Oh hey! I’m a big brother!

I hope you all are fans of our facebook page- because even though we don’t post a whole ton there, we DO post (Unlike the cobwebs going on, on this blog!)  But for those of you who aren’t… Chocko’s a big brother!  You didn’t think I’d be cooking that human forever did ya?

photo taken by Fields of Green Photography

Photo taken bY Fields of Green Photography

The little peanut is now 3 months old, and not so little anymore!  Chocko is doing fantastic with his baby human in the household.

Initially, Chocko experienced some anxiety – he would pace and wine, seeming confused and not entirely sure what to make of the serious change.  We made sure he kept his distance till he was pretty composed, and it only took but a week or two till he was pretty indifferent to the little guy.  Our biggest issue now?!  any guesses?

 

Controlling his licker!  All he wants to do is lick (this is not new… this is how he’s always been!)  But obviously I can always tell him no and get up off the floor when I’ve had enough kisses, the little human cannot.  So we are making progress in this area, but it’s far from perfect.

We spend a LOT of time out walking and even some running recently (although a certain 4 legged someone has lost his stamina!)

Hmmm, what else?  Anything you guys are curious about?  I’d love to hear from you!  I will be honest…the bloggings has subsided over many months (even before our summer hiatus) – mostly because the reason I started this blog… to share with you foster experiences and getting adoptables to find their forever home, was obviously not the current topics I’d be writing about.  And there are SO many other wonderful blogs, I stopped pressuring myself to “think of something already!”

So you probably won’t be hearing from us tons and tons, but if you ever need a point in the right direction for some pittie-full bloggings or adorable adoptables (or if you just need a Chocko brother update) we’ll be happy to help!

xoxo!

 

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Preppin’ the Pup!

Among other things, we’ve been busy prepping this big guy for our little Bambino on the way.  We’re sorry we haven’t been around much! … ok ok … like at all… 

Mostly, we’ve been working on Chocko’s basic obedience, leash walking, and bestest house manners…but we’ve also been doing a crap ton of reading.  We read articles, books and tons of info on the interwebs, especially how our keyboard pals Chick & Dude prepped for their own little human puppy.

We’ve even been listening to babies,

and sniffing babies,

Yes, that’s a used wet diaper thanks to good neighbors

and looking at things that LOOK like babies

fake babies are pretty interesting to this guy

But the best practice of all, has been meeting babies.

Mama A and Baby E

Now Chocko wasn’t this calm the whole time… this was the only few minutes I felt I could take a step back and whip out my iphone for a few quick pics to share with you guys.  Mostly he’s just really excited/overstimulated/curious about toddlers…Luckily, our Bambino won’t come out crawling around so hopefully that’s a plus!  He gets sorta anxious/starts panting and whining because he wants to be all up in baby’s face and we won’t allow that. The more exposure now, the better, but I’m still hopefully when it’s OUR baby he’ll be a little different… time will tell!  Huge thank you to mamabear A and her mini human, E for helping the Chockster with more exposure 🙂 thanks friends!

For those of you out there that have brought a human baby home to your adult dog- how were you feeling before?  And how did that rank to what actually happened?  I’ll be honest and say it’s one of the biggest stressors for me- making sure this is as easy of a transition for the furkid as possible, and making sure I’m setting him up for success.  I’m hopefully I’m going overboard for no reason at all, but I guess that’s still a good thing! I’d love some feedback from you all!

Oh yea and then there’s that…

OOps… Chocko’s been meaning to share some big news with you and it keeps not happening….

So here it is!  Thanks to a good friend for this gift, he’s able to share it with you all by himself:

 

What?!  huh?  Yup!  Chocko’s going to be a big brother pretty soon!  He’s up for the challenge!  He’s already been up to his handy dog self, helping his dad put together the bambino-on-the-way’s crate, er crib.

 

 

Let’s make one thing clear here, ok ma?  This blog is about me and my cute mug, got it?

You got it, dude.

 

Chocko gets Sirius about his collar

You all know we are HUGE fans of Sirius Republic, right?  I mean how could we not be?  Aside from making our favorite style collars (the martingale) at a wonderful price for a custom fit, they give back so so much.  Free “adopt me” embroidery on collars for fosters, and adopt me bandanas?  Not to mention the fact that they donate a ton to rescues nationwide (particularly ones with a focus on pitbull type dogs- wahoo!)  So, we basically love them.  Like loooooove them.  And Chocko has a crush on Chilly (he likes the older ladies), but don’t tell him I told you!

So naturally we’ve been drooling over the new line of leather collars, but leather always seemed so intimidating…you know how some people buy that nice sports car and keep it in the drive way, wash it, but never actually DO anything with it because they are too scared they will ruin it?  Leather intimidated me, so I never took the leap…

Until we got a special surprise in the mail!

The Freebird

Doesn’t the color complement my furs?

Since this was a gift, we were very open to whatever would compliment our brown boy best.  We maaaay have mentioned we had our eye on the Freebird (though the Guinness is also right up there in the favorites department), and it arrived in the ‘tan’ color (there are several different leather colors you can choose from).

