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.

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 

Our Tri-Pawed Dog is Home!

Sampson came home last Tuesday, and he's bouncing back wonderfully! The vet told us that animals don't have as big of an attachment to their limbs as humans do so they adjust a lot faster. And Sampson is doing just that! He's jumping in and out of the vehicles, and he's even attempted to run. He's "steering" isn't quite on point but that could also be due to the pain meds they have him on. He does get tired a lot faster but they told us that will change once he gets his strength back. He also get's his staples out this week so I'm pretty excited about that too!  Our Terra did end up having to be given to another family, and I did that first thing this morning. The lady is super nice and was completely in love with her. We originally did a "home check" with another family to see if she'd get along with their kids on Friday. Turns out the little ones weren't really ready for a puppy. This lady was actually a friend of their's and she was at their house with her kids. When she found out the original couple wouldn't be taking her she told me that she'd love to have her. She showed me their house, and her kids had already been introduced to Terra so we knew they all got along well. So now I'm happy to say that Terra is going to a loving home with people who can give her the attention she needs. I'm sad to see her go but I know it was the right thing to do. Now we're off to a new week that holds two exams in one day, a four page essay, a vet visit, some job news (fingers crossed), and hopefully have our electrical issues at home finally fixed. It's going to be busy for us! Hope y'all have a wonderful Monday!  

Hello? Is This Thing On?

Well, hello there.

It's been awhile yea? Talk about taking a hiatus. Some of you may know that I'm currently back in school. For those that didn't, now you do! To say that this has taken up a lot of my time would be a severe understatement. I'm trying my best to keep my grades up, and for some reason my online teachers like to assign A LOT of homework and essays that always require a boat load of research. Who knew? So yes, school has taken up the majority of my spare time. Today, due to some unfortunate events that I'll discuss later in this post, I've found myself with a bit of spare time. So here's what we've been up to lately.

Emery is sprouting! This little girl of ours is growing so fast I'm almost afraid of it. A co-worker of mine recently had his first baby, and just seeing the comparison of my little one with his made me have some level 10 baby fever. But that's not in the cards for me at the moment so sadly, I had to tamper those down. Anyway, Emery's vocabulary is constantly expanding and we've recently introduced her to ABCmouse Learning which she's been over the moon about. Her energy level has hit an all time high, she's completely over naps, and her bed time has been pushed back to 9:30. How she manages this, I have no idea. She's still co-sleeping with us which has begun to be a bit uncomfortable. We all like our own space, and unfortunately there's just not enough of it when we're all three crammed onto a queen sized mattress. Lately she's been asking for a clock/lamp in her room but I've told her she can only get one when she's ready to sleep in her "big girl bed". Fingers crossed that this is a good enough incentive for her to finally make the transition.

We recently had a new addition to our four-legged family roll into our lives. Literally, she was thrown out of a moving vehicle along with two other puppies. The poor little girl had sores, broken nails, and what looked like (to me) cigarette burns around her bum. That alone convinced me that she had to stay. Now, I'm a big fan of names with meaning, and at first I had hands down thought "Isis" would be the perfect fit for our little red nose. Surprisingly, Emery decided that she liked the name "Terra" better and she asked repeatedly that we name her that. Sooo, Terra it was. However, our lives just got a rather rude reality slap and it's looking like we might have to put her up for adoption.

Which finally brings me to our sad news. Last Thursday evening I got a message from my husband while I was in class. He had let the two dogs out for a "bathroom break" and Sampson took off across the tracks before he could get a leash on him.  My husband went back inside to grab the leash and harness when our neighbor, who was out for a walk, came up to let him know that they had heard a shot come from the direction in which Sampson had taken off in. When my husband went back around the house he saw our Sampson trying his hardest to walk back home. He had been shot on one of his front legs. It was already pretty late and we live in a small town so there are no 24-Hour Animal Clinics. The one vet that would see him told us that he probably wouldn't survive the night. They told us that they could look at him but we'd have to pay an emergency fee, along with any other procedure costs, up front. Well, as much as we love our Sampson, we just couldn't afford that. So instead, we had to wait it out until this morning. To top it off Emery was sick, so I was up all night with both of them. Giving medicine, changing bandages. Rearranging blankets, and trying to keep a fever down. I woke up once every hour all night long for one reason or another. By the time 5 am rolled around I was tired but thankful that Emery hadn't vomited, and that Sampson survived the night.

