huge. One is medium size and the other a tad smaller. Smokey, the smaller of the two, is the human body contact dog. He must physically touch you to sleep. This means, I have a cuddle buddy every night.

We all fall asleep in our given positions, yet somehow, in the middle of the night, my bed shrinks. I tend to wake up nearly falling of the bed, or pushed onto a space that would be equivalent of half a twin-sized bed. Rarely is the bigger dog the culprit. Tis the young pup who sprawls out in all his canine glory.

Whether it be laying on the covers, stretched out in a diagonal position, pushing me off with his little muscular body or is just the right angle to put me in a fetal position, he is a true bed hog.

Most days I awake to find myself in a unique sleeping position. Yet my pup is oblivious to the predicament he creates.

That being said, I love my dogs. They are my pack and I am their Alpha. To some that sounds funny, but to them, it is their reality. I am in charge, they know it and respond accordingly. I wouldn’t change our sleeping arrangement at all. Even if it means a nightly “battle” for the optimum sleeping position.

Smokey Bear

Smokey Bear, that would be the nickname of my 18-month old pit mix; Smokey.  He’s a bit smaller than the average American Pit Bull Terrier, as he is mixed with Bulldog.  I only stand 5’2″ and he only comes up to my knees.  That being said, my little pup packs a punch with his solid weight.

Smokey believes, if you are sitting on the couch or trying to relax, you obviously want him with you.  He has no problem almost smothering you with 50 pounds of solid love.  Your human persona will be replaced with that of cuddle machine. You are there for him to nuzzle your arms, lay his head on your heart so he can put his ears back and look into your eyes.

You are a jumping board.  When he needs to get up in a hurry, as you are the current cushion, you are magically transformed into a platform so he can spring to attention.  He will listen for the quietest sound and loudly alert you.  His favorite time to do this is between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.  I am usually the only one up and he does his best to alert the neighborhood to the mystery sounds of city life.

       “I’m listening, Mom…..shhhhh”    

This is my “ferocious” pit bull.  He loves attention, loves showering you with attention and he doesn’t even need an invitation.  He sees a person and he sees a friend.  He’s a little, solid ball of love.  Of course, when he can’t cuddle the closet human, he will settle for a snuggle with his canine brother. Good night boys.

Love Thy Bully

A little over a year ago, I stumbled across a page on Facebook called “Love Thy Bully“.  Joe had started the page and he was seeking Admins help to run this fun and informative bully-centered page.  It’s a positive page that promotes awareness of all the “bully” breeds.

I am a pit bull owner.  I have a pit mix named Smokey and I took him in around the time I “met” Joe.  I already had one dog, but Smokey needed a home and my latest foster had just gone to a new home.  Timing is everything after all.  I eventually had to resigned my position as a Facebook Admin because some personal issues were dominating my every waking moment.  Yet, I believe in the work Joe, his team and so many of us pit bull owners do in correcting an exaggerated stereotype of a some fantastic dogs.

I have worked in pit bull rescue.  I have been a pit bull foster mom.  I see dogs as individuals and with their own personalities. I don’t believe in breed specific legislation (BSL).  That is legally banning dogs from certain communities based on their appearance.  Funny, seems some people have forgotten how well that didn’t work when they tried that with certain people using their skin color.

While I am not stating there have never been attacks by pit bull breeds, I am realistic enough to know that the media is public enemy #1 against these dogs (imo).  They will run a pit bull attack story 200 times more than any other breed attack; if they even mention any other attacks.  While you will find bully bashers citing how there are more pit bull attacks, you won’t here them state how many more pit bulls there are in that particular area in comparison to other breeds.  That results in number skewing for their own agenda.  That’s not reporting facts.  The media is no better than yellow journalists when it comes to any pit related story.

Here’s a fun one for you:  Myth vs Fact:  Myth:  Pit bulls have locking jaws.  That’s FALSE!!!  In fact, a German Shepherd and a Rottweiler have stronger bit pressures than a pit bull.

I encourage you to visit Love Thy Bully if you have Facebook.  If I’m not mistaken, you can also find them on Twitter and Tumbler.  I don’t really use either of those other than to promote my blog, but it Tweet and Tumble, go for it.  In addition to the cutest bully pics, there is information on education, awareness, ending BSL and the like.

I have comments set to approve and this particular post will not be an avenue to bash any bully breeds. Staying with the positive energy Love Thy Bully provides, please only comment if you can share good information.  If you leave them a comment, let them know “Smokey’s mom” sent ya.

My Sheldon; My Smokey

Unless you are familiar with The Big Bang Theory, this probably won’t make too much sense.

My youngest pup (18 months now), needs to be renamed Sheldon. His morning routine is exact. Wake up, go potty, sit by bowl, wait for food, eat, get a drink of water and join Mommy on the couch while she has coffee.  This routine had been repeated almost every morning for a year. In the last few weeks, it has changed. We still do all those steps plus one more.

Now, after Smokey (my pup), jumps up on me to snuggle while I have coffee, about 3 minutes in, he starts making this exasperated sigh/whining sound. I pet him and “shh” him. The sound continues. I issue my own sigh of exasperation and wiggle out from underneath him so he can have his spot on the couch. He then repositions himself and settles in for his morning snooze.

I should mention, it is the same exact spot on the couch as Sheldon spot’s on television. He is saying in those sighs, “you’re in my spot”.

Yes there is training in this house but not sure who is the one who had been trained. Oh life with puppy.