the dog post

As many of you know we have had not so good luck with dogs over the years. In fact, 3 dogs in 3years, all had problems, none made it much past a year. They were great dogs (american bulldog, great dane, neopolitan mastiff). They were oh so cute, all purebred, all from breeders. Our first puppy came from a farm type breeder out in the country. They were nice, the dogs were healthy, but we didn't know our breed. We didn't research and we just wanted a puppy. Turns out american bulldogs/pit bulls are pretty much the same thing and they are often and commonly dog aggressive. Our neighbors had small dogs so this didn't work well :(. Our next dog was an impulse buy. The great dane from the wal-mart parking lot. Just another reason to avoid wally world. They always have puppies in the parking lot, they are all super cute...but you just don't know what u are getting. The breed turned out to be perfect for our family...but it also turns out they have lots of health problems....LOTS....so we don't have a great dane :(. Then came the Neopolitan Mastiff. She was gorgeous and came from a "good" breeder. We went to their home, met the doggy parents, handled the puppies etc etc....we even researched the breed and new what to expect. Again, breeders just often are not what they seem and our Peanut had epilepsy and eventually passed away during a seizure. So we were left dogless and sad but we did learn something, perhaps getting a puppy from a breeder isn't the right idea. I vowed when we got another dog we would not do that again.

Fast forward a year or so and I had finally talked Beau into letting us get a dog. I was definitely tempted by the puppies in the pet store and the ones in the paper. They were super cute, but through all my dog problems I learned alot about potential warning signs and let me tell you, those puppies were full of them :( I began searching the shelters....the problem was I just love certain breeds and I'm a sucker for a cute doggie, and well...there were alot of faces only a mother could love lol. There were also certain breeds I wanted to steer clear of and there were tons of those mixes in the shelter. Eventually I began looking at rescues and found some really amazing places in our area. I found this place where you can get a dog thats already trained! and its still a rescue pup so you are doing your part to help the pet population http://www.coloradoci.com/serviceproviders/puppy/index.html?companion    check it out, they are amazing!

Beau is known to change his mind so we didn't have time to wait for the appointment they had so meanwhile I kept searching. One of the dogs Beau mentioned liking was a Great Pyrenees. I love Giant Dogs!! so I looked and found a Great Pyrenees rescue in our area. http://www.pyrescue.org/ If you are local you should definitely check them out. The rescue is run by a couple who love pyrs and a little help from volunteers. They do such a great job caring for all the dogs and I think all the dogs would be happy to stay with them lol. They told me on the phone that they liked to let the dog choose the family. We hoped for a male around 18mos. We wanted to skip all the potty training, chewing, and general destruction a large breed puppy does. Plus we figured problems are usually revealed by that age. Even though we had our specific hopes we agreed to let the dog choose the family and knew we might come home with something totally different.

Upon arrival we were greeted by the largest dog Ive ever seen in my life. Beau had once seen a dog of equal size but it was a St. Bernard. Immediately we thought that perhaps we had bitten off more than we can chew. Perhaps these dogs were much bigger than we thought lol. As we entered their home the massive beast was gentle with our children and we were impressed! They first showed us a litter of rescued puppies and their mom, soo super cute! but we were avoiding the puppy stage. FWIW if u r looking for a puppy they are probably about ready :) Then we went to the yard to meet our potential adoptees. Greeting us at the fence was a happy 140lb 3-4yo male named Buddy! His coat was a little dirty because he was previously not treated well and grooming isn't his favorite thing. We met a couple of other dogs but I think it was love at first sight with Buddy.

I really had begun to think that if you wanted a rescue you just had to go for a mix and you  might not get such a cutie. Not that there is anything wrong with a mutt, they are some of the best dogs, I just love learning about a breed and seeing the different personality and jobs in action. I'm also a habitual fan of the dog show lol and I love picking my favorites :) Buddy is proof positive that you can get a gorgeous purebred from a rescue. All of the dogs there were beautiful and they even had puppies. It feels so good knowing we gave a dog a home and we didn't contribute to pet overpopulation. I love my newly adopted Buddy!

Since Buddy arrived he has been busy guarding. This is his favorite inside spot, he loves watching for anyone coming to the door. Outside he loves to walk the perimeter of the yard and keep an eye on the kids. He has been to the groomer and didn't do so well but he is letting me brush more and more daily. I usually brush him once or twice a day....but that doesn't make a dent in the hair. To love a Pyrenees is to love fur...all over the place! We got some snow this morning and he is having a blast. I love not worrying whether or not he is cold, its obvious, he is not! Buddy does great walking on a leash, so great Parker can walk him by himself. His only flaw aside from the shedding....Buddy loves waffles and will do just about anything to get one. He will ignore a brisket left on the counter but no waffle is safe!