An anniversary, of sorts

I can't believe it. It's been a year since we brought Lucy home, and 6 months since I lost Grendel. I can't imagine our home without her, but still I can't believe my little man has been gone that long. His urn's still sitting next to the computer, waiting for us to decide if we're putting him into the foundation of the house (long story, ask next time) or if I'm going to parcel him out to friends to spread everywhere.
And Lucy's something else. Since becoming lone dog in the pack, her princessy behaviour has gotten even more noticeable, and she's absolutely and completely Todd's girl. Finicky about her food, she still fights nail clippings - but at least she's started to chew her own nails when we sit down to watch movies on the computer. Weirdo.

Lucy IS a pit bull

Okay, so I had a scary experience yesterday - probably my first real one with Lucy, and I figured I ought to share it.
I took Lucy with me to run errands yesterday - I picked up a pair of glasses, headed to the pharmacy...all of the things you do on Saturdays. When we had a few extra minutes, I took her down for a walk along Leschi. This was her first visit to that part of town, and there's a big walkway there and plenty to look at, so I thought it would be good for us to do something different. The weather was beautiful, and after about half a mile of insane Lucy behavior, she finally calmed down and started to walk well.

We stopped just past the marina and sat down to watch the dragon boat teams practice. The sky was clear enough to see the mountain and the weather was great. I had brought treats and a bone for Lucy to chew on, and she was by my feet gnawing away happily while I talked to Mom and Dad on the phone.

To my left I could see a stroller approaching, and a toddler wobbling ahead of his dad. He teetered in my direction, and I promptly hung up on Mom, knowing I had to play good ambassador with Lucy the crazy and a small child. His father told him to ask before petting, and he did from about 6 feet away. I had my hand on Lucy, with one hand under her collar and the other gripping her leash like my life depended on it. She's always been pretty good with kids - I can wave a treat in front of her and they can pet her all they want. This one was different. He was small and uncertain in his steps, and he was bundled up like it was winter - a coat with the hood pulled over his head, sunglasses and a pacifier. I think it was that combination - and the silent approach - that scared her because all of her hackles went up and she growled a deep, frightened growl. She bore her teeth and then started barking a panicked bark, the whole time standing in front of me and pushing me backwards.

I was horrified. I apologized profusely to the father, saying that perhaps it was the pacifier and the sunglasses, and that maybe she just got startled. But Lucy wouldn't calm down. I pulled her aside and made her sit - and then made her do a trick or two to show the little boy that she was a funny dog, but just not one to talk to at that moment. The dad said it was OK, and that this was a good lesson for his son, and that it was probably just a surprise to the dog. He then asked if we took her to the dog park to get her used to small kids (we do, but not off leash I explained), and what kind of dog she was. There it was, the big question. I said she was part pit, and yup, he said he thought so, and that she looked like a staffordshire bull terrier. He picked up his son and I walked away, heading right for a crowd of small kids. Lucy didn't even flinch that time.

Lucy & Mars - it's LOVE!

Yes, they're in doggie heaven when they're together - and we love it too because we don't have to baby sit them. Enjoy these pictures!

Lucy's First Hike: Twin Falls

We took Lucy out for her first hike recently - and I bought her a nice, big pack from REI so she could get used to carrying her own load. The night before the hike we filled up 2 Nalgene bottles and I took Lucy for a walk in her new pack. She complained all the way to Third Place Books and back, but she was a good sport when I made her jump on ledges and sit down fully loaded. I figured it would help her get used to it, because that following morning we were going to load her down even more when we got to the trail.

In the end we only walked a couple of miles to the falls, but Lucy carried her pack with our water and snacks the whole way. In fact, neither Todd nor I carried a thing - but we had to hang on to Lucy, and she was still mighty strong. On our way back from the end of the trail we unharnessed her - we thought she might be tired - and realized immediately that was a bad idea. She was so excited to get the pack off that she nearly took off over a ledge with Todd at the other end of her leash. That lasted about 20 feet, and we saddled her back up again.

We'll keep working on her, and maybe by the summer she'll be ready for a night of camping at Goat Rocks!

