Peaceabull

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Somersault

Ray loves playing with his “crinkie” which is the most durable toy EVER.  You insert an empty water bottle in it and he can play for hours. Sometimes under good supervision we let him play with a water bottle that isn’t in the “crinkie” which is fun for all of the extra loud noise it makes.  Last night, however, I rinsed out an empty milk container and gave it to him to play with. 

I think he liked it.

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Leaps and Bounds

What often surprises me is whenever Ray and I go to Green Dog goods to pick up some more food, supplies or just visit they comment that he has doubled in size since the last visit.  I find that hard to wrap my head around, being so close to him.  But as I look back at old pictures I see just how fast he is growing and how much he is changing.

Gotcha Day 1/19

Oddly enough each week in the early days, it seemed to me that he was growing quickly and I felt like he rapidly lost his puppy-like features.  In retrospect, I think I was seeing one type of change while staying oblivious to another.  I know he outgrew his clothing at an alarming rate but he seemed to have the same collar for ages.  I’m sure the anticipation of our first Sirius Republic collar made that situation seem like it dragged on forever.  He finally reached the stage where I felt safe to order the 15-17 inch collar when I measured his neck at 14.5 inches.  By the time we actually received that collar, we weren’t able to use it at the smallest setting.


April 16th


Throughout most of May he seemed to pretty well plateau off as far as growth, though he still got the growing comments from people he hadn’t seen in at least a week.  Since he had been growing so quickly, though I try to make a habit of taking him in to the vet to pick up the heartworm and flea meds so that I can weigh him while there.  The last visit was a little early being around the 23rd or so and he was still right around 43 pounds.  Imagine my surprise when I weighed him over the weekend and he, with three attempts just to make sure I was seeing this correctly, weighed in at 51 pounds.  Despite becoming a big boy so fast, there is something that has remained the same:

He is still Mama’s lap dog. 

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Weekend Update (a little late)

Like seemingly every weekend during the warm weather months, last weekend was busy, busy, busy. For nearly the past year we’ve had our home on the market as we were looking to move closer to where Asia and I work but most importantly we wanted an inground pool. The last few summers have been scorchers and we’ve dragged the poor pool guy out here to give us an estimate each year and then while weighing the options have demurred. We felt like buying a home with a pool already done would be the more cost effective way to go. The down side, one of many, is that we’ve put an awful lot of work into this house to make it ours and we kind of hated to walk away from it. I guess we needn’t have feared. Throughout the past eleven months we’ve had our highs and lows and have finally come to the decision to stay and install that darned pool.
 
 So part of last weekend was dedicated to installing part of the new privacy fence between us and the neighbors while waiting to complete the remaining sides until after the pool installation. We also attended our neighbor’s surprise birthday party, another neighbor’s graduation party and celebrated Kevin’s birthday which was on Sunday. With all of the events and people around, I have to say Ray was on his best behavior. Actually, I don’t even know if that was Ray. We had such a good, social puppy who minded his manners at (nearly) all times. Sometimes, if you’re only six months old it is hard not to beg, but he was awesome. One of the highlights for me was when one of the people who came over (who owns a Bull Mastiff mix) saw Ray, asked what he was and said, “he won’t bite me, will he?” Why was that a highlight? I was able to calmly educate her on Pit Bulls and the negative impact of the media and then Ray set about charming her so that she was soon sitting on the ground petting him and oohing over how soft and sweet he is. Score one for Pit bulls!

By the time Sunday actually rolled around, Ray was pretty much the victim of a fun hangover so he slept and generally chilled nearly all of the day.

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That’s a Pit Bull

Kevin has been slower to climb on board the Pit Bull band wagon and sometimes I find his struggle to come to grips with Pit Bull ownership amusing.  There are times when he makes fun of Ray for being such a Mama’s boy and sitting on my lap or when he trembles at the sound of the mower.  He thinks Ray doesn’t look enough like a Pit Bull because of his gloriously floppy ears, which we won’t crop.  He thinks Ray is a typical Pit Bull when he is wound up, because he still jumps and nips and it’s sometimes hard to settle him.  I know this is not so much “typical Pit” but more “typical puppy” though, wrapped up in a stereotype, it can seem more threatening.
Over the weekend, Ray and I again went shopping and socializing.  He visited The Green Dog and then we went for a visit to PetSmart where he spent every cent of the $25 gift card that I won.  While at the Green Dog, we were discussing some issues, Ray was helping himself to the contents of the toy basket and “talking” to the toys.  Unfortunately, one of the visitors to the store looked at him with raised eyebrows and cautioned the family not to approach him.  While that is always good advice, it was a little belated as the daughter had already pet him.  Not everyone is familiar with Pittie talk and I forget that it can sound pretty intimidating.
While at PetSmart we heard a boy asking his dad what Ray was and the response was “that’s a Pit Bull.”  We also had a lady seek us out because her dogs are small and she relishes opportunities to pet “larger” dogs.  Ray also thoroughly charmed one of the employees who was completely impressed with his manners and his skills. 
Today, my dear husband bought me the refrigerator that I’ve been wanting and since the store owner is also our neighbor, we got it delivered quite quickly.  While they were setting up, M asked if the baby gates were up because of the cats and Kevin said, “No, they’re for the dog.”  M, our neighbor, said he didn’t realize we had a dog so they went to see little Ray-Ray, who at the time was sunning himself on his patio pillow.  “Oh, a Pit, and he’s still just a puppy!  He’s cute, doesn’t he ever bark?”  No, Ray rarely barks and usually only at toys or wayward kibble that make their way under the furniture. 
And to Kevin?  Weren’t you gratified that Ray is immediately recognizable as a Pit Bull?
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Hide and Seek

