last thoughts of 2012

my special girl.  i never wanted to be a mama until i met you.  you taught me what true devotion looks like.  you reminded me about the value and strength in being patient.  you taught me how to keep my cool, er, be graceful, in the midst of unexpected chaos.

you taught me how to love every day.  how every day can be the "best day of my life!".  you taught me to never give up.  to just play and cuddle, whenever in doubt.  and truly, truly--home is wherever i am with you.  

you are my strength, my love.  i make it through the work day, just to come home and see your smiling face.  every. single. day.

                   i love ya, kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  happy new year & cheers to a new beginning in 2013.

Welcome Home

I saw this on Pinterest and I  think it near killed me.   Pit bulls remember.  They wait.  And they love you no matter what.

It doesn't get old

This is one of my favorite pictures of B.  She is about 2 months old here.  Its a picture that never gets old to me and makes my heart melt every time.

Its been a rough year and an even rougher December.  In my melodrama, its easy for me to throw pity parties left and right but in the end... the thought of my baby girl keeps me in line.  She's the apple of my eye, the toy in my cereal box, the star on my Christmas tree.

I'm ready to leave 2012 behind and start on a clean slate... with my pit bull on my side, right where she belongs.

""It's not so much that I couldn't live without him," she wrote of Floyd in April. "It's just that I wouldn't want to."   --Miley Cyrus talking about her dog.  

Welcome, Fall

Its no secret that I have a hard time with the end of summer.  Internally, I shed a few tears when Labor Day rolls around.  Its not that I hate fall... I just really like my sun time.  So, to deal with the end of summer... I've really tried to rally my enthusiasm around a few fall/winter/holiday themes.  Football, fall foods, and holiday cheer.  Here's B trying to spread good energy to her pal, Phillip:

And here's a photo to remind us that the colder weather means that we can be a little lazier, stay indoors with good company, eat more comfort foods, and sleep in:

I'm trying to be a good sport.  It's definitely better when you have stuff to look forward to.  My girl, B, always gives me encouragement and inspiration.  When all else fails (literally everything...), just eat a good dinner, take a long walk, and have a good cuddle.  Life really ain't that bad.

Anti-bullying

I'm a big fan of a couple of dog blogs.  Last Friday's blog posting on a Love and a Six Foot Leash changed the way I related to B the second I finished reading it.  In fact, I re-read it again... and then printed out the study to read it at home.  The link to that posting is here: http://loveandaleash.com/2012/08/23/do-unto-others-intimidation-in-dog-training/ 

I was horrified to think that all my good intentions were making B aggressive or fearful of me.  While I am such a big fan and an advocate of Positive Reinforcement training, I often thought telling B "no", pulling her collar and making her walk when she stopped, and going into her mouth and making her give up the chicken bone, cat/human feces, whatever-gross-thing in her mouth was the right & show-you-who-calls-the-shots thing to do.  It made me so sad to think I was only causing her more aggression & fear.

So, since last Friday, I made a commitment to B & to myself.  I'm focusing more on the "Watch Me" command, ceasing my yelling of "No!!" to B & jerking of the collar, utilizing the "trade" & "drop it" command instead of going into B's mouth, and allowing our relationship to grow more on a respect foundation rather than a look-who's-boss kind of fear.  It's only been a couple of days but seriously--I'm already seeing a difference.  B follows my lead on walks anymore.  She looks at me like she trusts me.  And that is my goal.  To let her understand that I'll keep her safe no matter what.

Most importantly, I see the difference in myself.  I'm more grounded and patient after reading that blog post.  Dogs and humans don't communicate the same way but there are a few techniques that work better than the confrontational ones.  

I'm totally sold!

the cat who feared nothing

if anyone were to ask me, b does not like cats and yes, she does have some prey drive.  if anything were to run from b, she will chase.  i repeat, she will chase.  until she met Smokey the cat.

Smokey the cat

i have a theory that Smokey thinks she is a dog.  she had no fear of b the crazy pit bull despite her posturing and silly barking.  Smokey approached b like it was another day in the life.  this confused poor b so much.  why doesn't this cat run away like the rest of 'em??  Smokey came up so close that b got to sniff her butt-- like she would to a dog.  b was sooo confused.  b was even scared because she's never been that close to cat and didn't know what to expect.  after the intros were done, b was cool around Smokey.  we've met Smokey another time, where Smokey even followed us as we walked past her house.  b and Smokey met again and it was another successful cat & dog date.

cats and pitties can get along!!

i love summer

it's 4th of july and there can't be anything more patriotic than having 2 dogs in a house, right?  i always told myself that if i found b's dog soulmate, i'd take in 2 dogs in a heartbeat....but i seriously don't think i really thought about it that clearly.....

it almost took about 5 hours of walks and continuous romps to get from the first to the second picture.  and even then t & b have such different needs, it was difficult to kind of manage them together as a single mom.  i'm still waiting (& hoping) that i'll find them cuddling together, thick as thieves.  when that happens... i hope i have my camera ready.  

summer's here.  my favorite season!  and where i live, i'm just thankful that we got some sun on one of summer's holidays.  

How to make a black & white dog stand out

Stick her on a red chair.  I didn't really think this chair would be B's cup of tea since it really is a one-seater (she loves to cuddle with her human) but she proved me wrong.  And boy, did she look pretty & artistic on it.  

