To All DOG owners or LOVERS

It takes the average person 3-4 seconds to complete a full breath  in…..and out…
It takes a fraction of a second to change your life… less than one breath.

                I am not perfect… and I make mistakes with my pups but I have learned several things in the past 10 years of being owned by the most loving, forgiving, and devoted “children” on earth and I would like to share the two most important things I’ve learned.

1.       The most important “trick” you can teach your pet is to stop what they are doing and immediately come when called. This has saved the life of my animals many times. I practice this when Jack or Boone are really excited about something. Sometimes Jack will get so wrapped up in a game or a behavior that he doesn’t hear me. This is dangerous!!  I find that using the “mommy voice” will many time snap his head up and bring him to attention. Then I coax him to me and praise him when he comes… treats and hugs. (BY TRAINING THIS BEHAVIOR YOU CAN PREVENT DEATH!)  Practice this over and over…in all situations.. . in different environments and with as many distractions as possible. Teach your pet that the ((STOP what I’m doing and COME to my person )) is the most rewarding skill they could ever learn to master.

2.       TRUST NO ONE! I believe that my dog behaves better than 98% of your kids. This is one reason I have a pet and not a child and it’s also why I have no problem taking my pets with me when I go places.  Jack provides me emotional support and I am a much happier and less anxious person when I am with him.  I frequently take Jack on trips and evenings out but the rule is, HE STAYS WITH ME.  His leash is around MY wrist. He does not leave MY side. I do not even allow Nate to hold Jacks leash in many places. He is my responsibility and if anything happens to him, it is my fault.  Your pet is worthy of the attention and love and protection that you would offer a human child.

Lil' Piggy

I will never forget playing ball in the front yard with Austin. I had done well to teach him to never enter into the street and could count on one hand the number of times in 6 years that he had but, I was smart enough to know each of those had been “accidents” and accidents can always happen again.

On this particular day Nathan threw the ball which Austin nearly caught on a bounce. The ball ricocheted out towards the street just as an AR-TARD-ED Bartlesville driver decided to turn down a residential neighborhood street at about 60mph.  This was such an exciting moment in ball catching history to Austin that I could see his mind blending out the surrounding scenery including the street and focusing completely on the yellow ball of joy falling from the sky.

My heart nearly stopped as I yelled at him to AUSTIN, STOP COME HERE! Just as the yellow ball of joy made contact with the ground, the idiot driver made contact with the ball… My baby however was nearly close enough to receive the biggest hug and squeeze of this life thus far.

No matter how much he wanted that ball he had been trained over and over and over to STOP WHAT I AM DOING AND COME WHEN CALLED.

I would still have my best friend and love of my life, Austin, to snuggle and love if I had TRUSTED NO ONE with his safety. I spent 7 years with him and I love him more than anything or anyone I’ve ever known. It did not matter if we slept in the car, the tent, or in bed. It didn’t matter who my boyfriend was or where I worked or how much money I made… as long as we were together.  Why would I have trusted that someone else would lock the house up when they left? Why would I trust that someone else would find it strange that he was not snuggled between the couch cushions when they came home? WHY WOULD I BELIEVE THAT ANYONE WOULD CARE FOR MY HEART AND SOUL LIKE I WOULD? I lost my heart on October 31^st, 2010 when I left him at home in Ramona OK. I believed that he would be safe because I trusted someone else to watch out for him. I was wrong… and now… he’s gone. I may possibly live the rest of my life not knowing where he is, if he’s happy or if he misses me. Does he cry like I do?



Taylor Co. Shop Party Dog





After a long night of Sled Hill



Nik & Austin 2007

Our pets have feelings and emotions and they have souls. Horrible things happen in this life and they are there for us through thick and thin. We make mistakes… we become complacent and things happen that we can never take back. If I found Austin tomorrow, I will never get the year we’ve spent apart back.

My cousin came to stay on Sunday because our papa’s funeral was Monday… she kept a close eye on her dog (Sheba) because she was afraid that if she got lose she wouldn’t know where to go or come back. She was young and somewhat untrained but very well behaved. Monday morning… while drinking coffee on the porch Jack and  Sheba were playing in the yard and ventured off into the pasture. I hollered for Jack who came right back… Sheba did not. She instead decided to go on an adventure despite our pleas. Sheba was shot and killed within minutes by a neighbor who believed her to be a stray after his chickens. There was nothing we could do.  The neighbor was not at fault. The dog was not at fault… we were, the humans who were suppose to protect her.  I truly believe this accident could have been prevented.  My heart is broken for my cousin… and for the neighbor who feels awful about killing a beloved pet.

