September 2, 2013 by Stephanie

Grace is no longer an only child!

After watching shelter pages for months and several applications, tonight we brought home this guy!

We had some bumps in the road to our adoption, and honestly we didn’t even go to the shelter to meet this slobbery mess initially.

Much like Grace’s adoption, we went to a shelter to meet another little dude. After looking at the most adorable 9 week old boxer puppy, we decided we definitely did not want to potty train. Plus, there were 3 other families who were interested in getting the puppy so we decided he was not our new little brother for Grace.

I knew there were several other boxers at the shelter so we asked the past history of the other dogs to see if there was one that fit our true need for a rescue.

Then they brought us our ~~little~~ big man. He warmed our hearts as soon as he walked through the doors.

He had been brought in as a stray so they are not completely sure of his past. He had been adopted through the shelter once, but the previous adopters brought him back when their small dog got snippy with him. He wasn’t even there for two weeks.

So after being a stray and a surrender, and seeing the visible scars on his body, we knew we were going to take him home. He is a smaller boxer like Grace, and obviously they have the same brindle coats. They guesstimated that he is about 3 years old, but are not completely sure. Since Grace is almost 3, we figured we could make their birthdays the same day.

He crawled up in my lap within seconds and licked my face all over. Seriously in love with this guy!

We brought him home tonight, which was such a perfect ending to our wonderful Labor Day weekend. We have named him Crosby. We named Grace after the iconic Grace Kelly, so it seemed appropriate to name our new bundle of joy after someone in the same realm, so Bing Crosby it is.

Here are Grace and Crosby meeting for the first time!

Then this is the first time in the backyard together. And per usual, I catch a dump in action.

We have done research on how to integrate a new dog to the house, and we know that it is a process that goes beyond today’s activities. However, if anyone does have advice or recommendations, we would love to hear it!

They are doing a really good job right now. They play for a second, then lay down for a bit, then back at it. They are pretty evenly matched and seem to really like each other. So hopefully it continues to go well!

Here are some pictures from the afternoon.

Grace sniffing for approval.

Crosby loves to be out the window. It made me a little nervous!

Grace staring at Crosby in awe…

Crosby loves to lay down while he eats.

They both love the peanut butter.

I love how Grace looks like an alien.

Love these two!

“Are you two sure about this guy?”-Grace

They are too funny!

Thank you for all the encouraging words through this process. We are excited that our little family was able to expand this weekend. We are so greatful that we are in a position to offer a loving home to these two homeless pups.

We can’t wait to see where this adventure leads us with Grace and Crosby!

August 21, 2013 by Stephanie

Kiss-a-Bull

Linked up at Focus on Family with lovingasoldier.com

Tom and I have decided that we are going to adopt another dog soon. And the crowd goes wild! Wahhhh!

Ok. In all seriousness, this process got real last week when we put in an application. We were beyond excited to set up a meet and greet with this new dog who was seriously perfect.

Then we promptly got denied as parents.

Nothing like a swift kick to the rear end…

Fortunately, it was nothing we as individuals did or our references said. It was all about a matter of a breed ban.

Grrrrr.

Because we live on base, we are restricted to owning certain approved dogs. And to be fair, this shelter was only looking out for the best interest of this dog when they denied us, and I cannot blame them. But, that doesn’t mean it hurt any less.

Also to be fair, Tom and I were not trying to cheat the system and knowingly get a dog that we can’t have. This particular dog was listed as a mixed breed initially to be later listed it as a “pit bull” mix once more information was discovered about the pup’s pasts.

So here I am standing loud and proud on my soap box.

I am vehemently against breed bans of any kind. I truly believe that any dog is a product of it’s environment. You can train a dog to be mean, and you can train a dog to be nice.

It all takes time and patience. And sometimes, more time and patience.

Many people believe that pit bulls will turn on you without provocation. This is a sorely mistaken myth. They are no different than any other dog. People forget that these are all animals and their instinct is to protect themselves. So more often than not they are put on the defensive off the bat because of how people react when they see them.

People think they are mean dogs and are popular fighting dogs. Well a lot of this has to do with the fact that this breed is very intelligent and easy to train. So they can take commands, even if they aren’t the best idea. Just because they are easy to train, doesn’t mean everyone who owns them is a good trainer or has good intentions. (It’s just like parenting human children…we don’t all end up the same.)

