Our Puppies!

I thought I would take a moment to introduce everyone to our dogs, especially since I've been having fun with my new camera taking LOTS of pictures of them! We have 5 fantastic rescue dogs whom we love to pieces! They are very much part of our family... and although we have questioned our sanity numerous times each time we brought a new addition home, it works for us, and they all get along really well. They are my furry children for sure!

Our first furry baby was Lulu, she left us in July, 2007. We had adopted her when we lived at Camp Pendleton, from the base shelter back in 2002. It was really hard to say goodbye to her, and I was so sad to watch my son go through the loss, since she was our first pet. It was really hard on him.

Our second dog is Max, originally named Maximus Decimus Meridius, he has become Max The Moose and other silly variations of his name! He's such a GOOF! We love him to pieces. We adopted him from the Basset Hound Rescue of Georgia. When we went to meet the dogs, Max just climbed on Kent's lap and wouldn't stop licking him and Kent was giggling so hard. We knew he was the one we were taking home then. We brought him home in September 2005. He’s 8 now and getting gray around his muzzle and it kills me to think he's getting 'old'!! Ack!! He still plays like a puppy most of the time though, and we're making sure to keep him healthy and fit so he doesn't have joint trouble (if we can help avoid it) later. Max had been found on the side of the road, and when he came home he needed quite a bit of work with housetraining and his chewing habits. I lost a blanket, some shoes and piece of fabric from the back of a chair in the living room. It took patience and vigilance, but eventually he figured out that rawhides would suffice for his chewing needs and he's been a perfect gentleman ever since.

Our third addition was Diamond who is a lab/retriever mix (or something along those lines). We decided Max needed a play friend; Lulu wasn't very active in her old age. So we went to Paulding County Shelter in July 2006 and I let Kent pick. He chose Diamond! She is a crazy dog! Seriously, a little looney tune, but an incredibly sweet looney tune. She has some very strange habits (like sitting on the floor and licking a spot on the carpet until the carpet threads start pulling out and she will NOT lick faces but she will sit and lick your feet for 5 minutes if you let her), but she is a GREAT playmate for Max - they love tearing up and down the yard together. She is also Kent's most favorite dog, he spends lots of time running around with her, and giving her lots of love. When Diamond came home we had to go through pretty much the same thing as with Max, she had some chewing issues (I lost 2 pairs of nice black high heels to her teeth) and we had to work on potty training, but she picked it up with some time and patience).

Our fourth addition was Brutus the Chihuahua! I had wanted a small dog for a long time, but Kenneth preferred the larger dogs but finally I twisted his arm and convinced him to let me adopt one. So we stopped by the Jennifer's Pet Rescue adoption event at our local PetSmart and there he was...! So incredibly cute and calm. I had actually seen him once before there, so I walked straight in and gave him lots of love while Kenneth went to get the adoption fee from the bank. I was so happy to bring him home! Brutus is a purebred chi - he was given to Jennifer's Pet Rescue by a breeder who was moving and couldn't take them with. He was the last one of several that had been given to the rescue group. He'd actually had some training, and was already housetrained and probably the easiest dog we've had in terms of transitioning to our home.

Then came the rottie Sadie Mae (I think in August ’08). I finally agreed to let Kenneth get a BIG dog. He'd wanted one for as long as I'd wanted a little one - so we researched a couple breeds and decided on Rottweiler. Then we researched rescue groups that had rottie's available and went with Dog Pack Rescue, they had a Rottweiler available for adoption that had been used for breeding and then dumped at an animal shelter when she contracted heart worms. The rescue group had cared for her for a month or so, giving her the treatments she needed and she was doing very well. We went to an adoption event to meet with her and she was such a beautiful dog, and seemed very laid back and relaxed which was important. We brought her home and it has been such a joy to see her real personality come through as she has made herself at home. She's such sweetheart. She just loves her people, and just wants to be with them all the time, she loves pets and every now and then she'll come over and bump you with her giant head and say "attention, now!!" She is very used to getting her way! :) She's a wonderful pet and a great addition to our little pack.

And the last puppy we have brought home is L.B. who is also a Chihuahua. L.B. is also from Paulding County Shelter. We don't know the details of his story, but we know enough that whatever life he's had has not been a happy one. He was only about a year old when we adopted him in February 2009 and the shelter assumed he was used as a bait dog based on the scarring on his body. He has a large amount of scarring on his back side with a lot of hair missing, and someone cut his ears off close to the base of his skull. When I saw him in the kennel my heart just broke... We had gone to the shelter just to visit the puppies and take them some treats, but I couldn't get him off my mind when we left. So many people want a "perfect" animal, and with his appearance I was really worried that he might not find a home and the idea of him getting put to sleep because of the damage someone had already done to him seemed so completely unfair. I really felt I had no other choice but to take him home. So a couple days later, I was back at the shelter with a leash and a collar and home with us he came...! I was nervous about how he'd react particularly to Sadie, if he had been used as a bait dog then I was expecting him to have some fear of larger dogs. He seemed nervous in general around other animals. The introductions went ok, we took it slow for him (he definitely seemed anxious around Sadie), and I think having Brutus (who was pretty much his size) really helped. Brutus the ambassador! Over time he has relaxed SO much - the difference is HUGE! Sometimes he still likes to go hide under the bed or hang out in his kennel when the door is open so he can get into it, but many other times he comes looking for attention, pets and playing – he likes to play growl and “wrestle” with Kenneth’s hand! He likes to spend time with us. And he and Brutus play! It's the CUTEST thing! They chase each other up and down the hall way and around the living room play growling and bumping into each other. It makes me SO happy to see him having a "normal" life.

My dogs have each come from different backgrounds and different groups, and I cannot imagine my life without them. They mean so much to us, bring us so much joy, and I hope we are bringing them happiness too.