We've been getting into the holiday spirit around here, and the puppies have been giving us a hand with the decorating. They are very diligent in their efforts to shred things in the living room. As demonstrated by Mr.M below. They are all very considerate in making sure that no treats get left behind to clutter up the kitchen counter. They also offer to be taste testers on anything Mom is cooking- you know, just to make her feel like she is doing a good job at baking for the holidays. They check out any stray boxes laying around the house to make sure that no gifts are left behind. They also make sure to warm up the bed for Mom and Dad. It's like an electric blanket but without the electricity. Only really, it's like having a fossil fuel powered blanket. I'm sure they violate EPA emissions rules at times.
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Being on a leash is not the same as being on a leash with a person on the other end of it. I firmly believe that as a pit bull owner, you should keep your dog on a leash at all times if you are not in your own yard. I say this not because I think pit bulls are inherently vicious or that they cannot be trusted off-leash. I say this because I think that there are a lot of people who can't be trusted around pit bulls and who are just looking for an excuse to take out their own aggression on your unsuspecting dog.
That being said, sometimes you can have one of those moments where you just shake your head and ask yourself what just happened. We had one of those moments last time we took the puppies to the beach. Mr. C and Miss B love the beach. They had been there about three times already and know the smells and sounds of it. So, when we arrived at the beach, they were ready to go. We got the littles out of the middle row seat and were standing there with them on their leashes getting everything put away in the car so that we could take the big puppies out and head over to the water. Normally, when we open the back, we are both standing there to get them out, but Dad opened the back without making sure that Mom was right there. Before he even knew what had happened, both of them flew out of the SUV and started running toward the beach. Mom turned around just in time to see them running through the parking lot toward the path over to the beach, dragging their leashes behind them. Apparently, we haven't worked with them enough on coming when called with distractions present. We watched in horror as they trotted quickly away from us. We followed them, but they knew right where they wanted to go- and it wasn't the parking lot. We watched as they trotted together out of the parking lot, across the street, down the boardwalk and over the dunes. Once we got across the street with the littles, Mom handed their leashes to Dad and took off running after the big puppies. By the time she got over the dunes and through the vegetation, she saw them all the down at the water's edge. There was a group of people gathered on the beach for a nature lesson, but Miss B and Mr. C weren't interested in them. They wanted to go to the beach. Mom called them and they both came running with big pit bull smiles on their faces. They came running over, tails wagging, as if to say, "Look, Mom. We did it all by ourselves." As soon as they got to her, Mom quickly grabbed hold of their leashes. The park ranger who had been leading the nature lesson came over, and Mom apologized profusely for them running around without a person on the other end of their leashes- which were still firmly attached to their harnesses. The park ranger was very understanding of their high energy nature and was just glad that Mom and Dad were there. The whole experience was a wake up call. You can't get complacent. Miss B and Mr. C are very sheltered. Mom and Dad work hard to keep them out of situations that have the potential of not ending well. The people that they get to visit with are people who Mom and Dad think won't hurt them or try to trick them into doing something that will get them in trouble. As a result, Mr. C and Miss B think that everyone they see wants to say hi to them and get puppy kisses. They think that the beach is really just a separate part of their own back yard. They know all about the beach, so of course Mom and Dad would let them run free- just like the regular back yard, right? Mom was tempted to load them back into the car and drive them straight home, but the innocent, happy look on their faces changed her mind. They seemed truly proud of themselves for going right where Mom and Dad wanted them to go. We've decided that we need to change how we get them out of the car. Opening up the back without having them sit and stay first is apparently a bad idea. Usually, we tell them several times to sit-stay as we open the car and then grab their leashes right away. Not doing this was a mistake. We have also decided that we have to work harder on their training. We were training quite a bit at first, but somehow the training kind of slowed down. So we need to pick that back up again. Having a leash on is not the same as being on a leash with a person on the other end. Even the most diligent puppy parent can have lapses in judgement or