Sunday, April 16, 2017

Abbey Rose

For those who didn't know, 2 weeks ago we welcomed a new member to our family! Her name is Abbey Rose, and she was an 8 week old Bull Terrier (she's now 10 weeks old). She is growing FAST, gaining just about a pound a week (she was 7lbs 2 weeks ago, now she's 9).

A quick synopsis of HOW Abbey came into our lives: we have been looking for a female Bull Terrier for over a year now. They are rather hard to find, and none were going to be close to us. Then Jeannie (unbeknownst to me) found a breeder in Portland Oregon who had ONE left. She was planning on keeping her to show, but then another litter came along and she decided to let her go. Jeannie had been conversing with her a while, and had pictures and had let her know that we DID want her.

So 2 weeks ago Friday I get an email at work that Jeannie wants to go shopping up in the Bay area (about 4 to 5 hours north by car) with a girlfriend on Sunday. They would spend the night in the area and drive home on Monday. I of course said fine by me (what would I say, NO?) and on Sunday morning she was up early and was gone. We chatted on the phone Monday night, all was well with her 'shopping' (ha ha!) and I'd see her tomorrow after work.

So I get off work and go for a short mt bike ride in town, and get home about 6pm. Lo and behold, our family grew by one! She is the most darling little fuzzball you could ask for! All puppies are cute I admit, but there's something REALLY special about Bull Terrier puppies. Maybe it's the almost black slitted eyes, or the shape of their snout (curves OUT, not down like typical dog snouts). Or the ears? Or the tail? Hard to say, other than she is just ADORABLE! Jeannie REALLY surprised me, and WHAT a WONDERFUL surprise indeed!


Here is a pic of me holding her on the first day.
She's got an amazing personality: fearless and curious. She's not at ALL a whiny baby like some 8 week old puppies are apt to be (I mean, COME ON, she's only EIGHT WEEKS old!) As to fearless, she is NOT intimidated in the LEAST by Sophie, her 2 1/2 year Old English Bulldog BIG-sister (who weighs 56lbs, and is built like a large hunk of ROCK). One thing of note in this pic: Abbey's ears are still not standing up straight. Down at the bottom of this post are pics 2 weeks older and they are now up already. Gosh she is growing SO FAST! Some of the pics below are out of order (by her age) and you can tell by the ears: if they are standing up they are later than if they are folded down).

 Here she's attacking Sophie at her weak spots: LOW areas such as legs are her mainstay. She also leaps and occasionally catches a fold of skin on Sophie's face. Her teeth are pure puppy teeth: razor sharp like little needles. When this happens Sophie stops movement until Abbey releases. Sophie actually is quite gentle with her LITTLE sister!

Here Sophie and Abbey are having a tug of war over a small bone. Abbey always loses cuz Sophie knows her size advantage and uses it. She has pulled Abbey clear across the living room playing tug of war with toy animals or the rubber rings.

Another shot showing Abbey on the attack (going for skin folds, or sometimes an ear if she can get it)

Here you can CLEARLY see her size DIS-advantage. But she doesn't stop trying! That's not actually Abbey's feeding bowl (the middle one). She eats alone off to the side, under guard (by ME) so Sophie doesn't mosey in and steal her food.

Here's out WEE MONSTER after she's taken over PG's bed (PG is the Alpha, but hasn't YET bit or even nipped at the little scoundrel). PG barks when Abbey climbs in bed with her (letting us know her territory has been invaded by a little furry Alien) and then if we don't rescue her (Abbey)PG will finally get up and leave, finding a quiet spot to doze. PG is 15 1/2 years old, and is doing pretty well considering her HUMAN age would likely be over 100!

The WEE MONSTER snoozing. She's a pretty good snoozer typically!

More playing tug of war with Sophie (these are the rubber rings). 

Sophie and Abbey on the couch. They LOVE to play on the couch for some reason!

 Here's our little angel in the park playing. She LOVES grass, as I think all dogs do. Here she's poised to POUNCE on Sophie (who is just out of the picture). Sometimes she seems part cat!


 
 A closeup of Sophie at the park (she's been chasing her ball so her tongue is out just a 'bit').

 And finally, all our Fur-babies wishing you a VERY HAPPY EASTER! 
(you don't want to know how DIFFICULT it was getting this picture...let's just say herding 100 CATS would be FAR easier!)




