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It’s the Pits

As I previously mentioned, Saturday was Ray’s last puppy wellness visit to the Vet.  He had his Rabies and his last booster so now he won’t have another official visit for a year.  I say official visit because we’re still getting his heartworm meds one per month.  With his rapid growth, it just works out easier that way and I can weigh him there easier than the two of us lumbering onto my kitchen scale and me doing the subtraction in my head.
I actually was so looking forward to our visit.  Of the three doctors there, the newest one has a Pit mix and I really connected with her.  She takes her time and, of course, coos over the little prince while we discuss everything Ray related, SmilingK9’s Rescue and any upcoming dog events.  Always a nice visit.  Unfortunately she was not there this time and while I have always liked the other vet, I feel rather upset by this past visit.
Now, I’ve read tremendous amounts of articles and blog posts about Pit bull type dogs, running the whole gamut of subjects and one thing I knew to expect from my reading and conversations is that Pit bull type dogs need to be on their best behavior at all times because any incident will point back to them, justified or not.  Also there will be a fair number of people who judge or prejudge on looks and treatment may be different.  Knowing that, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how great the reception regarding Ray has been, from PetSmart visits to puppy class and everywhere in between.  So imagine my astonishment when we seemed to get the second class citizen treatment in the vet office this week.  The first comment went over my head, but the second one clicked.
We go to the office for our appointment and Ray was actually walking really well on his leash, so we checked in and hopped on the scale to find that Biggie had already gained two pounds since his neuter four days previous.  We gave the receptionist a copy of the neuter paperwork and were shown into an exam room to wait.  Since this time Ray was obviously much bigger I opted to not put him on the table right away so we bided our time by sitting and practicing our “leave it” skills which are getting to be pretty darn good.  When the vet came in I asked him to check a little bump under Ray’s tail which he did and then he called for a tech to come in and hold Ray, “Because he is so wiggly.”  Well, two shots later and Ray still hadn’t uttered a sound and the vet went to get a heartworm dose.  He told me to “just wait in here until I get back”  which we did and when he came back in with the meds he said we could go ahead and finish up but we might want to peek out there first to see how busy it is before going out there. 
Now, I know that neither of those statements is that big of a deal, but given the fact that Ray had been a perfect gentleman and I’ve been there several times before with a cat that has to be muzzled before he performs the crocodile death roll made me feel like we had just been slighted.  What is your take on it?
Speaking of things that make me mad…



Couldn’t get it turned, but you get the idea…



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Mega Match

What a great success this was.  Volunteering for such a fantastic event was incredibly fun and truly humbling  as well.  Friday night I could hardly sleep for the anticipation and all the excitement that had built up over the week hoping everyone possible (and Mama Sparkles in particular) would find their forever home.  We had a very big day planned.  Ray had his last puppy check up and shot on Saturday morning then Asia and I headed up to H.O.P.E. to help with the Mega Match.

I could hardly believe how busy we were.  Thankfully SmilingK9’s has an awesome group of volunteers (if I do say so myself) and things went so well.  I think we ended up adopting out twelve dogs on Saturday.  I know we even got approved adoptions on at least one dog that didn’t make the trip.  Score!

The one dark spot for me was that Miss Sparkles was over looked.  She was the last dog standing at the SmilingK9 booth and made the trip back to her foster home to wait for her forever person to find her.  Still, she never let this get her down.  Her happy little tail thumped away as people approached and it thumped as they passed.  Her hopeful face turned to the traffic and her spirit remained pure and sunny.  Some folks just can’t catch a break and Sparkles might be in that category.  Little gal lived on the end of a chain until she was rescued, went into heat recently and was spayed and on the morning of the adoption event developed a UTI.  Despite the soulful eyes and loving dispositon, repeated squatting did not make for the most desirable trait at the event. 

I actually had some errands to run in the middle of the day and made the remark to Asia that if Sparkles was gone when I get back I would probably cry and if she was still there, I would probably cry.  I did leave before the end of the event.  I couldn’t look at her sweet face that reminded me so much of her darling boy living at my house.  The rich chocolate eyes and her silent question: “Where are my people?  When are they coming?”
Pretty girl, your day will come.  Your family is out there looking for you and you are going to be so happy when they find you .  Until then you will be loved and well cared for.
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Feline Friday-Adoptable Chloe

Beautiful Chloe will be at the Mega Match-a-thon tomorrow.  If you are interested in adding this lovely lady to your home, we hope to see you there tomorrow.  You can read more about her here.

Along with Chloe, the following pooches will be in attendance: Rider, Mitzi, Lottie, BamBam, LuLu, Lola, Sparkles, Chewie, Keelin, Sausage, Addyson and Pursey.

Be sure to stop by and you may be going home with the greatest love of your life.

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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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Ready to Sparkle

