Author: Debra

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The Results

There were some good guesses.  We got some comments here, on Facebook and via text messages and the top guesses were about what we thought made up a Juli-bean and boy were we shocked by the actual results.

We always thought that there was some Labrador in Julius.  His larger size, big feet and love of splashing about in the water made the Lab part a good guess.  An incorrect guess.  When we brought Ray home as  a very tiny puppy, I guessed that he would top out at about 55 pounds.  After all, his mama was 39 pounds at the time she was spayed, although she was tallish.  I never thought he would grow and grow to be over 80 pounds. 

Likewise, when I found Julius, he was not skinny or underfed by any means and at his neuter, weighed in at 36 pounds.  I figured that he’d end up in the 60 pound neighborhood.  He  sometimes seems taller than Ray, his neck is longer and his head/snout is longer.  Knowing that most dog dna tests don’t have the screening for an American Pitbull Terrier, I was hesitant to administer the test because I was a bit worried that the results may come back with a big “mixed breed” and no other info.  Plus, keeping him and his ‘dna sample’ away from his brother was a bit of a challenge.  Nevertheless, I finally got a good sample and sent it in.

So a little bit about the dnamydog test results:  the certificate they send has five levels which recognize percentages found in your dog.

Level 1 recognizes when a dog’s DNA contains a majority of one specific breed (75% or greater).  A dog will only report with a Level 1 breed if they have a high percentage match to a single breed in thier DNA.  Most mixed breed dogs will not usually have a breed in this category unless one or both of thier parents are pruebred.

Level 2 reports breeds that may be easily recognizable in your dog.  Each breed listed makes up between 37-74% of your dog’s breeds.  Dogs with a large mixed ancestry will not normally have breeds reporting at this level.

Level 3 identifies breeds that have between 20%-36% off the listed breed(s).

Level 4 represents 10%-20% of the breed DNA.  Dogs with large mixes may have a number of breeds in this category.

Level 5 represents the lowest level of breed in your dog occuring at 9% or less.  These breeds still appear at a low and measurable amount in your pet’s DNA and were likely carried over from several generations.

The total of the breeds found in hte levels will always equal 100% of your dog’s DNA breed composition.  For example a dog with 4 breeds reporting at Level 3 (20%-36%) and 2 breeds reporting at Level 4 (10%-20%) will not have breeds reporting at other levels or the total would be greater than 100%.  –info via the mailed analysis certificate.

So I’m sure there can be room for error and he doesn’t fit the “breed standard,” but everyone who guessed Am Staff plus something was partly right; without even more rambling, Julius is

a Level 1 American Staffordshire Terrier. 

And I really thought there would be some seal in the mix somewhere.  How shocked are you that my little foundling appears to not be a mixed breed at all?

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Snips and Snails

When little Julius came running up to me Rapunzel in the street on that sunny July day, I knew he was a Pit Bull kind of dog, but what exactly might he be? He and Ray are very clearly Pit Bulls, but other than their height, they don’t look at all alike. Also, as the mom of two rescue dogs, I am in a very unique position in that I’ve seen the mothers of both my boys.

If you’ve been around for any length of time, you may know that we did Ray’s dna through Wisdom Panel back in 2012 and Ray appears to be an American Bulldog/Boxer/mix dog. So we wondered, with some very distinct differences between the two, what would we find when we tested the Juli-bean? We know he loves water, so maybe he is a seal?

So, we swabbed the little guy and just as I was telling him that we should be receiving the results soon, in the mailbox they appeared.

Soooo…best guess. What do you think makes up a Juli-bean?

P.S. He should be one year old in February and he weighs 74 pounds right now.

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Minivan Mama

He knows I wasn’t happy.  He knows that although I knew it was the right thing to do, I wasn’t happy.  I’ve been so smugly happy with my stereotype busting four wheel drive, four door pick-up truck that I couldn’t imagine driving something as matronly as a minivan.  I drive a big truck.  In heels!  Unfortunately, there were several times when I was put on stand by that I might have to pick up the baby from daycare.  That would have meant driving home to get the carseat then back to get the Muffin because keeping a carseat in the truck would have impacted the space for dogs. 

Me, the baby Ray and our truck

So, we traded in my beloved Fernando so that the hubby would have the best vehicle for his job and I inherited the minivan.  And I was bitter, until I rigged this puppy cart out and made it our own. 

Riding in style!

Room for all!

So, yeah, when I saw how much comfy room there was for everyone, I mellowed slightly and resigned myself to being a Pittievan Mama, at least for awhile.

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A Mile in Their Shoes

We all know and live by the creed that when we adopt a pet, it is forever.  We call it a Forever Home and we hear/read stories about families that have lost their home and are still struggling to keep the family structure intact.  Including the family pets.  We’re no different.  I would like to believe that if adverse conditions arose, I would go to extreme lenghths to keep the four of us humans and our five fur babies together.  We’ve had challenges with all five most of our fur babies at one time or another, but we’ve stuck with them.  That’s what families do.