10 comments:

  1. Love, love, love! So adorable it's melting the screen! I can't chat now but this week, I'll be back! :)

    Quick question - how do you feel about the Raiders leaving Oakland? Angry or doesn't affect your fandom? I can tell you this kind of shit is why I more & more detest the main pro-sports in this country. Bottom line - you are a sucker if you are a fan of a pro TEAM because it's your "home" team. The owners & certainly not the players don't care a crap about you except for your wallet. And that ANY area's citizens are STOOOPID/desperate enough to agree to funding a stadium/arena/roadways to said arena with tax-payer money is DISGUSTING. Let the frickin BILLIONAIRE OWNERS pay for their own g'damn toys!


    Gotta run. LOVE the pics & love Abbey!

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    1. Hey Susie...yep, Abbey is QUITE the cutie-pie...flat out ADORABLE! Even her squeaks and barks melt your heart!

      As to the Raiders moving (AGAIN)...I HATE IT! I hated it the first time, then when they went BACK to Oakland I was ok (cuz they were going HOME). Oakland is a poor city, so on the one hand I can understand moving to a more lucrative marketplace (football, like Pro Cycling, is a BUSINESS, which at it's most basic is entertainment). Vegas will likely be a VERY profitable location, surprised they didn't have a team till now. Honestly, I'll still be a Raider fan (for life)...have been since I was a WEE LAD, choosing them (over my Dad's Packers) cuz they were PIRATES! But I don't like it. I've always felt that the cities have ownership of the teams, even tho they are privately owned. Sure, the OWNER pays the bills, but the CITY pays HIM. I've always thought if an owner isn't happy w/ his team's city, then sell the team...it stays PUT. The FANS pay the bills...season tickets, concessions, etc...THAT'S what the owner uses to pay the ludicrous contracts some players are getting these days. Nothing comes out of the owners pocket. so the CITY pays ALL the bills, and then some. That all said, I've never been to a Raider home game (even tho I'm prob about 5 hours away). On the plus side, did you see the proposed stadium Vegas will build? Pretty nice...they'll sell a lot of tickets to tourists for sure. But it still burns my butt.

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  2. Hey Matt! Is Abbey a miniature Bull Terrier or full size? I know there are 2 versions because I watch the Westminster Dog Show every year! :) Honestly, Abbey is just so cute! And how great that Sophie & Abbey get along so well! Question for you - I notice that all your dogs have been female - is this by design or happenstance? If by choice, can you elaborate? I hope one day to get a dog again but of course, have never had one in suburbia before so was wondering what your take on male vs female dogs in such an environment.

    When I 1st heard that the Raiders were moving (again), I thought of you. I feel bad for all the folks in Oakland who thought of the team as "theirs". Did the Raiders not sell out the stadium for home games? And soon, the Warriors will also move out, albeit just across the Bay to wealthier SF. That must piss those longtime fans off - they supported them all those years when they sucked & NOW that they are good, they're moving!

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    1. Hey Susie....I THOUGHT Abbey was a full size, but since you asked I started thinking about the numbers (her weight and age) and she seemed kind'a small....so I asked Jeannie. She IS a mini! Jeannie didn't tell me cuz she knew I wanted a full size, but she had been looking a long time and no full's were available, and she found Abbey and that was it (and she is PERFECT for us). Jeannie thought I'd be disappointed...so now her secret is out in the open...Abbey is our new little girl...and should weigh somewhere between 30 and 40lbs. That's fine by me. As to why they are all ladies, that is by design. I grew up w/ Male dogs, and they are always peeing on stuff (tires, plants, anything in your backyard)...and they're always humping stuff, even after they've been fixed. Having them all ladies stops any weird interaction having boys and girls. AND I think Jeannie likes it cuz I'm always out-voted 4 to 1. If you get the right kind of dog for your environment then should be no prob. There are so many breeds, all w/ their + and -. Just need to figure out what works for you and go with that (one thing to think of as we age: if your dog is small enough to fit inside a carry-on bag in an airline THAT makes travel OH so much simpler AND safer for your dog...you just carry them on and put their little soft-crate under the seat in front of you...BAM! No pressurized baggage hold worries (dogs do DIE down there occasionally). Sophie is right out for that, but Abbey might be able to fit one day...we will see in about a year.