The Story of Lucy

We got notice yesterday that we are finally, officially Lucy's guardians. The application process was a long one, and it included reference letters, changing of homeowners insurance companies - all of that. I have to thank our refs for this process - they were critical in helping us bring Lucy home permanently! Cheers go out to Jessica, Cherish, and Eric for their kind words and never-ending support!
I wanted to give you the background that we got on Lucy just the other day - it really starts in a shelter in Pasco, WA because before the shelter, we don't know where Lucy was. In early May 2007, the shelter in Pasco found itself in a very bad spot: 150 dogs were being housed in the shelter, and they couldn't get them adopted fast enough before another group came in. The did not have a license to euthanize, so they put a call out to area shelters and rescue organizations to take dogs - free of charge - to alleviate the overcrowding. Puppies, elderly dogs, and special needs were really suffering because of this; their shelter wasn't built to hold nearly this many dogs, and even though they were refusing owner abandonments, they still had to accept dogs brought in by animal control.
Carina from Animals First Foundation called and said she had room for 2 dogs - and the woman in Pasco was given the task of picking out two dogs for rescue. She was giving as many dogs away as possible, but she would not send out pit bulls because they are so difficult to place. Carina urged her to pick out a pit bull - there must be one in there that can be saved - and after a bit of searching and temperment testing, she pulled out Lucy. Here are the pictures of little Lucy at Pasco before AFF picked her up.
She's grown an awful lot in the last 4 months. Since we picked her up in mid-July, she's put on 5 - 7 pounds already, and she's starting to bulk up in her shoulders and her head. Her legs are already incredibly muscular and although she doesn't have a classic pit bull body, she's still got a wicked looking mouth if you're on the receiving end of a nip. She graduated from her first obedience class yesterday, and maybe once she's really mastered all of these things, she can go back for some more advanced work.
But for now, I try to never turn my back on her in the yard - anywhere that she can pick up speed, really - she's got a leap of a frisbee dog and can knock me over in a flash. We're hoping she'll be great at frisbee one day (if she doesn't eat it first), if we can ever let her off-leash. That said, I think we're resigned to the fact that she will probably never go to the off-leash park to play. I can't remember ever seeing a pit bull of any kind at the park, and now that I know the breed a little better, I know why. You can't leave them alone, because they can't be allowed to make their own decisions. They are too smart and too strong, and other dogs just love to pick fights (pits stare, and that's class-A provocation for just about any dog). So we're happy to take her to the lake and maybe one day to the beach or hiking in the mountains. And who knows, maybe one day it'll be different. She and Grendel are getting along just fine, and they seem to be sharing things quite well, from the occasional shared snack to their chew toys. Grendel, despite being covered with allergy breakouts (and a severe loss of hair) is more energetic than he's been in a long time. I have to think some of that is the new girl in town.

It's Official. She's here to stay!

Well, we've finally put in the adoption papers for Lucy and called our references to tell them - and you'll start seeing plenty more posts about her (and Grendel) for a long time.
We went to our first obedience class with her this week - aside from two pee incidents (she was trying to tell us), she did great. She seems to have learned the sit command (no speaking, just a hand gesture) and is progressing with 'Watch Me' pretty well. However, Linda (our instructor) already gave us a little private coaching on how we might want to tackle her more challenging issues - her mouth. She's definitely a mouthy dog, and while a good knee to the chest works when she's running at us in the backyard, it's the gentle nipping on city streets that I really worry about. Everyone in class is great, and they recognize she's young and needs to learn. Not everyone in public feels that way, and more often than not, other dog owners (and their dogs) are far scarier for how they behave when approaching us. How about those great folks who let their terriers run at the far end of a retractable leash directly at Lucy full speed? Or those dog owners with very large 'oh, she's friendly' dogs who let them run off-leash everywhere - and then can't call them back when they make eye contact with our 'she will kill you' dog? I cross the street when approached by another person with a dog, or I give them a very wide berth. A child? I'll cross the street or make Lucy sit (with my hand tight under her collar) until the family's far past the 6 foot reach of her leash. No matter what, we will be good ambassadors for this breed - it's our responsibility. But I tell you, when that guy came up to Todd and said 'it's not the breed, it's the owner,' I really feel like someone should have said, 'no, it's the other dogs' owners.'
And Grendel? A little older, and definitely requires some protection from her, but he's doing just fine. They're striking a balance and have even worked together to get food out of a food puzzle.

I Get It Now

After having Lucy for a week, I think I finally understand what it must be like for new parents (of babies, not just puppies). I always wondered how life changes so dramatically upon the arrival of a newborn - interests tossed aside, conversations about one thing only (the baby), and a noticeable decrease in grooming, cleaning, and acting like grown ups. I mean, I'm not stupid - I know kids take a huge amount of time and energy - but it's been so long since Grendel was a puppy that I had really forgotten some of the challenges of taking care of something completely dependent on you for food, shelter, and manners.

Don't get me wrong, Lucy's been a great dog. Better than either of us expected, I think. She's smart, energetic, and incredibly sweet. But she's a puppy and she does need constant supervision - and unlike Grendel, who even at 4 months was relatively calm - she is always (and I mean ALWAYS) moving. That means from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed, we know where she is, what she's doing, and what she has in her mouth. It also means we're on full-time - she's always watching, learning, absorbing, responding, and behaving in response. We have to respond to her carefully to set good precedent, to make sure we're being clear with instructions, not to confuse or punish her, but to encourage good behavior.

It also means that we work in shifts - when one of us needs a shower, the other watches both dogs. One day last week that meant cleaning up after Lucy's accident, only to discover Grendel had peed all over the place in response. And feeding them at the same time? Grendel has special food for his skin, Lucy has high-fat puppy food, something old man Grendel doesn't need. Who likes what? She likes his, he likes hers.

So what am I trying to say here? Well, it's been 2 days since I had a shower, I have dog treat crumbs between my toes and I've just spent an entire post talking about one thing. I get it now.

Lucy's in the crate, Grendel's asleep. I'm going back to my vacation list of things to do!

Day 8: Exhausted, and here's why...

Still chugging through my list - I had lunch with Ev, Kim, Summer and Jacqueline yesterday (day 7) and made an Angel Food Cake with my new silicon pan - what a difference that made! Today I'm going to take it easy a little bit and make some curd from the leftover egg yolks, and maybe cinnamon ice cream from Rick Bayless' book.

But really, the reason things have slowed down a little is because of a little orange and white dog named Lucy. We've just brought her home (Sunday) and we're trying her out with Grendel - and if things go well, we hope to adopt her permanently.