One Year With Andy

Around this time last year my husband and I walked into our local human society and spied an adorable pup named Scooter. The pup looked up at us eagerly and we were drawn to him immediately. After spending some time with Scooter and falling in love with his rambunctious spirit we decided to submit an application to adopt him despite the fact that an "adoption pending" sign was already hanging on his kennel. We figured it was a long shot but also felt like we had nothing to lose. If we didn't get to adopt him it meant he had found a home. If the application ahead of us fell threw then he was ours. Win/Win.

As it turns out the stars aligned in our favor and we were able to adopt Scooter (Andy!) on April 13th, 2012. Our first year with Andy was filled with both ups and downs. Some ups: that first day we brought him home, when he learned to "sit," all the long walks in the park and cuddle time on the couch. Some downs: Andy's insatiable appetite for shoes, his inability to leave the cats alone, that time he got bit at day camp and had to go to the vet, nail clipping troubles, and his love of rolling on poop. Sigh...I wouldn't have it any other way.

I don't know how many folks visit this blog regularly but for those who do, you've probably noticed that I've been posting more photos than anything else as of late. I've been finding it harder and harder to devote the time I once had to taking photos and writing posts. To be honest, I'm also suffering from a bit of blog fatigue. That being said I'm planning on posting far less on attaboyandy from here on out. I'll still share photos, milestones, and the occasional product review - but not as frequently. I hope you continue to stop in. I'd also love to hear from you! Who are you? Who are the furry folks in your life? Is there anything in particular you'd like me to write about? See you around!

Happy Birthday Andy!

Andy was around 3.5 months old when we adopted him from the humane society back in April. Since we don't know for sure when Andy was born we decided to make January 1 his birthday - which makes him 1 year old today! To celebrate the pup got a brand new toy, a West Paw Design Hurley bone (which I've read really good things about), some Zukes Mini Naturals Peanut Butter Dog Treats, a bag of Carolina Prime Sweet Tater Fries, and a can of Merrick New Zealand Summer (Lamb) canned food. It's hard to believe Andy's only been with us for 8 months and that he's already a year old. My boy is growing up!

Andy | Hound X

When we first saw Andy at the humane society he was described as a hound/pit bull mix. I'm not gonna lie, for a split second all the negative things I had read about pit bulls ran through my mind and I momentarily dismissed the idea of adopting a dog with pit in him. As I observed Andy and all the other pit bulls in their cages, both full and mixed breeds, I was taken with how unique each dog was - each in possession of a singular personality and qualities all their own and each with the potential to be a loving companion.  I'm sure glad we gave Andy a chance. At this point I don't know if he actually has any pit in him, our vet doesn't seem to think so, but even if he does it matters not. Andy has his forever home.

Breed prejudice is sad and unjust. The case of Lennox, the dog in Ireland that was euthanized simply because he was a American bulldog-Labrador mix, is a prime example of the injustice of breed prejudice and breed-specific laws. Victoria Stilwell, host of Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog,” said it best when she wrote, "We must target the deed not the breed...We must hold irresponsible pet owners accountable. Dogs of any breed can be fantastic, and dogs of any breed can be dangerous."

Stop Breed Prejudice

Black Cats Are Beautiful

Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week 2012

September 17th to the 23rd is Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week. The week is sponsored by Petfinder and is meant to highlight animals in need of homes but that are less likely to be adopted. This includes senior pets, pets with behavioral needs, victims of breed prejudice, fearful or shy pets, pets with medical needs, and pets that need to be only pets to name a few. Please consider opening your heart and home to a special animal in need. For more information check out petfinder.com's page dedicated to the week.

Gotcha Andy!

Some good friends of ours adopted a little boy a couple of years ago and from them I learned about “Gotcha Day”. In addition to a child’s birthday many American families celebrate the day their adopted child was placed in their home. It’s a sweet way of acknowledging just how precious this adopted child is and how life changing the experience is for both parent(s) and child.

While adopting a dog is nothing like adopting a child I can say that it is a life changing experience. Andy’s “Gotcha Day” was April 13, 2012. We got a call from the Humane Society earlier that week telling us the family that originally put in to adopt “Scooter” had backed out and that we were next in line. By that weekend we found ourselves parents to a rambunctious and willful puppy we named Anderson; Andy for short. While I don’t regret the decision there are times I feel like I’m experiencing a mid-life pregnancy. Raising a puppy is challenging. It takes patience, sacrifice, and discipline and quite often I feel tired, old, and ill equipped. But look at the face in the picture above. That is the face of one content pup. He knows he has a forever home and I know there’s no turning back!

Humane Society

We only planned on donating old towels. Next thing I know we’re looking at cats…then dogs. Sure enough I spot a young hound mix. Having grown up with a basset hound, and later two beagles, hounds have a special place in my heart. This particular pup (Scooter) had a “pending adoption” sign so we didn’t expect he’d be available. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if I was ready for a dog. Our previous dog, a special pup named Maxwell, passed away a couple of months prior after a prolonged illness. We took Scooter on a brief walk and afterwards, expecting it to be a long shot, we put our names on a wait list to adopt him. Our local humane society required the following for pre-adoption:

1. We had to meet Scooter and spend some time with him.
2. We had to fill out adoption papers.
3. They had to check with our landlord to make sure we are allowed to have pets.
4. They needed copies of up to date vaccination records for our 2 cats.