Ray

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Fostering Good Will

Some people have a special calling and if the stars align, they are able to pursue that path. I am not one of those people in the strictest sense. I have a good job, enjoy a steady work schedule and work for a company that encourages community involvement. Though I never expected to be in this industry, I’m fortunate to be in this situation. It allows me to pursue my animal care/advocacy avocation to a degree that makes me happy. It also allows for another in my home to fulfill his special calling from time to time.

 

When Julius came into my life, I’m convinced that he ran up to the right person but also convinced that it was because this person was walking a dog. Julius loves dogs. He loves going to day care, he loves people, life, children who are respectful, some treats, bully sticks, and all dogs. He is the dog who helped Ray deal with his reactivity and he is the dog who helps me welcome our temporary fosters. Juli’s calling is to be an ambassador of good will for all dogs.

 

Tora the A-Dora-Bull

Tora the A-Dora-Bull

When we brought in our beloved Tora, she was really able to shed some of her Mama persona and become a romping, happy young gal again with Julius. And if you are friends with me, or follow the boys on Facebook, you will have seen that we had anther visitor over the weekend.

 

Little Krispie captured my heart the moment I saw him. This sweet little puppy was sitting on his Kuranda bed, obviously overwhelmed and wondering where he was and why he was there. (Actually I think he was born in the shelter-the one we pulled him from-, adopted and returned with his collar imbedded in his neck-a lot in his few four months of life.) After visiting him a second time, he came carefully wiggling up to the door, so Asia and I entered his kennel and gave him some love and learned that he stunk. To high heaven.

Babies

We decided to bring him home for the evening for a bath and some puppy-lovin’ time but it almost didn’t happen. When I came to collect him he was afraid to leave his kennel and once out, afraid to walk past the other dogs to the extent that he pancaked. I made a calculated decision and picked him up and carried him to the pittie van where he settled happily into the cushions on the floor. We made a stop at greenDogGoods where he was gifted with some (much needed) shampoo and he helped me pick out a large rawhide for Ray, who he wouldn’t be meeting.

Water Break

When we got home, Asia put the Peaceabull boys in the house and we let Krispie get acquainted with the yard and when he looked pretty comfortable, we releashed him and brought Julius out on leash. We did a few intros and after just a few short minutes we could tell by their body language that they were going to be great friends. While I knew Julius would be fine, I wondered about Krispie who seemed so tentative at first, but he quickly became Julius’s little shadow. They played and romped both that evening and the next morning before Krispie was returned for what was to be his last day without a forever home and there was even a moment when Julius had to “correct” Krispie which went well.

 

All in all, I’m just bursting with pride over how much Julius embraces this role and how easy he makes it for other’s to have a bit of a break from the kennels and enjoy the comforts of a home.  Would Krispie been adopted so quickly otherwise?  I have no doubt that he would have.  Someone that stinking cute (well, less stinking after his visit) wasn’t going to stay homeless for long, but it was great to be able to give him some healthy interactions with Julius and with the baby.

 

Our calling.  When I brought Ray home, I had visions of being a great team of Ambassadors for his breed.  Now, I have two.  Ray does really well in public in general.  He has good leash skills, is quite calm and ignores most dogs but we keep him out of foster situations and extended one on ones.   He is my shopping and event ambassador.  Julius is my one on one dog ambassador and all around good party host who does well with most situations.  I feel like I hit the jackpot.

What is your dog’s “appetite” for entertaining guests?

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Vocabulary

I thought I had read somewhere that dogs have a vocabulary of around 100 words, but a quick google-check found a bit of a range all the way up to the record holder, a border collie with over a thousand words in her vocabulary.

 

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Of my boys, Ray is definitely the brainiac of the bunch while Julius is the one with the great personality. Of course, Julius does know basic words; he just doesn’t have the same level of comprehension that we see in Ray. They both know the basics as well as “breakfast,” “dinner,” “bone,” “bye-bye,” and “antler,” so we try to be pretty specific when speaking to them. (That doesn’t mean we don’t occasionally engage in a conversation that is guaranteed to elicit the ever adorable head tilt.)

 

So, what to do about these walks that Ray and I have been taking? Naturally it’s one of the highlights of his day, but we strive to keep them low key and not elicit too much excitement. Why, just the mere sight of a collar or leash sends both boys into states of ecstasy so we have adopted a new phrase around the house that the boys have yet to add to their comprehension vocabulary and make us all feel oh-so-smart to boot.

