June Update:

 

June will have a new family starting on Friday. A woman was immediately interested in meeting her as soon as we posted her information online. The woman is in her 50’s and wants a dog to walk with and keep her company since her husband works late. We invited her over last Saturday so we could meet her and introduce her to June. I think June liked her and we did too. Her home will be a good place for June where she will be the only dog and there won’t be any young kids around. It is sad, but honestly I am more and more affirmed this is the right decision for our family. We will miss June, but having one dog and not worrying about June’s behavior is a weight lifted. Wesson might have the hardest time of anyone though. He loves him some June.

Nathalie

A Hard Decision…

I have a heavy heart while writing this post as Andrew and I have made a tough decision regarding one of our dogs June. She is the pretty Lab mix we rescued shortly after we got married. A little background before I dive into the whole story: June is the first thing Andrew and I took on together as a team. As you know I was not the biggest “dog person” before marriage, but I liked them enough to give pet ownership a try. So we adopted June and instantly became responsible for a living creature in our care. It forced us to be on the same page with discipline, training, etc…and she became our dog. Neither of us had ever had a dog that was just “ours” before, and adopting June turned out to be a huge blessing for us. She is smart, came housetrained, and loves to do anything and everything with us..and she has. When we first got her, I found myself thinking of places to take her and activities to do that included all of us. Ever since, we have spent many an afternoon at the dog park, on daily walks, runs, 2 dog training classes, I could go on. June also accompanied us on road trips and we marveled at how well she did in the car and with other people, dogs, children, etc. wherever we went. She changed the way I see people and their pets, and admittedly, I love that darn dog.

It is not as if she doesn’t have her faults. June continues to show us that she wants to be in charge of all other dogs. This became even more apparent when we got our second dog Wesson. She would snarl over a toy and not let him have it, but he backed down and there was never a real issue. We were also at ease since she has gotten along with other dogs like her best friend Monroe Phillips and countless dogs at the parks we frequent.

So it was to our great shock and horror when we took June and Wesson to a local dog park several weeks ago and she bit/attacked another dog. We went early in the morning and there were only 3 other dogs there. A woman and her weimaraner were playing fetch with a ball. Andrew threw the ball for her dog (as he can throw farther and wanted to help the lady out), but June went after the ball too and when the other dog got the ball, June starting attacking. Even when the other dog gave up the ball she would not stop biting. It was terrifying as I watched Andrew attempt to break up the fight. In what seemed like an eternity, but was actually probably only a few seconds, he was able to grab June’s hind legs and get her off. Once it was over, June acted as if nothing happened and resumed play. I was in a state of shock but was able to examine the damage. She had drawn blood on the other dog's ears and neck. The dog would need to see a vet but seemed to be ok. I was devastated. Not only had our beloved pet acted out in a horrific way toward someone else's beloved pet, but suddenly I felt an instant distrust towards June. I cried right there at the park…I didn’t know how else to respond. I was grieved that this animal we have invested so much in did what we never thought she’d do. That the dog owners who witnessed it thought we were irresponsible, it was awful. We gave the injured dog’s owner, who was upset also but actually tried to console me, our contact information so we could pay the vet bills. Now we were left with what to do next.

Andrew and I have been wrestling with this since. Was this an isolated incident? What if she does it again? What if it is a smaller dog next time or worse a human? Is she safe to be around kids? Will our friends never come to our house again because of this? Can we blame them if they don’t? On and on these questions were evaluated and discussed. Could we fix her somehow? What if we put her up when people come over? She has never done this before….maybe it is ok?

Ultimately, no matter how hard we try, we cannot justify having a dog that is capable of hurting other dogs. As much as we love her, and have shed tears over this decision, we have agreed we cannot keep her. As bad as I felt about her hurting another animal, it would destroy me if she hurt a person or child. Oh I shudder at the thought. And knowing this happened, and didn’t take action, how could I live with myself? I can’t. We have decided. It doesn’t make it easier though…

Andrew and I called the rescue group that we adopted June from. They are going to find her another home and we will keep her until then. It is hard to think about never seeing her again, and doesn’t help that I feel the rescue group is disappointed in us like we are giving up on her. I am taking it personally and feel like I want them to know how often I wash her bed, and make sure she is walked, fed, mentally stimulated, etc. I wish they knew how much I love her and have done for her! Part of me also feels like a failure, always wondering if there was something we could have done to prevent it. No matter my feelings and insecurities, I am at peace that this is the best decision for our family. June will be a great dog for people with older kids or who are single and active. We hope she will find a place that will love her as much as we have and that our broken hearts would mend quickly.

Nathalie

Snowed in....

I figured I would join the thousand other Dallas area bloggers out there and discuss the recent, record breaking snow storm we've had. Now I grew up in Colorado, and have never considered the light dusting of snow once a year in Texas anything special. However, this storm puts some of our Colorado snows to shame. It snowed all day yesterday and when we got home from work there was at least 6 inches of snow on our lawn. Andrew and I played in it for an hour like two little kids. We threw snowballs, wrestled with the dogs...it was great fun.

This morning was another adventure entirely....

