Great article and Miles' first vet appointment

So, Miles has had lots of firsts in the past couple of weeks. Last Thursday was his first veterinary appointment.

We take all of our animals to Plymouth Animal Hospital, for a couple of reasons:

1. I am positive that they are the only vet in the northeast, possibly the country that will tolerate Ella, and
2. They're simply awesome. They take GREAT care of animals, and they tolerate my neuroses when it comes to the health of my animals.

No, I am not writing a blog post about Miles' first vet appointment. That would be boring.

What I am going to talk about is the fact that when they created Miles' file, I asked them to not put that he had pitbull in him. The reason for this is that if they put that Miles has pit bull in him, then there will be a whole host of landlords who will not rent to us. Our renter's insurance premiums would also likely go up, should we ever decide to own a home, and that's just ridiculous to me, as Miles is not a vicious dog, nor will he ever be if we have anything to say about it.

I try to be very open about the fact that Miles has pit bull in him. He LOOKS like a pit bull, but as we have gone over in the past, lots of people can't even identify them. Truth be told, the other day I found out that in fact his mom was a purebred lab, and the dad was the mix of pit, boxer and chow. So, he's actually much less pit than we thought he would be. REGARDLESS, that shouldn't even matter.

The reason for this today is that the subject of pit bulls came up at Easter dinner, and one of my family members said that pitbulls are bred to be killers.

It was at that precise moment that I pointed out that in fact Miles has quite a bit of pit bull in him, and they looked at me and said that it didn't matter because he is a mix. That actually totally invalidates their argument, because if pit bulls are trained to be killers, and my dog has pit bull in him, then it stands to reason that one day he is going to kill something or someone. Right. This is to say nothing of the fact that there is a big difference between breeding and training. Can you train a dog to be a killer? Yes. In fact, one can train ANY dog to be a killer. Just abuse it and make it fight all the time, and it WILL kill something eventually. Are dogs bred to be killers? Not likely.

Anywho, the other reason that this is coming up now (again) is because I came across an article today that I found to articulate my feelings better than anything I have read to date on the subject of pit bulls. It's by a woman named Gail Fisher, who happens to be a friend of my organization also. We are having a major fundraiser in about three weeks and she's going to be the speaker. She's the owner of All Dogs Gym and Inn in Manchester, and not only does she train dogs, she trains people to train and groom dogs.

So, really - does this dog look like a killer to you? :) (please also keep in mind that he's afraid of cats, which has in turn, I'm pretty sure, made him afraid of anything smaller than he is.)

Puh Puh Puh Puppy Pictures!!!

A couple of weeks ago, Miles had a weekend packed with socialization, including a Healthy Living fair with hundreds of people and animals in Concord, and some time in a puppy play group in Portland. The benefits of socialization have been shared below, but here are some of the pictures from that day:

Here is Miles doing the butt sniff test to a couple of 2-week old lambs at the Healthy Living Fair. Unfortunately, he wouldn't sit still long enough for pictures with the goats, bull, chickens, cow and big bunch of dogs. There were tons of animals there, but he was the star.

Random shot from the puppy play group at a store wholly devoted to dogs in Portland, ME.

"You guys ready? I'm coming in."

"Hey, quit ganging up on me."

All puppy golden retrievers are called 'Brandon' according to Rob (to honor Punky Brewster's dog).

Pig...err...puppy pile. That's Miles in the foreground with the red collar, but check out that guy in the upper right...his name is Thor and he and Miles could be twins.

"Get the big guy!" (It was that shepard's last day at the play group)

Here's Miles with some older boys at a local Portland dog park.

Here's Miles with his cousin Yogi and Yogi's brother, Pedro. They taught him to get knocked down and roll around in the dirt.

Miles has a thing for all things recyclable...here he is with his favorite toy of the day, an empty water jug.

And nap time...note how the little one is still awake; I thought puppies were supposed to sleep a lot.

Mmmmmm...dog face.

That's it for now. We keep getting more and more pictures of Miles, so we'll keep them coming with more stories of him being a good boy.

