So, one of the things we have learned about puppies, or rather re-learned, is that boxes are way cooler than regular toys. Every time we get a box, the puppies make it their personal mission to shred and flatten it. We don't mind. It gives them something fun to do and breaks the box down at the same time. Before we had puppies, we had to break our boxes down ourselves. Notice how the pieces of the box are nice and small. They weren't even done in this picture. We ended up with small pieces of box all over the dining room and living room, but all we had to do was collect them and put them in the bin- no folding and jumping on boxes or pulling them apart. The puppies take care of all of that. They are a box demolishing machine! Of course, the cats weren't about to let the puppies have all the fun. Kitty P sat under the table grabbing the odd piece of cardboard that happened her way. Kitty S stalked the puppies from the table. Okay, seriously. How can puppies grow so fast?! Just yesterday Miss M weighed like 12 pounds and could run under the dining room chairs. Now, she's almost as tall as the big puppies and can keep up with them in the yard. Our little baby girl is growing up. She is a quick learner too. Because we feed the puppies in their crates, they sometimes leave a little food in their bowls for later, knowing that the other puppies can't get to it. Miss M figured out that she can go to her crate and bark and I'll let her in. Then she can eat a little bit of it and I will let her back out when she's ready. She likes this system. I like it too because she's going in her crate quicker now when I tell her to go into her crate. Such a cutie! The last couple of days have been really nice- no rain at all. Today, the sun even came out. I don't understand the weather this year, but I'm not complaining. Some years by the end of April, we are already having temperatures in the 90's every day. Last night though, it got down into the low 50's, and the high today was only in the mid-70's. If the weather would stay like this year round, it would be perfect. The puppies have been loving it. They've been able to go outside more, and we have been letting them play longer because it is so enjoyable outside. Pit bulls are so remarkable. Their agility is amazing- they can turn on a dime. I'm still not sure how they can fly through the yard at top speed without running into things. We discovered yesterday, that they really like playing ball with us. We had gotten them a soccer ball to play with, and they chased it around a little before chewing it to pieces. We had gotten them a cheap rubber ball a while back, but they hadn't seemed too interested in it until we brought it into the yard yesterday. Dad and I kicked it back and forth across the yard to each other, and they went nuts and got super excited. Every time we would kick it, they would chase it, bump it with their noses, paw at it. It was a great game until Miss B popped it accidentally. I think we are going to have to find a more durable ball for playing in the yard. On a different topic, I think our yard decided to make wine. We have a tree that I think may be a mulberry tree of some sort. With the storms last week, tons of berries were blown into the yard. The rain made a berry soup, which is now fermenting. Every time we walk into the middle of the yard, we get hit with a blast of berry nastiness. When the berries first fell, the puppies were very interested in them. Now that they have turned into berry shots, the puppies steer clear of the middle of the yard. The next few pictures show the extent of our berry yard still. The cats are totally grooved in to life with the puppies. They have also really warmed up to the cat-tree/ scratching post. They have decided that the scratching post is the best place to nap because there are two levels. The puppies can reach the lower level, but they don't mess with the kitties if they are on the tree. Of course, just like the puppies, they prefer napping on our bed...
Today was a beach day if there ever were one, but with weather this nice on a Saturday, there is no way that the beach was not crowded. So we decided that today wouldn't be the best time to go. Instead we played in the yard, and then in the house, and then in the yard again. Miss M loves to sit in the sun and chew on sticks, which is what she did every chance she got. Usually what happens is that she finds a stick and goes away from the others to lay in the sun. Then, one of the others realizes that she has a stick and takes it. That is then followed by a game of chase through the yard involving all of them. Lately, the puppies have been trying to scratch the dirt/ mud and then eat things out of it. We aren't really sure what they are trying to eat, but we try to keep them from doing it as much as possible. After playing, napping and then playing some more, we went out to run some errands. While we were out, we decided to stop at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for dinner. We had never been there on a Saturday evening before, but apparently, Saturday is where it's at. There was a live band and a lady making balloon things. Dad bought Mom a little turtle bracelet from the balloon lady, which she wore for the rest of the time there. We were wondering what the puppies would think of the turtle bracelet and showed it to them after letting them out for a potty break. They all wanted to play with her, and we tried to keep her just out of reach of pointy parts. Shortly after Miss M jumped up to check out the turtle, her foot got caught in a cargo pocket on Mom's pants. When Mom reached down to get her foot loose so that she didn't hurt it, Miss M took the opportunity to grab the turtle. Unfortunately, Miss turtle suffered substantial injuries. Apparently, thin balloons are no match for puppy teeth. She lost a nose, but will will forever be remembered with a nose. On an unrelated note, last time we went to Trader Joe's, we discovered that they make a Nacho Cheese tortilla chip (i.e. Trader Joe's version of Dorritos). They are really yummy. I haven't had Dorritos in a while, but these taste just like I remember Dorritos tasting. Because they are Trader Joe's store brand, they are non-GMO. On top of that, they are less than $2 per bag, which is cheaper that Dorritos, which are most definitely GMO.
