Blog Changes

Hello,

Okay, so with the change in season (as usual) I feel a need to change up the blog. Regardless of it's lack of being used. School will be on break for a few days next week, and I'm looking forward to a few days off from work too. So, I feel like this is the perfect time to do some maintenance around here.

As some of you may know I'm pretty indecisive, and a bit of a perfectionist which is why everything takes a tad bit more time for me to finish. This fall I've decided to strip everything down and build it back up to my liking. This means that my blog could very well be an eye sore for the next week or so. I lazily threw together a header, and took everything else down, but you can still find all of the "follow along" buttons at the bottom. Here's hoping I don't mess anything up too bad! ☺

Listen

Adopting A Pitbull

Since Sampson's passing, we've talked a lot about whether we wanted to get another dog or not. When he was still apart of our life, we had discussed adding another puppy to our family either around Christmas or for Emery's birthday. Then, Terra came into our lives, and it seemed like we had our answer given to us. Well, a week into her arrival Sampson was shot and we had to find Terra another home. Sampson wasn't able to be as active as she was and he needed some extra attention and help. We didn't feel that we'd be able to give 100% of what Terra needed to thrive and that wasn't fair to her. So, I interviewed potential adopters, and I had them come meet her. We finally found a home I was comfortable letting her go to, and soon after Sampson's accident happened. Since then I've felt conflicted about adding another dog to the mix. It felt like we were just trying to replace Sampson. As if any other dog could ever compare to him. At the same time I felt like having another dog would help us move forward from our loss.

After much debate we've decided to adopt another dog in the near future. We know the stereotyping that comes with pit bulls. I've seen, first hand, the discrimination towards this breed. I've seen the fear that our Sampson caused people, just because of his looks. Recently, we went to cheer on my cousin who flew in to do a local color run, and people would literally go out of their way to walk around us. Some lady even had the audacity to yell at us "You should put a muzzle on that dangerous dog!" I couldn't believe she had said this because Sampson was quietly and calmly sitting at our feet. He was not lunging towards anyone, because he'd never do that, and he wasn't barking. The picture in that last post is from that morning, and it was taken just a few minutes before the lady passed by. We've also been asked about how we could in good conscience allow "such a dog" around our daughter? Weren't we afraid that he'd turn on her? The answer has always been a firm "No." He's been nothing but a sweetheart towards her, and we've raised Emery to know boundaries (ex: don't pull on ears or tails). We also gradually introduced the two of them, and Sampson became very protective of her. So, I'd allow him around her before I allowed a strangers chihuahua to come anywhere near her.

Unfortunately, the media and crappy people give this breed a bad name. And sadly that is a reason why many shelters will put them down before taking them in or trying to find them homes. This makes me really sad because all any of these dogs want, is a chance. They crave the exact same attention and love as any other breed. And it's because of this that we've been watching a local shelter's available list for a pit bull. So far I've seen that many of  their "bully breed" dogs keep getting passed up simply because of what they are. We have a few in mind that we'd like to meet, and we've been in contact with the shelter. We're hoping to do a meet and greet this coming weekend to see which would be a better fit for us. I wish I could take them all in, but I know it will all come down to which one we bond with the best. Emery's excited about the trip, and she keeps asking for one like Sampson. I've showed her pictures of other dogs at the shelter and allowed her to point at some that she likes. Just like her parents she hasn't shown interest in anything other than a pit bull. So, that's what we're hoping for.

