Bison - The Rottweiler Puppy

Puppy Fever!
A few shots from my photo shoot with the cutest puppy in the world... Bison had a rough start in life, suffering from chest-congestion / pneumonia-type symptoms when he was just under eight weeks old. Luckily, he has a super-fantastic mom who (along with the great doctors at Woodinville Animal Hospital) has nursed him back to health. Now, at almost twelve weeks of age, he's happy, healthy and enjoying life in all the wonder-filled ways that only a puppy can. :)

Something Big

"Wanna move to Seattle?"

I'll never forget the day I heard those words. Busy toiling away at my desk at the law firm where I worked as a paralegal, I was just about ready to pick up the phone and dial home when Chris burst into my office. Smiling from ear to ear, he looked like a kid who was just dying to spill the juciest secret he'd ever held.

I cocked my head, my heart beating faster by the minute. "Hey," I said, pushing away from my desk and crossing the room to meet him. "I was just about to call you. I didn't know you were stopping by..." Truth was, I was beyond anxious to talk to him. He'd had a job interview that morning, and I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something Big was about to happen. And, in all honesty, after the luck we'd had the last few weeks, we so needed something Big. I took a deep breath, determined to ignore the butterflies banging around in my stomach. "So?" I asked, trying to sound casual but unable to hide the nervous tweak in my voice. "How'd it go?"

Eyes twinkling, cheeks still rosy from the crisp autumn air, Chris grinned wider and gave me my answer. "Wanna move to Seattle?"

Ah. Something Big indeed.

From that moment on, our life as we knew it in Minnesota was over. It was good-bye Twin Cities. Hello Emerald City.

Fun at the Dog Park :)

Dexter :)

A few shots of one of my all-time favorite dogs... :)

Don't Shop. Adopt.

One of my older posts... But every time I see dogs ruined by backyard breeders, I feel the need to re-post my rant.
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"According to the American Humane Association, an estimated 9.6 million animals are euthanized in the United States every year."

Don't shop. Adopt.

Yes, this is a subject about which I am extremely passionate. Maybe it's because I'm too sensitive (as my mother would say), or because I'm just an ordinary human being that hasn't yet been touched by the egoic loss of humanity's selflessness (as Eckhart Tolle would say). Either way, I am strongly sympathetic to the plight of homeless animals around the world. It's a passion that I not only can't, but don't want to control.


No, I'm no saint. I don't go to church on Sundays, and I'm hardly proud of my lack of charitable donations this past year. (I've made none - unless you count the several pennies I've donated to the tray at the local Shell gas station.) However, regardless of my celestial unworthiness, I feel a strong connection to these homeless canines and a rage at the society that has chosen to forget them.

I'm frustrated, as I've found that this is a topic of conversation that most people avoid. When confronted with the heart-wrenching statistics regarding shelter animals and their fate, most folks seem to turn a deaf ear. "Hmmm, really?" is all they'll say, while their eyes slowly glass over and their minds hastily search for another topic of conversation.

I can, in all fairness, understand why people don't want to deal with this unpleasant issue. The same reason they don't like to watch videos of bruised and beaten pit bulls who have been plucked from dog fighting rings. We humans fight like mad to avoid anything and everything Bad. It seems that we, despite all our wit and wisdom and power, choose to avoid topics or situations that might take us out of our comfort zones and, God forbid, make us uneasy. And a walk through a local animal shelter is far from a walk in the park.

My first hands-on volunteer experience was with a rescue group called A Rotta Love Plus - a wonderful organization out of Minneapolis, Minnesota that "rescues the unwanted and neglected Rottweilers and American Pit Bull Terriers surrendered to local animals shelters." During my time with that group, I spent many hours working with mistreated and homeless pit bulls. Wonderful animals with resilient spirits, these canines deserved nothing more than a second chance at life and a forever home - complete with a loving family who would treat them as one of their own. And fortunately, because of generous sponsors and other volunteers like myself, these down-on-their-luck-mutts were given just that.

By the time most of these dogs got to our little group, they were hungry, scared, scarred, and nothing but skin and bones. Yet the trust that these loveable creatures gave us was astounding. I remember Jake in particular - a handsome pit bull that my husband and I worked with for several months - and how the first time I saw him, tears sprung to my eyes. He was extremely emaciated, and his ears had been cropped far too short - probably by some horrid backyard breeder who intended to use him in a fighting ring. But his eyes were liquid. Mesmerizing pools of black onyx, they swam with love, peace, beauty, and hope. And when he set that gaze on me, my heart melted. He is still, to this day, one of the most amazing dogs I have ever encountered.
Volunteering with shelter dogs - in my experience, anyway - has proven to be extremely rewarding. However, it is also one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do.

So, with that being said, I find it hard to understand why people choose to breed more dogs into this world. Well, I suppose the answer to that is simple as well as obvious - because there are still people out there who will buy dogs. Whether it be ignorance or just plain stupidity, these individuals are contributing to the pet overpopulation problem that we have today. It's been said before, but I'll say it again - anytime someone buys a pet, a shelter dog dies. And why, might I ask, are people choosing to buy from breeders (be it backyard or otherwise) instead of visiting their local humane society and adopting?

