Which Craft?

As happens every so often, I get the urge to be all crafty and such and so this weekend I decided to make some jewelry and some bandanas. If you don’t really know me, you don’t realize that those two simple things can take on a life of their own and simple projects always become bigger than intended.

I had ordered some charms a while back and felt that with only the four-legged boys and myself at home, I would be able to procrastinate doing my housework get a lot of crafting done. The intent was to pick up just a couple of things I needed from the craft store (ha!) and return home to finish. Naturally, I came away with the things I needed, plus items for another project and an idea for a new type of project I want to learn to do.

Bad Droid pic

The first new project was pretty simple. I grabbed some brightly colored bandanas and for the lettering, there were these great iron-on embroidered letters and nearby were some sparkly paw prints to add. The project was so simple, but here’s where Iget lost in the rabbit hole. After realizing I had enough left over letters to do a “Ray” and a “Julius” bandana, I went back to a different craft store the next day and bought them each one. But of course I couldn’t stop there. Having made a pink and a blue “Adopt Me” bandana the first day, I decided to make some gender neutral ones, so I picked up two more. Plus more letters.

What we ended up with was a pink and a blue with black embroidered letters, a purple with gold puffy letters and an orange with blue puffy letters. The plan is to use these when taking some photographs and also when we go to Pet Expo in May, we usually don’t have enough “Adopt Me” vests available for all the dogs, so this should help supplement.

Julius got one in what is becoming his signature color, lime green, or Juli-bean green as we like to call it. And although Ray’s signature color (in my mind) is turquoise, he got one in yellow, to signify he sometimes needs space when we are out and about.

So naturally, after the projects were done, we had to do a photo shoot. It’s kind of a given, right? With a handful of treats and my camera and we headed to the living room where Julius was bounding and leaping in the air trying to grab the treats until I got them safely tucked away in my pocket. I turn to look for Ray and I see him sitting on the mat in front of the fireplace because naturally, that is where we usually do the pictures! I moved another mat to our shoot location and of course Ray knew the drill. Juli finally settled in and here are the results.

Strike a  pose!



Double profile!

We're really looking forward to getting some adoptable pics soon, too.

How was your weekend?  Any crafty projects in your house? 

PS. If you follow us on Facebook, you know Asia met some pretty special someones, so stay tuned for the scoop!

TBT-Happy Adoptiversary

Today is the adoptiversary of my special boy, King.

Your presence at the shelter represented a watershed moment for Pit Bull types. You were the best of the best and you helped open a door to so many success stories. I hope you are living the good life in your forever home.

I will always have a special place in my heart for you, King.

Love,
"Mama"

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.

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.

Connections

As we continue nesting, we had a big adjustment to make in regards to heating. Our former home had radiant ceiling heat and therefore, no vents and ductwork. Since we now have a furnace and our new home had been vacant then redone, we decided it would be prudent to have the furnace and all of the ductwork cleaned.

One of the challenges when having work done in the home is making sure workers are not intimidated or fearful of my boys. Maybe I’m naïve, biased, or just a loving dog mommy, but how could anyone be intimidated or fearful of these faces? Ray’s nutmeg eyes are always so open and earnest while Juli’s onyx orbs are open and eager for love.

Anyhow, the worker showed up recently to clean the ducts and as is Kevin’s nature, he began finding out all there is to know about this person, namely not only was he a dog lover, he adopts and his wife wants to foster. As a result, Kevin called me to say his new friend adopted a Pit bull type from the shelter a couple of months ago. I said I would have to have met her, because I knew all of the pit bulls that came through there in the last year. Haley, he said her name was, a brindle girl. The only pit bull that was there around August was Rapunzel, who I was walking when I met Julius. “Are you sure they didn’t adopt from ACC,” I asked Kevin?


No, he said she was transferred from ACC to SPCA and that’s where they adopted her from. This sent me back to my photos in my phone. What Pit bulls would I have been walking around that time? Why couldn’t I remember Haley?

I sent Kevin a picture of Rapunzel and got a message back. “That’s her. She was called Rapunzel in the shelter, they call her Haley now.”

Wordless Wednesday

How did this get out of sequence?

But you knew that, right?

