Doc's 3rd Bday!!

Last night we celebrated Doc's 3rd birthday!

He had presents to open & a special dinner.

Yep! That's a McDonald's hamburger & some green beans (to keep on track w/his diet of course!)

He seemed to really enjoy himself. After dinner he got to open one present & he chose the bone...so it was almost like a dessert!

Howie & Vivi also got a new bone, but not as big as Doc's...he was the bday boy afterall!

Everybully seemed to have a great time!

Look who finally got in the pool!!

Then check out to see what she does when she's in there! Grandma Hannah does the same thing ("makes bubbles")! I think she learned that when she stayed w/Sandy a few weeks ago!

She's never wanted to go into the pool before. Today was rather hot & humid, so I started playing w/some of the toys in the pool & she got right in! She stayed in there for quite some time! She was so funny, kept pawing at the water/pool floor!

My Two Passions Collide Again

POP QUIZ!! Remember my two passions?? Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock....ok, pencils down. For those of you who said Bulldogs & Disney, you're correct! If you're lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) enough to get me going on either one of the subjects, I JUST DON'T STOP!! I could go on & on & on & on about both; and I know some of you reading this right now are nodding your heads up & down saying, "yep, she can! I've seen it!"

While I am passionate about both, I have to say that Disney is probably easier for me to talk about non-stop because I've researched the heck out of it. I go to forums, I subscribe to newsletters, I get emails, I receive magazines, I read books, I even listen to a few podcasts that are all about Disney!! (Yep, I'm a geek like that.) Bullies on the other hand, I'm still learning.

So imagine my happiness when I opened a large envelope from my bully friend Betsy (you know, the crafty one that made me my bully coin purse I posted a few weeks ago) to find this!!


It's one of the small errand bags she makes, but this time, it's been Disneyfied!!! Bully Disneyfied even!! What a cute Disney Bulldog this is!! Doesn't Vivi look cute w/her Mickey ears? How about the cute Mickey head fabric she used! Check out the back:
I mean really! How cute is that? And you know what? I didn't even ask her to make this for me. We had just in passing talked about a Disney trip while we were together in Duluth & then she sent me this! I mean, how creative is she?!

It's so fun to have something made just for you...but when it involves my bullies or Disney...wow! That is even more special! Thanks again Besty! Your talent is just amazing! Everything you make is bully-t-ful!

Ummm...was NOT expecting that!!

WARNING: this post may be WAY too much information...but since I'm kind of using this blog to inform others who haven't been through this before, it needs to be brought to your attention!!

Last night, I was sitting on the couch, enjoying time with my bullies. Vivi was next to me licking Doc, Doc was next to her enjoying being licked, & Howie was in his space enjoying a bone. Ahhh the blissful life of a Bully Momma!

Here I am, petting Vivi, playing with her ears (they're just soooo soft)...when all of a sudden there is this movement next to me. It doesn't occur to me right away what it is...but there it is again...and again...and again. What the?! NO! Uh uh!! NO WAY!!

"Oh no!! We don't do that! Not here! Not on my watch! Uh uh!! We don't hump here kids! No humping!!" Steve was surprised that Doc was humping her as he's been pretty good so far just sniffing her every once in awhile & peeing in the 4 places she pees in the yard every time we go out (she's apparently leaving her scent). Also, Doc has been neutered for almost a year. I said, "it wasn't Doc! Vivi was humping him/me!" Eeewwwww

Yeah, in all the words of bully heat wisdom given to me so far from my so called bully "friends" all of them failed to mention this!! So I think, it is my duty, to tell any & all who read this whether you have a new female bully or not...they will hump while in heat. Apparently, it's normal...ummm this fact would have been good to know yesterday! I mean, I was all concerned about the whole heat cycle thing...you'd THINK this would have come up in some conversation!

Well, at least I know now & at least I'm sharing it with all you fine folks! Aren't you lucky!!

Week 6 Already!!

Today started our week 6 of Howie's rehab for his ACL surgery. So far the recovery has gone quite well. We're allowing him to be out of his space more often throughout the day, but we don't allow him to jump on the furniture or do stairs....I say again...we don't allow him...that doesn't mean he hasn't tried on his own.

