Over the weekend, the Allen County SPCA and 3 other groups participated in an Adoption Tent Event at PetSmart and though I had signed up to volunteer on Sunday but considering it was my local PetSmart, I stopped by on Saturday to see how things were going. I knew that the shelter was closed and that all of the adoptable dogs were to be out at the event but I was only mildly surprised and quite saddened to see that Deuce was not in attendance.

If you’ve been with us either on Facebook or here, you know that Deuce has been in and out and around my world for a while. Actually, he first came to the shelter in February, a sweet little guy who reminded me of both Ray (looks) and Julius (demeanor) he was subsequently adopted. A few short months later, Deuce came back to the shelter. He was extremely submissive upon his return but still just as sweet as can be. He was adopted again and returned in just a few days. The details are fairly murky, but the bottom line is that Deuce was aggressive towards his adopted fur sibling despite the fact that the interaction at the shelter went well. The other dog was older and special needs, so the adopter felt that he wouldn’t be able to work through Deuce’s issues as well.

February

Deuce is now back at the shelter with a label: Dog Aggressive. I believe a more correct label is Dog Selective since Deuce had a good buddy he played with at the shelter. (Great article from BAD RAP here.) He and Ava had some great play dates together with success, though he doesn’t automatically like every dog. He also is now living in the Director’s office, which is a promotion usually given to a longer resident or an animal who might need some special care. Relieving him of the stress of the kennels has really allowed his sweet and happy personality shine through.

April

I noticed that during walks around the neighborhood, where there are always dogs along the way who are eager to bark and stake out their territory, Deuce “gets through” the walk. He takes some interest but not too much in the surroundings. He gets through the walk with his ears back and tail tucked then returns to the shelter-his shelter- with a relaxed and happily wagging tail. He is safe and sound yet again.

Deuce and Ava

So, Deuce did not go to Pet Expo, which was a good call. He would have been way too overwhelmed with all of the sights and sounds, but since the Tent Event was outdoors with lots of space, I asked if he could come on Sunday if I handled him and took great care to make sure his world stayed safe. Be careful what you ask for. Since this was such a large event, the animals were being transported up in the shelter’s fancy wrapped vans but I ended up making the trip down to collect Deuce separately. Being early, we made a little side stop at the Peaceabull house to collect a few more things and give Deuce a chance to unwind a bit more.

Stop by tomorrow to find out how Deuce fared at the event.

Our baby baby piggy Ray.

I got this car magnet at the Northern Indiana Pet Expo and I just love it as a noun and a verb.

We have been blogging for well over a decade on this platform and while it has been relatively easy in many cases, we are making the move to WordPress.

We will keep this blog active-ish but we hope that you’ll come visit us in our new home at PeaceabullAssembly

Don’t leave us, because who knows.  We might be back…

UPDATE. We fixed the link.  Thanks, Beagle Bratz!

Us!

The Peaceabull crew is moving soon to WordPress.
Stay tuned.

One of the most inspirational bloggers and doggie moms I know once wrote a post that so deeply resonated with me that I doubt if I could put into words how much it impacted me.  It ripped open a bandage that covered a gaping hole in my upbringing that I will spend the rest of my days trying to make up for.

Other than Samantha, who belonged to my grandparents, I didn’t really have a stable animal presence in my life.  While my dad was/is an animal lover, my mom isn’t really even an animal liker.  I remember several dogs in my early years.  They came and they were gone.  I don’t know where they went other than “to live out in the country.”  Given my parents m.o. I assume they were given away.  Rehomed.  Some may have run out in the street and perished.  I just never knew.

I don’t have the foundation of respect for our furry friends that some people have and that is just where I came from.  It doesn’t make my parents bad or necessarily wrong,  it just is how it was with them. 

I’m actually not even certain when the forever pet concept jelled in my conscious but I do remember the early days with Ray which were such a challenge. Before we adopted Ray, I wanted an elderbull.  I wanted an ambassador who could be a therapy dog if that was the path they were destined for.  My husband wasn’t convinced and was dead set on a puppy, so it seemed only natural that we adopt one of the “Sparkle pups.”