moments in which they aren't paying as much attention as they should be. It has to be an ongoing campaign to stay focused. Puppies are full of energy and are curious and mischievous by nature. You have to be one step ahead of them and be quick to intervene when they look like they may get out of hand. Miss S and Mr. M have a completely different view of rules than Miss B and Mr. C did when they were younger. Take the baby gate for instance. Sometimes we use a baby gate to block off certain rooms. For instance, if we wanted to vacuum the floor and didn't want Miss B trying to do battle with the vacuum cleaner. When we put the baby gate up, Miss B and Mr. C would just sit and look at it. They didn't try going over or through the gate. Miss S and Mr. M have a different view of things. They see the gate as more of a challenge. Like a game that they have to play to get to where we are. They have no respect for the gate, and the gate has been no match for them. Ever. Not even when they were small. The littles also have very little respect for the garden. Miss S has discovered that she can jump, but rather than stopping at Mom's chair like Miss B did, she discovered that she can jump into the raised garden boxes. She and Mr. M also discovered that cherry tomatoes are fairly tasty. That would be bad enough, but they also showed this discovery to Miss B and Mr. C. They trampled the one surviving tomato plant trying to get the tomatoes off. Miss B and Mr. C have picked up a few of their bad habits but really like them anyway. They are very protective of the littles... Except when one of them poops on the rug. Then they are on their own.
Though the non-matching slippers may seem like a fashion statement, things are not always what they seem. In reality, the slipper pair below is what happens when you leave slippers within reach of teething puppies. When Miss B and Mr. C were little, before we realized that no shoes would be safe for a while, we made the mistake of leaving two pairs of house shoes under the edge of the bed. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing bits and pieces of the brown one at some point. The blue one I'm not sure about. When the recent cold front hit, we started looking for slippers. We did find a left slipper and a right slipper. Unfortunately, they were not matching. By the time the littles came along, we had gotten a little smarter. We don't let the puppies chew on shoes anymore. In general, they seem to be more interested in the laces than in the shoes themselves. Needless to say, I think we are going to need some new slippers this winter. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from this past weekend to get you through the rest of the work day.
After the last set of puppy shots, the littles were not allowed to go out in public areas for a week. Today that week was up... so we took them to the beach. Rather than let them run around on the 20 foot leashes like we did with Miss B and Mr. C, we decided on a little more organized approach. We decided to keep them all on the regular leashes and go for a long walk instead. It's a little too cold to play in the water right now anyway.
The older two were acting a little antsy, and the littles went to sleep as soon as we started driving. We got to talking about it, and decided that the dogs probably all thought they were going to the vet. This was actually the first time we have taken them in the car to somewhere other than the vet since we got them. When we got to the parking lot, they all started looking around. The older two had been there before and started wagging their tails. The littles just sat very still looking out the window. Once everyone was out of the car, they all got excited. Dad held the big ones and Mom held the little ones. Mom definitely got the better end of the deal on that arrangement. The little ones stayed right by Mom and Dad and didn't really pull on the leash too much. They were interested in the seaweed, and Mr. M would occasionally pick up a little piece of seaweed to carry for a little while before dropping it. We were surprised at how well they did- especially since it was their first time out in a harness, the first time on a leash and the first time on a long walk. All four of them seem very comfortable taking potty breaks on the beach, and I think Mom spent about half of the walk holding poop bags looking for the nearest trash bin. While we were out, they made friends with a nice couple sitting on the beach. Miss B spotted the lady because of the hot pink jacket she had on and kept trying to go over to meet her. She told us that they had had dogs for twenty-one years but that they had lost their last one not too long ago and just didn't have the heart to get any more yet. She was glad when the littles wanted to give her puppy kisses all over her face. I didn't get very many pictures of them from the front- I was too busy walking puppies. I guess that is a good excuse to go back to the beach. It's the middle of the week, and it's been a few days since the last post. So here is an update on how everything is going. It's been almost a week since the cones came off, and Miss S and Mr. M's ears are healing nicely. The adhesive is mostly