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    2. I think the mini Bull Terrier is even cuter than the full size so I agree she is PERFECT! Every year when I watch the Westminster Dog Show on TV, I always pick out my fave breeds & the mini Bull Terrier is one. I like the full size too but the mini is so darn CUTE! For some reason, many of my fave breeds are low to the ground with short stubby legs : Basset, Sussex Spaniel, Corgis, Dandy Dinmont Terrier, & PBGV. However, I also like the Mastiff (not the Bull Mastiff) & the Clumber Spaniel. Of course, I don't know if I could handle a drooler & a shedder! :) :)

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    3. Jeannie thinks like you do (that the mini is cuter than the full size)...and now I have to agree...Abbey is SO darn cute it just blows my mind! And the noises she makes...squeaks, chirps, barks, just precious! And she's pretty darn smart too...though they say that bully's are tough to train...we shall see. So far we're VERY happy with our little baby girl!

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  3. Have you watched any cycling this year? Almost the only race I've been able to see was the same-day taped coverage of Paris-Roubaix. Everything else has aired on NBCSN or Universal HD AFTER 1:00 AM on the East Coast! It's so difficult to be enthusiastic about a sport when one cannot SEE it!
    I think the Giro will be broadcast everyday on one of the channels mentioned above. Hope I'll be able to see it.

    Of course, now is NBA Playoff time, so I'm glued to the set watching MY "Sweet Pea" (LeBron) & the Cavs attempt to once again get into the Finals. Whatever happens, nothing will top last year - coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the history-making 73-win juggernaut, twice on their home floor, for the championship! Damn, it STILL gives me goosebumps! But I would love to see LeBron & Cavs get into a 3rd straight Finals anyway, which would be LBJ's 7th straight!

    How have things been going for you lately? Good I hope. We had an almost non-existent winter (only ONE day of weekday snow!), which had me jumping for joy. It's funny that I LOVE watching winter sports but hate the snow & ice myself. Can you believe it's almost May? Seems like YESTERDAY I was waiting for the Olympic Trials in June! And then the TDF & Olympics themselves. Speaking of the Olympics, will you & Jeannie still be in CA in 2024 or in VA by then? If LA does get the 2024 Olympics, I hope possibly to go & see it in person! It will be my only chance. After that, I'll just be too damn old. :)

    Alrighty, gotta scoot. Post some more when you get the chance! Have a great weekend & kiss all the "girls" for me. :)

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    1. Nope...have not seen even ONE TEENSY MOMENT of cycling this year...and as you say, it's SO hard to get into it that way. I'm not going to up our DTV coverage until TDF time...don't really have the extra coin to do that just now.

      All in all we're good here, but we're having big-time family issues that we are dealing with. As my brother Greg says, you have to eat an elephant 1 bite at a time, can't focus on the entire thing or you will be overwhelmed. It's a big elephant tho. Glad I have my wonderful brothers! Together we WILL get thru this.

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    2. Hey Matt, so sorry to hear about your family issues. I send you good thoughts & hope everything gets better for you soon.

      Speaking of cycling, one of the Italian pros (Michele Scarponi) was killed just this week when he was out training. He'd finished one of the races & came home & the next day, he went out to train & some van plowed right into him. PLEASE BE CAREFUL when you bike on the roads. I worry about you & everyone else on the blogs that ever mentioned that they bike on public roads. I always thought it was SAFER in Europe because so many folks ride their bikes & they have more & wider bike lanes, but I guess not. I didn't know much about Scarponi but every rider has said/tweeted he was the nicest guy. So sad.

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    3. I heard about Scarponi...how very sad. I don't ride on roads much anymore...pretty much ONLY in group rides, OR on base. I gave up my solo rides, at least for now. Cell phones...I think they are a danger to society at large, especially people NOT surrounded by a few tons of steel and plastic. However, bad things happen to Mt bikers too...(2 years ago I got hit by that bull...just a miracle I wasn't killed, letalone that I wasn't even hurt!) But that's a fluke I think...like getting hit by lightening or something. Everybody I know who road rides has 'stories' about cars, but NOBODY knows anybody but ME who's ever been hit by a bull while mt biking. It still seems pretty surreal, but I have my shattered XTR tubeless wheels hanging at work as a reminder.

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