Dovetailing nicely with yesterday’s post about crating, Ray and I ended up playing a little game of Hide and Seek this morning.
While Ray is very good about being in his crate, it really is more of a resting and sleeping place for him whereas I’ve noticed that his ‘safety zone’ is under the kitchen table.  A couple of things Ray really does not like are the blow dryer and the lawn mower, so when I’m getting ready in the mornings he often will hide under the kitchen table while I dry my hair.  I’ve tried treating him while having the dryer running in the background and that has helped for a short time but he goes back under the table more often than not. 
If he is outside while we mow, he typically will huddle against the back door even if we are mowing outside the fence.  That is kind of a struggle as we think being outside would be preferable to being inside on a nice afternoon huddled in the crate, but Ray may not see it that way. 
This morning Ray started out on his mat, watching me get ready but I soon realized he moved to his usual spot under the table even before I began to dry my hair, so I decided to try and make a little game to get him out.  I walked into the kitchen and deliberately did not look at him and began making a big deal of looking for him.  “Where’s Ray-Ray?  Are you hiding?” I looked under the stove, and around the furniture, in his crate, and under the end tables.  I heard him approach when I was looking in the crate and made a big deal of being surprised when I turned around.  He had the cutest expression on his face, like, “Here I am, Mommy, were you looking for me?”  I’d like to try to continue to coax him out more in that manner, making it seem like his idea, rather than making a big deal of him being under there. 
Does your dog have a safety zone apart from his crate?
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To Crate or Not to Crate

The really nice thing about reading an abundance of blogs in my feed reader is that I can “steal” topics write about the same topics in our point of view.  Juliana wrote about the crating vs. non crating issue which is a topic that our household had pretty huge differences of opinion. 
My first experience with crating was well over twenty-five years ago when we got a Rottweiler puppy.  My boyfriend at the time already had an adult male Rottie who was never crated and never needed to be but we introduced the puppy into the crate right away.  I think upon reflection this pup spent too much time in the crate and it was not done correctly but there are a lot of issues involved in the whole relationship to delve into.  That puppy ended up with parvo and didn’t survive.  This had nothing to do with crating but I reference him because we then adopted an adult female Rottie whom we also never crated.  She, however, was not confident and spent a lot of time hiding under a chair in the corner of the room.  I think she would have appreciated a crate for a feeling of security.
Fast forward to the present and Ray-Ray, who is actually very quiet in his crate.  Kevin has never crated and was firmly in the non-crating camp but I think he is starting to see the value of giving Ray a quite and safe place to be when we need to “put” him somewhere.  Ray, as far as I know, has never not been crated.  He was born in rescue and rather than a whelping box, I believe the fam resided in a fairly sizeable crate and a play yard for the most part.  When he came to live with us, we also crated and still do.  While he will occasionally go in for an afternoon nap of his own accord, he still prefers napping on a blanket or mat in a spot of sunshine.
The obligatory picture, though it has nothing to do with crating…
As for bedtime, Ray is quite willing to be bribed to do nearly anything.  For a tasty tidbit of food and the words “night-night” Ray will sprint to his crate which makes tucking him in all that much easier.  Although I would love for the crate to be used less often, I don’t see that happening in the near future.  Ray still has a penchant for the taste and texture of a nice throw rug, so he will need to be kept in his safety zone while we are at work until he grows just a little more responsible.  I am just relieved and happy that we have a willing dog-walker who can give him a midday break whenever needed.  If we didn’t have her, I would really need to formulate an alternate plan, meaning I am pro-crate, but in moderation.
What are your thoughts on crating?
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Harbinger of Spring