We are very picky about what we feed the puppies. The obviously dangerous foods like grapes, raisins and onions are completely off limits. We did however give the puppies a few of the yummy chips- not too many because Mom likes them too much to share very many of them- and they loved them. They practiced their very best sit and watch me skills for chips. Now that the kitties are official, we decided that they needed something to climb on and scratch. We found a cool cat tree at Petsmart that we really liked, and as luck would have it, it was on sale. So far, they only sit in the top level when we put them up there, but they like the lower rest. They haven't totally figured out the climbing part yet. I guess we'll have to play with them a lit more on it. The puppies like the cat tree too. The lower shelf is just the right height for them to look at the cats. Kitty S likes it because it is higher than the dining room chairs- so she can swat noses and play without them pushing her off the chair or getting too rough. The puppies, and by puppies I mostly mean Mr, M, sometimes forget that the kitties aren't puppies and that they don't like to play as rough. The kitties and puppies are all making a lot of progress. The kitties are even starting to venture into the living room when the puppies are in their crates. Yesterday evening, Dad brought Kitty P into the living room and put her onto his chair. She just rolled over and went to sleep. Today, he brought her in while the puppies were all out. They didn't quite understand why they couldn't get up into his lap to visit with the cat, but were pretty good at staying down while the cat was there. The cat stayed there until we took the dogs out to the yard. We have had the cats for two weeks now and haven't' rushed things at all. Every once in a while, we have to intervene when the puppies get too excited, but usually the cats come right back out again for more. We are surprised at how calm the cats are and at how much the puppies like them.
Happy Valentine's Day from the puppy house. The weather here was beautiful again today. It would have been a perfect day to go to the beach, but Mardi Gras is happening again this weekend, and we didn't want to deal with the crowds- especially the drunken ones. The puppies have never seen anyone drunk, and I don't see any reason to start now. So instead, we got out the hammock to enjoy the weather in the backyard. We decided to try putting the puppies into the hammock too to see how they would handle rocking. They got bored and didn't stay long, but the motion didn't bother any of them. They may just make good sailing dogs yet. Miss B is allergic to anything that requires her to be still for more than 10 seconds. So, she wasn't content to sit in the hammock. She was very interested in whether or not she could chew on it at first. Once it was hanging for a few minutes and they were told not to chew on it, the puppies left it alone and went about their business digging and playing in the yard. Mr. M liked the attention, but didn't really want to be still for very long either. Unlike Miss B however, he waited patiently for Mom to help him down instead of just bouncing out. Miss S thought Dad was a great cushion and was content to sit in the hammock for a few minutes. Well, she was content to sit there until the other puppies started playing an exciting game of chase and she felt like she was missing out. Little Miss M had her turn in the hammock before Mom got the camera out. Dad got plenty of kisses, and then she wanted down to go play again. Sitting still is just so hard! I'm pretty sure that Mr. C is close to 80 pounds now, and Dad wasn't sure he wanted to be Mr. C's pillow. Mom was worried that his nails might break some of the hammock strings, and he didn't really look like he wanted to get into the hammock. The others had jumped up to look inside, but he just looked at it from a distance. So Mr. C just stood watch by the hammock. We thought it was pretty funny that while we were both sitting in the hammock, all of the puppies just stayed close by. Occasionally they would run a zoomie around the yard, but they would come right back and play close by the hammock where we were. I think that's one of the qualities I like most about pitbulls- the tendency to want to be wherever you are. The funny thing is that they can totally outrun us now, but don't even try to get away from us too much. Even if they slip out the front door, they just go straight to one of us if we are outside, or straight to our car. Last time we went to the beach, Mr. C and Mr. M's leashes got wrapped around our legs while we were letting them dig. I let go of what I thought was Mr. M's leash while I held onto the harness to untangle him. I had accidentally let go of Mr. C's leash instead. So for a minute or so while I thought I was still holding onto both puppies, Mr. C was completely loose on the beach. He realized it and moved over about three feet or so (probably to get out of the way of the sand flying from Miss M's digging activities), but he just stood there. I handed Mr. M's leash to Dad and walked over to Mr. C. He didn't go anywhere. He just looked down at his leash on the ground and looked up at me as if to say, "I think you dropped that." I picked it up and we all continued on our walk. I like it that they tend to stay where we are, and I love it when they follow me around the house when I'm doing something. Apparently next week, we are going to pretend that we actually have a winter for a couple of days. So for now, we are just going to keep enjoying the current weather. The hammock may find itself in our plans again tomorrow...
