Category Archives: Pets

Sam I Am

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I’d like to introduce the newest member of our household, Sam the German Shepherd Dog!

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He was born on December 6, which makes him about 13 weeks old.

We had such a hard time deciding on a name for him; originally we had two choices, with “Sam” being Isla’s pick. (Norah was dead-set on Tinkles, haha.) As time went on more and more solid choices were added to the list, but in the end we went with Sam because it would make Isla the happiest and there’s a lot of tie-ins to the other name we had picked. So, Sam I Am, after Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, it was!

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He was a bit sombre the first couple days we had him – it was such a big change going from the breeder’s outdoor kennel with a bunch of friends to a quiet, indoor house. Sam has now settling in quite well, and is getting along with his “big brother” Campbell awesomely! They’ll play with one another for 15-20 minutes before Sam gets tuckered out and falls asleep. (Dog babies are the same as human babies in that regard, ha!)

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Of course, Isla and Norah both adore him as well! Norah was very excited to meet him and Isla is smitten that we chose the name she picked.

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Life with a puppy is definitely an adventure; it’s been over 14 years since we’ve had one so there’s a lot of relearning, but Sam is so mellow and relaxed most of the time. We’ve been socializing him with people when I pick Isla up from school, and he’s content to just sit or lay by my side until Isla comes out. We’ve had a few accidents on the floor but nothing too crazy, and we’re slowly working on a routine that works.

Sam is proving to be an amazing dog to fill that void that Daphne left just under a year ago. I know there will never be another dog quite like her, but Sam is pretty gosh-darn close!

If you want, feel free to “Follow” Sam on Instagram: @SamIAm_theGSD. I never thought I’d be one of “those” people, but here we are, lol!

Side note: It’s common for German Shepherd puppies to have their ears glued together to help this stay upright faster. They’re born with floppy ears and they eventually go up on their own, but some breeders glue them to speed things along. Sam’s were glued but came undone a couple days ago. It doesn’t hurt them at all! (So don’t @ me!)

 

Campbell

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On Sunday, it will be 2 years since we brought Campbell home to be a part of our family! It’s hard to believe that this summer, he’ll be three years old as well! How time flies …

Campbell, while he was still in foster care before we adopted him.

Campbell, while he was still in foster care before we adopted him. Just a baby!

I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve had our  moments, Campbell is the biggest doofus and loveable dweeb. (In our minds he has a deep, dumb jock voice, but if he could talk he’d probably sound more like Mike Tyson.) All the love he has for his family outweighs all the trouble he’s gotten himself into over the past couple years. Trouble like:

– Eating not one, but THREE of Daphne’s collars. While playing outside he’d pull her collar off, then eat it after a few victory laps around the yard. Cue smelly farts, and Daphne wearing a chain collar until that phase wore off.

– Panicking after having an upset tummy in his crate while we were out and around, and shoving the bottom tray out of the crate so he could try to chew his way out. Through the floor. Our carpet now has a 6″ hole in it right to the sub flooring. Thanks, Bud!

– Going for a stroll through the neighbourhood by himself after someone forgot to shut the front door. Apparently he went for a jog with someone up the street until someone grabbed him and called us up to come retrieve him. (This is why you should always, ALWAYS make sure your dog wears its collar, and that it isn’t easy for it to slip off!

But, like I said, his goofy love makes up for all of that. He absolutely adores Isla and she loves yelling at him (in a good way), commanding him to Sit, Come, or telling him to go in his crate. He loves it when we spoil him by letting him up on the bed if I’m reading in bed or having a nap. I love how he always seems to have my back, even though I’m sure he’d just try to lick someone to death. He’s an amazing family dog and has proven to us many times over that when raised right, pit bulls are just as amazing as any other dog.

We still have a lot to learn and accomplish, a lot of which I think will get better as he gets older. He’s high energy and just wants to be the best of friends with anyone new, but he shows his love by jumping up with every ounce of his body. It can be startling for anyone who hasn’t met him, or who has the mentality that pit bulls are “mean,” but give him a treat and 15 minutes to settle down and he’ll be your best friend.

I often wonder what kind of dog he would’ve turned out to be if he hadn’t been surrendered to the rescue society. His original owner went to jail (for what we don’t know), and that person’s family decided they couldn’t take care of him anymore and gave him to HugABull. He could’ve very well went down the wrong path and been shaped into that image of a pit bull that so many people still seem to have.

While he may be a high-energy, rambunctious, CRAZY boy, Campbell truly is just a big ol’ lug who just loves life.

Happy Adoption Day, Cam! We love you!

Campbell

Meet Campbell!

Posted in Kara and Kyle, Pets by

So, last week I may have mentioned in brief that Kyle and I got a new dog. And then on Wednesday I posted a photo of my two dogs.

Well, since our foster-to-adopt period is over today, I’m excited to finally introduce you all to Campbell!

Isn’t he adorable? Now, for his story …

Campbell is a 7-month old pit bull. Kyle and I adopted him through HugABull, a pit bull advocacy and rescue group based out of Vancouver. We had originally contacted HugABull back in January in regards to another dog, but unfortunately we were unable to adopt him because he had an altercation with another dog (which was the other dog’s fault), and they didn’t think that he would be a good match for us in the end. We were sad, but okay with it, and they let us know that if any dogs came to them that were a match for Kyle and I, they’d let us know!

A few weeks ago we got an email from HugABull telling us about a 7-month old male that just entered into their 1-month foster program. (All dogs are fostered and assessed for one month before being eligible for adoption). After seeing pictures, Kyle and I both fell in love with his cute face and immediately said “Yes please!”

So, two weeks ago Kyle and I drove out to Kelowna (with Daphne in tow!) to meet Mr. C! The “meet & greet” went really well, and after a walk to get to know each other, Kyle and I brought Campbell home with us for the two week foster-to-adopt program! Basically, if all goes well during his two week stay with us, he’s ours if we’d still like to have him!

It was a marginal adjustment for us considering we haven’t had a puppy in the house for almost 8 years (how is Daphne already almost 8, BTW?), but we can’t imagine him with anyone else! Despite a couple on bathroom accidents in the house, Campbell has settled in quite nicely and he’s learning more every day! Even Daphne has warmed up to him and lets him clean her face. I think she even likes having a playmate, although he has WAY more energy than she knows what to do with!

Most people’s reaction to us adopting a teenaged dog has been, “You’re nuts.” Maybe so, but we’ve been wanting to get another dog for a loooong time. With Campbell being older, but still young enough to mold into a well-behaved citizen that suits our lifestyle, he’s the perfect match. Really, we don’t think that having a baby and another dog is going to be all that challenging. Campbell is an amazing listener already too; we’re still working on “Come”, but he already knows “Wait” and “Leave it”, which is HUGE since he’s a hungry little guy who LOVES food. We’re also crating him while I’m at work and at night, so that’s a big help. He’s already putting himself to bed at night when he’s had enough of us!

And I know what a lot of you are thinking – “Why on earth would you want a pit bull? They’re mean!” Well, no, they’re not. When you train them correctly, they can be the nicest, calmest, and most loyal family dogs around. We want Campbell to be an ambassador for his breed, and if things keep going the way they are, he’s definitely going to be! He loves people, loves other dogs and is just a pleasure to be around. He’s melted my heart. I hate the stigma behind the breed, because the way I see it, any dog has the potential to be vicious. It’s all in how you raise and train your dog. (And for the record, we do have Campbell is doggy training lessons)

So – I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Tomorrow we are FINALLY getting the baby’s room painted, and I can’t wait to share photos with you!

What are your weekend plans?
What are your thoughts/options on breed-specific stigmas?