A cautionary tale about Pig's Ears/Rawhides/etc., plus an alternative

Back when we first got Miles (I believe I mentioned it in one of my first blog posts), I tried giving him a pig's ear. I actually gave him two, and then I gave him a cow's ear. I made two mistakes in doing this:

1. I didn't do my research on things like pig's ears and rawhides, and
2. I gave them to him unsupervised.

I will say that I have since learned, and NEVER give him anything unsupervised that can break apart, and I also no longer give him pig's ears, cow ears, rawhides (dried cow skin) or cow hooves (I had one left but threw it away when I learned the danger of them). The dangers are as follows (source found here):

1. They are a big choking hazard.
2. They are a big intestinal blockage hazard.
3. They are processed with products that are harmful to dogs, such as lime.
4. When used in adult dogs, they can damage their teeth.

Alas, once I found out the danger of all of these things, I had to find a suitable alternative. He chews pretty much constantly - on shoes, his food/water bowls, my knitting, his bandana (his current favorite), the pedals to the stationary bike, his leash, the ottoman, the underside of the bed, his countless chew toys (kong included)....need I go on? But, he's a teething puppy, so we try not to be too hard on him, all the while trying to teach him "LEAVE IT!". It's starting to work, but it doesn't alleviate his need to chew.





Enter the Bully Stick.

It's kind of gross - a dried bull p-e-n-i-s, but he LOVES it. Seriously, in the above picture, he had been chewing on it for over an hour. He chews it so much that it makes him tired! It doesn't break off into little pieces, and it gives him something to work on that he enjoys. He has already lost three baby teeth, so he's going to be teething on the bigger ones sooner than later. This seems to be perfect for him!

Also, he had his first vet appointment yesterday. She said that he is in perfect health, gave him two shots, and gave me the rundown of what his growth is going to look like. He's currently 20.4 pounds (yes, he has absolutely more than doubled in size since we brought him home), and he's just great. The vet thinks so too. :)

As far as the progression with the cats is concerned, it's coming along. They're now curious while he's sleeping. A neat thing has happened though - Ella is filling out a little bit and her coat is healthier than I've ever seen it. Pretty much, I feel like she's at peak health right now. She's still full of piss and vinegar, make no mistake, but she's physically healthier than she's ever been. Bernie has lost a little weight, but that may just be my imagination from carrying a dog around and then picking him up...he feels much, much lighter than he used to. :) His coat is also very, very healthy, and he's generally also in very good health. I was really worried about the stress that it would cause them, but they seem to be faring just fine. PHEW!

Anywho, here's another cute picture of him, probably one of my favorites. :)

The Benefits of Doggie Day Care

There are many, many benefits to doggie daycare, statistically. Animal experts will say that it's good to socialize an animal, it helps to feed the "pack" mentality, and it gives a dog or puppy stimulation. All of these things are true for Miles, and more.

We started sending him to doggie day care yesterday. I went to a visit there (there being Lakes Region Lucky Paws) on Thursday of last week and absolutely fell in love with the place. The owner, Christine, is very nice and professional, and had answers to every one of my thousand questions. She introduced me to all of the dogs in the dog area, as well as Miles and me to the puppies in the puppy area. Miles was very nervous at first, but it only took him about five minutes to feel himself around the other puppies there. He is never crated while there, huge plus, and he is stimulated for the absolute entire day while he is there. I know this because he comes home totally beat, which is exactly what I wanted.

This was a good alternative for us because it is a big challenge to bring him to work for the day, being that he needs to go out very often (puppies, as it turns out, have very small bladders...just kidding, I knew that already) and he's a very energetic little guy, which makes it very, very hard to concentrate on, you know, working.

This has turned out to be a great arrangement for Miles too, because he is not only more socialized and stimulated, but I have already noticed a marked difference in his obedience. He listens, DEFINITELY knows his name now, and has even learned a couple of new tricks in the past couple of days!

More than any of these things though, and I say most importantly, he's more confident already. He is no longer scared of other animals, and he's becoming more and more confident the more that we expose him to other dogs in particular (but it's turning out to hold true with people also). The cats, that's another story. I fear that Ella and Bernie may have already scarred him for life when it comes to cats. But that's a story for another day.

Starting this past weekend and over the coming weeks, it is going to be a priority for us to expose Miles to as many new things as possible. This past weekend was a GREAT start, with going to Portland to visit my sister and brother-in-law, and for Miles to have some really great facetime with their 10-month old Boxer-Pointer mix, Yogi. It was totally priceless, and we have some great pics from that weekend that we will be sure to share as time goes on. He had his first experience at the dog park, as well as his first experience...um...well, humping another animal. One would not think that a mere 11-week old puppy would have the know-how to do that, but apparently Miles is ahead of his time.

