For The Love of Pitties

Heart Dog Day

2012-06-06T18:32:00.000-04:00

Almost three weeks since my last post.....sorry friends. Things around here have been crazy. Good news is that Rusty is ALL better and is back at a healthy weight, we moved into a large house with a nice yard so he doesn't even know what to do with all of the extra room! Zoomies all over the house! Another happy story is that Ms. Honey was adopted two weeks ago and it looks like her furever home!! If it isn't then she's coming back to live (foster) with us...already arranged with the SPCA if that happens, but I don't think it will!

Anyway....the real reason I am posting today is that today is our Heart Dog Day.....the day our Heart Dog (Russy) adopted us...One year ago today he changed our life. Now he has two little brothers, a big house, a nice yard, and all kinds of doggie neighbor friends who love him. Such a turn around from the little beat up pup roaming the streets of the big city. We don't know his birthday. The vet estimated sometime in December...so it's kinda hard to celebrate that. But Russy picking us does call for a celebration, so today we celebrate! I'm glad you found us little boy.

And now a look back in time....

Day 2, after his first bath. About 5-6 months old. He cleans up well!

It's hard to believe how little he was....he's almost double the size now.

This past spring at the park. All grown up.

Not So Wordless Wednesday...

2012-05-16T21:25:00.001-04:00

Just an update on Rusty. He stopped eating and drinking for almost 2 days, and just when we were about to take him to the animal hospital, he perked up and ate something!! So good news is that he's eating. The bad news is that he is still really sick to his stomach. He has been so good about waking us up to take him out in the middle of the night, rather than going in the house. Now I know (almost) what it feels like to have a child with feeding/toileting needs every few hours throughout the night. He also still has a lot of blood in his stool. The vet thinks it is just stress related. She tried him on a few new medications, so if in the next 24 hours he doesn't get any better, back to the vet we go. He's loosing weight fast even though he's been resting most of the day. Keep praying for my little boy.

Sensitive Little Pittie

2012-05-13T21:35:00.000-04:00

This weekend Russ had a bit of a medical scare. A few weeks ago at the park Rusty was acting as if he got stung by a bee on his chest/stomach. We brought him home, took out what we thought was a stinger (not sure what it was now), cleaned it and gave him some benadryl. He was fine but we kept an eye on the "sting". What went from a small red bump soon turned into a large red tumor like growth. So, this weekend we went for a mini anniversary vacation to the beach, and left Rusty with my mom (a vet tech at our animal hospital). We scheduled an exam for him and it turns out that the growth was called a histiocytoma. The doctor decided to remove it because Russ was starting to scratch at it with his back paws. We weren't really too worried. He had been put under anesthesia before for his "snip snip" surgery and he was fine. We should have known though that all would not go as planned. He has had funny reactions to certain meds in the past. Anyway, he ended up having a reaction to the anesthesia (ketamine) and had seizures for over 2 hours as a result. They were able to remove the tumor and it did end up being benign as expected. Thank goodness my mom was with him....I can't imagine how scared my little boy was having seizures for so long. Now, because of the physical and emotional stress endured by his body over the last few days he is having a hard time keeping food down and has some blood in the stool (the vet assures me it's probably from stress and we will be keeping an eye on it for the next day or so).

For such a strong dog, he really is sensitive to medication and very fragile when it comes to the few medical issues we have experienced with him over the past year. The only difference this time is that he was at a very healthy 80lb weight for his size, so the fact that he has dropped a few lbs is not as scary as a few months ago when he only weighed 60lbs and dropped lbs really fast because of the steroids he had to take for a skin infection.

My poor little boy...has no energy and all he can do is sleep. We will be taking it easy for the next few days and hope for the best. Does anyone have similar experiences or any advice?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-09T13:17:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile...

2012-05-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

Hi friends. So it's been awhile since I was able to post anything. The last few weeks have been super busy and the next month will only get more hectic. I've also had some technical issues with my blog that I'm still trying to work out, so I hope people can actually read this! Good news is that we are moving to a house, with more space (and that hopefully means room to be able to foster!) This weekend I volunteered with the SPCA to take Ms. Honey to an adoption event at Dan Grinde Cycles in Staunton, VA. He is a long time supporter of the SPCA and despite the drizzly weather he hosted a great event with good food and music and a lot of dog lovers. I think I may have even found Ms. Honey a furever home! There was one couple that was extremely interested in her and she seemed to love them too, so I hope they come and pick her up soon! If not...I may have to talk to hubby into letting us foster her. She and I definitely have developed a special connection over the past few weeks of volunteer events and evening walks. She also got to meet Rusty at the Harley event a few weeks ago and they love each other. Ms. Honey looks great, shes lost a little (needed) weight thanks to all the great volunteers who walk the dogs on a daily basis at the SPCA, and her skin and coat look super shiny compared to last time I saw her. She has a lot more spunk too!

Soaking up some attention while staying out of the rain.

Love this face.