Check out the detailing on the collar

I love that there are two D rings; the way it falls on Chocko, one hangs in the front and one in the back of his neck, which makes it perfect for both leash clipping and tag/ID clippings!  That is a huge perk in my book.  I also love the details in the wings and peace signs, how cool!

And you can’t ignore how handsome he looks in it, right?  I mean all he needs is a cigar and a card table, and maybe a glass of Scotch  (ew, forget the Scotch, but you get my drift), and his new alias could be The Underboss.

“You talkin’ to me?”

Are you interested in looking as dapper as this guy?

Then head on over to Sirius Republic and get a collar of your own!  And here’s a special code for 10% off your order: CHOCKO – expires this Sunday, 3/31!

 Now onto Leather Care

I asked about what I needed to know, since this would be my first experience with a leather collar.  Here’s the response I got:

“The collar comes to you “finished”, which just means we have applied conditioner and finishing products to weather/waterproof it. Care is really easy, in fact if you don’t do anything to it, it should last beautifully on its own, although a little bit of conditioner occasionally will help it look and feel great. Just take some conditioner (we use Fiebing’s brand, but any leather conditioner will do), rub it into the leather for a few minutes with your fingers to help the leather absorb the conditioner, wipe off any excess with a soft rag. It can get wet, just make sure you wipe it off after. Don’t leave it to dry out in the sun or soak it in water for an extended period of time. If it gets dirty, wipe it with a damp cloth. Leather is such a durable material, with a little bit of care and common sense, it will last nicely for many years (I actually prefer the look and feel of older leather). 

I’ve also updated our website to include leather info and care, check it out here:http://www.siriusrepublic.com/leatherinfo.html.”

Wow, that doesn’t seem too complicated now does it?  And I have to agree, I prefer the look of old leather!  So now that I know we won’t break and ruin it, we’re off to wear in our collar!  Hope you enjoyed all the handsomeness.

**The Freebird was a gift to us and all the opinions in this post are my own.  Seriously…awesome freakin’ collar!**

Check Check, 1 2 1 2

Hello interweb friends, are you still out there?  We’re here!  We are alive!  We are doing well. 🙂  and we hope you are too!

 

Chocko has been spending lots of time at the gym (more on that later) but we wanted to make sure you were still out there because we have some exciting things to share in the next few days!

Have a great week!

More bottle pups

Boy, do I love me some bottle pups- from a distance, of course!  Well that’s a lie, I like to get up close and personal with them.  Sniff their puppy breath, rub their bellies, let them canoodling in my arms…. BUT I like to give them back.

It sure does take a special person to handle a litter of bottle pups.  Unfortunately, when a litter like these 5 adorable pups show up alone, or with a mother that can’t (or isn’t) caring for them, their only chance of survival is going to a skilled and knowledgeable foster home who (this is the kicker) is WILLING to raise them, as their mama, for the next few weeks.

Do you have any idea what that means?!  I sure didn’t, until I started taking pictures of the first litter of bottle pups I posted.  It means, at first, feeding them every two hours, even over night!   Just like a newborn human.  Unlike a human though, there are 5 mouths to feed, not one.  It means doing laundry, every single day.  Stinky laundry.  When puppies are very young, their mothers do all the feeding and cleaning, so a mama with a litter is usually a whole lot easier to care for then a litter without a mama.  You care for the mama, the mama cares for the pups, done deal!  But, no mama?  Tough luck.  These pups need cleaning up around the clock (who’s going to invent puppy diapers?!)

I was unsuccessful at getting all 5 to look at me at any point – still cute though!

These little cuties also happen to have a pretty bad case of kennel cough- that’s rough when you’re only 3 weeks old.  Luckily, our fabulous MABB puppy extraordinaire is there to look out for these snotty, whiney, soft, cuddly balls of fur until they are ready to be adopted!  They are somewhere between 3 and 4 weeks old right now, so hopefully in a month or so they will be healthy, well socialized, exuberant 8-week old pups!  Keep an eye out for these fabulous five in a month or so!

The three boys

Handsome chuncker!

Fostermama’s favorite, the lil runt…such a sweety!

Pittie Posse Secret Santa, Take 2!

Last year was the inaugural PPSS (you guessed it, short for Pittie Posse Secret Santa).  Which make’s this year the 2nd annual!  Our buddies over at Our Waldo Bungie organize this, and we couldn’t be more grateful for being included again this year!  And there are even more possie members!

Last year Knox and Lola were gifted a super cool dragon toy with like hundreds (ok, maybe dozens) of sqeakers!  It brought hours of entertainment to these two, thanks to Kate and her crew over at Kate with a Camera.

This year we received a very prompt package from our Secret Santa!  We were so super excited to open it.  Do you have any idea who could have sent it?!

Why of course, the cold-weather experts from  the arctic tundra Chicago!  Our virtual buddies Miss M and Mr. B were gracious enough to custom make Chocko his very own adoption year hoodie!  How warm and athletic does he look in his hoodie?

It even makes his butt look cute 🙂

We’re amazed how perfectly it fits, and super appreciative of the very thoughtful gift.  We can add it to Chocko’s growing collection of winter wear.  Chocko even has Mr. B’s Christmas card face smack over his crate, to keep him company.