Anywho, here is my favorite picture of the weekend. There were opportunities for lots of them, but this one is my favorite because they were just so passed out and cute. :)

Primal Puppy

Have you ever looked at a cow’s teeth? They’re boring, as flat and featureless as the land on which they graze. That is not to say that those teeth are bad…in fact I think they suit those huge heads of theirs rather well. And those teeth are perfect for cows, because what do cows eat? Grass. More conventionally raised beef is fed a lot of grain because it’s easier and cheaper, but cows are meant to eat grass. Adding grain to their diets doesn’t really do a lot of harm to cows (especially compared to all the antibiotics and hormones they are filled with) because what is corn but really tall, knobby grass? Their teeth and their stomachs can handle it.

Those aren't made for eating grains. This picture wasn't easy to take.

Now look at a dog’s teeth, or a cat’s for that matter. You’ll see no flat expanses perfect for chewing leaves. Instead, you’ll see a shiny set of pointed enamel from front to back. They are pointed for a reason: what do dogs and cats eat? Other animals. So it’s a little strange to see grains like corn listed as the first ingredient on most popular or big name pet foods. Most people are feeding their cats and dogs food that just isn’t right for them. When we adopted Miles, we got a bag of Science Diet puppy food to give him. This a brand often lauded by veterinarians. Well, this is one area where we will always disagree with the vets.

Let’s take a quick glance at nature for a second. What is the first and only ingredient on a lion’s food? Zebra. How about a wolf or wild dog; any corn in their natural diet? Nope—try Bambi. The majority of household pets aren’t designed to eat what the majority of pet foods have to offer. Rather than eating 9 Lives and Kibbles N’ Bits, cats and dogs should be chasing down and eating whatever scurries by outside in the middle of the night. They have survived for millions of years (like humans) eating other beasts, while the use of agriculture to grow grains as food has only been going on for 10,000 years. Don’t misunderstand, we love farms (especially local, grass fed farms that anyone can find at eatwild.com), but reliance on agriculture and adding unnatural foods to diets has led to an extreme decline in health for both humans and domesticated animals alike. Many of the common foods fed to animals aren’t really edible in their natural state; they have to be processed. It’s better to just give an animal what it’s meant to eat.

This makes Rob excited because he lives his life according to the Primal Blueprint, which at its simplest explanation means eating, moving, and mimicking our Paleolithic ancestors while living in a modern world. By honoring both the past and the present, we can achieve optimal health. Puppies, as it turns out (all animals, really), live mostly primal without even thinking about it. They chase things, sniff, dig, sleep, investigate, sleep some more, kill things, sleep again, walk, trot, run, sleep. They don’t have to be told how to live; they just follow their instinct (which is why play time and a little freedom is just as important as any training…but more on that another time). The only way in which a puppy is not primal is in the food he/she eats. Well, don’t fret; there is a solution.

We feed Miles a food brand called Taste of the Wild for both his wet and dry food. It’s amazing. It hasn’t been chemically balanced for optimum puppy health in some lab or anything…it’s just food that comes from nature, food that he was meant to eat. The main ingredient in Miles’ food is bison, though there are other meat options as well. In fact, the first three ingredients are all meat. Sure, there are few things in there to help form it into a dry food, but nothing that would be unnatural for a dog.

Essentially, what we are after is grain-free, low-ingredient food (we are transitioning the cats to this kind of food, and currently feeding them Iams Naturals until we find something that we and they like). There is plenty of science to back up this feeding philosophy, but it shouldn’t really be necessary. From an evolutionary perspective, and just plain old common sense, feed your animals food made with fewer kinds of food…and check to make sure it’s all food. We got Miles’ food at Sandy’s Pet Food, and he recommending that the first three listed ingredients were all some kind of meat or meat meal…after all, those teeth weren’t meant to tear into a bag of barley. Don’t feed your furry friends anything that is filled with chemicals or food-like ingredients.

Mmmmm....bits of large animals

Miles’ training treats aren’t 100% ideal, but they are more natural than most options for puppies and dogs, and we get real food treats whenever we can. He’ll take his time gnawing on a dried slice of sweet potato, but he much prefers bananas wrapped in chicken and the classic (and perhaps best) doggie treat, marrow bones. Does all this cost a little extra? Yeah, but we have a saying in the primal community: pay the farmer now, or pay the doctor later…his long-term health will lead to long term savings.