Beyond the Myth

2012-04-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

So last weekend I told you about the very first Pittie Rescue in the Valley, called Virginia Paws for Pits. On Monday April 30th, (one week from today!), Augusta Dog Adoptions is hosting an event at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA. They are showing a documentary about Pitties and Breed Specific Legislation, called Beyond the Myth, to help raise awareness about the breed and their rescue. The movie starts at 7pm and the tickets are $10 with all proceeds going towards Virginia Paws for Pits! You can click here to purchase tickets. They are also having a silent auction starting at 6pm. Come out and support this great group! If you aren't able to make it out to see the movie, you can still donate by visiting their facebook page or their website! I hope to see you there!

If you're trying to raise awareness in your area you can contact Beyond the Myth to host a screening in your area.

Sirius-ly Handsome Pittie

2012-04-16T17:06:00.004-04:00

Today Rusty's new collar from Sirius Republic came in the mail! He was sooo excited. When I got home from work the mail man was at our building and he had our package! When I walked in the apartment I told Rusty he had package and he must have known what it was because he started the wiggle butt's, and got super excited and started "talking" to me until I put it on him!

We decided on the chain martingale, Texas Two Step pattern (which benefits Love-A-Bull), with red fleece lining (for the sensitive pittie skin).

Check out the pics.....such a handsome boy, and a great collar too!

Emery was jealous of our photo shoot and the treats Rusty was getting so he jumped in too!

Rusty likes to walk himself on the leash for the first few minutes of our daily walks.

Don't mind me....I'm just soakin' up some rays!

Thank you Sirius Republic for making my boy such a beautiful collar!

Virginia Paws for Pits

2012-04-14T21:03:00.003-04:00

So, I'm still new to the whole blogging thing, so I don't know if two posts in one day is against the rules, but I just couldn't help myself. I thought this one deserved it's own post and I couldn't wait until tomorrow!

Guess what? The Shenandoah Valley officially has it's first Pit Bull/Bully Breed Rescue group, called Virginia Paws for Pits! This is BIG news!

I was pleasantly surprised to run into them today at the Hawgs and Dogs event! Below are some of the beautiful little babies in search of their furever homes. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with these babies today because I was with Ms. Honey, but I really look forward to volunteering with this organization in the future. Thank you for bringing a Bully Rescue to the Valley!

Gypsy

Jazmine

Somaya

Tigger

Visit Virginia Paw's for Pits website or their Facebook page to see a full list of adoptable dogs and find out about upcoming events!

Sweet Honey and Harleys

2012-04-14T20:49:00.001-04:00

What a fabulous Saturday! Today I had the pleasure of spending the day volunteering as a dog handler at the Augusta Regional SPCA's adoption event held at Shenandoah Harley Davidson's first annual Hawgs and Dogs event! There were so many great dog organizations there and the Harley Davidson staff were phenomenal! I really do hope they will host this event again next year.

We were able to bring 6 dogs from the SPCA to the event, one of which was a sweet little pittie named Honey.

Honey Bear

Pretty Little Pittie

Honey is 5 years old and was an owner surrender because her previous owner had too many animals. I met this little lady a week or so ago when I went on my weekly dog walking expedition at the SPCA, she was immediately friendly, the only dog in the whole kennel not barking, and begging me to take her out to play. So off we went and I immediately knew I had to take her to this event today. She was such a love bug!

Don't I make a good lap dog?

Sweet Girl

She clearly loves people and loves to snuggle! She also met dogs of all shapes and sizes and was equally friendly to them. At one point a cute little 4 year old (future dog trainer) walked right up to her with a treat, hugged her around the neck and then asked her to sit, and so she sat AND shook her paw! She had many people very interested in her but none have yet to fill out an application! This little lady needs a furever home!

Ms. Honey showing off her skills!

The dogs don't often get to play with each other in the shelter but Ms. Honey and Hunter couldn't stay away from each other today! They got along so well and got to roll around with each other most of the day today.

Honey and Hunter playing

Here are some other dogs that the SPCA has for adoption that joined us at the event today. Delilah is a 3 year old Australian Shepard mix, and Hunter is a hound mix.

Delilah

Hunter

For more information on how to adopt any of these dogs please visit the SPCA's website here!

Oh, and guess what else....my little Russy made a surprise appearance today to come visit all the dogs and so the hubby could check out the Harley's ;). Of course Russ loved all of them and they loved him, especially Ms. Honey, he was putty in her paw.

Honey and Rusty

Rusty and Hunter

Hawgs and Dogs

2012-04-12T11:00:00.004-04:00

This weekend is a busy busy weekend for dog adoption events in the Valley! I'm very excited to be a dog handler for the Augusta Regional SPCA at the first annual Hawgs and Dogs adoption and pet awareness event at Shenandoah Harley Davidson, this Saturday, April 14th from 10-3pm. There will be a variety of vendors; Leader of the Pack Obeidience, Love on a Leash Agility, Therapy Dog Program, and a variety of veterinarians and other pet related vendors! I hope everyone can make it out to find some awesome dogs their furever homes!

The Augusta SPCA will also be having an adoption event at Petco in Staunton, on Saturday from 12-3pm & Sunday from 1-3pm.