One day last week, I came home from work, fed the bullies & ran downstairs to grab some laundry. I turned around & there he was! Aggghh!! He went down 13 stairs to the basement!!! I quickly scooped him up, brought him upstairs & put him in his kennel to rest for a bit. This was totally my fault...I have since made sure to shut the basement door anytime I go down there.

The physical rehab itself has actually cut down starting this week. We no longer have to do the Range of Motion exercises, but we have increased our walks to 15 min twice a day. During the walk, we have to include stopping & backing up. I also do the 15 sit/stands after our walk since it seems to work out better outside than in the house. Howie still gets his two massages twice a day...but he still doesn't care for them much.

I am noticing on our walks that he uses his leg very well, but when not on his walks (in the house or when standing up) he doesn't put much weight on it at all. I also have noticed that when he sits (anytime) he seems to be compensating for the leg a little....he keeps it to the side. At this point I'm not too worried about this, but am keeping an eye on it.

We'll be able to start swimming in the next week or 2 I believe. That will be fun...no really, it will be!

Here's my little monkey in his favorite spot...the couch (that we lifted him up on of course!).

I see London, I see France, I see Vivi's underpants!

I tried the pull ups & while they did fit & they didn't bother her, they did fall off of her when she sat down. I'm glad I ordered the doggy panties...and guess what? They arrived today! Talk about great service as I just ordered them on Tuesday morning.

I think I got a size a little too big though...they kinda look like they're gapping at the leg holes & from behind...well, it looks like shes needs a diaper change! :0) They're cotton, so they may shrink a bit, or she may grow into them...or I may just have to get a smaller size. One thing is for sure...they are adora-bull! Isn't the pink lace cute?

Oooh, I found one good thing about heat cycles....finding cute panties to dress my Vivi in! Gotta love shopping for the bullies!

'Tis the first season

WARNING: This post may be waaaaaay too much information for some of you, feel free to skip it.

Yesterday, I spent $64 on absorption items!! A doggy panty, human pads, doggy pads, & human pull-ups (with Snow White on them so I thought they were VERY appropriate). I just wasn't prepared for this! I mean, I knew it was coming & was hoping it would come sooner rather than later, but still...at 7am it kinda throws your whole day off!

Vivi is the first female dog ever in our house...and in both our lives for that matter. We don't know what to expect. We've never done this before. We knew her first heat cycle could come anytime between 6-12 months of age....she just turned 10 months last Thursday. I knew what to look for...swollen girly parts & while she was a little swollen, it wasn't anything that made me say..."oh yeah, it's coming." I've been mentally tracking when she's acted a little differently (like pulling away from the judges, eating blankets--yes that's plural--eating her kennel tray, finding odd corners of a room to lay in, weird things) & thought, well maybe she's coming in??

So when I went to feed her yesterday morning & saw that she had come in, at first I freaked a bit, but then I was like, "ok Jen, you can do this. You HAVE to do this." But I had NOTHING!! I had gotten her little girl panties a few weeks ago & tried them on (this was my only attempt of being prepared) & she HATED them. So I knew that wouldn't work....hence my shopping spree of All Things Absorption!

Lots of things we have to keep in mind for the next couple weeks (yep, that's right WEEKS)...Vivi cannot go to obedience class (school's rules) until she is out of heat, she can never be left unattended outside (which she isn't anyway) as male dogs can get a bit crazy if they smell a bitch in heat, which I've read they can smell one up to 3 miles away, (on Sandy's site , she shows a photo of a fence that a dog tried to get through), she can't wear the panties/pads/pull-ups 24/7 as her girly parts need to breathe & if covered they can trap bacteria & she can get an infection, she may have to be separated from Doc & Howie once she's in her "prime"...they're both neutured but apparently the smell is quite intoxicating for the boys...plus, if they try to get with Vivi, they may get "stuck"...no really, stuck. Oh & I'm sure I'm forgetting many other things I'll have to remember to do in the upcoming weeks, but I've gotten a lot of bulldogger friends that I can (& have) ask if I have questions.

My little bully girl is growing up...I'm guessing this first season will be an adventure that's for sure & then in 6 months, when she comes in again, we'll be all ready!!

Sorry if this was a bit TMI for you...but maybe it will help other new owners who haven't gone through a heat cycle either.