Grace is a boxer, but often gets mistaken as a pit bull. I don’t know how many times I have had to calm her down because some stranger started screaming in her face or tried to go after her too quickly. Seriously, people yell at my dog when she is on a leash by my side. And Grace doesn’t bark, yet these people go after her. (Don’t get me started at how drunk college students reacted to her on campus…) Dogs just rely on instinct and following cues that they have been taught. Because I have taught Grace well (at least I assume), I can get her to calm down in a matter of seconds, or she just looks at me and knows everything is ok.

It is so sad to hear that people will not give this breed [pit bulls] a chance. I hate that good people can’t take these sweet pups in because we happen to live in an area that believes in enacting these bans.

Pitties are extremely loyal dogs and generally love children. They do have a lot of energy and are playful, which can be destructive if not handled appropriately, which is the same for many high energy breeds. So you need to know your dog. Sounds like brain surgery huh?

I think people should do research about dogs before they decide to adopt. There are different temperaments that will fit different lifestyles. I know that Grace needs a lot of activity, which is why we plan to get her exercise every day whether that’s joining me on my runs or Tom taking her to the dog park. If we couldn’t do this in our life style, we shouldn’t have agreed to take on this responsibility. They need love and attention, and if done so dogs are wonderful additions to any person’s life.

I don’t know how I would have gotten through Tom’s deployment without Grace. I still cuddle with her more at night than I do with Tom…It just breaks my heart that there are so many pit bulls that remain in shelters (or worse) because of these restrictions and cannot become companions to many well-deserved families.

Here are some websites that do such a better job than I ever could making things understand-a-bull.

http://www.bulladelphia.org/default.aspx

http://www.nashvillepittie.org/

~ Rescue, Advocacy, and Adoption ~

Someday when Tom and I have our dream farm, we know that we are going to do all we reasonably can to save or sponsor pit bulls and also senior dogs (another group of dogs neglected).

But for now we are limited, so our search for Grace’s new sister/brother continues.

And I leave you with a picture of my sometimes mis-understood girl.

We have walked by this park every day on our walks/runs and only recently did we find out that they were water sprinklers! What? Now we stop by to run though them and get a little drink every chance we can!

We adopted Grace from a shelter, and I will only get future dogs from shelters. There are just so many wonderful pets waiting for their furrever home, that I could never bring myself to go to a breeder. We each have our own pet stories, so I don’t judge those who do go the breeder route as long as you love your pets! There are upsides to both scenarios, you just pick your cup of tea. I think it takes a special person to genuinely decide to have a pet and love and care for another being no matter which way they come into your lives. As long as you love your pet after making sure it is the right fit for your lifestyle and do what’s necessary to keep them healthy and happy, I support any adoption!

So you don’t get off that easy, here are some more pictures of the best decision we have made to date!

If you look closely, you can see the typical Grace spit bubble. She is a slobbery girl…

Stay tuned for our adoption adventures. We hope there is more soon to tell!

July 29, 2013 by Stephanie

Frolic with Grace

My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. ~Author Unknown

If you have been following me at all, there is no surprise that I love my dog. So today is all about my little lady.

My parents willed me this chair from my childhood. It is an old beat-up lazy chair, that is slightly pink. So it matches nothing that I own, but I absolutely loved this chair growing up. I spent hours reading books in this chair, so they gave it to me in the great purging of the Glinn household.

Well, it has now become Grace’s chair. She is in it all the time.

She loves staring out the window to our backyard. I originally had the chair facing in a more functional way with the room, but Grace moved it to the side like this to make it more functional for her outside watching.

Like I said, this is no longer my chair. We now refer to it as Grace’s bed.

We have always let Grace sleep in our bed with us, so this chair has left an empty spot in our bed at night. For the most part we are ok with it because she is a bed hog and will pretty much lay on you and not be willing to budge. But there are moments that it is a little sad for us as doggy parents.
And this sparked this week’s episode of “Talks with Tom.”

Tom-I like it when Grace sleeps in other parts of the house.

Me-Why’s that?

Tom-Because when she gets in her chair it is a little insulting because I am right here. She is basically saying she doesn’t want to sleep with me. When she sleeps in other rooms, it’s like she is at summer camp.

Just this morning we marveled at the fact that she slept with us most of the night. Later to find out it was probably because she wanted to melt our hearts a little bit with glee before we found her puddle of pee all over the living room. She was probably embarrassed because this is totally out of character for her.

And just when I made her a new chew toy! The nerve!

I love making Grace new toys out of household items that are worn out. I am all about sustainability and reusing things when I can.

Grace does not allow us to keep nice bedding because we–and by we, I mean Tom–plays and wrestles with her on the bed. Impossible to keep a nice bed made.