Actually, he and Ray still have not met or interacted, but they see each other a lot and early indications are positive.  Also,  a conversation between my hubby and I went like this:

Me:  "So are we adopting Julius?" 

Him: "Wasn't that your plan all along?"

Me: "My sister would have fostered him."

H:  "Did she know that?"

M:  "Yes, besides, if we found a really good home for him, I would be able to give him up."

Him, looking at me incredulously:  "He has a good home here with us.  Besides, I couldn't give Julius up."

M:  "Well, I guess we have two dogs.  I could never give up Ray." 

H: "Duh!"



If You Name the Puppy

I was out for a walk with one of my current favorites from the shelter recently when I encountered a big surprise.  Rapunzel and had stopped briefly for some poochie smoochies when all of a sudden I glanced up to see another dog running toward us.  He looked quite happy and sweet, but like with any off leash dog (without a collar) I felt a flash of apprehension.  He turned out to be just a dog of the neighborhood, about 5-6 months old and looking for some fun.  He was also somewhat dirty, had thin hair and a huge open sore on his ear. 

Had to Check
I had to make sure that whatever was wrong with this little guy's ear wasn't contagious and secondly that he wasn't a stray roaming the streets so with the the help of some neighborhood folks and a loaned belt as a makeshift slip lead, I got them both back to the shelter.  Once in the intake kennel, this little guy started collecting hearts with his sweet demeanor and soulful eyes and I soon found myself sitting on the floor with fellow volunteer, E, making over this sweet pup.

A Dime a Dozen
Unfortunately our kennels were full so I soon discovered that Animal Care and Control was called to come pick up our little stray.  Being that he was clearly under a year old, I knew he had no chance of entering the Pit Bull ambassador program that AC&C offers so unless he was pulled by a rescue, his chances were slim and despite his winning personality, dogs who look like him are a dime a dozen in our area.

My buddy volunteer, E, began brainstorming.  E is at his city limit (5 dogs) but could take him home as a foster if he was in a program but that wasn't guaranteed either.  I couldn't let him go but knew I was possibly jumping into something by following my heart rather than my head.  I would take him to the vet to make sure the sore was not contagious and that the thinness of the hair was not mange.  We wondered what his name was or what we would call him.  I told E I had an idea, but "once you name the puppy, the puppy is yours" so we held off.

One of the great staff at the Shelter found a collar and leash we could use so E and I walked Puppy to the vet clinic for a check up where the entire staff of the clinic quickly became smitten.  He didn't have mange and the sore on his ear is from fly bites.  Ick.  Dr. R said a topical antibiotic like neosporin would clear it up and since it looked like he'd be coming home with me, I had him wormed and vaccinated.  I nearly said his 'secret' name out loud, but I held strong.

Walking back to the shelter, we decided that E would take Puppy home until I got off work when a car came screeching up behind us and the driver said "HEY!" then glared at us.  The lady in the passenger seat got out and said, "That's my dog."

I asked her where she lived, and the street was the same as where I found him and she said he didn't have a collar because he was playing with the other dog and it came off.  She said his name was Smokey and that he was the last of a litter that her dog, Onyx, had.  Because it was clearly her dog, with a heavy heart I handed him over with his new collar, a rabies tag, and a heartworm tablet.  We introduced ourselves and G took her dog away, saying he'd already had his vaccinations and this would be his second rabies tag.

About an hour later, I was surprised to get a call from E.  He actually sounded just as surprised as me, when he said G had returned to the shelter and decided that I might be able to provide a better home for "Smokey" and if I wanted him, I could come get him!

Tune in tomorrow for what happend next.

Wordless Wednesday

Who is that girl and where did she get those ears!

Setting Up For...

Failure.

Recognizing your weaknesses.  Acknowledging your prejudices.  Knowing your limits.

Every Thursday throughout the summer we have Lunch on the Square, where a local musician plays music, the food trucks descend and people fill the square and enjoy lunch al fresco.  We also bring a couple of adoptable dogs from the SPCA to strut their adoptable stuff and hopefully find a home.  After one near fiasco with a dog who didn't do well in crowds, we stuck to the best of the best, so to speak.  We brought some true ambassadors for the shelter and by that same token, heard some valuable feedback.  People sought us out to see the star of the week and we heard more than one surprised person say that they had no idea such awesome dogs were available.  Too often the public's perception is that of the broken and abused dog who will need so much work.  People don't realize pets make their way to the shelter for a multitude of reasons and some of the most wonderful companions are waiting for their second or third chance.