off- with the exception of a few spots that don't seem to want to come off yet. They are doing well and terrorizing the big puppies again like normal. They are finally getting big enough to almost keep up with Miss B and Mr. C in the yard when they are playing at normal speed. They can't keep up with them when they do their turbo charged zoomies around the yard yet, but that understandable- you almost need instant replay with slow motion to catch in action when they go into turbo mode. Mr. M discovered that he can bark back and forth with the dog in the yard behind ours and runs to the fence whenever the other dog is out in the yard. We are glad that he likes other dogs but are glad that there is a fence because I don't think the other dog could handle rough play. He's big and tough behind the fence and talks smack to Mr. C and Miss B, but I'm pretty sure the littles already outweigh him...Miss S doesn't bark at him but is very interested in what he and his little buddies are doing on the other side of the fence. We are constantly reminded of how observant Miss B and Mr. C are. They like the neighbors beside us (the lady looks a lot like Grandma) and know what their cars look like. In the picture below, Miss B is watching as one of them pulls up. Whenever they have company over and there are different cars in the driveway, they get very concerned and head directly for that side of the yard to make sure everything is OK. They do the same thing when we rearrange the pillows on the couch or put something there that isn't usually there. They have to smell it and make sure it's supposed to be there.
The puppy shots are finally over! We have been getting puppy shots off and on for the past 4 and 1/2 months. So now, we are finally finished with all of that. The vet visit was rather uneventful. The littles got their microchips while we were there. With the older two, we had the vet put in the microchips when they were getting spayed/neutered, so we didn't see the size of the needle, and they didn't feel it at all because he did it while they were already asleep for their surgeries. Had we realized how huge the needles are that put the chips in, we might have waited until the littles were getting spayed and neutered to put theirs in as well. They didn't flinch when he gave them their shots, but they yelped and squirmed when he was putting the chip in. The insertion site was even a little bloody- the vet had to put a little glue on both of them to stop the bleeding. But now at least that's over with, and they even have the bling to show for it. After the vet, we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's for a visit- and to invade their kitchen to see if the treats there were any different than the treats at home. Grandma had peanut butter and muffins! What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's. It was a busy day.
Mr. M and Miss S are on the mend, and the countdown is on until we can take off the bandages and the cones of shame. We cannot wait for those cones to come off! Miss B and Mr. C are getting more and more attached to the littles every day. They have even started napping cuddled up with them- which is something I have secretly been hoping for since we brought them home. I decided to use this waiting time to post a public service announcement of sorts about owning pitbulls. The pitbull parents out there know (and can tell non pitbull parents) that pitbulls are not the mindless killing machines that the media paints them to be. I was surfing Google one day and read that you are more likely to be killed by a shark than you are a pitbull, and I believe it. But the truth of the matter is that a great many normally logical people believe the hype in the media. Of course, I am not sure why we believe much of anything in the media these days, but that is an entirely different post topic. The point is that there are people out there who are just looking for an excuse to rid the world of pitbulls if you give them the chance. Having a pitbull is not like having other dogs- not because pitbulls are that much different than other dogs- but because they are easy targets. Being a pitbull parent is a serious role that shouldn't be taken lightly. You are responsible for your dog in ways that others don't have to be. Not only do you have to watch out for the usual things, like making sure they don't eat anything that is bad for them or swallowing something that could get stuck, you also have to worry about them being targeted by viscious people. If a different kind of dog barks and wags its tail, most people will assume that it is friendly and wants to play. If a pitbull barks while wagging its tail in front of the wrong person, the person could overreact and think the dog wants to eat them, resulting horrible consequences for the dog. This was exactly what happened in this example. (Warning, the video is disturbing). People who don't have pitbulls won't understand their activity level or their play style. A coworker of mine recently told me about her friend who was fostering a pitbull lab mix puppy. The foster mom took the pitbull to a dog park (mistake #1) and let it play off leash (mistake #2). She watched calmly as the puppy who was less