My husband took him to the vet first thing Friday morning, but we didn't get the good news we were hoping for. Sampson's X-rays showed a lot of damage. The bone was almost completely shattered, and there was too much shrapnel inside. So grimly, they gave us our three options: 1) We could pay almost $2,000 for surgery, but the chance of him regaining the use of his leg was slim to none. 2) They could amputate his leg for about $800. or 3) We could have him put down and cremated for less than $100. Now, a lot of people in our situation would have gone with option three. And I get that. The numbers they were throwing around sounded so unattainable and far fetched that I started crying. We weren't going to have any other option but to put our dog down with those kinds of prices. I was a mess, trying to figure out HOW we were going to pay for this? Wondering if we should let Emery say goodbye or not. I had a million things going on inside my head that I felt really overwhelmed.

Thankfully, after some negotiating, and thanks to a very lovely practice owner, we were told we could do payments if we chose to amputate. So, option two it is. The procedure is scheduled for today, and as thrilled as I am to not be putting our dog down, I'm also sad because this is still a loss. Sampson is going to need extra care, extra attention, and extra help for at least a month. My husband might be relocating for a little while for a job (more on that later) which will leave me as the only one here. So now I'm not so sure if we can keep our little Terra. She deserves to be showered in attention, loved, and trained correctly. As much as I wish we could provide that for her, I have to look at things realistically, and admit that it just might not be possible. I have my hands full enough as it is, and I'm not sure if I'll have the time for a puppy.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Sampson Safety

I've mentioned before that we have a dog. I also mentioned that I felt we weren’t doing a very good job at giving him the attention he needed. Our life had been flipped upside down when we found out I was expecting, and then we moved right next door to my parents who aren’t big “dog lovers”. After that he killed the cat which made my family a bit angry with him. Ok, a lot angry with him. So he was turned into a permanent outside dog. Well, as we all know, life got even more busy once Emery started walking AND once I started school. So, I really had no idea if we could keep the promise to spend more time with him.

But, we’re making the effort. We aren’t giving Sampson up and we want him to be a part of this family. Well, as much of a part as a dog can be. So, my first step in that direction was to officially bring him back to being an indoor dog, part time. When we’re home he comes in, when we’re out he stays in his outdoor pen. We’ve gotten a few protests from my family due to “safety” involving Emery. I’ve taken everything into consideration and as I’ve stated before that no matter what breed a dog is, they’re still animals. I’m fully aware of this, and I’ve taken some precautions to try to make sure that nothing ever happens.

• Emery is never alone with Sampson.
• He’s not allowed near her when there’s food involved.
• She’s not allowed to hit, bite, or pull on any part of him.
• And we have his crate ready for when he needs his “alone time” to relax without having a toddler running around wanting to pet him (so long as his pillow is in there he usually refuses to come out at all anyway)
• We’re also recently showed Emery how to pet and not slap at him. 
• She can give him kisses, one is usually enough, and there’s no grabbing his mouth.

Now, I know that this isn’t a 100% secure plan that he won’t ever do anything. I’ve read all of the horror stories, all of the accidents, and I know that tragedies happen. But I feel like I’m taking all of the right steps when it comes to having any kind of pet inside the home. Sampson’s personality has always been gentle and laid back (until we go outside and he wants to play). He’s always wanting his belly rubbed, and he LOVES to cuddle. But I understand that we won’t ever know him 100% because, well...he’s a dog. Still, Sampson was always a part of our lives, and I don’t want to change that. I want him to feel like he’s truly loved, because we do really love him.

Just because we had Emery, doesn't  mean that we can't still have Sampson as our pet. It just means that we have to be more disciplined, and responsible. So, I’m really looking forward to these changes. I’m looking forward to having Sampson back in our daily lives. 