I know this might sound awful, but I can't ever see us owning any other breed. I fell in love with Sampson, from day one. The more I educated myself about his breed the more comfortable I was about them. I love their big heads and wide smiles. I love how loving and loyal they are to their family. So, I think for us, it will always be a pit bull. And if all goes well, we'll have ourselves a new member by the beginning of next week. It's bittersweet and yet very exciting. I feel sad that we lost Sampson, but I feel good about giving another dog like him a loving home.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

Fall is finally here in Texas. The temperature gets down into the 30's with only a high in the low 70's. The leaves are falling and changing colors. Our heaters are kicking on, and sweaters are being brought out. I'm excited for boots, fuzzy socks, and a lot of hot chocolate. School is almost over, and I'm so ready for a break too. It seems like some days I can't believe that the year is coming to an end already, but other days I feel like we're so ready for it. How about y'all? Hope everyone is having a lovely November so far. :)

A Morning At The Park

Emery has been riding her bike a lot lately. She goes back and forth on our porch and I worry sick over whether she's going to fall off of it or not. She reassures me that she's not. So finally one morning we decided to take her to a small park in one of our neighboring towns. We loaded up the bike, and she was so excited as we drove into town. She kept talking about her bike the entire ride up there.

Once we arrived, she hoped on her bike for a grand total of 30 seconds before she decided that playing in the leaves and crawling through water culverts would be way more fun. So that's how we spent our afternoon. Rolling around in leaves, crawling through "tunnels", racing around trees, and laughing. It was a very good morning, and I was able to sit back and appreciate just how blessed my life really is.

Sampson Simpson (2006-2013)

On Halloween morning we were all up by 6 am talking about how excited we were to go Trick or Treating that afternoon. I was talking to my husband about getting Sampson a last minute costume so he could come along with us. Emery and Sampson went outside to get his bowl, and they came back in because it was a bit chilly. She poured his bowl of food, and we all started to get dressed. Before we left, Emery attached his leash & I kissed him on the nose. I told him to be a good boy for daddy. My husband walked him out, and waved us off at the end of the drive. Thirty minutes later I had just dropped Emery off at the sitter when my husband called. Someone hadn't seen them walking on the side of the road by our house, and they swerved hitting Sampson.  My husband told me that Sampson seemed fine, a little sore, but he wanted me to meet him at the vet anyway. When I saw Sampson, I thought the same thing my husband did: he'd be fine. He was walking around, maybe a little out of it, but nothing that some rest couldn't fix. The X-ray's came back with a completely different story though. He had concussion and they thought there was swelling. The tiny bone on his hind leg was shattered, and there was internal swelling. The vet told us that we could pay $3,000, and have him sent to an emergency facility in Dallas, but there was no guarantee that he'd make it.  The vet gave us the numbers and covered every single possibility. They were super nice and told us that they understood what a hard decision this was for us. In the end, they simply said that Sampson's quality of life, if he even survived, would drastically go down. He'd pretty much have to stay "in bed" for the rest of his life. They highly recommended that we put him to sleep. And so after a private discussion, we decided to let him go.  We cried, and they let us say our goodbyes in the kennel. I was allowed to hold him, and cuddle with him while the procedure took place. My husband and I told him how much we loved him,  how he was such a good boy. He licked my tears, and let out a little whine. About that time a lot of the technicians came into the room to tell him that he was loved, and messaged his back. A few minutes later he was gone. It took two shots before he finally passed, and those were the hardest 20 minutes of my life so far. I'm thankful for the staff, and the vets that showed us such kindness that morning. There wasn't a dry eye in that room, and that showed us just how much our Sampson was loved & appreciated. I am so grateful to those people.  Our house feels empty now. I know that some people don't get why we're so emotional about this, because he was a dog. Not a child, or relative. But Sampson had been with us for seven years. He was my fellow exploring companion when I moved to California. He was our road-tripping buddy when we moved back to Texas. He was our snuggle buddy on cold nights. When I was pregnant with Emery, I spent a good amount of time in bed with his head resting on my belly. When Emery got older, he was her friend and playmate. Anywhere we went, he came along. He was the biggest baby, and lapdog you would ever meet. So his passing, effects us. All of us. It's like taking a huge part of our every day life and ripping it out. And that will take some getting used to. "Dad, I think it's time for Sampson to come home now.  He's tired of Heaven. He wants to come back to me." - Emery