than a year old, went up to another dog and started playing tug with the other dog's toy (mistake #3). The owner of the other dog freaked out and reached down between the two dogs to pull the toy out of the mouth of a dog she didn't know (which is totally stupid on her part). In the confusion, the pitbull mouthed the lady's hand after mistaking it for the toy. She didn't break the skin and released as soon as she realized it was the lady and not the toy. The lady didn't like pitbulls and called animal control to have the dog confiscated, quaranteened and tested for rabies. This is mostly likely a death sentence for the pitbull based on the Houston SPCA's anti-pitbull policies. The foster mom wasn't bothered at all and was immediately given a different kind of dog to foster. The point here is that if anything negative happens, your pitbull is likely to be blamed even if he didn't start it or do anything to contribute. It is your responsibility as a pitbull parent to put your pitbull is situations where he or she can succeed and keep them away from situations where they could fail. If you know you dog doesn't like kids, don't take him to a playground. If she doesn't like loud noises, don't take her to a fireworks show or parade. You know your dog better than anyone else, and you should have an idea of what he or she can handle. NEVER let them run off leash in a public area, and if possible, avoid taking them to dog parks. There are a lot of strange people at dog parks. Plus, you don't know how healthy the other dogs are. They could have worms or illnesses that your well cared for dog could catch. Becoming a pitbull parent is not something that should be taken lightly. Most of the time pitbulls need protection from humans way more than humans need from them, and it is your job to make sure that they get that protection.
Pitbulls are amazing dogs. As a pitbull owner, you have the chance to show the world how wonderful they are, but only if you put them in situations they can handle. Know your dog's strengths and use them to let him or her shine. After a busy day yesterday, we took the opportunity this afternoon to work in the yard. There were some tree limbs that had grown long enough to rub against the edge of the roof, so the puppies volunteered to help Dad trim them. They had never seen Dad on the roof before, and Miss B barked nonstop at him until he was finished. Miss S took cover in Mom's lap while all of the branches were falling. Once they were all on the ground, the puppies did their best to drag them around and pull some of the leaves off. The dogs in the yard behind ours are interested in our puppies. The male is not friendly toward small animals, and I am convinced that if he weren't so small himself, he would attack our littles if he could. He used to stalk Miss B from the other side of the fence too- crouching low and then charging the fence. Eventually he gave up and now just runs back and forth along the length of the fence with Miss B and Mr. C when they pay attention to him. After that much excitement in the yard, there was only one thing to do... All four of the puppies helped Mom make dog cookies in the kitchen. Mostly, they just kept her company hoping random goodies would make their way down to them from the counter. Afterwards, Mr. C and Miss S acted as the official testers before Miss B and Mr. M realized that the treats were ready.
The littles were supposed to have their stitches removed tomorrow, but we finished all of our Saturday errands early and decided to take them in today instead. As luck would have it, there was another dog about their same size having his stitches removed as well. We got to talking with his person, and his person said Mr. M looked familiar and asked us where we got Mr. M and Miss S. As it turns out, the other cute little puppy (Mr. B) was their littermate! He had opted to have his ears cropped as well but like us, had wanted to make sure that he took him to an actual vet. We couldn't let them play because our puppies aren't quite finished with their puppy shots, but Mr. M was very interested in him and was wagging his tail. Miss S was already in the back getting her stitches out and didn't get to see Mr. B. We were relieved to see that his cone of shame is flower shaped now too. So our puppies are not the only ones who are hard on their cones! Mr. B has a human baby to play with, and we were very glad to hear that he watches out for his two-legged baby, even checking on him when he cries.
Hopefully as they get bigger, we can get together with Mr. B and his family to let the puppies play. Mr. B's parents were telling us that he had had the same worm problem our two had in the beginning. His mom told us that he is a big fan of nibbling on sandals and toes- just like our two. We were glad that we decided to take them in today. If we had waited until tomorrow, we wouldn't have met Mr.B and his people. On a side note, it's funny how when you have dogs and meet other people with dogs, you forget to ask the people their names. We only know the puppy's name, so we only know the people as Mr. B's people. |
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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