To say Ray was a challenge as a puppy would be to say that Chicago can be a bit breezy.  Ray and his litter mates were separated from Sparkles at around 5-6 weeks and really had no social skills.  While my mission was to socialize Ray as much as I could, I also found myself disinclined to do so.  My ambassabull was so prone to leaping up from his diminutive stature and ripping the fabric from my sleeves.  He “mouthed” my hands, passing feet, toys, furniture, leashes, and anything else he could find.  I was the redirect queen, with antlers, chew bones and stuffies shoved into every pocket but there were plenty mornings where I sat on the kitchen floor and cried bawled, “Oh my god!  Pit bulls live for nearly 17 years!  I have to endure 16 and a half more years of this!”

That’s right.  I was discouraged, disheartened, angry, humiliated by my failure, and still it never crossed my mind to do anything  but get through the next 16 and a half years.  My first milestone was set at 2 years.  I had read his personality would be shaped and I was hoping for a glimpse of my future ambassabull.  In the meantime, it would be work, work, work, lessons, lessons, lessons in  an effort to have the dog I knew Ray could be.  It turns out that around 18 months, he became just that dog.  A dog who I think may still one day be a CGC.  If he doesn’t, will he be a failure?  Will I?  If success is measured by certificates and awards, maybe. 

If success is measured by eternal love and devotion, which I suspect it is, then I’d say we are doing just fine.

If you’ve tried to visit the Peace-a-Bull Assembly anytime in the past 5 or 6 days, you’ve probably been greeted with an error message. Either that or zero people really have visited us. Well, we sincerely apologize for the interruption in posts and access, especially since we were honored to be a featured blogger in the Oh My Dog! newsletter.

Well, the problem is that we are now the proud owners of the domain peaceabull.com however after the first, second and third attempts, I still haven’t gotten it set up correctly. Bear with us, we haven’t left, we are just inept.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

The one constant is change. The fact that things change, people change, and circumstances change is usually a good thing. We hope we can adapt to change and make it a positive even when it is something that we either didn’t foresee or plan. I consider that while I am usually open to change and adapt pretty easily, I can be set in my ways. But rather than change, I think I’m talking about evolving. We learn and we grow and I hope that while I’ve aged, I’ve grown and evolved into something better than I was a week, a year, a decade or more ago.

I strive to surround myself with people who inspire me; people who make a difference in the world and strive to make it a better place than it was before. I try to be more thoughtful in my speech and actions, which includes my “posting and sharing” by being more inclined to post positives rather than negatives. I’m not 100% there yet, but the road is long and hopefully I will be traveling it for quite some time.

Speaking of inspiration, I would like to begin a new project inspired by the fact that this is a milestone year, however I need some help and ideas from you, the people of blogville who inspire me every day with your passion and commitment.

My project is going to be called “Fifty Shades of Kindness” and while I strive to perform an act of kindness each day by either word or deed, I really need some ideas to help me toward a formal fifty acts. My plan is to document my journey via a newly created Facebook page, which I hope you’ll join. Follow along with the progress, suggest new ideas and even post an act of kindness that you have performed or received.

I’m really excited about this adventure and even more so if you’ll join me.

If you’ve been following along at all on Facebook, you know by know how much our entire family has fallen in love with Miss Tora. She is everything I had ever hoped for in an adoptable dog. She is an elderbull, she is sweet and gentle with the baby, gets along great with Julius (who doesn’t?) and probably a very good candidate to be a therapy dog.

The only drawback is Ray, of course. He always needs to go so much slower with intros and can be so cranky. It’s a major production to take him to the Vet, to trim his nails, to put drops in his ears, etc. He is my heart dog, but Tora is my ideal. Julius, of course, is nothing but easy. He adapts to everything and just rolls along with his wagging tail and sweet personality.

With all the pressure encouragement from my Facebook community, and after many heartfelt and heart wrenching conversations, we have decided to add Tora to our household and to make Ray available for private adoption to a good home where he will be the only dog, or at least to a home that will have more time to work with him on his desensitization. Preferably to a home nearby, where I can still get updates on him.



“You know she’s kidding, right?”


Yeah, Duh! April Fool’s!