Happy Four Birthday, Wrigley!

We haven't had any birthdays around here since Maizy's Five Birthday in January, and today was Wrigley's! We spent some quality time tonight snuggling on the couch (he cut off all circulation to my right leg in the process), playing with the giant knot, watching playoff basketball AND hockey, and laying on the new dog bed that I picked up for $20 at Costco this week.

Happy four birthday, Wrigley Bean. I can't believe you've been with us for 3.5 years already. I love your big butt. And I love when you get your lip stuck on your toof.

A very Addy Update

Hello! I wanted to make an update post about Addy. She is doing great at our house and is the most easy-going happy little dog (um, unless it's crate time). I love being around her.


Yesterday I took her out to a couple of pet stores just to go around and see how she was around strangers. She was so good and friendly to everyone she met. As we walked down the aisle past the tennis balls, her face LIT UP and she picked one up off the shelf and started rolling it around and chasing it. Okay, I have a dog who loves tennis balls. I bought her a ball.


Addy was having such a good time with her tennis ball that we walked across the street to the park. We had to pass by a t-ball game to get to the open area of the park and Addy met some children. One little boy seemed very uncomfortable with asking about her leg and he stammered and stared until he finally said in a hushed voice like at a funeral, "How did it happen?" After I told him and got to the part where she had to find a new family he looked up at me beaming and said, "And that was you!" Right on, kid. :) The other highlight was after being pet for a minute, a little girl said, "She only has three legs!" in a shocked voice. Another little girl in glasses looked the first girl up and down and said, "You only have TWO legs. She has one more than you!" Hi-larious.

After meeting kids and people, we went to the other part of the park where I learned that Addy can jump REALLY HIGH to catch a tennis ball. I didn't let her off leash, but I probably could have to play fetch with her. We will have to play in the yard at home. She is SO FAST.

Addy carried her tennis ball (SO CUTE) as we walked back to the car and I stopped back into the pet store for two more tennis balls where Addy met some more strangers and got more pets. Then we went home and she took a nice nap. :)


She has totally stolen my heart. I love this little dog. Tonight my husband and I took her for a walk with Probert because the two of them are getting along the least well of all the pups. We are trying to see if they will bond. We'll see how it works out. It's only been a week.

Playing fetch. She is super fast for a lady who recently lost a leg! :)

Settling In

Things are going well as Addy Mae settles into the pack. On Tuesday I took the day off work to drive to Ft Wayne, IN where I met Addy's foster mom (she was kind enough to drive from Columbus, OH to meet me). I collected the pup and we were on our way back to Chicago.

Before arriving home, we visited my husband at work and then Addy and I went home and took a much-needed nap on the couch.

When Shawn came home from work, we did the formal pup introductions (one by one, starting outside on neutral territory). Addy was a little overwhelmed and showed teeth to everyone. Maizy was unphased and friendly, Wrigley was devistated that his attempts to play with her were shot down, and Probert was Probert.

Since Tuesday, the interactions between Addy and brown pups have been limited and highly supervised. She and Wrigley have become pretty good friends since she likes to chase him and he loves to be chased. You would be surprised at how fast she can move on three legs only two weeks out from her surgery! I will take a video when I am able. Her and Maizy laid on the couch yesterday with their butts touching, which I am told is a good thing. We are waiting for Probert to chill out about her presence before they spend too much time together.

Addy herself is getting much more comfortable with her new surroundings. She is more energetic and curious. She follows Justice kitty around and around the downstairs trying to figure him out, but keeping her distance (as he is full of growls and hisses). She plays fetch in the house with her dino cuz. Yesterday I learned that she can sproing over the back of the couch from the floor. Being "disabled" is not slowing her down one bit! She also throws quite a fit about being put in her crate, but eventually settles down. The brown pups did the same thing with crate training, so I am sure she will be fine once she is used to the routine.

And with that, I am headed to Texas this evening! My husband will be left in charge of the pack. Wish him well. :):)

Breaking the Mold

So this weekend I participated in a dog transport. A dog named Mystic was going from a rescue in Nebraska to Measle's in Ohio (where Probert comes from). We were at about the halfway point in the trip, so on Saturday night I picked up Mystic in Elgin, IL and Sunday morning I dropped her off near the Indiana border for her to continue on the next leg of her trip. The time that she was in our home, she was a great dog and acted as my shadow. She was the sweetest dog.

When my husband and I were both home on Sunday, we missed her terribly and decided that her home was here. Unfortunate for the people who sacrified their time to take her between Chicago and Columbus, but tomorrow I am going to pick her up and bring her back to Chicago where she will become a member of the pack (and honorary brown pup).