Augusta Dog Adoptions is hold an adoption event at PetSmart in Waynesboro from 10-3 on Saturday as well!

So many events....so many chances to find furever homes for some lovely pitties and fabulous dogs of many other breeds!

Are you volunteering or taking your pups to any fun events this weekend?

One Word Wednesday

2012-04-11T09:10:00.001-04:00

Brothers

Pizza, Beer, Music and Pitties (and lots of other adoptable pups too)!

2012-04-10T21:16:00.002-04:00

What a great night! Tonight Augusta Dog Adoptions, a local dog rescue, held a fund raising event. They are raising money to cover their ever growing vet bills and hopefully purchase (or have donated) a van to help transport dogs to and from adoption events. They saved 350 dogs last year and are on track to save that same amount in just 6 months this year!! WOW!! The event was held at Shenandoah Pizza in Staunton, and 10% of all proceeds from 6:30 to 9:30 went to them. They had two great bands as well, and of course good food and good beer. They had a great turn out, so let's hope a good amount of money was raised! Sorry I didn't post the event news earlier....but you can still donate by visiting their website...here. Know anyone looking to donate a van?

A Must Read

2012-04-09T20:20:00.001-04:00

Today I received a book in the mail that I've been waiting a week or so for, and I'm so excited about it! Melissa McDaniel is a photographer who has a series of photo books dedicated to rescue and special needs dogs. This one in particular is dedicated to Pit Bulls (of course!), called Pit Bulls and Pit Bull type Dogs; 82 Dogs the Media Doesn't Want You to Meet, and it is such a gorgeous book. If you buy the book from Melissa's site, 10% of proceeds will be donated to animal rescue.

The photographs of the pups are beautifully done, and all of the pups look so happy you can't help but smile. The intro features background history about the breed, and current discussion topics such as BSL and stereotypes and their truths, myths, as well as a dedication to the dogs she photographed and her mission for completing the project. She also includes a page of resources, advocacy groups, and eduational websites. Each page is dedicated to a different little pittie and tells their tale of rescue (dogfighting cases, owner surrenders, stray, some heartbreaking at first, but all with happy endings!), just to further prove how resilient these amazing creatures can be. Oh....and for a little extra $ you can order a custom cover with a picture of your pittie on the front!

If you read "Our Story" you know that we live in a rural area in VA where there is little awareness for Pit Bulls. The people I meet on a daily basis are one extreme or the other, they either love the little pitties, or they have a preconcieved notion of what a pittie is, and most of the time a fear. This book is a great way to educate people about this breed! The pictures capture your attention and the faces of these gorgeous pups makes you smile and want to read more. Very excited to share it!

The book also features a section dedicated to the Vick Dogs. For anyone who has not read The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant....that is another must read. For everyone who has....Melissa McDaniel does a beautiful job of following up on their happy tale of perseverance and survival.

Happy Easter!

2012-04-08T16:19:00.003-04:00

We planned to go to the Easter Parade today, but time got away from us with all the fun play time in the yard....Happy Easter!

Did you do any fun Easter festivities with your pups?

A Day at the Market

2012-04-07T14:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend we are in Richmond again visiting friends and family for Easter. One thing I love about coming home in the Spring and Summer months, is all the wonderful farmer's markets Richmond has to offer. Rusty has never had the pleasure of going to a farmers market because most are not dog friendly, unless you live in a dog friendly town (like Richmond!), which we do not. We got a late start, but around 10 a.m. off we went to the South of the James Farmer's Market. Rusty loved meeting all the other pups at the market, and sunning himself whenever we stopped at each tent to shop.

He especially loved the Dog Town Lounge tent which has raw puppy treats and water for the pups! The vendors at the tent gave him lots of attention and a treat, which he sat pretty and patiently for, and of course he loved it, so we had to buy some!

Russy then browsed the menu for the best treats to order, and ultimately decided on the chicken gizzards and dried chicken fingers.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-04-04T16:03:00.002-04:00

Play date at the park

2012-04-03T20:53:00.003-04:00

Rusty and I usually go to the park for a run or long walk a few times a week and last week we encountered an entire pack of dogs and their owners that meet every evening at 6 pm to let their dogs play, socialize, and then walk together as a pack. Unfortunately there are no off leash dog parks in our town (working on that!), so they have to play on leash :(, but Rusty LOVED every minute of it, especially his new pittie girlfriend Lilly. The pack consists of a a blue pittie names Lilly, a pit/dachsund mix, a blood hound, a hound mix, a beagle, a great dane and several new faces every week!

after a long walk around the park

saying good-bye to Lilly

pittie kisses

A day at the River

2012-04-03T16:34:00.000-04:00

Last weekend the weather was so gorgeous that we decided to take Rusty to the James River while visting family. He loves the water and wasn't able to swim anywhere all winter, so this was a very happy day for him!

Country road....take me home....

Getting his feed wet.

PIT FIT!!!

First Snow and Christmas

2012-04-03T16:24:00.003-04:00

Playing blog catch up. Here are some pictures from Christmas and his first snow.

First snow (October)

Christmas at the in-laws with the new baby. Russy was in love!

Second snow (January)