So, want to know what everyone else is getting?  Go do some hunting and check out the other blogs – Here’s the list:

Our Waldo Bungie

Two Pitties in the City

Two Grad Students and a Pittie

Love and a Six Foot Leash

That Touch of Pit

Kate with a Camera

A Heartbeat at My Feet

Peace, Love & Fostering

Two Kitties One Pittie

Happy Holidays from Chocko and his humans!!!

Two Fabulous Dogs

On Saturday I got to spend some time taking pictures of two adorable adoptables from Mid Atlantic Bully Buddies… Peony and Micah (aptly named in honor of the Jewish holiday)!

I love taking photographs of adoptable pups.  It’s one of the fun ways I get to do my part in the process of helping these dogs find their forever homes.  I feel a terrible pang of guilt that we’re still not fostering.  Chocko’s just not ready yet.  But here’s my eansy weansy tiny contribution.  And I get to meet some great dogs, get some sloppy kisses, and work on my ever evolving (and hopefully improving) photography skills.

Now onto our two adoptables (I have no double they will go f.a.s.t.)

Peony

She’s beautiful, sweet, easy-going and is ready to dish out kisses to anyone she meets!  For a dog that’s only about a year and a half, her energy level is pretty impressive (as in very calm).  She’s an example of a dog who showed terribly in a shelter enviroment due to stress…but out of the shelter and in your arms?  I can’t imagine a dog that could ‘show’ any better.

And then there was this meaty boy,

Micah

Seriously, how handsome is this bachelor?  Only about a year old he’s a small, compact tank of a boy with a beautiful set of eyes (they make me melt!)  He’s energetic and interested in the world!  A dog ready to start the next chapter of his life and forget what brought him here.

Elderbull Alert! Sister Nancy, Saved by Sandy!

A few weeks ago Sandy tore through much of the East Coast.  BARCS had to evacuate, similar to last year when Irene came through.  However this time, instead of needing fosters for all the dogs, they were able to secure some trucks for transport as well as space in a city arena, above sea level (BARCS is waterfront, and AT sea level which poses major flooding risk).  This meant they needed a ton of man power to get the dogs walked, into crates and into those trucks, then unloaded.  Volunteers from all over the city showed up at 7am (many before) to help.  It was quite impressive and amazing.  I didn’t take any pictures that day, but my friend J was able to share some with me.

After setting up many of the dogs with water, food, and dry blankets, I looked over to see someone falling in love…

This is a friend I know from B-More Dog, falling into love with little old Nancy.   And somehow, Hurricane Sandy saved Nancy.  Well not somehow… if your involved in animal rescue at all, you know the pleas.  You’ve seen them..  Well it turns out that another friend I know through fostering and saw during the evacuation, saw the plea on facebook… and after getting home and dry he turned right around to get Nancy.

An older gal, stressed out, with a terrible case of kennel cough.  Lets just say her odds aren’t good in a city shelter.  So, in a way, Sandy Saved Nancy (along with a bunch of other kind souls who saw the goodness in hers).

And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Nancy!

I got to spend some time taking some glamour shots of Nancy this weekend.  Here’s what her foster mama had to say about this turn-key golden girl:

“Nancy is incredibly sweet. Housebroken. Crate trained. Has some
seriously cute ears! Loves to just be with you. Low energy but still
loves to run around and play at the appropriate times. Does well with
older (1-2 yrs or older) dogs that are not overly dominant or hyper.
She takes corrections very well. She’s not jumpy or hyper. Does great
on and off leash. Very good with strangers. She’d make a great “shop”
dog or would be good for someone who entertains a lot because she
loves everyone! Loves to give kisses. She is very gentle. Does well
with babies and toddlers. Loves to go for rides. She’s truly a
“turn-key” dog. She’d be perfect for any family. Can some one love her
the way she deserves to be loved for the rest of her years? She will
undoubtedly love you back ten fold!!”

If anyone is interested in adopting the FAB-U-LOUS elderbull, Nancy… please let me know, or contact BARCS directly.  I’m telling you, this girl is wonderful.

Feel free to network this girl!  She sure would appreciate it.

Squeeky clean!

It was long over due…

Chocko had to go head to head with the hose, and he lost.

He was unimpressed with this so-called bathing…and he thinks his pedicure was super un-called for.

He did however love doing zoomies to ‘dry off’….

And he took advantage of some of the conventional drying methods as well.   The good ‘ol shake and toweling off.

What’s more comforting that a green ball and being toweled off by your mama and dad?!  Nothing. In. The. World.

Do you all take advantage of outdoor bathing in the summer?  We’ve found baths are only needed right when are shelter pups arrive at our house and a few times a year for maintenance.  The secret to a clean smelling pup is keeping their bed/crate mat clean!  We use unscented, mild detergent.  And a hypoallergenic dog soap…but this week, Chocko is red and itchy.  I’ve heard Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo is the way to go… any suggestions?  Knox used to get itchy and red after a bath too.  Seems ironic, doesn’t it?!