 

A Nod to Throwback Thursday

A Nod to Throwback Thursday

We now “perambulate about the neighborhood.”

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Not for Sale or Stud

For the Fourth of July holiday we decided that since we still own the house with the pool, we should make use of it by having a party. Loose plans were made, text invitations were sent and while trying to get a party planned for a remote location, Kevin and I came to a severe disagreement on the dogs to which I will fully acknowledge right now, his way made the most sense.

 

Not a Party Animal

Not a Party Animal

I fully intended to bring both Ray and Julius to the house for the pool party since chances were great that we’d be gone 8-9 hours that day and since Kevin and I were driving down separately with our vehicles loaded, I was determined to have my way while going through the motions of having acquiesced. I took Ray for a special trip to Pet Smart for a few last –minute needs and then he and I took a nice walk around the neighborhood so he could check his pee-mail and leave his own messages.

At the very last minute, I realized the decision to leave Ray at home would be best. He would still have full run of the house, have a bowl full of food (that I knew he wouldn’t touch) just in case, a full bowl of water and a nice long bully stick. The other house has a lot of lava rock in the landscaping that always cut at Ray’s feet and with the two boys there romping about; Ray would surely reinjure his leg, so home he stayed.

Heading to the party!

Heading to the party!

Julius, on the other hand, would have had to be crated and is much more easy-going, so he got to attend the cook out with us and I must say he was a HUGE HIT. Ray can be pretty clingy with me whereas Julius is so social that he likes to interact with everyone, but also spent a lot of time gnawing on the frozen marrow bone I packed for him as well as just sprinting up and down the fence line whenever the neighbor’s dog decided to flex a bit of her bark muscle. (That in it’s self would not have been good for Ray’s ACL.)

Party Animal

Party Animal

Of course, my little Juli Bean was so charming that nearly everyone wanted to take him home; one person offered me $200 and his dog in trade and someone else wanted him to stud so she could have one of his puppies. That was a nice opportunity to wax poetic about the value of neutering (“Why? Both of them are boys, so why bother?) and speak to the fact that I actually had Julius neutered before we had even decided that he was staying with us forever as opposed to being a foster.
Naturally, there were also many conversations about Pit Bull type dogs, which brings me to pose a question to the Blogosphere before I address some of the conversations: what type/breed of dog do you have and is he/she protective of your home?

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Yay for Ray

I almost want to say that I’ve never enjoyed a walk with Ray more than the one we had last night, but in reality, most of our walks lately have been surprisingly enjoyable and gratifying.

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We started off the day with a visit to PetSmart for no other reason than go give Ray an outing and a chance to work on his social skills. Since Julius has Day-Play, he doesn’t often get to go “shopping” like Ray unless we stop quickly on the way home. This visit to PetSmart was relaxed, Ray got to sniff around the parking lot for a bit before we walked inside. He ignored the beautiful peach colored Standard Poodle who was checking out with his/her people and we ambled around the store for a bit. One of the store employees was working with a lady and her Keeshond and I heard someone gasp at how handsome Ray was as he walked by. We encountered the lady and the Keeshond several times. They would stop at the end of an aisle we were in, she would ask her dog to sit several times and then finally walk away. At one point they seemed to loiter at the end of the aisle making me unsure as to whether we were supposed to discontinue looking at the merchandise and move away or if they were gauging something. Ray continued to ignore them. I finally caught a glimpse of them darting into an aisle as we approached (I often do this myself) as I heard her say to her dog, “I don’t trust you to not react.”
We ended up purchasing a few sale stuffies headed for certain destruction and returned home to share the bounty with Julius.

Later in the evening, I felt like taking a walk and Kevin suggested I take Ray. I actually was intending a longer, faster walk but knew that Ray would enjoy himself and since I had a new doggie water bottle I wanted to try, we headed out. Upon leaving the yard, the first thing I spotted was a couple walking their Shepherd-type dog on the other side of the street. I turned towards them so that we would pass on opposite sides and she immediately asked to meet Ray. Only she asked from across the street and waited for the answer!  (WOOT!) I said Ray was a little dog selective, but that he would love to meet her and she left her pretty blonde dog with the hubby and came over to meet Ray. We chatted a few minutes and she asked if he was a full “American Pit Bull Terrier” and I gave her Ray’s breed blends while she loved on Ray then we all continued on our paths.

Towards the end of our walk as we tend to wind down, we encountered some neighbors who I chatted with a bit and Ray took this opportunity to lie down in the grass and relax. We then headed back home where Ray gloated to Juli as only a big brother can about his adventures about the neighborhood.