Recently during some extreme heat, I decided to sign up at the last minute for a Lunch date and showed up to collect my date.  I knew it was probably a bad idea because of the heat.  I knew there were several dogs that I wanted to spend some time with and if I went to Lunch I would forego their company. 

I was paired with a long haired small dog who pancakes when being taken out of the kennel but is a happy little wiggle butt when outside.  I had my doubts.  I felt apprehensive.  This dog walked in swirly little circles in front of me.  This dog jumped at noises. 

We arrived at a parking garage and had to park on the uppermost level.  This dog doesn't do stairs or elevators so we walked down the ramp to the street level.  She sat for a few pets then hid under the park bench and quivered so I knew that since neither of us were having fun, we should head back. 

I felt horrible because this dog is literally one of the sweetest little gals ever, but in my breed specific prejudice, she started out with a strike, in my mind.  The hot day and my disappointment at not being with one of my big-heads made me small and mean spirited, but also taught me a little bit more about myself.  I knew this wasn't a good idea with the heat and a slightly hesitant dog, so I should have felt confident enough to express myself.  I should have acknowledged that staying close to the shelter and going for short walks would have been the best option for all involved.

A lesson learned.

Question

Has your heart grown fonder?  Because we have been absent for over two weeks and really have no excuse.  Well, no good excuse.  We've been doing a lot of this:

...and a lot of this:

....while always still making time for this:

We've missed being here and do have some posts planned, so thanks for hanging in there with us!

Heads or Tails

One of my favorite people in the world is my sister.  I'd say that statement is true 95% of the time but that's a pretty darned good percentage, if you ask me.  She is fun and we have a history that goes back, obviously, a long time so that we get each other's quirks and twisted sense of humor.  We are totally alike and totally different.  She says we are like the two sides of the same coin. 

She had a Pit Bull-type of dog way before I was interested in them and recently she has been doing something that I've been wanting to do for the longest time.  In the last week of May she got her first foster dog and tomorrow she will be sending her second foster dog to his forever home!

Buddy

 Her first foster, Brutus, was losing his foster home due to a medical issue with his foster parent, so my sister took him in until he was adopted.  That actually left her foster-less for a week or two while everyone ensured that Bru's adoption would "stick." 

In the meantime, a call was put out about Buddy.  He had been in rescue since April and was being kenneled on location, though clearly not liking it.  When my sister's spot opened up, she took him in and after their first adoption event together, she texted me that they had received a good application on Buddy.

Not one to usually dress up her pets, but rather one to mock Ray endlessly about his "outfits," I was pleasantly surprised to see her make use of the Adopt Me collar from Just Dog Gone Cute.  If you are in the Michigan area and are looking for a great pet, check out Seven Star Rescue in St. Joe.

I don't really say it ever often enough, but I'm proud of her.

Behind the Glamorous Facade

Despite the fact that Glamour has at her pawtips an extensive wardrobe of Sirius collars and accessories, Dog Gone Cute decorations,  and also some Lamae tutus at her disposal, these are all borrowed items to help her find a home and not her own belongings.  Her borrowed collar is frayed from repeated use by former residents of the shelter as is her leash and other items. 

Glamour, while I'm sure, is grateful for her stay at the shelter and the excellent care she receives, does not like it there.  A home of her own is what this girl wants and needs.  She showed me that she has pretty good house manners.

She helps with the sweeping and floor cleaning without judging my housekeeping skills.

She helps supervise the laundry without grabbing all undies and socks in sight. (ahem, Ray)  While she was not in her crate, she saw our kitties and had absolutely zero interest in them.  When she was crated, she did bark at Miko when he entered her room, but it was a brief shout out to him.  When Asia reentered the house, Glamour gave one bark as well.  Just one and she was good.  A drawback may be her size.  This lady is musclebound, but she is a "pocket pittie."  Potential adopters looking for a small dog will overlook her as a "muscle-bound pit bull" and Pit Bull type people may overlook her because she is small.

