In my real life though, I have been having a blast. Most recently, my joy flowed from a visit from my second college roommate Ruth. A brief history: I went to a traditional college for one year. My first college roommate (who I am also still in touch with) left after the first semester. I was in a bind and needed to find someone willing to take me in basically. Enter RUTH! What a fateful situation. =) So I spent my second and last semester in college dorms yukking it up with Ruth on a daily basis. I had so much fun and here we are 8 years later:
We hadn't seen each other in 6 years! 6 YEARS! Yet somehow there was still that ease of being together, picking up right where we left off. =)
Ruth had never been around pit bulls and hasn't been under a rock, so she has heard all the nasty stuff the hysteria-inducing media and ignorant public have to say about this misunderstood breed. As a testament to her sheer coolness though, she came into our house with an open mind and lots of questions, ready and willing to learn. It helps that she is a general animal lover. ;) She and Paisley became fast friends. Auntie Ruth even invited spoiled Pai girl to bed with her 2 of the 3 nights she was here. Paisley and Ruth joined J and the Bug for storytime before bed the last night Ruth was here:
I love this picture, because it looks to me like Ruth and Paisley are sharing a private joke. I imagine Paisley (in my anthropomorphic way) to be saying "Auntie Ruth, forget these guys, let's go do something just you and me okay?! C'mon, please..."In the same vein that Ruth and Paisley became friends, the Bugga took to Ruth so fast, even I was shocked. Within minutes of her arrival it seemed he was holding his arms up to her to be picked up. =) I really wish I had quit gabbing long enough to pick up the camera and get more pictures of those two playing. Next time Ruth! And there will be a next time, whether here or in Sioux Falls, and it won't be when the Bug is 7 years old. ;) As in, it won't be another 6 years.
Here's Ruth with all the girls. Monkey, Paisley, and Libby. =)
And some little known trivia for you...hey Ruth, did you know I wanted to name Libby "Ruthie?" (I couldn't because the name had already been used in the rescue.) When we got Libby, your upcoming visit was on my mind and she seemed like a "Ruthie." =) J thought that might be taken as an insult, but I told him it should be seen as a sign of my affection, since I love animals too, for me to want to name an animal after a person is a good sign. ;)
It seems like whenever I return to posting from a long break, I am all over the map. So, here we have a picture of our big ol' Turdie boy. He joined Ruth and Paisley in the guest room one night too. =)
I took all 3 pets to the vet by myself yesterday and Turtle boy tipped the scales at 15.4 lbs! Monkey came in at 7 even and Paisley is maintaining a trim 48 lbs. Poor Turdie! As soon as we get back from our upcoming trip, we will be switching his food, feeding the cats separately and on a schedule (just like the dogs), and seeing if we can't drop a few pounds off our big guy for his overall health. I have a feeling he will be harrassing us quite a bit in the beginning!
Libby is growing by leaps and bounds, speaking of weight. Since we don't own a scale and she didn't go on the vet excursion, I don't know what she weighs, but I'm sure she has more than doubled her weight since she joined us 2 short weeks ago. Here she is getting ready to take a nap on Laura, ARLP Director, at the Adoption Day event last Saturday. She is a doll and a total smarty pants too, which is a double-edged sword if you ask me. No lazy owners for a girl like her, that is for sure! She needs a family to teach her tricks, keep her mind stimulated and her body busy. She has a meet-and-greet tomorrow already...because let's face it, who doesn't love a puppy...so we'll see if they're the family to do just that.
Coming back round to Ruth...so we learned on our recent trip to NE via a stop in Sioux Falls that the social climate there is pretty strongly anti-pit bull. =( Big bummer, because I love Sioux Falls. Anyway, Ruth works at a radio station there in Sioux Falls (KSOO baby, check her out!) and took the issue of breed specific legislation to the air waves when she got back to work! Very apt, as Sturgis is eying a new pit bull ordinance.
When are people going to realize that no one specific breed of dog is the problem, but rather owners that mistreat, neglect, and just generally don't have control over their dogs that are the true culprits behind dog bites and fatalities? And furthermore, eventually the public will move on to another dog to blame--just like in the past when German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans have all taken their turn as the "evil dog" du jour--and continue to ignore the HUMAN on the other end of the leash (or lack thereof). I guess it is just easier to blame a dog than face our own very human flaws. =( I could go on, of course, but I don't need to when there are great articles like this one out there, saying it better than I could any day.
So THANK YOU to Ruth for joining the fight, even though she doesn't own a pit bull, let alone a dog at all.
As I type, Bugga is crawling in and out of Libby's crate (yes, it is a tight fit). I don't know whether to laugh or cry! Is it just a funny toddler-ism or is my little boy sending me a message? "Hey Momma, look at me, I'm a dog too, pay attention to me!" Eek! Off to spend some quality time with my little Hugga Bugga!
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