How is all this working out? Mile’s has boundless energy when he’s awake, he sleeps twice as long through the night than when he was eating Science Diet, and, because of the omega ratios in the bison meat, his dandruff is gone and his coat is one of the healthiest we’ve seen on a dog. Those are the changes in just one week of being a primal puppy. He’ll just keep on getting healthier. And, of course, he’ll always be a good boy.

My favorite part of owning a puppy - Laughing!

Everyone said to us, "when you get a dog, your life is going to be sooooooo different." I knew that and expected it. I knew that it would mean more time at home, and I knew that in the beginning, it meant having him around me or Rob pretty much all the time. I knew that my wakeup time would change (which, actually, is really nice - I've seen three sunrises this week and they are pretty gorgeous!), I knew that we were going to have to start being more careful with what we left around within reach of the dog (though, I must say, he's amazing about not getting too badly into stuff...I mean, for a dog). I knew that the transition would be tough, and the first week, by and large, was actually a cakewalk compared to what it could have been. Despite my worries, the positives far, far outweigh the negatives. Rob asked me about mid-week, after I had been bringing him to work with me, armful of stuff in hand every single day, whether I regretted getting a dog. The answer was no, and it still is, in spite of the fact that he is currently chewing on my concert shoe. It seems to be his favorite chew toy, for reasons unknown.

As we dawn on week 2 of our ownership, and close out week 9 of his life on Sunday, here are some things that make me laugh at least three times a day about my dog:

1. The yawning is probably the funniest things I've ever heard. I laugh hysterically every time he yawns, and it is my major goal of mine this week to get a recording of it. It truly sounds like Chinese Opera - Rob was not exaggerating even a little bit when he wrote that in the first blog post.

2. Even when he's getting into mischief, he is the most hilarious dog ever. When I say "NO, MILES!" I know that he knows exactly what he did, but he still gives me the Mr. Innocent look with the adorable eyes, which I am positive will get him out of many a sticky situation.

3. The fact that he has to dig and dig and dig and dig and dig at his pillow and get it perfect before he lays down and goes to sleep on it. The first day he did this was at work on Monday, and I stopped him. But I was laughing while I said no so he didn't take me seriously. So I left him to his own devices. He didn't rip it to shreds - he did it for about ten minutes and then went to sleep on it. I like that he does it there, because if we don't let his nails get too long (an adventure for this weekend that is sure to be a very, very good time), then he'll have a place to dig freely as dogs are meant to do, and will get it out of his system. He will occasionally dig in the yard, but he's only done it once in the past three days or so.

4. He may be the darn smartest dog I have ever met! Ready? At nine weeks old, this is the list of stuff he knows:

His Name
Sit
Outside (and he even consistently sits at the door while he waits for me to open it)
Come
Down (almost)
Paw (almost)
Leave It (almost)
He's, like, 90% housetrained. If he has an accident in the house, it's my fault for missing the signals, not his for just peeing in the house.
He's also completely crate trained. He slept through the night for the first time last night and when I woke up this morning, I nearly cried I was so excited.

All of these things make me laugh because it brings me so much joy to see that he learns more every single day. Also, he's becoming the type of dog that if you bring a baggie of anything that resembles a treat out of the cabinet, he sits. HE SITS LIKE A FREAKIN' CHAMP. :)

5. He is an absolutely hilarious sleeper. My favorite is when he yips in his sleep, and sometimes wakes himself up it gets so loud. Once on Wednesday when we were at work, he was napping and outright barked in his sleep and startled himself silly. I laughed for a good ten minutes.

Anywho, he is a great dog, and I finally realized that I am really easing into the change much better than I would have, say, six months ago. My anxiety has been high this week (as it always is with major change...except when Rob and I got married, go figure), and the adjustment to having him with me nearly all of the time has been a bit of a challenge. I had been super busy beforehand anyway, and when I got to teach last night, no dog to worry about, I ran some errands. For instance:

I made my car payment.
I went to the bank and deposited checks that I had been sitting on for upwards of three weeks. (I hadn't had time to go to the bank, how absurd is that?)
I celebrated the luxury of being able to do both of these things with an iced tea from Dunkin's, which was right next door to my bank.
Also, I practiced for a good solid hour.

