Hoggie the Horrible

Sophie (aka Hoggie the Horrible or Tophie the Terrible when encountering other dogs) is a love bug. People always think she is a puppy when they meet her yet she will be 10 in October. She has never met a (human) stranger and will attack you with kisses if you let her. She loves pets and, quite frankly, any attention you give her. She is great with little kids and babies (thankfully), too.

And when she was younger, I could take her to the dog park and she would run and play and chase the ball. (She never learned to bring the ball back but that is fodder for another blog.) And then one day everything changed. Suddenly, she became Kujo when interacting with other dogs. I once babysat a pug puppy for the weekend and had to keep Sophie separated the entire time. After 72 hours, she decided the pup was no threat and actually fell asleep next to him on the couch. And then his parents came and picked him up so that was that.

Just this morning, T let the girls out to potty and Sophie saw a boxer in front of our truck. She started for the dog but thankfully stopped dead in her tracks when T shouted her name. (At least she listens...) And we were just out for our morning walk when she spotted a Boston Terrier puppy and just gave it the death stare from the other side of the street. (I know you are looking at her face thinking, "death stare?", but I swear she has one).

Sophie has a great life.  She loves all people, her toys and her sister. We think the dog aggression is all about protecting Stella who, by the way, yearns to play with all the dogs Sophie growls at and wants to attack.  So in one way it is sweet. In another, completely annoying and an inconvenience.

Especially when her cousin the pug comes to visit. Max and Sophie must be separated at all times for fear of what either will do to the other. (Interestingly enough, he isn't thrilled with other dogs but will play with Stella.  She just has that special something boys can't resist I guess.) So Max stays in the basement most of the time. If he comes upstairs, Sophie is in the crate. Barking incessantly. You get the picture.

Max is soon going to be with us for an extended period of time. Should we try and get them to be friends? Will it end in tears? (mine) Will it involve lots of yelling? (T) Should we be satisfied that Sophie lives a life with one canine friend only? The coming weeks will answer all of these questions. Stay tuned and send us your friendly doggie juju!

Snow Day

We got 20 inches of snow yesterday. Nothing better than being snowed in with your family (that is, the family you like) on the weekend before Christmas. I did all the on-line shopping I could. We decorated the tree. We attempted to get the perfect photo for our Christmas card - and are still trying. The only problem is that the girls won't go potty outside. How long can they possibly hold it???

3:26 a.m.

A noise wakes me and I assume it is Paul. But instantly I realize it is the 27 pound French bulldog who is sleeping next to me. And snoring like a man. I roll over and put the pillow over my head. Then I put a pillow over her head. Then I begin to negotiate (in my head)... if she snores 1 more time I will kick her out. Just 1 more time. Just 1 more time. Hells bells.

"Tophie, Tophie, where's Stella? Don't you want to see Stella? (Like a good dog, Stella was snoring in the living room.) Crate time (all said in a sing song voice)..." She just looks at me and rolls over. Now I'm on my knees in front of the bed trying again, "Come on, Tophie, let's go see Stella!" Nada. (By the way, her real name is Sophie but over the years it has metamorphosed into Tophie.)

In the end, I did what any alpha personality in a house of pups does. I picked her up, put her on the living room floor and shut the door. Who's the boss?!

Meet Stella

Until 2004, I never had a pet in my life. Actually, my grandfather had a beagle named Spot when I was little and I was scared to death of him. I used to sit in the middle of the kitchen table when they brought him up from the basement so he wouldn't "get me". As depressing as it sounds, my only "pets" were the caterpillars my childhood BFF and I would catch and keep in tupperware under my bed. (Sorry, Mom, you should have gotten me a hamster).

I've always been fascinated with pigs. At some point I'll tell you about my short life as a "pig mom" but not today. After pigs I became obsessed with bulldogs, so when Paul and I met I shared my dream of Stanley. My male English bulldog pup who would love me forever. (Before Stanley I wanted 2 female English bulldogs named Petunia and Gerber). Paul started doing some research and because we lived in a townhouse thought a French Bulldog would be better suited for our home. Enter Stella...

On a gorgeous Good Friday, we drive an hour and a half to Boonsboro, MD where we meet a 7 pound, 14 week old French Bulldog. She had Paul at hello. I was scared of her (yes, I'm a big wimp. So what?). We brought her home in a cardboard box (yes, that is the picture above). But when Paul went to the store later that evening, I sat on the floor and Stella curled up in my lap to go to sleep. Paul came home to find me in the same position while Stella slept on. A few days later, he called me on the way home from work and I answered the phone crying. "I think she loves me!" Stella had, once again, curled up in my lap to sleep. And I didn't pick her up to make it happen. She just found her new favorite spot and started to snore away.

Because of Stella, I am a crazy dog mom. Yep, complete with Halloween costumes, worry, love and sometimes over the top behavior. You will learn more about this, and meet Sophie, in later posts. Stella has brought more to my life than I ever thought possible. I just love that little girl!

Extremes

I have to admit that I am a very extreme person. Either hot or cold, happy or sad, calm or angry, animated or tired. There is very little gray with me. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the way I live my life... work or home. Because of the nature of my job, it is easy to let boundaries go. I travel all the time and often come home spent - which is another way of saying I have nothing left for the people I love (Paul, Stella, Sophie, family, friends, etc.) I am on the never-ending quest to resolve this personality "trait" (flaw).

I think I just took a big step, and need to brag. We are building a new house. Settlement was supposed to be September 28 which meant Paul would move alone because I have to be out of town the 29th, 30th and 1st. Good news - settlement is the 2nd! I am supposed to be in Birmingham on the 8th for a "nice to do but not necessary" trip. In other words, it is a trip that can definitely be rescheduled and... I just rescheduled it! This means I am taking a week off work to just concentrate on our new home and our new town. I'm really excited.

A wise person once said to me, "would you treat people at work that way?" in reference to an arguement I had with Paul. I had to stop and think because I realized he was absolutely right. Why are we often on our best behavior at work and then not at home? I'm guilty of this because I expend all my energy on the road and have nothing left for my family. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the world will stop turning if I take off work. This is my little way of proving it.