The last time I had a guest blogger, Ray wrote a little bit about his fun weekend and we got a lot of good feedback from that post.  It was so popular, that I thought I’d have another guest writer today.  This is Sparkles, Ray’s birth mama.
Hello folks, yes, I am Sparkles.  When my foster mama brought me home, I was in pretty rough shape.  I was a teen mom, being only seventeen months old at the time and having my babies out in the freezing cold.  I tried my best to keep them warm and safe and had them in the only cover I could find-a bush with leaves on ground.  Really I tried my best, but some of them just didn’t make it.  When my Katie-mama brought me to her house she helped me have my other two babies, and she told me to be brave because after tonight I would never have to go through this again.  I’m glad, because even though my four surviving babies are cute and sweet, they nearly killed me.  But I’m not going to dwell on the past and on the negative.  I’m sweet, single and looking for love. 
I’ve been through a lot and people tell me I had a rough start in life, but wanna know something?  I hardly remember the bad days anymore.  I’m so happy now and even though I absolutely LOVE living at Katie-mama’s house, I heard that I would love it even more in a forever home of my own, so that is what I’m hoping for.  But here’s the thing:  I was once sad and skinny and someone even said Sparkles as a name did not fit me.  That is only because of my past.  I am happy and wiggly and waggly and ready to love.  I will show my new people my sparkly personality and lavish them with so much love.  But Sparkles here is a Diva.  I don’t want any of those icky things that they call “cats” in MY house.  I need to be the big deal, A-number one doggie in the house.  I also kind of want my own stuff.  What’s mine is mine and I’m not too good at what they call “sharing” just yet.  Hey, a girl’s gotta eat and when I want to eat, I want it all for myself.  What?  I need to keep my muscles fed.  And muscles I have.  I have some gorgeous, rippling leg muscles.  I would totally love going for walks with my people.  I would love doing anything with my people and when I want you to pet me, you’ll know it.  I will grab your arm with my paw to let you know that it’s Sparkle-time.
Do you know someone who is looking for a single, active, loving companion?  I bet they’re looking for me right now.  Let them know I will be at a singles bar adoption event on Saturday at H.O.P.E in Fort Wayne.  I’ve got no more babies to raise,  I’ve already had my no-more-baby-mama-operation and I would happily go home with you Saturday.  I’m a little easy but no longer sleazy.  Think about it.
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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.
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“Sit.” 

The other night in puppy class I heard the instructor say, “Sometimes you just have to over train.”  What she meant is that just because you spend an hour a week in class, doesn’t mean you and your dog will just “get it.”  You have to constantly practice.  Then you have to practice again and again.  When we first learned down, or lie down, Ray was having none of it if it had to be done on a hard surface.  At first I  thought he was not going to learn or perform that behavior, but I soon realized he just did not want to do it on a hard floor.  I then began luring him to his pillow and then to the carpeted rooms where he became a champion “lie-downer.”  Now, however, if I ask him to sit somewhere soft and happen to make any kind of downward motion, he hurls himself into a lying position.  Silly boy.

What I also need to remember is that training isn’t just meant for training.  We are training for real life circumstances.  I know that sounds a little daft, but bear with me.  We’ve been in the mode of class and practice for long enough now and there are times that I do set aside for practice in the morning, that I might not remember that this stuff isn’t just for practice.  What I mean by that is there are real life circumstances in which I forget to utilize my training.

This morning, Ray seemed to want to eat from one of his food puzzles so as I was sitting on the floor trying to screw the top to the bottom, Ray was trying to help by butting his head and batting his paws at me in an effort to speed my progress.  After absentmindedly batting him away a couple times, I said, “Sit.”  And he did.  He plopped his little butt down and waited for me to finish putting the thing together and to give it to him.  I’m a little hesitant to say that I was a little dumbfounded that it worked so easily.

See?  I guess I’m not too old to learn new tricks either.

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Feline Friday

One of the best things, I think, about our kitties is their willingness to snuggle on a lap and watch TV, especially when I’m cold.  Kitties make great lap blankets.  Conversely, I don’t really like to be that warm when I sleep and having up to three kitties in bed with us sometimes makes it hard to drift off to dreamland.
The all seem to have their set place in bed as well.  Boo Kitty sleeps square in the middle of the bed between us, on top of the covers.  She is warm but not always the heating pad that Jae can be.  Jae, is our most nocturnal cat.  He patrols the house and bedrooms all night long in the same path and when he does sleep he tends to lie  on my pillow using my head as his own pillow.  Or he sleeps next to me.  Or next to Kevin.  Or in the middle of Asia’s bed.  Or he is making his rounds.  Miko tends to like the bottom corner of the bed.  He picks a spot and there he stays all night.  He is the least frequent visitor in any bedroom as he is often just as happy to sleep in some secret place on his own.
Lately, Miko has taken to crawling in between the sheets in our bed after we’ve gotten up.  Walking into the room to get dressed, one might here a little squeak followed by the contented buzz of the little purr box.  I don’t know why he has after three years begun to enjoy life in the blankets, but it is certainly cute.
Have a happy weekend!
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The Next Steps

After six seemingly grueling weeks, we have finished Puppy 1 class.  Upon reflection, I would have to say that this was an experience we definitely needed to have and indeed benefitted from.  The last time I was involved with obedience class of any type, I was enrolled with my rescued Rottweiler and that was over twenty years ago.  At that time, training methods were quite different and for me, learning or relearning was important in what I wanted to accomplish with Ray.  In the beginning, I just wanted a dog/puppy that wouldn’t use me regularly as a chew toy.  I wanted a companion for walks and I wanted a stellar obedient pet.  I had high expectations and mixed results.
At home, Ray is good.  Really good.  He is improving in his life skills every day and though I know it is just a normal part of his growing process, I can’t help but feel that he is going to be a great dog.  His leash walking is improving, though we need a lot of practice and much of the time that is something I just don’t want to do.  It is probably the most stressful endeavor so far but my new plan is to start even slower and keep it in the yard for a while longer before we venture down the busy street.  When we’re at home, I feel like it just might be too stressful to continue with classes.
But I know in my heart that I want more.  I want to be able to expose Ray to more and to enjoy things with him.  I want to be able to take him to parks and to events like the upcoming Pits in the Park.  I know we have more work to do and I am committed to doing it.  I’m pretty stoked that we’ve actually advanced enough to go to Puppy 2 class and I think we’ll grab a little individualized training before the next round starts.  Stay tuned for continued progress!