The excuses are many:

Excuse 1:
I want a puppy. I don't want an older dog that I won't be able to train.

My answer:
Please don't be stupid enough to believe that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. You can.

Excuse 2:
I want a healthy dog, and dogs from the pound are all sick and unhealthy.

My answer:
Dogs from the pound are every bit as healthy (if not more so) than dogs sired at the hands of breeders. Backyard breeders, in particular, haven't got a clue as to what type of dog should be bred... They don't breed to benefit the line, they breed to make money. Therefore, they don't know - or don't care - what dogs they're coupling together. To them, any pure bred Golden Retriever is worthy of being bred. But, newsflash, not every purebred dog is right for breeding. Just because you have a purebred golden, and your neighbor has a purebred golden, doesn't mean you should breed the two. One may have hip problems, the other an ancestral history of cancer. A truly good breeder will practice what is called selective breeding to ensure that the qualities of the breed are preserved, while at the same time working to eliminate faults from the line, such as hip and elbow problems, etc. Finally, it's no secret that purebred dogs generally have more health problems due to interbreeding and over breeding.

Excuse 3:
I want a purebred dog. I don't want just a random mutt. Mixed dogs are nothing but wild, crazy beasts!

My answer:
A dog is a dog. As a generalization, dogs of mixed heritage tend to be more intelligent, worldly, and savvy... At the very least, a mixed breed dog is every bit as capable of learning tricks and commands as a purebred dog.

Excuse 4:
I hear what you're saying... But I still want a purebred dog!

My answer:
Well, if you're going to be that picky, then try the local shelters first. At least 25% of dogs in shelters are purebreds. (According to HSUS Pet Overpopulation Estimates.) Also, there are numerous purebred rescue groups out there as well. Check out Petfinder.com and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Will the pet overpopulation problem ever subside? In all honesty, I doubt it. As long as the majority of people chose to remain ignorant to the plight of shelter animals, most homeless dogs will continue to perish in these facilities by way of lethal injection or gas. Not a pleasant way to die, huh? But, then again, what chance do they have when most people refuse to hear their cries??

(Photo: Chris & Jake @ Adoption Day.)

Love Kids, But Not For Me...

Love kids, but not for me.

Well, that's a bit generous. Honestly, I've never really loved kids at all. Please don't get me wrong... (I can almost hear the venomous shouts of proud parents all over the world who read this: Bitch! Witch! Selfish wench! Ignorant @!@@!) It's not that I hate children. No, I don't hate newborn babies or two-year old little girls with blonde ponytails and pink ribbons in their hair. It's just that, unlike most women my age, I don't get that giddy, "oh look at the iddy biddy baby" vibe when I see a child. In fact, when I'm confronted with children, I don't feel much at all.

Now, on the other hand, if I come face to face with an adorablely furry faced puppy, I melt and am instantly reduced to a baby-talking idiot. "Oh, what a cute puppy wuppy... What a little face! Are you a baby? Yes you are, just a little iddy biddy baby..." Pathetic, I know.

When Chris and I met, we both made it absolutely clear that having children was not a priority. We wanted to travel, explore, live life to the fullest... A child, in our minds, would only get in the way. To be even more bold, we were absolutely sure that we'd NEVER want to have kids and talked at length about the freedom that being a childless couple would provide.

The years flew by, and after our wedding in '05 we occupied ourselves with thoughts of each other, work, travel, financial well-being, our dogs, etc. Unlike most newlyweds, the thought of children was the last thing on our minds. We had all but decided to forgo the American Dream of having 2.5 kids, instead satisfying our desire for a big family by continuing to adopt four-legged orphans from the pound.

Well, it is now the dawn of a new day.

About two months ago, triggered by a negative ept test, Chris looked at me and said the words I thought I'd never hear: "Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a kid. In fact, the more I think about it, I think I'd really like to have a baby with you."

Um, say what?

Needless to say, an in-depth discussion pursued (and is still ongoing, I might add) about possibly altering our status as a cultured, well-rounded "childless couple." While neither of us has made a permanent decision, we have agreed to a two year wait. If, at that time, he (or I) still feels the need to procreate, then we will, um, attempt to do so. I guess that's how it's going to work, anyway.

For the time being, we're taking it slow, talking, and evaluating all the pros and cons. To us, having a baby is a big step, a lifelong commitment. And, because of our previous thoughts concerning babies and children, neither of us want to jump into parenthood unless we are really, truly, one-hundred percent ready.

Chris, in the meantime, readily admits that this little "wanna be a daddy" phase may pass in a year or two. And I, honoring my marriage vows of for better or for worse, am attempting to open my mind to the concept that babies are cute, and that little girls with blonde ponytails and pink ribbons in their hair are adorable. (I've been watching TLC's Bringing Baby Home and A Baby Story on my days off - so far to no avail.)

Anyway, I guess neither Chris nor I know what the future will bring. Our lives, since we've met, have been as unpredictable as ever. Will Chris and I ever be parents? I can't say for sure. Either way, I think as long as the spontaneity continues, we'll be happy...