Fear Pooping

Tails of a Pit Bull turned the ripe old age of 1 on Friday. That was the one-year anniversary of The Catalyst - the day Dasher and I went to get his shots for the first time in Tennessee. In celebration, we went again today. Okay, we went mostly because he was due for shots again. Listen to what happened this time.

I sit down to wait for Dasher's name to be called next to a man with a tiny, furball, Pomeranian-type creature in his lap. The man on the other side of him has an energetic Beagle-y mix that sits anytime she hears anyone near her say anything that remotely sounds like "sit" but believes the command is good only for a bottom-hit-the-floor move and nothing more. Once the task is complete, she's back up and sniffing butts.

Beagle-Owner, to me: "Does he have a lil' pitbull in him?"

Me: "I think he has a lotta pitbull in him."

(Everyone chuckles.)

Guy next to me, to the furball: "See that guy, Sugar? You'd be a midnight snack for him!"

Me: "Oh, no, he wouldn't hurt a fly."

(Uncomfortable laugther.)

Then I remember that one of Dasher's most beloved pastimes is hunting flies.

Dasher, right, with his best bud Gracie

And you can bet your bottom dollar Dasher fear-pooped once again!

A Dog-Day Afternoon

Our second Sunday of the season at the lake went to the dogs. With the threat of rain, critters were scurrying every which way to find a good spot to hang, and the dogs had a field day trying to dig the chipmunks and other vermin out of their hiding places. The drooly dogs showed up on the porch looking like this:

BUSTED!
4/14/13

The smart one looks guilty and knows she's in trouble. The other one, well, he's the happiest when he's digging holes.

Later, in an effort to clean some noses (and eye sockets?!), we headed down to the dock. The boat had just made it's way out of winter hibernation, and we let the dogs take it on this spring's maiden voyage.

The Three Amigos
4/14/13

That big guy on the left? That's baby Lincoln! Do you remember when he was so small? That was only 4 months ago!

Dashing Dasher

I'm one of those dog moms. I dress him up. Bow ties, reindeer antlers, and even full costumes. (You've seen our Wizard of Oz rendition.) Dasher loves it! Okay, he hates it. But I don't make him keep it on for too long. Here's his newest accessory.

Spring 2013
Staring longingly out the window until the torture is done.

"Why do you continue to do these things to me? Aren't I a good dog?"

While Dasher does not enjoy wearing the cute things I just cannot resist buying, he does have a favorite accessory: DIRT! Look how happy this guy is.

After hours of digging (his life's work)

Serendipity

Ryan and I went to brunch on Saturday, and from my seat I could see Union Ave Books, a local bookstore. I love reading, but I might love books even more. And local merchants? It's a done deal. I'd wanted to visit since I first saw it when I moved to Knoxville, but it never happened. So, I told Ryan I wanted to go after brunch and that it was his responsibility to make sure I didn't buy anything. "My shelves are full," I said. "I want to get through those before I go spending money on books. And also, there's the library." He said okay, and we walked over.

The first table we saw when we entered was full of this book:

And they were accompanied by a sign stating the author, Ken Foster, would be at that very book store the following Saturday for a reading and signing. How serendipitous!

I picked up a copy and explained to Ryan that this was an exception to my earlier-stated rule of buying no books. He tried to get me to put it down, noting that he had one duty at the moment and he'd get in trouble if he didn't perform it satisfactorily. "No, no, you won't be in trouble. This is different. It's a not a novel, and this guy is going to be here next week! I can't pass this up." Ahh, my spending skills at work. I also managed to squeeze in buying a book for my cousin. If it's for someone else, it doesn't count, right?

I read the not-quite-a-coffee-table-but-good-for-conversation-starting book cover to cover that afternoon. Ken Foster describes wonderful stories of pit bulls just being dogs - because that's just what they are. I learned that "pit bull" is not actually a breed; it's just a hodge-podge of other breeds, among them labs, bulldogs, mastiffs and a variety of terriers. The theme of the book is that "pit bull" is a perception, and I agree. I experience it often. People actively antagonize me about my dog, sometimes passively, sometimes aggressively. Most of the time, I calmly make our case. Pictures of him help: him sleeping, being sweet, giving kisses, playing with his furry friends. But, sometimes, the antagonizers are relentless, and I lose my cool. I become heated with fury and forget to right words to say. I'm going to ask Ken Foster about this. I'm sure he's experienced the same; it's probably the reason he started the Sula Foundation and began writing books about his buddies. He might have an elevator pitch of sorts that I can memorize and rattle off when I can think of nothing else to say that doesn't expose my pain and weakness. Because, yes, Dasher is my weakness, and you best not mess with his Mama.

A Presidential Puppy

I am thrilled to present to you Mr. Lincoln, the newest addition to the McBee pack.

Tuckered out after a day of new dogs and humans
Christmas Eve 2012

Somehow I came up with the brilliant / preposterous idea of getting Ryan's parents a puppy for Christmas. They get to enjoy the grand-dogs pretty often (sometimes on short notice!), but Ryan's mom has been idly chit-chatting about getting one of their own for a while now. Just after Thanksgiving, Ryan, his sister and I began the search for the perfect rescue. They love Gracie's good-natured disposition so we tried to find a Boxer mix. There were a few at the shelters, and we went to meet them. It turned out to be a bit of a roller coaster. The first one was adopted minutes before we arrived. The second one was not good with other large dogs (and we have several in the family). Then the first dog's pending adoption fell through, so we went back to meet her. I called ahead to make sure the dog was still there and available. She was. Two hours later, we arrived with our dogs to see how they would all get along, but it was not meant to be - she was adopted again!