First, I awoke when it was still dark out feeling a little colder than usual. I turned to check the time and the clock was black. Still half asleep I got up to use the bathroom and realized when the light wouldn't come on our power was out! Not to worry I thought...our heater is gas.... I got back in bed. An hour later we were up...still no power. Andrew then informed me that our heater does indeed need electricity to run even though it is gas. Darn! I elected to take a shower since hot water was a luxury we still had. It wasn't until I got out that I realized my hair dryer would not be working without electricity. Shoot I thought...not only will I now be colder with a wet head, but my hair is going to look terrible today! With nothing I could do about it I brushed it out, put on about 4 shirts, extra socks and a scarf and thought what to do next. Andrew and I had both brought work home with us, but without power we could not get online to access it. Too bad right? So...our next thought was breakfast. Hot coffee and pancakes sounded perfect, but how can one cook on an electric stove without electricity? Not to worry...said Andrew..he would make pancakes on the grill! Thank goodness grill manufacturers include skillets on grills these days for emergencies such as this! And....those pancakes were SOOOO good! Coffee on the other hand I passed on, while Andrew made himself some instant (warmed the tea kettle on the grill). My man is resourceful! It was such a fun little morning! We ended up going into work after breakfast since the roads were clear and our house was so cold. Hopefully the power is back on soon! Enjoy the pictures....

Nathalie

Growing our family...part II

So I know my blog readers (all 3 of them) are on the edge of their seat in anticipation for news of what we decided to do about the dog Wesson. Thing is...you all probably could have guessed the outcome. We are now a 2 dog family...although I am still a bit embarrassed to say.

Here is the thing. I never really saw myself as a dog person. Yeah I thought they were nice and for sure chose them over cats any day! I don't like cats if you can't tell...they are creepy and stinky and my left eye waters any time one comes near me. I know for some they are the best companions, but I am just not a cat person. Wow...how did I get on that tangent? Back to dogs. When Andrew talked me into getting June I got really into it and grew to love that darn dog! She was so sweet and smart and got us outside more and on walks where we met more neighbors etc... We took her to dog class and the dog park and our local Home Depot (they let us bring the dog) any chance we got. It shocked my family and friends who had always known me as "not really a pet person" girl. And 2 dogs? Out of the question!

Until....Andrew saw this dog one day in PetSmart. You know...they have these cute dogs in cages so you feel bad for them and instantly want to take them strait home. They also always have a tragic story the people caring for them want to make sure they tell you. Andrew was drawn to this English Pointer and asked about her. The rescue group told us that she was the best dog but had dealt with some medical issues. Mange, heart worm, and a recent tumor to name a few. After thinking over the possibility of adopting her, we felt that we really could not take on a dog financially with so many health issues. However, the option of taking in one who was healthy became more of an option. Not a done deal, just more of a possibility. I did a lot of research into having 2 dogs and found that most people with 2 find it just as easy as 1. Still, I wasn't sure I wanted the stigma of "The couple with 2 dogs". I was concerned people would think: Do those people have a life? Does their house smell bad? Are they just having dogs instead of kids? They are strange dog people. On and on this went. My hesitation list also grew: Where will they stay? Will our house smell bad? How many times a day/week will I need to vacuum? Will one teach the other bad habits? Will this be a huge expense? How will they ride in the car? Will Andrew's parents keep them both at their house when we visit? Meanwhile, Andrew (and I) just for fun started looking at http://www.petfinder.com/ to see if there were any healthy Pointers up for adoption. The list was quite long, but we had tight criteria we were looking for: male, healthy, housebroken, knew basic commands, was living in a foster home not shelter, under 3 years old.

Well...Wesson met the profile. He was all of those things and cute in the pic so we called about him. Now I have to mention that adopting June was quite the ordeal. We had a week of e-mails back and forth between us and the organization that had her. I had to take pics of the house, yard and fence. We had countless questions about how we would handle this situation or that issue. It was exhausting! Finally...we were able to come meet her. Not take her home, just meet her. Once we met her, we were told we would have to go home, sleep on it, then complete the adoption. It was intense! So when Wesson's "Foster mom" (dog adoption term for woman temporarily caring for the dog in her home) said we could come get him and try him out....I was a bit caught of guard. You mean you don't have to come see my house? I don't have a week to think about this? Andrew and I talked about it and we agreed what better way to know if he "fits in" than to take him home and try him out? That was before we knew this is how they get cha.....

We picked him up and got the tragic sob story: Wesson was on the euthanasia list at a local shelter and was to be killed. But...the Homeward Bound Rescue Group came and got him because they thought he was a fine specimen of a dog and would surly find a home. Gut wrenching right? We exchanged info with the "foster mom" and said we would get in touch with her in a couple of days with our decision. We took him home, introduced him to June, and they played for what seemed like hours. They became instant friends. We also got to know him. Wesson is everything June is not. He likes to sit and have you pet him, June always wants to play and is rarely content with just snuggling. He is very laid back and desires to please you. He is really easier than June in a lot of ways. Although I will say June is smarter and catches on to things more quickly. It is annoying the messes 8 wet paws can make vs. 4, but after a few days we were attached. How could we take him back? Even though part of me wanted to, I just couldn't see myself taking him back, driving away, and leaving him to be adopted by someone else or not at all. They got me! I was a sucker for the system the Homeward Bound Rescue Group has in place to compel people to adopt dogs. So...as you have already guessed we now have 2 dogs.

I am still getting used to it, and I will probably wish it were not so sometimes, but so far it has been OK and I really do love him. And...Andrew is expanding our pantry to create a mud room/storage room where we will keep the dogs and all of the dog things...more on that to come.

Nathalie

Growing our family....

We are considering adding another member to our family! He is a very sweet baby boy named Wesson. Did I have anyone fooled into thinking we were having a baby? Sorry to get your hopes up mom...he is actually canine and is a 10 month old pointer mix. He is visiting our house this week while we decide if he is worthy of the name "McClish". June seems to like him...so we shall see. I am trying to get used to the now 8 paws to wipe off when they come in from out back. Jury is still out for me....

How about this one?

Selecting the best tree

Found it!