It's Training Time!

Our little Percy started school yesterday. We're going to Hearts & Paws, which is right down the road from our house. (http://www.heartsandpaws.com/) We had started a class there with Sophie, but she was so fearful, she spent most of the class either halfway under my chair or just frozen with worry. We weren't getting very far, so we dropped out & opted for more socializing before starting up again. Now she is a dog park regular & has been getting the courage to go up to total strangers for a sniff. If they are extra intriguing, they'll even get a little lick as well! She gets very excited about car rides, walks & going to visit her "grandparents" & Wallace. She really has come SO far. It's been an amazing journey!

Percy's class went fairly well. He knew most of the basics we went over last night like "sit" & name recognition. However, we're pairing everything with hand signals now & that's new for him so I know he wasn't bored. ;o)

He has had two growling instances in the past & last night made our third. When we got there he was a wild man on his leash so they offered us a Gentle Leader Easy Walker Harness. It's like a regular harness, except that the leash clips in the front. If the dog pulls, he is redirected & almost turned around because of the position of the leash on the harness. While he was getting fitted for it, he growled at one of the instructors. She backed off & came back with lots of treats, distracting him while she did her thing, & he was fine. His growling concerns me & I definitely want to nip that behavior ASAP!! The instructor said that it didn't worry her & that we'd continue to work on it. She said it's obvious that he wants to please & is easily treat driven - both being really promising. Yay! Good news!!

We go once a week on Tuesday nights & we get homework, too! I'll try to keep my posts up to date with his progress. With a little bit of luck, he'll get all the moves down, then come home & teach Sophie!

Meet Percy!!

What a handsome boy!!

There are a few pictures of Percy in the photo album below & I bet some of you are asking, "Who is this new Percy character?" Well, he's the latest addition to our family of BBDs (Big Black Dogs) & he is most definitely a character!

Percy came over to our house with his foster dad on Thursday, December 11th & never left. :o) He's a Rottie mix & almost a year & a half old. His puppy-like antics keep Eric & I on our toes & laughing all the time! He & Sophie became friends almost instantly. Having another dog around the house is really helping Sophie emerge from her shell. She is learning from Percy that life isn't so scary and her confidence level has risen tremendously in the few weeks he's been in our home. It's amazing!!

Eric & I would like to give a little shout out to Austin Dog Rescue for allowing us to take Percy into our home. It's been an adventure and a blessing!

Here is their site for anyone looking to adopt: http://austindog.org/

For anyone who doesn't already know, Wallace, my parent's BBD (also pictured/mentioned on here often) came from Austin Dog Rescue. Both Percy and Wallace are living proof that perfectly wonderful dogs are waiting to be adopted from rescue organizations. It makes me sick to think that people are of the opinion that adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue organization is "willingly accepting someone else's problem". These dogs are not problem dogs!! Most of them were just dealt a bum deal through no fault of their own. Huh-hmmm, I'll step down off my soap box now, but seriously ... take a look at shelters and rescues before you run off to the nearest "breeder" for your next dog, okay? That's all I'm gonna say 'bout that....

And welcome to our home, Percy!! We love you and can't wait to see what the years have in store!

Here are some pictures of Sophie & Percy rompin' & stompin' the first week he was here:

Yes, that is "shy" little Sophie playing keep away with her new best friend.

Percy is always up for a good ol' game of tug-o-war!

And when they're all tuckered out, they like to curl up together in one of the two crates & take a nap. It's a match made in heaven!!

Look what my mom put together!

See ... we're all a lil' dog crazy 'round here!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Baby, It's Cold Outside

With all this talk of dogs, you may think we've forgotten about our first furry children. We have not.

As soon as the weather starts getting colder, all of the cats start getting a lot more clingy. They want to be on a lap or riding around on a shoulder at all times. The best part is at night ... who needs a heater when you have 3 furry cats and a husband in your bed?? I'm telling you, our electricity bill just keeps getting lower & lower! Woohooo!!

And when Eric & I aren't around to snuggle with, Bela & Lucy snuggle with each other ...

leaving Mr. Puss to snuggle with whatever he can find. On this day it was the giant Christmas frog on the living room chair: Poor Mr. Puss ...

Guess what??

ELEPHANT BUTT!!

I stole this from a friend's blog & had to share it with you. It doesn't get much cuter than this!

I Believe ...

A birth certificate shows that we were born.
A death certificate shows that we died.
Pictures & memories show that we lived!

I believe ...
That just because two people argue, doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, doesn't mean they do love each other.

I believe ...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe ...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe ...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe ...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe ...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe ...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe ...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe ...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe ...
That either you control your attitude or it will control you.

I believe ...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe ...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe ...
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing at all and still have the best time.

I believe ...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe ...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe ...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them ... and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe ...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe ...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world won't stop for your grief.

I believe ...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe ...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe ...
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe ...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe ...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you ... you will find the strength to help.

I believe ...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe ...
That the people you care about most in life are often taken from you too soon.

I believe ...
That the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything ... they just make the most of everything.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIMON!!

Simon's birthday was actually October 20th, but I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures on here. Shame on me...bad auntie!! (For those of you who don't know, Simon is my sister's dog)

We all met at my parent's house to celebrate in black dog extravaganza style. Simon ran around like a mad man, Wallace attempted to get ALL the tennis balls in his mouth at once & Sophie practiced her modeling skills by the pool ...

Nicola baked dog-friendly cupcake desserts for the occasion - they were actually pretty yummy - I tried a nibble of one! We (the two-legged attendees) toasted Simon with mimosas & we all sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him.

Simon had a lot of gifts to open &Sophie really enjoyed helping him ... not that he needed it!!

Wallace shreds wrapping paper (well, any paper) into tiny bits ... Christmas with him is going to be a blast!!

I think Sophie's favorite part was the "icing" on the cupcakes ... or maybe it was wearing a bow on her head. I'm not sure ... ;o)

Not really. I'm pretty sure she didn't like the bow idea, but she did look cute!