I’ve looked with barely disguised distain at people dropping off their dogs at the shelter.  They obviously didn’t try hard enough, really want their dog, were not worthy, etc.  Judge, judge, judge. 

I also know people who have given up their pets because it really and truly was the best thing for their pet.  I would rather lose an arm than lose anyone of the souls living in my home, but if for some reason I was faced with a King Solomon-like situation I would surely, surely, hopefully do the right thing.  But we aren’t usually faced with something that crucial to know when it’s time to do the right thing. 

I have a co-worker who was asked do make an adjustment to their career path.  They declined.  They were asked several times over the course of several months and declined every time.  Finally, the request was made by someone two or three levels up, “Your company needs you to do this,” and the unofficial message was that this person would be remembered for the adjustment and later well thanked.  This was not a request to be taken lightly and it was mulled over sufficiently before being accepted.  A few months down the road we find that the sacrifices were greater than anticipated and this person believes that his/her two Great Danes would be better off in another home.

This person has been home approximately one to two nights or less per week and though there is a roommate who can feed and care for the dogs, this roommate is planning to move out of state, so now I would like to share two dogs who are still with their person, but are looking for new forever homes.  My co-worker would love to see them go together, but says they are not a bonded pair.

Here’s a little info:

The white dog with black spots

Neutered male, weighs 110 pounds.  He is UTD on shots and was adopted May 2012.  He was previously in a home with four other dogs.  He is a people dog and has to be around people all the time.  He is a licker/kisser and drools after drinking water.  He is laid back and a sweetheart.  Jumps some when meeting someone new but has been around kids with no issues. Has had some accidents when left alone for long periods of time.  He was three in September.

The black dog:

This neutered male weighs 135 pounds and was three in January.  He is also UTD on shots.  My co-worker has had this dog since it was 12 weeks old.  I’m told he is lazy around the house and doesn’t need to be near people all the time.  “He can be aggressive around other dogs as he is an alpha male.  he has been around kids with no issues.”  He has jumped the 4′ fence in the past.

Both dogs if adopted together, or one dog will come with a custom made three-bowl raised stand that the owner hand made, also with two plastic totes for food bones, treats, harnesses, leashes, etc.

This person was adament that the dogs would be “free to a good home” as he/she didn’t want to “sell” them.  I convinced this person that an adoption/rehoming fee should be obtained and that if they wanted the Allen County SPCA or any worthy organization would be glad to accept the donation to which this person agreed.

So here is the task at hand, dear Blog readers.  I would love to help find these two good homes, and would be forever appreciative if you’d share, share, share.   I’ve obviously hidden this person’s identity as well as possible so if you have someone interested, please put them in touch with me.  I can be reached through email.  Some of you have it and others can email peaceabull at gmail dot com.  or send us a message through Facebook. 

*These dogs are still with my co-worker who is trying to do right by them, which is why I am helping.  I will always stand by a decision that is made in the best interest of the animal.

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What’s in a Date?

There are some dates that you just don’t forget. Major holidays (except for Thanksgiving…what is the rule for that, again?) and birthdays of close relatives would be the first to come to mind. If you’re a CDM, Gotcha Day is often one of those dates as well.

To tell the truth, last year I was really looking forward to Ray’s Gotcha Day celebration and we did a nice Blog Hop to celebrate, but this year we kind of allowed it to go by the wayside. Obviously, I knew that it was sometime in January, but I had to go back to the blog archives to figure out the exact date. I could have counted it out on the calendar as well. It would be seven weeks after December 1 and then whatever the date of that Friday was.

December 1, 2011 was a Thursday and because I was present for Ray’s birth and had such a vested interest in his little family that is the day I celebrate. In my mind, other than for want of a few minor details, Ray’s day of birth IS his Gotcha day for me. He was always mine, in my mind and in my heart, so that only makes sense to me.

Julius, on the other hand, was probably born in February. The day in the last week of July that I picked that little ragamuffin off the street and took him to the vet, we got a guesstimated age of five to six months. At his next visit in August, I remember a different vet in that office estimating his age slightly differently, though I can’t remember exactly what the variance was. Because of that, I “decided” that Juli’s birthday would be February 1. I chose February because that would have been about six months roughly before and the first in honor of his brother’s birthday. That is now his official birthdate on his vet records. Who knows when we’ll actually celebrate? My guess is we may give it a nod sometime during the month, but for me, the day I picked Julius up and brought him to my house will probably be the official date we observe. Or maybe the day before that, which is when I had him vetted, or maybe the 30th, which is when I had him neutered. It might even be July 31 just because I have it in my head that that is his Gotcha Day.

So with all of that rambling in mind, I’d like to wish Ray a Happy not-really-Gotcha-because-you-were-born-to-be-mine-day.