Our "First Born"

Yea...for those that don’t know, we have a doggy! All my life I’ve been the type to let in strays and randomly adopt more than my fill of animals; from dogs to rats (yes, rats). I’ve had a variety of dogs and cats. Some have passed, or have been passed on to other good owners. But, I’m literally hopeless when it comes to animals. They’re all so cute in their own ways, and I was never one to turn them away! This is where Sampson came in.

Sampson Simpson was originally our room mate’s puppy. His job was pretty demanding and he didn’t always have time for Samp. My husband was completely in love with Sampson so he didn’t mind looking after him when our roommate was gone. Every once in a while we’d let him sleep with us in our room, and he just LOVED to cuddle. My husband trained him, played with him, took him out on walks, and eventually, the neighborhood kids would come to ask if we could bring Sampson out to play. He’d go on runs or walks with me. We took him on outings every now and then. He was becoming our baby, and we were falling in love with him!

Then it came time for us to move, and my husband was heartbroken. So, I told him to ask our roommate if we could take him. I even told him to offer up some money if we needed to. The worst he could do was tell us no. So, my husband approached him with the idea, and he told us to give him a day or two to think about it. He truly loved Sampson just as much as we did, and he'd had him since he was a puppy. After a few days, he finally came to my husband and told him that Samp was ours. I know it broke his heart a bit, but I think deep down he knew that his life was about to get even more hectic and he might not be able to give Samp the attention he needed. So a few days later we were all packed, heading to Texas, and Sampson was in tow (he sat in the back seat).

Now I love dogs, and I firmly believe that they will act the way they are brought up. Sampson was always around kids, and not once did I ever see him even snap at a child. But, I do understand that no matter what breed, they are still animals. So, we’ve always had him in his halter or we’ve made sure there were no kids around when letting him run loose for a bit. He has never ever snapped. Still, our little town is not big on bully breeds and it was hard finding a place that would take us. We eventually did but it had no yard, so Samp became a full-time indoor dog. Not that he minded one bit. I’ve never seen a dog hate going outside as much as he did. We’d open the door, he’d look outside, then back at us, and finally just go back and lay in his bed. We’d literally have to pick him up and put him outside. He was a total diva. LOL! He did love car rides, and playing tug-a-war with ropes though. He loved to just cuddle and lay on the couch too. Such a laid back dog. Eventually, he gained the title of “Our First Born”. 

Then, I got pregnant. Which was probably Sampson’s worst nightmare. He was still an indoor dog, but I had talked about starting to transition him into an outside dog at least a month before Emery would arrive. We were due to move out about 3 weeks before Emery was born and I didn’t want him to be howling and crying all night once we moved next to my parents. Plus, I was already obsessed with bringing a baby into a healthy, clean, sanitized, non-dog smelling home. Out he went. Those first few nights were brutal. He cried and cried. But eventually, he realized he wasn’t coming back in.

Once we had moved, we quickly realized that he couldn’t be let loose to run around. I few other dogs had been shot for just roaming in others yards, and he started trying to go after our neighbor's chickens. Then one day, he killed my dad’s cat. So, we built him a fenced in pen. And that's where he stays for the majority of the day (while we're at work). I feel bad sometimes because Beau and I don’t always get to give him the attention he deserves. Emery’s just a handful already, and she demands our full attention. So unless we all go out for walks (one of us leading Samp, the other walking with our tot) it’s hard to always let him out to play around. Still, we try our best to at least bring him out once a day. He’s even been allowed to sleep in our room when it got really cold, and a few days that it got really hot.

Now even though things have changed, and he’s kind of lost the title of “Our First Born”, he is still that lovable goofy puppy. He gets so excited when we get ready to let him out or when Emery goes to pet him. He is always in the mood to play, or cuddle. He has been such a great companion, and from this point on I’m going to try and make more of an effort to spend time with him. Especially now that Emery’s a bit older and I don’t have to carry her everywhere. It’ll be good for all of us to get to spend that time together. He deserves for us to be good owners and show him we still love him. 

p.s Happy Friday everyone!! 

Hope you have an awesome weekend!

Today we head off to Austin, and I'm a bit queasy with anxiety. 

Wish me luck!