Apparently winter decided to go on vacation here in Texas. It was 80 degrees at our house today with no clouds in the sky. Seriously, how could you possibly be expected to stay indoors on a day like this? (Paraphrasing Ferris Bueller). So, we did a few things around the house, and let the dogs wear themselves out in the yard for a while. Then we just couldn't take it anymore and decided to go to the beach again. Yes. That's two days in a row. But seriously. How could you not? They need exercise. We need exercise. It's a win-win. So, this is what an evening at the beach looks like when you get there early enough to still take pictures. This is how an evening at the beach looks after we get home.
What do you do when there are blizzard warnings all over the place for people up north but you live in the south where it is 75 degrees? Go to the beach of course. Miss M is finally past her waiting period on her last set of shots, so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and head to the beach. She absolutely loved it. It was her first time on a walk that long since she wasn't allowed in public areas before all of her shots were finished. It was also her first time at the beach. She tried to pick up various bits and pieces of seaweed to carry along with her until she found the next piece of seaweed. When we stopped for a rest midway through the walk, she discovered that she could dig and that not only was the sand super soft, but also she didn't get into trouble for digging- unlike in the yard at home. The bigger puppies already knew about the beach and love it. They get excited just driving down the road to the beach. The only thing we heard coming from the back of the car on the way home after this was snoring. It was a good trip.
It's been a while since the puppies have been able to get out and run in the yard. We tried letting them run on Sunday, thinking we could keep them in the dry part of the yard. Yeah. Not so much. They got so muddy we had to hose them off before even bringing them into the house. We tried again on Tuesday thinking they yard was that much drier. I didn't get a picture of it, but Miss S ended up rolling during one of the chases and was completely coated in mud, turning a completely different shade of gray. Needless to say, they got another bath on Tuesday. Finally, today, they were able to run and play without needing a bath afterward. Miss M has been growing non-stop. Last weekend, she weighed 23 pounds at the vet. That means that she gained over two pounds a week since the last vet visit 3 weeks ago. The next picture didn't turn out quite like I had expected. I was trying to take a picture of Mr. M and Miss M, but she moved at the last minute. Instead, I got a picture of what looks like a mutant zombie monster dog. At least it's a cute mutant zombie monster dog.
I'm not totally sure what the deal is with puppies and rocks. I think the one thing they like more than chewing on rocks is sitting on the sofa, but sitting on the sofa while chewing on a rock... Now that's living! Miss S found this rock in the yard and brought it in with her. A couple of days ago the strangest thing happened. This really bright ball appeared in the sky and almost dried up the yard. General consensus was that it is a rare creature called a "sun." We haven't seen it in a while. I was beginning to think that it was merely a thing of legend. But sure enough, it does exist. From what I understand, we are supposed to get more rain again later in the week, but I am trying hard not to think about that right now. The puppies have been enjoying being able to play in the yard without their sweatshirts. The first few times we took them out, Miss M looked like she was trapped in a tractor beam whenever she got out into the sun. She slowed down, stretched out and just soaked in the rays. It's been a while since they've really been able to get out and run. Miss M isn't quite finished with her puppy shots yet, so we haven't been taking the bigger puppies on walks so that we can avoid them being exposed to something around the neighborhood and then bringing it back to her and making her sick. So for the past few weeks, we have just been playing in the house, which is fun but fairly limited.
So finally, they were allowed to play unrestricted in the yard. They took turns finding little sticks and then showing the others so that they could chase each other around the yard and try to keep the stick from the others. Miss M is surprisingly fast and good at keeping the stick away from the bigger puppies. Mom and Dad decided to take all of the puppies along with them to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas. After all, how could the fuzzy kids get left alone on a day filled with boxes to chew up and turkey? As soon as we got there, the puppies each went about their normal business. Mr. M found his favorite toy and went to work on it- after the gift bags he was interested in were relocated to the coffee table. Miss S and Mr. C decided that the smartest thing to do would be to keep Grandma company in the kitchen just in case she needed any help with the turkey (or any other people food). They are always eager to help. Miss B decided that the safest thing for her to do ( and the least likely to land her in time out) would be to find something to chew on near Mr. M. Miss M is still trying to find her groove at Grandma and Grandpa's. This was only her second time there, and she isn't big enough to jump in Grandpa's lap to give him kisses like Miss S. She doesn't know where all the good toys are kept yet and hasn't realized that keeping Grandma company in the kitchen always gets you treats. So instead, she tried chewing on Mom's shoe. Then she went to the kitchen to see what Miss S was doing. Miss M finally realized that there were toys to chew on in the living room. That Mr. M is pretty smart- and rarely lands himself in time out. She decided to follow him more. The day after Christmas was just a nice quiet day at home. We all played in the yard for a while so that the puppies would be good and tired when Mom and Dad went to the grocery store.
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AuthorFirst time pitbull owners who found two pitbull puppies abandoned on the side of the road and decided to adopt them...And then loved them so much, they decided to get two wonderful mastiffs. Archives
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