Here's the artistic aerial view:

When we are out and about, folks are more than ever commenting on her perfectly split black & white face.  People do double-takes, smile at her, comment on her face/her look... even while they're riding their bikes!  I've heard people call her "oreo" and "cow", "petey", "little rascals".   On and on and on.  Its great that her cute little face can strike up such fun conversation that I never ever get tired of.  

New Beginnings

B and I have gone through a few changes in the past couple of weeks.  Its been rough and painful but we've rolled through it like big girls and have done the best that we can.  We've had a lot of time to ourselves to think about stuff... just like B in this picture:

And we've also had our time to be sad and angry and just try to vocalize what we're upset about in the past just like B in this picture:

But all in all, B & I are just trying to get through each day the best way that we know how.  

To quote Shorty Rossi and why he wants to be just like his pit bulls, I'll end on his words: 

"But mostly, I hope to be like Hercules (referring to his service dog that never leaves his side).  Steady, present, and able to bear the burden of this battle on broad shoulders, with patience and grace".  

Steady & present with patient and grace.  

My mantra over and over and over and over again.  

Guilty Pleasures

Its no secret that I take a lot of pictures of my dog, B.  I mean, a lot.  One of the great things about blogging is that you have a nice way of shamelessly showing off these pics.  This is the first and only time I've ever seen B assume this position.  She was only a couple of months old here:

I can stare at B sleeping all day long.  Literally.  I take pictures of her because she looks so sweet and peaceful.  There's something mesmerizing & magical about watching a little creature sleep away.  

And it never gets old.  It can be the ump-teenth time I've seen her nap throughout the day and I'll still pause, take a second, and smooth my hand over her nape and give her a quick kiss.  

Its funny how it took a dog to teach me how to be grateful.  To appreciate the moment.  To be happy in the morning.  And to be human.  

Sweet dreams, B.  

Doing Austin

I just got back from Austin, TX where I met a good friend of mine.  She lives on the East Coast and since I live on the West Coast, we decided to meet in the middle.  We had a couple of texan beers at www.jackalopebar.com.  

We then of course had to try out one of the many food trucks in the Soco District.  This truck made my favorite meal during my whole stay in Austin.  A fried advocado taco with cotija cheese and arugula.  Yum.  

My friend J & I also hit Zilker Park.  It was amazing to see how many dogs, runners, and organized sports you can fit into a huge plot of grass.  It definitely made us miss our pooches at home.  

I was sad to leave Austin and sad to say goodbye to J.  I miss her already.

But I'll have to say, I was extremely excited to come home to this angelic face.

valentine's day love

b is just over 2 years old but when i look back, i still can't believe i'm responsible for this tiny creature.  this picture was taken exactly 2 years ago today:

i still marvel at her sweetness, her devotion to her humans, her funny quirks, and ability to look cute in any position while sleeping.  i can stare at her all day sleeping, in fact.  i constantly ask myself, "can i love a living creature any more than i do today?".

the answer is yes.  

happy valentine's day to my sweet girl.  now, give me back my heart that you've stolen over and over again.  thank you.

a letter to my pittie

dear b-
do you know how much you are loved?  my life practically revolves around you.  your needs (as well as your 'wants') always come before mine.

my life certainly changed forever when we brought you home.  who knew this little bundle of madness would steal my heart, make me laugh everyday, and make me realize how important it is to be so so happy to be alive each morning.  

you are such a special girl.  we are so proud to be your humans.  

a happy outcome

i've come across several stray dogs but this is only the 3rd one that i've been able to approach and catch.   i saw this poor little girl scavenging for food and when i approached her, she was nervous but still wagged her tail.

she ran away initially but when i approached her again, she barked nervously, wagged her tail, then came towards me.  when she finally came to greet me, she lay flat like a pancake in full submission.  i felt so sorry for the little lamb.  you can tell from the pictures that she was matted and dirty.  she smelled so bad.  

she had some feces stuck to her rear that i couldn't pick off her.  she just wagged her tail and sat on my lap during our car ride. 

due to my circumstances, i couldn't take her home at the time that i found her.  i reluctantly took her to animal services just to get her off the street and so that she could get washed and fed.  we previously had a horrible experience with them when we found a stray pit.  but this girl was different.  she was a small toy breed that was totally adoptable.  still, i knew i was taking a chance. 

in the end, this was a happy ending.  after 3 days of no one claiming this sweet stray, she was adopted (!) on new year's eve-- the first day that she was deemed "adoptable".  

this totally renewed my faith in animal services as an option that always doesn't turn out bad.  it also reminds me of what is meant to be and at the end of the day, you just have to always trust your gut and just do the right thing.  

Looking back

sometimes you gotta look back to see where you're headed, to see where you currently are, or maybe just to remember how blessed you are.  when b was just 6 months old, we went through months of vet bills and visits and an invasive couple of days of testing at UC Davis to find out that B had a neurological disorder and laryngeal paraylysis.  this is poor b when we brought her home from the hospital (poor thing was also spayed the same day...)

b was cut up in 3 different places for biopsy areas and was also shaved on her spinal area so that they could gather fluid from her spine to see if her problems were coming from abnormalities from her brain.  fast forward about a year and half and b is currently stable.  while there is no cure for her condition we have found several ways to keep her healthy and plateau her symptoms.  

sometimes i forget she's sick because she's just such a happy little girl.  and she's so healthy now.  maybe the strongest she'll ever be.  so, when i look at these pics, i try to use them to remember how lucky we are to be blessed with such a special pup.  i know a lot of folks would have given up on her... and i'm so glad that we didn't.

you've come a long way, b!!!