Sheba

My hope is that all who read this will take a few extra minutes to stop and work with their animals or to mention to those they love "How well does you're pet come when called?"  There are those of us "crazy cat ladies" out there that do prefer our pets and treat them like children... but we're not really crazy, we just know we can legally crate our "children".

<3 to Austin <3 to Jack <3 to Boone…

 

ALSO, A $1000 REWARD IS STILL BEING OFFERED FOR THE RETURN OR INFORMATION THAT LEADS TO THE RETURN OF AUSTIN. HE WAS LAST SEEN OCT. 31, 2011 ABOUT 6:30 OUTSIDE OF RAMONA OKLAHOMA. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION THAT LEADS TO THE RETURN OF AN IDENTIFIABLE BODY COMPENSATION WILL ALSO BE REWARDED. THANK YOU. 24/7 (918)214-6919
8 year old neutered male, between 18-20 inches tall, very wide. 3 fingers will fit between his shoulder blades. Brindle and White, no visible scars, between 45-50 lbs. loves tennis balls, 2 teeth on lower jaw have had dental work, (front lower pointed canines)

Austin Playing Farkle with N8

Beautiful Boy

Little Sahara Trip 2008

Almonds Almonds Everywhere

Everyone prepares for the winter weather a bit differently.



I plant mums...

Jack hoards tennis balls

Nathan stacks wood

and Turbo hides almonds!

Almonds Almonds Everywhere

Almonds in a potted plants

(and dice... Turbo loves farkle)

If he could write down his own score,

He'd be as good as ISRAY Doc Holiday from Ramona, OK.

Almonds for trick-or-treating

Turbo requests that those who decide to trick-or-treat our house

bring him pumpkin seeds... he'll trade you pumpkin seeds

for chocolate.

and

Almonds ready for toasting...

or roasting...

whatever tickles his fancy...

There are almonds in piles along the window ledges, there are almonds shoved between the

cushions of the couch, and almonds hidden in other various places. In fact, I believe him to be a bit

worried about my winter preparedness .

He's probably been having words with his dad ....

who just doesn't believe that mums and pumpkins have anything to do with

surviving the winter...



If you give a mouse a cookie...

If you give a girl a bunch of sunflowers for her birthday,

She will put them in a vase.

If you give a girl with a squirrel a bunch of sunflowers,

you already know they will quickly be devoured.

If you give a Turbo a sunflower,

he will claim he is preparing for winter.

                                               

Although, it is highly unlikely that he will need that extra fat around the hips 

while sleeping in a stocking hat hung by the fire.

It takes a big set of huevos to destroy your moms handpicked.

sunflower boquet on her birthday...

Then again... nothing lives forever... ... ... ... ...

and some pple like fried squirrel...

:)



An end to THE DOG days of Summer

Today… the high is 80 degrees… right now it is 68 degrees …. And I love my life.

Oklahoma broke the "86 day record" of days over 100 degrees this summer!

We all hated the heat. The face melting heat… horrible, horrible heat… gates of Hell heat...

Today however is beautiful,  the mornings are chilly, and I'm getting excited about sweaters and leggings. No one dares to mention that they may be cold... or even chilly. It's perfect and we are thankful.

 Nate, Jack, Boone and I are so excited about the cooler weather we are finding any reason to be outside! 

Any reason... even if it means work... ... because we're not melting... because we're smiling... 

And I discovered something... 

If you take a Super Beagle with you to cut wood... you must tie them up... otherwise you will crawl under barbed wire fences, trespass on private property, and finally lift his fat @$$ over goat fencing.

You will have several minutes to think on things as you walk back to the wood pile... some of which are:

1.) How did Super Beagle get two pastures away in 3 minutes?

2.) How did Super Beagle get into a fenced area that is near impossible to get out of?

3.) What can you substitue in place of Worcestershire sauce in a recipie?

4.) How does barbed wire manage to jump out and grab an entire handful of hair without hands.

I discovered something else...

A Jack Dog will not run off while cutting wood... A Jack Dog will be so stuck up your rear-end that you will barely be able to pick up sticks without him jumping into your arms... SAAAAAVVVVEEEEE MMEEEE!

Now, Because you don't carry a stick of wood in one arm, and a heavily spoiled BullyBreed Jack in the other...he will ignore you and sit on Dad's lap all the way home. (which is something he NEVER does)  In fact he will look at you to make sure you are watching, and promptly go back to ignoring you...

just so he knows... you know... he's MADATCHU.