We saw on her vet records that they had changed her name to "Adie Mae" and since Addison is one of the streets that Wrigley Field is located on, we decided to change her name to Addison, Addy for short.

Addy's story is that she was brought in to a vet's office with a healed broken leg by a man. The man left her and could not be contacted for three weeks. At that point, I guess she was surrendered to the Humane Society who had the surgery done to remove her leg (as well as do her spay) and were sending her to Measle's for adoption. Well, she's being adopted alright! Her leg was removed a little less than two weeks ago and she is already getting around very well. I can't wait to see her again and properly introduce her to the pack.

I won't change the blog name, but I guess I could at least change the subtitle up there, huh? :)

The Stories Are True

Brown pit Bulls love broccoli.



Please note how Probert is bad, Maizy is pushy, and Wrigley is beggy. I love those pups.

Back to the Grind

On Monday night, Maizy finally returned to her (volunteer) gig, hanging out with the residents of a local assisted living facility (aka, the "old folks").

We only stayed for about a half hour (Maizy started to get super playful after this and it was time to go, which is funny because she got home and crashed on the couch from exhaustion) and lots of the residents were happy to see Maizy again, especially the man in the wheelchair who she likes to "clean up" after dinner (he sometimes has crumbs on the front of his shirt). Those two are in LOVE! He will just hold her head and kiss kiss kiss her.

There is another lady, I think her name is Louise, who will come up to me 4 or 5 times while I'm there asking what Maizy "is" (same initial question every time), meaning what kind of dog? I always tell everyone that she is a mutt because a lot of the residents are not all there mentally, so it's too much to start talking about breeds, honestly. I will tell you more about Louise in a minute.

And of course, Maizy's biggest "hater" was there last night! He is a very very very angry man who does not like dogs! He came down for dinner (we hang out in a room very seperate from the dining room, but we come at dinner time because that's when residents are coming and going downstairs so that they can visit with Miss M on their way to/from dinner), saw Maizy, and started yelling about how I needed to get out of there and "there's a dining room here!" and carrying on. The whole time, his wife is giggling and saying "don't listen to him, he's just allergic to dogs" and "I love dogs! She's great!" Maizy was looking very, very, very confused.

It is funny because Maizy WILL bark at a stranger who yells at me or approaches me in a way that she doesn't like. She has done it before when a strange man tried to touch me (and her) in West Philadelphia (during Shakespeare in the park... oops). She does not tolerate that crap. But, I think with old angry man, she just sees that he's not a threat and will sit there looking at him like "huh?"

Anyway, so the man and his wife get to the dining room and I can see them from where I'm sitting and the man is standing up waving his arms for a server (they have sit down dinner service). The server comes over and the man says, "There is a woman with a dog over there! Get her the hell out of here!" (This is normal and I hear this from him EVERY TIME I'm there. He has to deal with the fact that I'm there because the other residents do like Maizy and because I don't let Maizy approach anyone who doesn't want to be approached, etc.)

Louise, who is sitting in the living room area hears him, and gets up and STORMS over as much as a little old lady with a walker can storm and yells, "Someone should get you the hell out of here!!" Now this is funny because then the wife and Louise get into a fight about it, but neither of them can hear very good, so they keep getting closer (slowly) and repeating themselves and the wife says that he was bit by a dog once and that's why he doesn't like them and Louise says he can get the hell out and I am generally "WTH!"-ing. Also, during the argument (which didn't last long, honestly), other people in the dining room are saying "huh?!" to Louise because they think she is talking to them, so she is also clarifying loudly to the confused people exactly WHO can "get the hell out"!

Anyway, several minutes later, Louise comes back over and asks me what Maizy "is" and I tell her again that Maizy is just a mutt. She looks at Maizy and says, "She says you're just a mutt!" (which is one of her usual replies) and then looks at me and says, "That's okay, I love her! And anyone that doesn't like her... Well, I. DON'T. LIKE. THEM."

And here I thought that Louise coudln't remember anything? She certainly remembered that she will stick up for her friend, Miss Maizy!

Picture Update

It has been forever since I have posted new pictures of the pups. Fortunately, Saturday had some beautiful weather and we spent some time outside (of course now we have snow again).

Maizy does not want to look at the camera, but will not directly disobey, so this is what we get.

Miss Maizy carrying a very dirty Cuz.

Wrigley is wearing his Halti outside so that we can work on remembering not to bark at the fence.

Standing on the bench to better survey the yard.

Little muscular Probert. He is naked because collars give him a nasty rash.

After we came inside Probert begged for some raw broccoli. My dogs love broccoli.