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"The Sweetheart Brothers"

This has been a week for packages and new accoutrements  for the Peace-a-bull crew and if you follow along on Facebook, you may have seen a sneak peak of the new Valentine’s collars.  I was nearly beside myself that the fancy Christmas collars that I ordered didn’t quite work out, so I wanted to make darned sure the boys wouldn’t be so deprived in February.

Generally, if I have the boys out, they are wearing a harness, so most of the time their collars are decorative and I recently found the patriotic collar that I had ordered for Ray for the Fourth of July from Prancer’s Pit Projects.  It is softer as the interfacing isn’t so stiff and it is a 2″ width, which worked out really well for Julius recently so I went back to Prancer’s Facebook page and poured over the available Valentine’s fabrics.  After messaging them and changing my mind a time or two, I finally got my order placed and they came in the mail this week!

So Ray’s collar; my sweet lovey dovey Ray is the one I changed my mind about a few times and ended up with the perfect collar for him.

No pretty poses tonight!

It’s simple and it’s not too girly and it expresses my feelings for the big lug.  It just has love written all over it.

For Julius, as soon as I saw this fabric, I knew it was meant for him but not until I got the actual collar in my hands and then on his sweet neck did I  really understand how much this collar IS Julius.

  
If ever a collar was meant for a dog…

Bonus!  It’s sparkly! (but manly)

He’s just achingly more adorable in this collar.  Says the impartial mommy)  I just can’t get over how much this just “fits” his personality.
Yes, they are the Sweetheart Brothers.  (Thanks for the inspiration for the title, JR, the Juli-bean sends a hug.)

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Snoods!

Ok, so here are two confessions:  1) my hubby kind of hates has asked me several times to curtail the amount of money I spend on the dogs and despite the fact that my mother says the boys have more things than some children, I 2) am a good bargain hunter.

I don’t spend just to spend on the boys, but I find that I enjoy buying them different collars and changing up their look while I often realize I’ve forgotten to wear earrings on any given day.  I’d say the biggest purchase has been Ray’s Paco collar, and let me tell you, as far as quality is concerned, it is a bargain. 

So, while I’ve been wanting fleece snoods for the boys, I’ve been hesitant to spend the money on those.  After all, I have boatloads of shirts and jackets that just don’t fit them, so I just waited and secretly hoped that Lamae Designs would begin making snoods. In case you’re not familiar, Lamae Designs began making incredible looking tutus for dogs then ventured into collars and bow ties.  She has always given back to rescues in time, financial support and as a foster parent.  In fact, she fostered then adopted Ray’s littermate, Dahey.

Glamour, now Kya sporting a gorgeous tutu by Lamae Designs

Elephant collar and bow tie

So imagine how loud I squeed my delight when I saw the post on Facebook stating that snoods would be available for a limited time and  all sizes were $12 (yeah, twelve dollars) and when you order, you can choose to where Lamae will donate 50% of the money and ACSPCA was one of the choices! 

If you think my mind wasn’t blown by then, just hold on to your toupee.  When I messaged her, she asked for the boy’s neck measurement then said I could have them the next day!  Boom!

So, to say I was pretty jazzed would be an understatement, but then when the hubs saw the sno

ods and said, ” I kind of really like those,” you know I swooned for my snoods.

So, if you’ve been debating on getting a snood, I highly recommend checking out Lamae Designs.  These are high quality reversible fleece snoods and I opted for the opening to hook a leash through, so that is an option, if you so desire.  Plus, 50% of your purchase price will go back to one of four (cough ACSPCA) really deserving (ahem ACSPCA) organizations. 

*I was not compensated nor asked to review, I just LOVE these snoods. 

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Boys Will Be Boys

It’s been a long, long, long time since I had more than one dog and I’ve never had two adolescent dogs at the same time.  There are days when I don’t see how it would be any different than having two young human boys romping around the house.  (I’ve never really been treated to that phenomenon, either.)

With the bad weather recently, we’ve been trying to keep the dogs occupied while not destroying everything in the house.  Luckily they really enjoy their antlers, but sometimes a good old fashioned wrestling sesh is in order.

“Wooo” is an invitation to play.

What “indoors” activities do your pooches like the best?

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Meet Ruthie

Ruthie is a one year old Am Staff mix with a huuuuge block head and an even bigger heart.  I got a cryptic Facebook message about a new resident at the shelter whom I was sure to love and the bonus was that she loves to kiss.  Powerless to resist, I high-tailed it to the shelter and saw Ruthie.  She was still “red” meaning I couldn’t touch her yet, but as I sat drooling on the window and obeying the rules, the staff took pitty on me and said she had in fact been processed and I could take her out. 

Oh, the kisses she gave and the joie de vivre she exhibited!  This gal loves life and will take you on an adventure with her.  She covered me (and my new coat) with slobber evidence of her happiness and just all out seemed to be happy.  She pulled a bit on the leash but stopped and checked in at the appropriate times, so with a little bit of work she will be a great leash walker in not time at all.  With luck, she will be adopted before I really get to know her, but otherwise, stay tuned for more updates.