So we get holes like this in our sheets.

In my effort to be green and also save some of our green, I cut up the fabric to use for a project that we are currently working on for our bathroom, but I still had a lot of “unusable scraps.”

I cut the leftovers into long strips, knotted, and braided them together to make a new rope toy for Grace. These are her favorites because she likes ripping them.

This is super easy to do and then I don’t feel so bad about throwing away sheets. My suggestion though is to make sure you make them long enough to make lots of knots. This will make them a little more durable to doggie teeth. For this one I made 4 separate braids then knotted those braids like the friendships bracelets we all made as kids.

She perked up from her nap to play with it a little bit! Success!

I have also made new toys out of old socks that have holes in them. I know others who have done this but they commented that their dogs then would grab any sock regardless of toy status or not. I didn’t have this problem with Grace, but just be weary if you do!

We have been considering upping our little family by adding another furbaby. We have been discussing the pros and cons of getting another dog, and right now the pros outweigh the cons. I have already been scouring shelters’ websites to see who our new rescue puppy could be, but we want to make sure that this will be a good decision for both Grace and the new puppy. Ideally, we would want to get one around the same age as Grace, and more than likely the same breed if not one similar. But who knows once we actually go look at a dog and let them meet Grace to ensure compatibility. Any thoughts and comments on the subject of owning several dogs are welcome! We want to be realistic and do the dogs justice if we choose to adopt another rescue, so any helpful advice would be awesome.

For now we are enjoying our time with just our Gracie lady. Here are some fun videos from our weekend. Yep, we are totally those parents…ok honestly I am totally that parent.

That was the first time she played with a sprinkler hose. She had a blast with it!

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Ben Williams

May 28, 2013 by Stephanie

U-Hauling It Across the Midwest

We are officially all moved to KY. It has been a rough couple of weeks, and the house is still a mess. The plus side is that I get to wake up next to my husband every day, and it’s not just a weekend visit.

Moving is never easy no matter what your circumstances may be. So I have some tips for future moves to help alleviate some stress.

1. Use moving as a time to get rid of things. I probably threw out or donated about 10 bags worth of things. You just need to make the decision as to whether it is worth the effort of moving or not. I had some criteria that I gave myself because I have been known to keep things for silly reasons. Rules could be when was the last time you used it timeline or can you purchase an updated version at your new location for cheap.

2. Wrap your hanging clothes in garbage bags while still on the hanger. This does take quite a few bags, but it makes the transportation of them much easier. It also saves you time taking them off hangers and then back on at the new place.

3. Use clothes, towels, bedding as packaging. You have to pack these items anyway, so why not use them to fill space and protect fragile items. You can stuff these items into smaller, odd-shaped spaces so then you don’t feel like you are wasting a box. Sustainability my friends by not using newspaper or bubble wrap.

4. Use rolling suitcases to pack DVDs and books. These items are always deceivingly heavy. This way you can pack tons into one space, and the wheels make it easier to move.

The next few are helpful if you don’t plan on getting everything unpacked in a day…

5. Designate a backpack/box with important or sensitive items/documents. Being with the army there was a potential of needing several things quickly, so we needed to make sure we always knew where they were. Making a box for this made it a lot easier when Tom asked me where random Army paperwork was.

6. Know what you need right away for kids or pets and put that in the front of the moving truck.

7. Pack an overnight bag for a few days. We took a little longer unpacking, and the clothes were some of the last things we did since they were in boxes all over the house that we had used for packaging. I didn’t feel so stressed knowing that I still had clean clothes for a few days.

8. Label your boxes. This was a huge time saver. We were able to take things off the truck straight to their designated space. Yay organization! It also helped if we did need to find something quickly because we knew exactly what was in each box.

9. Save up money for eating out. The first couple days you are not going to have things set up to cook or have the food to do so. And let’s be honest, you need some lazy moments after unpacking/moving all day.

We still have a little bit to do, but we are waiting on some furniture to do so. It is starting to feel like home, so hopefully I stop feeling like I am going to be heading back to Iowa any day now. And I see several craft projects in our future!

Another thing we had to do in order to prepare was fence in our backyard for Gracie.

This was all Tom, but I had to show his handy work. He did a great job with it! We were only able to do a chain link fence with the guidelines of our neighborhood.

The baby gate did not fit in the opening we had. Tom made the wooden posts to wedge the gate in. And it looks like it was meant to be like that. Thanks to Tom and our buddy Martin for making it so I don’t have to have Grace on the leash to go potty! It is so great to have a yard for her.