BTW....aren't you glad I didn't post photos this time!! LOL

Dog people are cool

Something I noticed this weekend at the show in Duluth, is that dog people are cool! While walking Vivi around the show site or outside near Lake Superior, people would stop & ask to pet her & ask questions about her. Many times people wanted to take her photo. But the coolest times were when people would stop me to see Vivi, but then immediately would take out their cell phones to show me photos of their bullies! How fun is that?

I even had a couple stop me, ask about Vivi and bulldogs in general & then tell me their dog story. They had just lost their 12 year old bull terrier to cancer. Then they showed me a very cute photo of their dog. You could tell they were both happy to be at the dog show around other dogs, but sad at the same time. I actually saw them a few other times throughout the day & hoped they were enjoying themselves.

I just think it's neat that people you don't know, would open up something as personal as their dog, its story & photos. Like we have a bond because I have a dog. I don't know, maybe that sounds weird, but it's not like if I was walking around the show site by myself people would have stopped to talk to me, let alone show me their photos.
Dogs really do bring out the best in people!

Greetings from "Up North"!

Hi Everybully-

It's me, Vivi! I'm spending the night with Momma Sandy waaaaay up north cuz she's bringing me to the show tomorrow. I'm having a lot of fun! I played with my Momma Jazz, Daddy Hemi & Grandmomma Hannah all day long! It was so much fun!

Then Momma Sandy brought me to a place to get me all clean...good thing too...I got a bit dirty today...oops.

I basically just chilled out the rest of the day...come on, can you blame me? I did a lot today!

Ok, well I'm going to head to bed...got a big day tomorrow

Talk Later!

Vivi

Run Free Howie! Run Free!

Ok, well not really, but we did take the xpens outside in the backyard this weekend so Howie could have some controlled outside time. Doc & Vivi wanted to be with Howie too, so it was like watching a pen full of extra large puppies.

Howie did seem to enjoy himself, but he mostly ate grass....he's so weird. This week we still continue his rehab with his exercises, walks, & massages. He doesn't like to lay still for the entire massage though...but they are supposed to be 10-15 min each....so it does get a little long.

This week Vivi is heading north to stay w/Momma Sandy for a few days & I'll join her on Saturday at the show in Duluth. I will miss her but I know she's in good hands. Oh & good news!! I weighed Doc this weekend & he lost more weight! Yay!! He's now down 3.5 lbs total!! I was very happy to see that!

Happy 4th of July Everybully!

Have a safe & enjoyable weekend!

Did you see this?

I had posted this as one of the photos of the day last week, but just had to share it again!! A friend of mine, Linda Miller, drew this photo of Vivi for me! Isn't it great? She's so talented! She also made a necklace for Sandy (a gift from Mary) when she finished Hemi! It looks just like him!Linda now has a site listing her items that are for sale. She can also do personalized items!! Check it out!!

LCM Creations

Thanks again Linda! :0)

Happy July Everybully!

Wow! This weekend is Independence Day! Crazy!! I love summer, mostly because our winters last so dang long, but dang it anyway if this whole summer doesn't seem to fly just by! Between weddings & dog shows & of course the Great Minnesota Get Together countdown I'm already thinking of September! But I'll stop, because I do NOT wish for this summer to go that quickly!!

Vivi & I had a great weekend traveling to & showing in South Dakota. I have posted a summary of the shows here as well as posted some photos. Overall, she did very well. Like Doc & Howie, she makes me laugh. They're just so funny!

Here she is with Uncle Otto at the hotel...I think he's say..."If I stay really still she won't see me."

Howie's rehab is still going well. He didn't love the new range of motion exercises (ROMs) we had to do this past week...and will continue for the following weeks. He eventually lets me do them, but he doesn't like it at first...this week we add massages to his rehab...I'm guessing he'll like those. BTW...just realized I didn't put any photos of Howie on here today...however he IS today's photo of the day on the site.

Doc doesn't seem to be losing weight as fast as I thought he would while eating the "diet" of green beans & smaller food portions. He's only lost about 2 lbs so far. I will be able to incorporate more walks this week due to the weather (a lot cooler than it had been the last few weeks of 85-90 degrees), so hopefully that will help. If I don't see more of a loss in the next month I'll probably decrease his food even more. Poor Doodle!

Cool Blue Line Cafe & Travel Center sign we saw on our way home from South Dakota!! We HAD to stop to take the photo.
Vivi enjoying cuddling w/Momma at the hotel.