Girlfriend is selective.  She doesn't like all people all the time, she doesn't like a hand coming at her head (who does, really?)  and we are still finding out what all of her triggers might be.  Shelter stress really has to be a big factor.  The morning before I took her back, we sat by the pool and just chilled.  Her tail wags so hard that it beats each of her sides as her booty wiggles back and forth.  She climbs in my lap and gets out and repeats, until she finds a nice spot in front of my to receive some back and shoulder rubs. 

I've heard and read how adopted dogs are so grateful, but since I adopted Ray at only seven weeks, he really accepts everything as his due.  That morning, I could feel the stress leave and the calm enter her.  I could just feel Glamour's appreciation. 

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving the love and gratitude that only Glamour can give, please have them contact me or the Allen County SPCA to find out more about the Glamour Girl.

Your Words on Wednesday

We've been scarce here and I thank you for your patience.  Like I mentioned before I have several post ideas in my head and even some started in draft but not published yet.  We've been busy trying to figure out how to get our Glamour Girl adopted and sharing some other great adoptable dogs as well. 

We thought we'd leave the creativity to you on this fine Wednesday.  What do you think is on Ray's mind today?

The Power of Pretty

They say clothes make the man and every woman knows the value of smart accessorizing.  As you know, we recently ran a promo with Sirius Republic which resulted in some great Adopt Me collars and accessories that went to the Allen County SPCA. 

Whenever Ray dons one of his fancy collars and especially if he wears a bow tie, he gets a ton of attention and compliments, so why should any other dog be different?  Well, they're not.

The other day, I posted a photo collage of Glamour, an adoptable Pit Bull mix at the SPCA.

I had spent some quality time with her and towards the end of the visit, I snapped some pictures and tried to snaz them up a bit then posted them to Facebook.

Over 200 people saw this picture, 8 people liked it and no one shared it in the first 24 hours that it was posted.

When I came back for another visit with Glamour, I grabbed one of the new collars and flowers so I could take a few...Glamour shots and when I had a few moments I made another collage to post on Facebook.

Same dog, different collar, add a pretty accessory and voila  6 shares within the first half hour. 


That's the power of pretty.

Dog Selective

I bet you think I'm going to talk about Ray...

Self-Discovery
While I do consider myself an animal lover and I love my little menagerie, I have come to discover I'm a bit dog selective.

Macho Joe

While I do love those animals called dogs in general and I know it isn't a secret that I gravitate toward a certain "type," I've realized that there are some that while I don't actively avoid them  I certainly don't seek out their company.  Because I walk dogs at the shelter so often on my lunch, there are certain limitations I've found.  Obviously, I can't walk everyone in just an hour, so that usually narrows down the field to anyone who may not yet have been walked.  Also, since some dogs are kenneled together as roommates, I usually avoid that.  Because I am there in dress clothes, entering a kennel with two pooches is just that much harder in heels and/ a dress.  Then there's fur.  The super shedders get a bit less attention as well because although I do have a lint roller in the truck, I just generally prefer hair.  Our last dog, Bam Bam was a chow chow and during shedding  season she  literally dropped small animals from her body on a daily basis.

Size Matters
It may or may not be surprising to know that the Rottweiler is one of my favorite breeds.  When I was a young adult living in Chicago, we had two.  I loooooved them and when I started whining pushing to adopt a dog a couple of years ago, I started looking for a Rottie.  I like big, muscular dogs with short non-furry hair, and blocky heads.  I eventually came to want a Pit bull type and resigned myself that I would have a "small dog."  You know, 40-55 pounds.  Small.  I've handled other dogs way smaller and have become smitten with them but I still wouldn't normally gravitate there.

 adoptable Glamour

I might be one of the few people who would call a Pit Bull type dog small, but there was a criteria to follow.  I always swore I would never have a dog smaller than my cat. I have three cats and the largest, Miko, weighs twenty pounds so with that starting point, 40 pounds is still "small."  

Barney

It's ironic and a happy circumstance that when I resolved that a Pit Bull type (smallish) dog would be fine and I adopted a puppy born of a 39 pound Pit Bull, that I would end up with an 85 pound dog. 