Feeling a little deflated (but happy dogs were finding their forever homes), I decided to take a break. I still looked online at the new intakes for the shelters in the area. A couple of the photos and stories called out to me, but they were in further-away shelters that held odd hours. Not ideal for two office folks and a teacher to align schedules. We were resigning ourselves to the fact that we might not have a puppy by Christmas. Additionally, I began to see it as a sign that maybe we shouldn't just get a dog for Ryan's unknowing parents. Maybe it would be better to tell them that's what we wanted to do and then all look together. Ryan went and bought other Christmas gifts to put under the tree. Then, this popped up in my Facebook news feed:

That sweet little face pulled at my heart strings immediately. Dasher came into my life via a Facebook post from a friend who had found him on the street, so this had the makings of that wonderful story.  I think at the start I just wanted to help my friend Kevin find a dog-sitter for his weekend trip. You and I both know that's not how I operate. Before I knew it, Kevin was telling me how sweet of puppy he is, and we were making logistical arrangements to pick him up. Neither Kevin nor I live in our hometown (or home state) any longer, but we were both in our childhood town for Christmas Eve. This was turning out to be perfect! We would present the puppy to Ryan's parents ON CHRISTMAS DAY! If that isn't a sign that this particular puppy is meant to be the one, then nothing will ever be. 

Ryan and I woke up early on Christmas Eve to head to Atlanta to get him. Lesson learned here: If you want this perennially-late, non-morning person to wake up on time, promise her a puppy.

I walked into Kevin's parents' home where his wife, Anna, was holding Lincoln in his lap. I put my hand out for him to sniff, and he picked up his little puppy head and gave me little puppy kisses. When my hand wasn't enough, he stood up and licked my face. He melted my heart on the spot!

He's around 12-14 weeks old now and heavy as a bag of bricks. This guy's gonna get big and burly. Anna and Kevin found him on the side of a road on their way to a holiday party. They just could not leave him there, so they had a friend watch him while they went to the party then picked him up afterwards to begin the search for his humans. No microchip. No craigslist ads for a missing puppy. No lost pet signs outside or online. The vet gave him a once-over and awarded him a mostly clean bill of health for having been outside. A couple prescriptions and they were on their way. The gracious rescuers taught him to sit, began house-training and even worked on some target training. He's quite well-behaved and listens to commands. He's a smart guy - that's for sure! Anna and Kevin tried not to imprint a name in case his new humans would want to choose their own, but we LOVE what they chose for him. Lincoln. Because he's the color of a penny. What a creative idea. I knew Ryan's parents would love it, too. And they did.

After the hand-off, Lincoln's next stop was my grandparents' house - where there were five other dogs. Five. Big ones, too. Lincoln wasn't afraid. He jumped right in there and began tugging on collars, chomping on ears and licking faces. He tumbled all over the living room. He went potty as soon as we brought him outside. All of the nervousness that Ryan and I felt about bringing home this dog having never met him subsided. It all clicked, and we breathed a sigh of relief. Then we became immediately attached and wanted to keep him! Thankfully, he'll only live just down the street and we can see him any day we desire, which, let's be honest, will probably be every day.

I was nervous and shaking a little when we walked into Ryan's parents' house on Christmas evening to open presents. What if they said no? As far as the puppy goes, it would have been no big deal - Ryan and I would just have three dogs then. It was more of a total miss-the-mark situation. I didn't want them upset that we even thought it might be a good idea.  I had Lincoln in my arms. Ryan's mother asked "What have you got there?".  I replied "Your Christmas present!" and handed Lincoln to her. Or at least I thought I did. That's where things went blurry as I awaited her response. In true Lincoln fashion, he went straight for the face kisses. She giggled in delight, and I felt better. Now onto Ryan's father. A tougher sell. I think he was skeptical at first, but by the end of the night he was smiling and impressed by how smart Lincoln is. He'll be able to teach him some great commands and play fetch with him. The snuggles will help, too!

Welcome, Lincoln! You are lucky to have stumbled into Anna and Kevin's view and to have found your way to the McBee family, but I'll bet we're luckier that you found us.

Lincoln in his silver velvet bow tie
Christmas Night 2012

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

The Land of Oz

Our Oz population is growing. Last year, Dasher and I went as the Wicked Witch and one of her  Flying Monkeys. This year, we added Dorothy and her pal the Scarecrow. Maybe next year we'll enlist a Lion and a Tin Man.

Halloween 2012

We only had a few seconds to get a quick photograph before the dogs bolted to shake their costumes off. You can see there that Dasher is already eyeing the escape route. We did manage to get a close-up of Gracie's take on Dorothy for your enjoyment:

Gracie as Dorothy
Halloween 2012

She is not thrilled with this plan. Too bad! Check out that wig. Trick-or-treaters loved her!

A Pound Puppy

Sometimes I think Dasher has forgotten his previous life. He puts his puppy head on the pillows and spreads out on the sofa so as to leave now room for anyone else.

Dreaming of chasing cats
October 2012

He turns his nose up at treats that are not the fancy-shmancy chicken jerky at the expensive all-natural, organic pet supply shop.

"Dry squares of tasteless cardboard? Simply insulting."
October 2012

But, then he reminds me that he does appreciate his new life and all that we do for him when he holds my hand so sweetly while we ride along on a lovely fall afternoon.

Nosey!
October 2012