Here is her first encounter with the yard. We have tried catching her hot laps she does, but it never fails as soon as the camera comes out she is done. Anyway, she seems to enjoy the yard!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend remembering those who have fallen before us!

Till next time.

October 28, 2012 by Stephanie

Who let the dogs out?

This weekend, I have had the pleasure of dog sitting one of my friend’s dog, Teddy. He is one of Grace’s besties, so it works out that she gets a playmate for the day. They have been a hoot to watch all day!

Grace and Teddy!

Having two little rascals really highlighted the fact that right now I am a “single mom.” When Tom is home we obviously share the responsibilites of letting the dog outside, exercising her, and just generally taking care of Gracie. I sure do miss having him here to help, especially now that it’s getting colder outside. It is nice to have someone else to help with the load.

I have been contemplating lately how I am going to do the holidays this year with Grace. Last year, Tom was here so we could trade off who would watch her while we were home visiting our parents. So it was rare that we would have to pawn her off to our parents to watch. Plus my parents are divorced, so I have to go to several different houses in order to see everyone, which means Grace has to move with me. Without Tom, there are a lot more things that I have to consider. It is not as easy to just go to Chili’s with Annette and Jeannette, because then I would have to leave Grace kenneled up alone or hope that my parents don’t have plans so they can watch her. And then there is the issue of just traveling alone with her. Grace gets really bad anxiety when she is left alone, so I really have to time out my potty breaks and hope she doesn’t destroy the car. Before Tom and I would trade off who would watch her, and it seemed so easy. And trying to get her kennel and all the other luggage out of the car while managing her is awful to do alone. Although, I am sure it is pretty comical trying to watch me carry as much as I can while juggling her leash hopping she doesn’t pull me over.

All in all, Grace and I have gotten into a pretty good routine that it works out alright. It is just on those really long days where I have meetings back to back that I feel like Grace is getting neglected. And I can’t just leave town or be gone all day shopping; I have to make plans around Grace’s schedule and make sure I have someone to watch her. I miss having my partner.

I also feel bad at times talking about how awesome our dog is when I am on the phone with Tom. I know he misses her so much, and here I am rubbing in the fact that I get to play with her every day. I mean seriously, I am supposed to cheer him up, not bring him down about missing home. So I have this argument with myself of whether I should be telling him how she runs laps around me at night when we go for our bedtime potty, that we had a really good snuggle that morning, or that she is somewhat getting the hang of laying down. It can’t be easy for him to know he is missing things and fearing that she won’t remember him when he comes home. But it is not easy for me either hearing how he misses her when I tell her the latest “Grace is great” story. I want him to be here to share these moments with me.

I know that Grace is only a dog, but it does require a little more planning now that I am raising her on my own, Which makes me admire military spouses who have to take care of children through a deployment even more. I am thankful that Tom and I haven’t started our family yet, because it would break my heart every day for him to be missing out on the little day to day things that our kids will do. It is a sacrifice that we choose, but that doesn’t make it suck any less. And unfortunately, the military is awful with it’s timing and will take parents away from their newborn children which makes them miss most of the kid’s first year. There is a family in Tom’s unit that had a baby the week after they deployed. To think about how that father missed out on seeing his child’s first breaths…sigh. The sun still rises and sets whether our significant others are present or not, so we also have to keep getting up too and keep our families moving and grooving. We have to do the best we can with messages and pictures to keep our loved ones in the loop. Thank goodness for the internet and modern technology! My heart goes out to the families that are here trying to make do without an intrical part of their family unit.

And this is a shout out to my parents who were single parents for awhile before they remarried. I still have no idea how they managed to get my brother and I both where we needed to be. Sometimes I feel like I cannot manage Grace let alone trying to wrangle two other human beings who were not perfect angles. But they both showed Randall and I what it means to be a family and caring for one another no matter what the circumstances may be.

Today’s craft was probably the easiest thing ever. It took me all of 5 minutes, while I was on the phone with Tom.

I made a shadow box holder for tickets. I have always wanted to do something with the tickets we have to events, movies, concerts, etc. It’s cool to remember what you have been to, and I am not big on scrapbooking to mark it that way. So I saw this Pinterest and made it.

All you need is a shadow box and scrapbooking stickers. I will warn you that shadowboxes are expensive. I waited until they were on sale and used a Hobby Lobby coupon. (On that note, I highly suggest signing up for Hobby Lobby’s weekly coupons and deals. Every week, I get a 40% off coupon for a single item. Not that I use it every week, but it does come in handy!)

And then you just slip the tickets in. Voila, craft done.