No Schedule
Several other volunteers that I've been chatting with have pretty set schedules with certain days and times they come.  I know it's good so to have that to count on but with work and other things that pop up, I'm not able to commit to specific days or even times.  There are weeks I've found myself driving to the shelter as if my sheer will of the truck steering there and other weeks when I find I'm only able or for some reason willing to go one or two days.  Yesterday I may have hit me as to why.  I took the Glamour girl out for a walk and as we strolled and chatted about being girls and wearing pretty things I realized how much fun I was having with her.  We found a patch of long, cool grass under a shady tree where she promptly rolled and wallowed in a most ladylike fashion while I sat and babbled on to her about pretty collars and Sheila E.

Today, I have a ton of errands to run but the call of the short haired block heads reverberates in my mind.   I imagine that has something to do with my lunch plans.



*All photos credit: Allen County Spca.

Did Something Right

Whether you're the mom of a human, walking the floor at two in the morning with a crying baby or waiting for a teen that's out past curfew or the mom of a fur baby wondering what more training techniques you can learn to help with chewing, barking, jumping or whatnot, there is that shining moment when you realize you did something right.  You got through the sleepless nights, the baby grew happy and healthy, the teen matured, and the puppy did too. 

I received two unsolicited blog posts last week from my daughter, Asia.  Reading them made me feel so proud and sort of like I must have done something right to get such a great human for a daughter.  At times I wondered if we would survive her teen years but she has become a caring, mature, responisble individual and a great mother. 

Here is the first installment of Asia's thoughts.



Up until a few years ago, each time I would go in a pet store I would mull over all of the cute puppies and feel so bad for them.  They are kept in tiny little glass boxes, and I wondered, "How long do they have to wait for a home?"  I assumed that when I got my own house I would head to the neatest pet store and buy a cute puppy.  I would be saving a life, I thought. 

Then my mom became involved with an animal rescue so I volunteered as well.  I learned what a puppy mill is.  I learned how cruel people can really be to animals.  I became aware of how many animals are homeless, or live in filth.  Those are the animals I want to save and give a loving home to. 

I volunteer at the local SPCA sometimes and it breaks my heart to see a dog in his concrete cell, sitting in the corner looking utterly defeated.  Lost, alone, and scared.  I can only imagine the thoughts in their mind.  "What did I do wrong"  "Why didn't my owners love me anymore?"  "Will I ever find my forever home?"

So many animals are in rescues or shelters  and those are the ones who need us the most.  Animals in pet stores come from unspeakable places and don't even get me started on breeders.  When I have my own home I will adopt all of my animals.  I won't choose my animals solely on looks, I will choose based on their personality and spirit.  I will give a less adoptable animal the loving forever home they deserve.  I will make sure to give them the best life possible and make up for lost time. I wish that I could save every animal in need .  But until then I will spread the word to anyone who will listen. 

ADOPT DON'T SHOP.

Northern Indiana Pet Expo

I spent this weekend volunteering at the Northern Indiana Pet Expo and on this Monday morning, while fighting the aches that come with this middle-aged body am feeling so mentally and spiritually energized.  I don't think I can adequately express how great this weekend was.  I know that the staff worked extremely hard to pull all of this together and there were volunteers stuffing media bags for weeks prior to the event. 

I requested and got Indy to handle on Saturday.  He and I perused the displays, chatted with people, showcased his good looks and great manners while answering questions about where to fill out an application to make him a permanent family member.   I guess other volunteers switched out dogs throughout the course of the day, but honestly not only did I not want to, but it didn't really occur to me until I got some ribbing from the staff. 

One of the best things about the weekend, other than the mountain of applications the dogs received, was seeing past temporary residents of the shelter.  Remember these beautiful babies?   Yep, one of them came to the Expo with her family.  She is growing into a darling gal.  Each visit was like acelebrity sighting.  Franklin, a special guy was nearly mobbed by groupies, happy to see him so well-loved and cared for.  Then with less fanfare, towards the end of the second day, I saw him.  Everydog walked by with his parents.  I was able to chat with them for a few minutes and learned that he has a ton of toys, a big fenced back yard, neighbor dog playmates, and doting parents.  It was a great way to cap off a successful weekend. 

Because I spent so much time away this weekend, I decided to have a staycation this week.  On tap today for Ray-Ray and his mama is a trip to green Dog Goods.