:)

I love 86 degree days and spoiled rotten dogs... and boys with chainsaws.

Oh, and fat beagle dogs are deceptively fast!

Boone The Super Beagle Writes a Letter

Hello All! Our little Beagle dog Boone came to live with us in May and this past week he decided he would like to write a letter to the Tulsa SPCA. He has high hopes for all the other dogs and cats waiting for homes at the shelter, and wanted me to share this with you in hopes that one of you may decide to adopt, foster, or volunteer at your local shelter! (He also wanted to say a special hello and thank you to Loren and Brandon!)

ABOOOONNE TULSA SPCA, (that is how I say hello!)

My name is Boone, but my Mom and Dad call me Boone the Super Beagle.   

I live in the country, in a white house with a big front and back yard, both of which have fences and lots of pasture.  I’m not supposed to leave the yard without mom’s permission, but sometimes I venture out to the pond.

I have a little brother named Jack, who gets on my nerves because all he wants to do is play, and another brother named Turbo who I would like to play with a lot more… but I can’t catch him. He’s super-fast  and can climb up the curtains… and I can’t.  I also think that the birds that hang out in the backyard are mine too, I promised Mom that I wouldn’t eat them… and I love my Mom… so I don’t.

I was pretty scared when I first met my Mom and Dad, but Mom promised me that she would never ever leave me, and that I could keep her FURever.  I didn’t believe her at first but, she makes sure that Jack and I go everywhere with her. I went on my first camping trip to Robbers Cave State Park, and we went to the lake almost every weekend this summer. Dad loves his pontoon boat. My Mom makes Jack wear a life jacket because he can’t swim, but I can, so someday I might teach him how.

I like going to the lake a lot. I don’t like sunscreen... and Mom puts it on both our noses.

I’d rather get a tan, but then again I like to relax in the shade!

My favorite things to do are help Mom plant flowers, and I’m really good when it comes to cleaning and re-organizing drawers.

I really love my home, my toys, my Mom and Dad… and even Jack.

Thank-you for helping me find my new home and family. They really make me feel special, and I hope that someday all the other dogs and cats will be as lucky as I am.

Love Always,

Boone, the Super Beagle

PS… Mom says sticking your tongue out in pictures isn’t funny… but we showed her!  

Unconditional

The word unconditional is an adjective and is defined by dictionary.com (which is much more fun to use than the Webster’s that stabilizes my bookshelf, both of which I haven’t used since acquiring my Kindle… which is a whole other blog in itself…. Where was I???? Oh yeah… dictionary.com) Ha!

Start over…..

The word unconditional  is an adjective and is defined by dictionary.com as - without condition or limitations –not conditional not limited

If you were to Google “examples of unconditional” an astounding 12,400,000 results would appear and while I’ll admit that I only skimmed through the top ten… I didn’t find anything that I would consider to be an example of “unconditional”. ( I wonder how OFF the last result would be.. you know as well as I do what happens to search results after page two.)

Sooo….

With the exception of the Love of Christ, which I must note because I believe this to be true, I haven’t found any examples or definitions that make me stop and go… Oh yeah, duuu! In fact, the more I looked into it the more confused I became. Seems there is always a LOOPHOLE or way to explain when something said to be unconditional becomes conditional.

Science and Math are both areas that are somewhat concrete. Numbers are numbers… (unless they’re flippin letters) and “facts” in science are generally based upon experiments preformed over and over and over… so things don’t change much…. (this is why we know eggs are good for us…wait… no…yes…. )

Scientific Example : Pavlo's Dog experiment

Mathematicians Example of  unconditional: (of an equality) true for all values of the variable: ( x +1)> x is an unconditional equality

…. … … … … did that make sense to you? Me either... that' probably because most of my math tests look alot like the example below... so I at this point still do not have a definition or understand the word unconditional.

???? So does all this rambling have a point… and are you ever going to get to it ?????

Uh yeah… here we go… it has two points actually….

The first is Someone somewhere is going to Google Pavlo’s Dog and learn more about the experiment on Wikipedia for free… which is bs… because I think I paid a ridiculous credit hour amount to learn what I cannot explain….

     The second…and reason for this whole 3 page long word document is because last night, I discovered what I believe to be my own personal example and definition of the word unconditional.

On August 10^th at 1:40am, the lightening from a summer storm lit up my bedroom, accompanied by the boom of thunder. This was immediately followed by a very terrified howl of a Beagle.