 

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A Thin Line

My hubby, bless his heart, does something that kind of drives me crazy, but if I’m honest, I’ll admit to doing something similar a time or two.

Recently, the doorbell rang, and typically, the baby began chanting, “Uh oh, uh oh” over and over, Asia hid and Kevin opened the door to find a student selling some cookbook or other.  As Kevin cracked the door, he said “I can’t open the door, I have two pit bulls in here,” and to his ever-loving annoyance, not a dog sound could be heard.  Not a woof, a growl, a grunt, not even the tapping of a nail across the tile floor.  No proof at all of these so-called pit bulls being within.

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Now, while I never refer to them as Pit bulls being behind the door, I usually make it known that I have not answered the door to just anyone for just any reason. I always let a snout or two peep out with me and let people draw their own conclusions. I don’t want people to be afraid of my Pit Bulls, but I do want them to be cognizant of the large dogs within.

405af-berber

I think it goes along with a conversation Kevin and I had recently where he asked if I thought Ray would defend me if I were threatened. (Notice Julius isn’t even a factor in this type of conversation.) My response: I don’t know, but I wouldn’t recommend testing it.

So, have you ever let your large, friendly dog take on a “persona” in the interest of personal safety?

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Stay-cation

Whew! It seems like whenever we take a blogging break, no matter how many potential posts I have rolling about in my head, it is just so hard to get back to the keyboard. This last week was no exception. We had a nice staycation doing lots of projects around the house, a bit of relaxing by the pool at the home we have yet to sell, topped off with a quick weekender trip to Detroit.

With so many anecdotes swirling around, I ended up with one that was very un-vacation-like. Ray’s leg is still giving him trouble occasionally, but when rested, I like to take him for short walks around the neighborhood which is always such a joy for him. In a stark contrast to what he was like as a puppy, Ray is a very good leash walker now which is such a joy for me as well.

In the back of my mind, I’m still yearning to get us ready for the CGC, although I admit that we don’t work on it super hard. I think we’ll know when it’s time and if it never happens, it never happens.

photo

Walking in the warmer weather with so much abundant sunshine also brings a whole new set of issues: squirrels and other dogs. My walking with the SPCA dogs has trained me to become a qualified squirrel scout and since I like keeping my arm in its socket, I’ve learned to try to see squirrels way before any four legged companion I may be with. Let me tell you, it’s a very valuable skill to hone.

So I have a neighbor who walks her dog-with her retractable leash- quite regularly about the neighborhood. The neighbor is friendly and the dog not so much. Annie prefers to do her snooping from the end of the leash and otherwise mind her business as long as no one tries to pet her, which is perfectly acceptable. In the warm weather, Annie is often tethered while her owner is outside which makes Annie much more vocal when another dog goes by. Fortunately, I’ve seen the length of the tether often enough to judge that if we stay in the middle of the street no one should see the other as a threat and Ray can mind his business and work on his ignoring skills.

Until the other day when we approached and Annie began her usual charge but this time her owner gave chase and started calling Annie back-she was not tethered! So here I was, shielding my 85 pound dog from the 30 pounds of fur heading towards us. Luckily the owner got the dog way before reaching us, picked her up, and carried her away, saying, “Sorry, sorry” over and over. Ray, to his credit and my overwhelming pride, didn’t even bat an eyelash and we continued our walk with my heart pounding in my chest.

A day or so later, I was off somewhere and Kevin was doing some work in the backyard while Ray sunned himself on the deck and the neighbor and her dog took a detour from their walk to stand outside our fence and call out to Kevin. This of course, startled Ray who ran barking to the fence to give Miss Annie a taste of her own medicine, so to speak. Luckily the neighbor is pretty unflappable and recognized that she “stirred something up” and took her leave.

So, that leaves me wondering about the whole situation. Ray had grown up in a yard with a privacy fence, and until last October never really experienced seeing the world walk by. He was either out in the world or behind his fence, so I think this newfound perspective is a bit overwhelming to him sometimes, especially since he was standing at the fence one day as another neighbor started up his lawnmower. Ray hates lawnmowers to begin with and he was scared nearly out of his skin that day. Noise at the fence=scary things.