As Ray and I sat on the patio enjoying the last dregs of sunshine spill across the sky, I heard a rustling in the cherry-type tree behind me.  It was a quiet rustling, not something that could be mistaken for a breeze ruffling the leaves but also not anything larger like a cat.  Since Boo Kitty is the only climbing cat we have and she would rather eat sand than be in the vicinity of Ray, I knew it was not her. 
In the encroaching twilight, I let my imagination wander to what the sound could be.  I thought about friends in Florida who talked about rats climbing in their grapefruit trees in order to steal fruit and the skin at the back of my neck began to crawl.  Never mind that I don’t live in Florida, and the cherry-like fruit has not yet burst from the delicate pink blossoms adorning the weeping branches.  “There are probably huge rats lurking in the tree behind me waiting to eat my eyeballs,” I thought to myself. I let my thoughts wander for a few more minutes while I resolutely did not turn to explore the cause of the noise.
Finally, it was near time to go inside and I gathered my courage as I rounded up Ray and steeled myself to look under the canopy of leaves and blossoms to confront whatever monstrous creature awaited me.
Rather than a monster, I was delighted to find that Robin had made her home right outside my kitchen window and was patiently awaiting the arrival of her own little fledglings.
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Snipped and Chipped

I say that I cried maybe six times before drop off, but really it was mostly just tearing up.  There’s a difference, right?  I thought about it more and the preparatory calls scared me more.  We’ve been through it before, but it seemed different.  The tone and tenor of the recipients was different.  I knew it had to be done and I wanted it done, but I was still a basket case all day.  The day Ray was neutered and (finally) chipped.
As I said, we’ve been through it before.  All of the cats are sneutered and I didn’t hardly blink an eye or obsess about it.  Boo kitty really needed it.  We had her spayed when we lived out in the country and she was a porch kitty.  A prolific procreator, we were hard pressed to get her between litters and so heartbreakingly terminated a pregnancy while having her spayed.  I believe, I truly believe we have her lifelong loyalty and thanks for that.  We had Jae “fixed” as soon as they dropped and sometimes have our doubts if “they got it all.”  While Miko, on the other hand was adopted from ACC, so we received him neutered.
Ray we had done at H.O.P.E. with ten other SmilingK9’s.  (Yes, we helped transport and it was like a mini reunion with Sparkles, Kimmel and Ray and a  plus one in my truck.) I believe since they were so thorough in the cautionary instructions, I began to obsess about them despite the fact that most of them are things we already do.
·        He must sleep inside the night before surgery.  DUH, he is an inside dog.
·        As much water as he wants, don’t withhold water.  Umm, ok.
·        No food after 9:00 pm the night before.  Ok, this one was the stressor for me.
Ray generally is in bed by about 8:30 or 9:00 pm anyway so he never eats after that time, and I set about making sure there were no bully sticks or other edible treats tucked into the blankets in his crate.  Because if he eats after that time he may vomit while anesthetized and DIE.   Then in the morning while he followed me around the kitchen with this face:
while silently communicating to me, “Excuse me, Mama, but I haven’t gotten my breakfast yet today.”  Which I couldn’t give him because if he eats he may vomit while anesthetized and DIE!
What if I forgot?  What if I absentmindedly handed him a treat for being so adorable?  What if, despite my mad housekeeping skills, he found a food morsel on the floor and ate it?  What if he finds fuzz on the floor and eats it?  Does that count? What about cat hair? What will I do without my Ray-Ray?
Of course, I needn’t have worried, which I knew all along.  The little prince was fine and even managed to charm one of the staff there who asked if he was adoptable.  A proud Mama moment! The biggest challenge now, is trying to keep a four month old puppy calm and relaxed.  Yeah, that is the challenge now.
Lovin’ the bullystick.
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My Pit Bull is Family

I’m a Pit Bull fan.  You probably just said, “duh” to yourself upon reading that, but I mean  I’m a fan now.  I never had a Pit bull before Ray, and I never really planned to have one but one night I was googling for an article that I wanted to re-read about Mel and I kind of fell down a rabbit hole.  I found Best Friends, BAD RAP, the Vick Dog blogs and ended up reading a most enjoyable blog about a foster family and that kind of started to change my life.  I became more and more interested in things Pit bull, and the Vicktory Dogs became more like super stars.  I love their stories and I love that I get to peek in on some parts of their lives through Facebook.  There are some amazing families out there with some amazing dogs.
One such family is that of Wallace and Hector.  Not only are they pretty special themselves, but they and their parents have another cause:  My Pit Bull is Family which works to compile info on Pit Bull friendly landlords and insurance companies in an effort to keep the family together.  They sent me these great bumper stickers and over the weekend we were all pretty excited to show them off.  All I needed to do to receive them was email my mailing address and voila!
I was pretty happy to share the pics on Facebook and since I am in love with my bumper sticker, I went to their site and made a small donation as well.  I trust that I’ve given you enough links to occupy your time and enrich your mind since today’s post is so miniscule.  I’m a little distracted today.