Parade With the Stars

Back in February, our shelter director, Jessica, made a visit to Ohio State University Vet Medical Center with one of the shelter dogs, Aerie.  Aerie is a young black lab who has hip dysplasia and she was being looked at by the experts to determine whether or not she would need surgery.  Being the Pit Bull geek that I am, I knew that Gremlin was going to be at the same facility that day, so I texted Jessica to see if she could meet them.  I'm being very cool about it all now, but on that day I was hopping around the office, totally squeeing over every text.  Jessica was planning to snap a picture of Gremlin, but unfortunately our crew was done and left before Gremlin was finished.  Jessica did send me a picture of herself with Chris Hughes, Gremlin's dad,  as an awesome consolation.  He also mentioned to her that they were coming to Indiana for an appearance this Spring.

I recently found out that Gremlin was indeed coming to Indiana and this visit was to be her last before she retired from public appearances.  She was going to be the featured guest at Parade A Bull which is hosted by the Humane Society for Hamilton County.  In the back of my mind I knew I wanted to attend, but the event was two hours away from my house and Ray, still being a youngster, hasn't been to many events and certainly not one of this scale.  I really, really didn't want to drive two hours each way just for him to do his famous leash eating tug of war routine in front of two hundred Pit Bull owners and fans.  The thing is, though, if we didn't try, I'd never know, right?

The event was held at The Monon Center in Carmel which had beautiful walking paths, a pond, ducks and a great resource center.  We got there just in time for the parade which was essentially a pack walk for solidarity.  I've got to tell you, folks, it was so moving to see that many responsible dog lovers in one place.  That many Pit Bull advocates and others who were interested in learning more about the group of dogs labled as Pit Bulls.

The start of the "parade."



We were hoping to be able to at least catch a glimpse of Gremlin and The Stig (as well as their parents) but got even more than that!  At the first turn, look who we found!

Gremlin's mom graciously offered to take our picture while we chatted a bit and made the Ohio State connection.  It turns out they are getting married later this year and the pooches are going to be a part of the wedding party, so they were very excited to see Ray wearing a bow tie and I was happy to be able to refer them to both Sirius Republic (Ray was wearing his monsters collar and blue bow tie which we got a ton of compliments on) and also to Little Bow Pup who makes amazing bows and collar flowers and has really, really good customer service. 

Stop by tomorrow to see more pics of the great Parade-a-Bull event.

Instant Pick-Me-Up

This week has been long and a bit more stressful than usual.  When things get busy like this it is hard to get away at lunchtime and by Thursday I start feeling really...lacking.  I believe I would work much better in an environment where I could have my dog or at least A dog near me throughout the day.  I had to get away today to get some puppy lovin' and recharge my batteries.

There's absolutely nothing in the world like happy little puppy kisses to make all of your troubles recede for a short while, except for maybe double the puppies and kisses.

The Luck of the Irish

I spent a rewarding and sober St. Patrick's Day with some wonderful people who were willing to forego the green beer to showcase some great adoptable pooches from the SPCA.  I was escorting the available and handsome Valentino to the festivities at Deer Park Irish Pub.  Do you remember his Sweetheart of a sister?  Well she along with the other littermate, Cupid, have been adopted so only the debonair Valentino is left to find a love match.  We spent some quality time with Gunner as well.  Mr. Gunner was returned to the shelter because his original adopters were moving.  Apparently ...well, don't get me started on that.

Valentino and Gunner

 

That cutie above was dressed to the nines and howling for treats, so I had to snap a picture.  She was just too stinking cute.  (Not adoptable and obviously well loved and cared for by her doting Mama.)

There was a parade as well, but as we were lined up to start, I could tell that Mr. V was getting a little freaked out by the crowds and noise, so he and I sat out the parade and headed back to the SPCA tent.  The little guy is only 14 weeks old and has spent nearly half his life in the shetler and is probably the last man standing from his litter because he is just a little more reserved than the others. 

By the  end of the day, he was more than ready to chill a bit on the ride back to the shelter and dream of the life he and his wonderful ears may have in store someday. 

What fun things did you do for St. Patrick's Day?  Did you or your pooch dress up?


If Valentino or Gunner is the dog of your dreams, head to the Allen County SPCA and fill out an application today!