These things may seem small in the grand scheme of things (the practicing thing isn't...I am soloing with an orchestra in May and really need to fine-tune some things), and they certainly are - but I am finding that I hate leaving Miles in the car, and I can't go through the drive-thru at my bank because I go to different credit unions that will only let me come inside. What I'm saying is that running these errands felt huge because I hadn't given myself the time to do them. Also, my "maintenance required" light started blinking yesterday (meaning that it will come on in full probably today), and I've really been feeling the stress lately, and I started crying because I didn't know when I would have the time to do it. Yup. Not ashamed to admit it.

The next step is that I really need to make peace with the idea that sometimes, I am just going to need to leave Miles in the car for a few minutes. Also, I need to make peace with the fact that he hates it when I practice, but I need to do it anyway, even if it DOES make him POed. I mean, really POed. That's a topic for another time.

Today, I am going to go to the pet food store in Concord (look on the side - "links that get licks", and go to Sandy's Pet Food...I get nothing for plugging him, but he absolutely deserves the plugging - he's SO knowledgeable and I feel totally confident going in and talking to him about what to switch Miles to, and he even gives samples so that we can try before we buy!) and figure out what we are going to feed Miles. I have a hunch that I know what he's going to say, but I always like to read up on it beforehand and ask the opinions of others so that I go in prepared.

So, all in all, excellent first week. I am excited that the first week is the hardest, because that means that everything will start to get a little easier than it already is. I already maintain that this dog is going to be pretty much effortless - he's so low maintenance, and he's just great.

Yes, Miles and I passed out on the couch. He's a huge cuddlebug. I normally do not post embarassing photos of myself passed out on the couch (and there are more than you realize), but he's too cute when he's sleeping. :)

B-A-T-H Time

That's right...gotta get behind those ears.

We gave Miles his first bath as a member of this family recently. It wasn’t too bad. He doesn’t know the word bath yet, follows around the house (including into the bathroom) already, and weighs barely more than 10 pounds…maybe eleven after the bath.

Ryan scooped him up into the bathtub and away we went. He squirmed for a minute and spent a good chunk of time pressing himself into Ryan’s leg, but once he got four paws massaging puppy scrub into his little body, he calmed right down.

The bath wasn’t an absolute necessity. After all, from an evolutionary perspective, animals, including humans, didn’t really do a whole lot of bathing…particularly not with soap. After all, a dog’s fur has a natural health and lubricating oils like vitamin D, and too much bathing can compromise those things. Have you ever noticed the new puppy smell on your little friend? Well, puppies are supposed to smell that way.

But, today’s puppy shampoos are made with this in mind. That’s why veterinarians recommend some regular frequency to bathing, but base it on need rather a fixed schedule. Why would you need to bathe a puppy? There are plenty of reasons, but the big ones are parasites (e.g. fleas, ticks, mites), allergies, odor or your pup might just be plain old dirty. Luckily, we did not have to deal with any those, despite Miles’ penchant for rolling around on the ground.

Nope. We were washing away a little culprit known as puppy dandruff. As it turns out, it’s actually a pretty common condition with puppies. The flakes that we see are just dry skin, or dander. Those natural oils in the puppy’s skin aren’t producing quite enough yet to keep the hair as healthy and shiny as it could be. They are underdeveloped in a puppy’s early years, but they will eventually get there. The reason we see Miles’ dandruff so much is because of his fur—he’s all black save for a few white spots on his face, chest and paws. If you want, you can learn more about it here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=873

We’re not really worried about his dandruff, and it’s not likely that we’ll be bathing him often; just as much as he needs should do the trick. One of the treatments for puppy dandruff is oatmeal shampoo (fatty acids are good too…good thing Rob keeps extra bottles of fish oil on hand), which is what we washed him in. Once we had him all soaped up and looked down into those I’m-curious-about-what-you’re-doing-but-will-you-please-stop-it eyes of his, we gave him a good rinse and wrapped him up in a towel.

Behavior-wise, Miles is an all-star. Sure, he’s curious and excited, but he’s also got some basic communication down and he’s easy to calm down. Where he is truly surprising, though, is in the tub. He’s quiet and patient, and he just about took a nap while being dried. He really is a good boy.

I'm not a seasoned dog owner, I just play one on TV.

So, while it's fun to write about all of the fun things associated with puppy ownership, like the fact that Miles naps all day and then comes home and goes crazy, or that he is now barking at the cats before backing away and doesn't allow himself to be intimidated by ANY cats except for Ella and Bernie and that's cute. Or that he's currently licking the door, and on the way home from work today (between naps), he was licking the passenger seat.

