Dooley and Flyball

I haven't been on here much for a while..which isprobably why you don't remember
Icee was the PitBull I had here, but because her and Witt fought so much I had to find her a placement fast. I found a place called Pawsitively PitBull, it's a sanctuary only for Pits. They will train them and place them in homes when they are ready. Icee is now ready for a forever home and they have her posted on their web site.
http://www.pawsitivelypitbull.org/profiles.html

They have her as Isis, she is at the top of this page. ^

I am not fostering..lol, but dogs seem to find me. Annie was supposed to be a dog I found a home for with her staying with her owenr until I had. It didn't happen that way though and she is here with us. My daughter wants to keep her very badly....we don't want another dog. We just have such a small house! Right now it's in the "we are thinking about it" stage.

Yes Annie would make four. Although Darby the Poodle isn't really like having a dog...it's more like having a couch pillow.
Witt is doing great, he is actually starting to show signs of maturity, you have to look really hard and it's very fleeting, but it's there non the less. We are still going to flyball practices with him, mostly I go for the opportunity to work with him around people and other dogs. I will be sure that he is not going to be a flyball dog..and then he will do something...like the light bulb went on and he got it...and I will think "Ok maybe he can do this. Our two biggest problems are 1) he is not a retreiver, by breed...he will chase the hell out of the ball or frisbee or whatever it is, but when he gets it, in his mind "job is done". He will flat out kill a frisbee, he looks amazing in his pursuit an capture of it, then he kills it. he acts like he caught a squirrel or something. 2) He is maturing very slowly, which would be natural and normal for his breeds. He is just a very large baby. He wants to be a comedian when he grows up!
Monday we had a flyball practice and some of the people who haven't been for a while were there, they were absolutely amazed at how much progress he has made and to top it off I overheard my flyball captain telling another person how much work I have done with him and how super he is doing, she doesn't hand out compliments too much so by the time we left practice I was beaming. It felt good to know that others can see the changes. Yesterday he had his shots and he didn't have to be muzzled, he was a gentleman, a stressed out, drooling, hair dropping gentleman ...but a gentleman all the same. He is becomming a really nice dog. He has also learned to bow...I can't remember if I told you all that or not.

 

I love the action shot of Isis on that site! I'm sure she will find a lovely home.

Is Elise really willing to do EVERYTHING for Annie? Play, train, exercise, handle problems, etc? If I remember correctly, Elise is very good at training tricks. How old is Elise? What will happen to Annie when Elise goes to college?

I'm sure you have thought of these things, but I figured I would toss them out there anyway. Annie looks like a gorgeous and fun dog!


Jamiya

 

Elise is 15, she will turn 16 on Halloween. She swears she will do everything, she has written two contracts promising everything under the sun. I asked about the college thing...her reply was probably true. She said she would be going to a community college so she would still be at home for the first two years, she also pointed out that her grades are not good enough for her to get a scholarhip to a big school in another state and that we couldn't afford to send her to one. She said she doesn't want to go to school out of state even if she could. She also pointed out that many apartments now allow dogs. She says Annie can go with her on dates..., she swears she won't stay away on weekends...she promises to clean up all the dog poop from all the dogs, clean house and whatever else I want as payment for me watching Annie while she is in school during the day. She has been babysitting for money and wants to get into pet/house sitting...this is how she plans to pay for dog food, vet care etc.....I remember what it feels like to want something as a kid so bad you would trade away your right arm for it, and she is not making it easy. Shawn says absolutely no one day and then the next when she sheds tears he relents and says "I'm not saying yes and I'm not saying no"...so he is not helping at all! In the meantime...Annie and Elise are bonding more and more everyday...the dogs are all bonding and I don't know what the hell to do!

 

You know, if you let her keep the dog you have some leverage with her. I know a family with a 15-year-old girl who is really into horses. She has spent all her free time riding since she was about 8 years old. As a teenager now, she is very responsible and very well-behaved all the time, because she knows if she gets in trouble the horse will be the first thing to go.

It's a very difficult decision. Have you made a list of pros and cons?


Jamiya

 

Yes, I have a running list in my head..it's driving me insane.

Elise has been involved with horses and has wanted "her very own horse" so she doesn't have to share mine. She worked hard for the privilege of using my mare. She wants to get into showing, but it's very expensive and she would need more riding lessons since she wants to go English. Doing 4-H was expensive enough but showing open or circuit would be very expensive! So we have been putting her off. The dog thing is a bit more affordable, still spendy considering all she wants to do...but more reasonable. I know that I will end up doing much of the care because she will be in school, and I know that I may one day end up keeping her because Elise may be out starting up her life..I'm not sure I want to do that...I know Shawn doesn't want to. The most basic reason I am hinging on ..is the size of our house. I just feel it's too small. But the more attached I get to the dog the more I feel my heart saying..."well it's not that bad". At this point I think it's up to Shawn, I just don't have the heart to say no to either Elise or Annie and I am tired of being the bad guy. I know thats not the best way to think of it, but it's honestly where my head is at right now.

 

I know exactly what you mean, Maisey.

At least you have a daughter that is motivated and wants to do things and is willing to put in the work to get them. My daughter is allergic to work. I try to give her opportunities and she quits every time because it's "too hard" or "boring." I just don't know what to do with her.


Jamiya