On August 10^th at 1:41am, the lightening from a summer storm lit up my bedroom, accompanied by the boom of thunder. This was immediately followed up by snuggles and cold noses being jammed under my arms.

On August 10^th at 1:42am, the threat and fear, of the lightning and thunder from a summer storm ,became non-existent for a tri-colored Beagle and a Black and White StaffyBullDog who were snuggled on each side of their momma.

So many times we’ve heard that the love of a dog is unconditional and I believe this to be totally true. 

Sometimes when I’m busy keeping up with life it seems Jack is continually pestering me to play or pet him. I catch myself unconsciously begging him to “just stop” or “quit it” or “leave me alone”. WHOOOAAA (face palm fail! Not what we’re lookin for here Nik!)

It hits me, usually when I’m trying to use the bathroom and I have a dog head in each hand…or a yellow tennis ball trying to sneak it’s way into my lap (great visual, thought you’d appreciate that)  life isn’t perfect and it doesn’t matter how clean my house is. If I never had to pick up stuffing from toys, yell at someone for chasing the squirrel or roll my eyes at a completely content pooch chewing on a rubber ball while perched atop a pile of clean laundry, my life would be absolutely miserable. My very existence would cease to matter in this world. (Ok, this last part is a stretch… but then again… how do I know my existence isn’t necessary because of them???? Hmmm…. Deep…. Oh look a shinny thing…. What was … oh yeah)

 

    

While this sounds much like what a parent would say about a child there is a major difference, the older my dogs get and the more acquainted they become with my weaknesses the more their love and affection will grow.  Unlike a child, the way I look, the way I dress or the amount of money I make will never matter to my dogs.  (Although the way I smell is a different story, you try going home after making a visit with a foreign dog! MUST MASK SMELL OF OTHER DOG… MUST RUB MYSELF ALL OVER HER TO REMOVE OTHER DOG SMELL- I kinda believe that is what happens inside Jacks head.)

If we sleep in the car, in a tent, or in a 5,000sq foot loft apartment with a view, my dogs will not care as long as I am there.  There is no amount of yelling I can do that will squash their love for me,  never throwing the ball again will not cause Jack to decide he no longer wants to be around me, unfortunately even people who abuse their dogs are always given a second chance almost immediately after the abuse.  (this is not because a dog is stupid… it is the reason why ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN… because it sounds just like someone else I know who forgives without question)

 

During the early morning of August  10^th, 2011 while being completely smothered by Jack Alan and T. Boone I completely grasped the meaning of unconditional.  As I laid my arm over each of their heads and rested my hands on their chests I could feel their heartbeats slow down and their bodies immediately relax.  I knew in that moment that they believed that I would save them from the monster outside… there was no longer a reason to be afraid.

They believe in me without condition or limitation, and they always will. Even though I have done nothing to deserve or merit this affection they believe in me. In fact, I will never do anything in their lives that will be worthy of this love without condition or limitation. Yet, they freely hand it out when I have the smarts to drink it in. There is nothing I could ever do to change the way they feel.

I finally understand the word unconditional… and I define it as a noun: Austin Wayne, Jack Alan, and Boone the Super Beagle.  OH YEAH DUUUU…. LIGHTBULB!



Identity Crisis

In today's society we are taught that we are special. Our parents have permitted this thinking by teaching us that despite our physical and intellectual short comings that we have the ability to grow up and be anything we desire.

We are shuffled back and forth to social events and placed in sports programs that boost self confidence rather than recognizes and conditions ability.

By doing this many people including myself have grown up believing we are special when in reality we are mediocre people who arent' really good at any thing in particular but because we have such self confidence feel that we are entitled to everything!

I as a parent refuse to acknowledge this way of thinking...

Jack... no matter how hard you try... you will never be a rabbit... nor a squirrel... and you will never grow wings and fly.

However... I will laugh when you beg for broccoli, and I will allow you to run on the back of the couch like Turbo does... and I don't mind you laying up in the yard with the chickens... Just remember son... you're special... but not matter how hard you try you wont be anything other than what you are... a camera ham!

While Jack truly is confused about what species he belongs too, Clovis the bunny realizes that he

is a dog. He eats from the dog food bowl and plays fetch... and will stand up, wiggle that cute little nose and beg for whatever you're eating!

The reality of my life with no sugar coating is that I am special because of my crazy curly headed drummer, and the funniest and  furriest kids anyone could ever ask for!

Besides I think all humans suffer from an identity crisis at some point in their life... Makes me glad I'm a giraffe.