I do laugh a lot, but like with any tiny creature that we would have adopted, there are times that I worry whether or not I have done the right thing, and there are times that I know that I've done the wrong thing. In the first five days, the list of the latter is much longer than I expected, particularly after doing some research. I understand that I can't be a perfect puppy parent from the get-go, but I find myself very worried sometimes, and that's maybe not healthy. For instance:

1. On the first and second day that we had him, I overfed him, to the tune of triple what he was supposed to eat in a single day. I misread the bag because I wasn't paying attention, and it said to feed him 1 3/8 cups per day. I misunderstood and fed him 1 3/8 cups at dinner on the first night, as well as the ensuing three meals the next day. It wasn't until Rob said, "that seems like a lot" and I argued that the bag said that that much was what we should be feeding him that it registered and I looked again. Whoops.

2. For his snacks to chew on, we have been giving him pig and cow ears. I have done some research about the choking and blockage hazard, and the reviews are mixed, which is to say that we will probably not give them to Miles anymore.

3. I cannot seem to get his "I have to peeeee!" signals when he's at work with me! I do everything that I'm supposed to do - I take him out right when he wakes up from a nap, if I have any -inkling- that he has to pee, I take him out. I take him out for extra time around lunch time to make sure that he has fully gone, and I don't know what to do! He goes outside EVERY time I bring him, and he peed on my floor twice today. Yesterday, he peed AND pooped on my coworker's floor. The only thing that I'm thinking is that he probably smelled the house animals and peed to mark his territory. There will be times that I bring him out to pee, we come back inside, and literally less than five minutes later, he'll pee on the floor. I just don't get it.

4. I think we might have introduced the cats and the dog too abruptly. This is one thing that I genuinely fear might have long-lasting implications. You see, our cat, Ella, has an anxiety problem. As such, she's a compulsive licker when she gets stressed. If you want to know what that's like, think licking herself until she's bald. Also, a whole lot of hissing. And growling. And batting at people. And scratching and biting. She's really not pleasant for anyone to be around except for Rob and I, because she's used to us. They're getting closer to interacting by the day, but it's going to be a rough road. Bernie is getting curious, but he's afraid of the energetic puppy that he sees and now lives under my dresser. I understand that there are ways of introducing animals gradually, but I thought there would be no harm in just introducing them. Clearly, I thought wrong. We are backtracking a little and making sure that the cats have their safe space, particularly when they're eating, because if they don't, then Bernie won't eat. Literally, the first night that we had Miles, I had to feed him under the dresser. I put a big pile of dry food under there and when I came back, it was gone. He's gotten progressively braver ever since.

Now, I understand that none of these have long lasting implications (except for possibly the second one and maybe the fourth one - and we'll know within the next couple of days, but the rational side of my brain is telling me that I'm worrying WAY too much and that it will be fine, but in my research, I read that someone lost their three and a half month old puppy because of a pig's ear and there went my sanity)

Anywho, he is fine. He naps all day, and he's so cute that I can't stand it approximately 110% of the time. WHOA. Ella just walked up and sniffed at him when he was napping, and came within this much space of him:

I I

He woke up, looked at her, and she hissed and almost batted at his face, and then backed away, but that is REAL progress. :) I also just learned that Rob keeps cat treats in his pocket, just like he keeps dog treats in his pocket, and that ups his awesome level quite a bit from its already quite high level.

Also, here's a cute picture from when he was napping on the way home from work today.

Common Pit Bull Myths

So, there was another litter of puppies that we were looking at back in January, and they were tan and adorable (but not as cute as Miles, admittedly). They were also lab-pit bull mixes. Their mom, Cinnamon, was a purebred pit bull - very, very strong, but also incredibly shy and gentle. She was the kind of mom that would let you do anything to her (clip her nails, take her temperature in a way that is not always comfortable, play with her ears, etc.) but very early on when I met her, I knew that if anyone even THOUGHT of hurting her babies, they would immediately regret it. That kind of gentle.



Anywho, I was talking to my family about these dogs, because they were so cute and I really wanted one, and the subject came up about their breed, and I said, "they're Lab-Pit Bull mixes." I nearly always heard a gasp after the "Pit Bull" part, because EVERYONE has this assumption that Pit Bulls are these vicious dogs that will attack you on sight and we should be very, very afraid of them.