The other note from this event is that in the back of my mind, always lurks the fear that we will walk into a situation that we have no control over. I want to expose Ray to all of the sights and sounds of the neighborhood while practicing his good citizen skills but I need to always balance that with caution. If I avoid an approaching dog, it isn’t because I think my Big Scary Pit Bull is going to eat you and your dog but rather because I don’t know you and don’t necessarily trust that your dog handling skills will keep us out of danger. I guess pre-judging is a two way street.

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Dog is my Co-Pilot

I adopted Ray when he was just seven weeks old and brought him home, a scarf-wrapped bundle on my lap, safe from the winter storm raging outside the truck. Shortly after that, we began puppy obedience classes, and since he was still such a tidbit, I transported him crated in the backseat of my truck. Eventually he graduated from the class and the crate to sitting/lying in the backseat while on his bye-byes and never really had much of an interest in looking out the window or getting air in his face.

Even when we began driving the minivan pittievan, Ray claimed the back bench seat as his domain while Julius gravitated toward the cushions on the floor next to the baby’s car seat.

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Until recently.
A few weeks ago, Ray decided he was meant to ride shotgun, so he lumbered over Julius, the console, the armrest and into his throne. He became Joe Cool in the front seat while clearly only babies sat in the back.

shotgun

So, while I don’t let him up there as a practice, I do let him have his special seat occasionally and it does tend to go to his big head.

Recently I had to take him to his Vet for an appointment and since it ran long, we ended picked up Julius from day-play together.  Julius, as usual, was happy to see his big brother.  Juli jumped into the van with his tail wagging, greeting Ray as if to say, “Hi Ray, I’m glad you came with Mommy to pick me up!  I had a great day, did you have a great day?  I played all day long with my friends.  Were you going bye-bye with Mommy?  I missed you, did you miss me?”

Ray, from his spot in the front seat, did the one motion head nod…”Hey kid” and turned back to the window.

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Sunday Shopping

Since Julius goes to doggie daycare several times a week, I try to make sure Ray, who is still on limited activity, gets plenty of mental stimulation and Mommy time.  This weekend I had to go to the old house and make sure the pool drain was low, so I loaded Ray into the Pittie Van and we set off.  Ray got to play around in the yard which was nice and grassy in comparison to our yard here which, despite my efforts looks like poopageddon in a mud hole.  After we finished that task, we ventured over to TSC where Ray’s “friend” was working.  We also had to replentish his kibble, so we went to Petco to wander about and although they were out of his food, we scored big time with a Kong backpack, originally $50 and on sale for $12.

Ray didn’t actually like it much but Julius put it on and really felt like he was stylin’.  Now we just need a place to take him hiking. 

What was your fun purchase of the weekend?

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This and That

We obviously haven’t been around lately.  We haven’t blogged in well over a week and we are dreadfully far behind in our blog reading, so bear with us as we catch up.

First and foremost, Ray’s knee seems to be healing quite well.  He is still on very limited activity and the good news is the lost a pound.  Hey, baby steps.  He went to the vet today for his annual vaccinations and we had him armed with the Adaptil collar, dosages of his Anxitane and a Thundershirt.  The result was that he was much less anxious going into the office, he let the doctor near him much sooner and didn’t start screaming until nearly half way through the visit.  Yes, we still have work to do, and I don’t want to have a zombie-like dog, so we’ll keep working at it. 

As for the Adaptil collar, though,  Mr. Car sick Julius wore it yesterday to his vet appointment and then we ran errands all over the place without any pukey incidents, so for the milder cases of anxiety, it’s definitely a winner.

Last week I had a quick two and a half days in Coronado, California for work and fell in love.  I’d say anyone who doesn’t like the San Diego are might be a bit off their rocker.

Dipping the toes in the Pacific Ocean

While I was gone our sump pump failed and the basement flooded a bit.  Kevin was doing his best to keep up with the water.  He ended up calling Roto-Rooter, Serve-Pro, a handyman and the insurance company.  Long story short, we got the damage contained to a very minimal amount after several nerve-wracking days. 

I’ve been off work for the past couple of days following a quick out patient surgery.  Nothing huge and I’m feeling fine.  It’s been nice having some extra days to spend with the pooches though I should find a place to take some more pictures of them.

Speaking of pictures, they are entered in a PetCo Foundation photo contest with our “team” asking for votes in order to benefit the Allen County SPCA.  The voting is a dollar a vote, and the theme is the Power of Together.  Such a good theme for my boys.  Ray was pretty lonely being a large dog with no social skills until we found Julius.  I hope you can spare a dollar and will consider voting for the boys. Or perhaps you have an entry yourself?  Let us know!