We see it in the shelter all the time - people are always so afraid of dogs that are the sweetest, gentlest, well-meaning dogs that just happen to be Pit Bulls. These fears range from "he's going to attack me" to "I could never adopt him - he'll kill my pets" to "I saw on the news the other day that a pit bull attacked a child, and they are dangerous." Views like these have been the catalyst for breed-specific legislation, as well as the breed itself statistically being more abused than any other breed.

Here are some common misconceptions about Pit Bulls that make me a little crazy, because they totally add to the stigma attached to Pit Bulls (all information courtesy of http://www.realpitbull.com):

1. Pit Bulls have locking jaws. A dog is a dog is a dog. Their jaws are built the same way, which is to say, not locking. Dog's don't have locking jaws. Period. This also dispels the myth that Pit Bulls can hold onto something with their front teeth, while chewing with their back teeth. Absurd. Not a single dog breed has that capability.

2. Pit Bulls Don't feel pain. Is a Pit Bull a living, breathing, pooping being? Yes? Then he can feel pain. At one point, Pit Bulls were bred to ignore pain they may have been experiencing in order to finish the task at hand, but they absolutely have the capability to experience and feel pain, just like any other dog breed.

3. Pit Bulls attack people more than any other breed of dog. This myth probably drives me the craziest - there are a few things going on with this fallacy, and here they are:

a. Bite statistics are difficult to obtain accurately, particularly because the term "Pit Bull" itself has become a catch-all breed name.
b. In fact, many people even have a difficult time identifying a pit bull. To just "know that they're vicious" is not enough. I would even venture that a majority of the people that are the most vocal about pit bulls being vicious probably couldn't identify one.
c. The American Pit Bull Terrier is actually a very, very popular breed of dog - some would even say the most popular. To that end, of course it's going to have more instances of biting than any other breed, because there are more of them.

4. Pit Bulls "turn" on their owners. Dogs, as a species, do not attack unless provoked. They need to be given a reason. Yes, dog owners, I'm looking at you. If you provoke your dog, or if someone else provokes your dog or an animal provokes your dog and gets attacked, it doesn't matter if it's a golden retriever or a pit bull or a chihuaua. It is their instinct as a dog to attack - breed does not matter.

When I was looking at Miles' litter to pick one to adopt from, one of the ladies that accepted them when they were surrendered I'm sure almost felt like she had to make a point to tell me to "not be afraid" of the fact that there is Pit Bull in Miles. I assured her that we're not, and that as dog-savvy people, we know that it's entirely about how the dog is raised. Not once did it cross my mind that a dog that is as sweet as Miles is could be a danger solely based on his breed. Will other people see it this way? No. I'm sure I'll get a lot of "oooh, be careful"s when I tell them, but I'm already proud of my little dog son. :) He's adorable, and he's going to be a great dog, and his breed doesn't matter one bit.

Now - here's a cute picture of him sleeping on my knitting. I may see what I can do to knit him a dog bed by Christmas.

Puh Puh Puh Puppy Power!!!

Here's Miles, doing what he usually does, sleeping.

We got a new puppy. Eight pounds of vim, vigor, bad puppy breath, chinese opera, and probably some kind of super coil springs. His name is Miles. He's named after the jazz musician, a sort of trend among our pets. Miles seemed to fit well; next to his two yipping, nipping brothers he was the calm and cool one, content to sit and wait his turn for a belly rub. At a mere 9 weeks old, he has been part of our family for 2 days, and already it feels like he's with us the whole time.

Of course, not everyone thinks that. Ryan and Rob (the humans) can't stop playing with him. Ella and Bernie...well, let's just say they're not ready to start exchanging Christmas presents just yet. Ella and Bernie are the two cats that live in this house. One of them (Bernie) is a little skittish, and the other (Ella) may in fact be the demon spawn of the only cat in hell with the daring to scratch the devil. It would not be surprising to learn that Ella committed premeditated murder. Therefore it is surprising that we have all survived the past two days with fairly little incident. There has been some hissing, and a swat or two to the nose as she asserts her dominance, but it's not hard to see that with a little time and patience, all five of us will become good friends. That is what this blog is going to be about.

We are not experts, but we have some experience with dogs; Rob grew up with dogs and Ryan works for a local branch of the SPCA. We are not professional trainers, dog whisperers or veterinarians; what we are is curious. This is our first puppy together, and we have a lot of learning to do, and that is exactly what we will be doing here: learning. We will use Miles' behavior, antics, training and yogi-like sleeping positions to learn more about our pup, and hopefully you can learn about yours. Keep checking in. Good boy.