For awhile now, I've been thinking that Erik really needed a dog that he could actually interact with. Mary and Daisy, our 12 and 18 pound dogs, are really too small for him. He is as gentle as he can be with them, but he is unpredictable, and they avoid him for the most part, except when he is eating, as he is a wonderful provider. Erik is a shy kid, and not really a do-er, and certainly not a risk taker. I believe he could really benefit from a friendship with a dog "brother" who could help him to gain confidence and self-assurance, as well as a lot of stimulation from the interaction. I did lots and lots of research and decided that a Newfoundland/Standard poodle mix would be the ideal dog, but YOU try and find a Newfypoo breeder!! It is impossible!!! I came close to deciding that a purebred Newfy would be excellent, but there was the issue of excessive drooling and shedding, and with a dog that huge, that would mean a MASSIVE amount of drool and hair all over the house.

So, I kind of dropped it.

I do some volunteering for our local SPCA, mostly dog walking, and I really love it. Our SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is a really nice one. The dogs are really well cared for there, and the staff are protective of the dogs, which is great. There is also a high-kill shelter in our town, the local "pound", or Brevard County Animal Services and Enforcement, and unfortunately, they do not have the cartel of volunteers that the SPCA does, and they sure don't get the donations they they do. Their kennels are indoor/outdoor, so they don't get the playtime that the SPCA dogs do, in large runs with toys, etc; and they desperately need paint and amenities to make their place more homelike (if ANY shelter can feel homelike...!). It's incredibly sad.

So, several days ago, I went in to see if they needed any volunteers (like they'd say no - duh!) and of course, I had to look at the dogs. 80% of the dogs there were pit bulls. What a sad fate that breed has now, with all of the fighting they've been used for, ruining their reputation. Doing homecare, I have met a great many pit bulls, and I've never met a mean one. They are all obedient, affectionate, silly, and wonderful. It broke my heart to see so many looking so rough in this place, where the day I visited, I'd learned that 5 dogs were euthanized. :'o(


As I wandered through, I noticed a small black dog lying in the kennel with his back to me, with a bit of one ear sticking out through the chain link. It was ignoring the deafening barking of the other dogs and I was surprised that it was so calm. I said something like "Hey, buddy" to it, but it didn't move (probably couldn't hear me). I bent down and touched its ear and it SPRANG to life, wiggling and wiggling and wiggling with the happiness that only a puppy knows! I put my hand in the crack of the chainlink by the door and he licked and slurped and rubbed his snout against my hand, while wiggling the back half of him so fast I could hardly see it! It was a PUPPY! A black lab puppy, purebred, from what I could tell. How adorable was he!! There was no intro sheet on his door, so I assumed he was on hold for someone.




So I asked about him, of course!! He was found as a stray in Cocoa (2 towns over) and was on a "stray hold" until the 15th. This was the 12th, I think. I went home and told Mark about him, and we both went that night to see him again. Well, to make a long story short, he liked him, too, and we put an application on him. Yesterday I took Erik out there to visit and, while the pup was really hyper, of course!, he did great in the visiting room, and seemed very friendly and unafraid of anything, even the cats, with daggers in their eyes, from the cat perch things they were on in the visiting room. Erik did pretty well too, considering the pup was pretty overwhelming, jumping on everyone, panting, excited about being out of his kennel for the first time in a week (poor thing).

Today, Mark and I went back again, as the kennel-mistress (for lack of a better term) asked if I wanted to take him for a walk, and I couldn't do that with Erik, so today he and I went for a visit. It went great!
Here we are (don't look at my enormous butt, please) (You just looked.), after letting the poor baby outside for the first time.
Here he is with Mark (who would also tell you not to look at his ...well, I guess just his self). Mark had a black lab for many years who was an extremely good friend to him, so this dog was especially special to him.

Finally, I got to take him for a walk!! (You are looking at my butt again.) I was ASTONISHED at how well he walked on a leash!!! After only 2 or 3 mild corrections, he settled in right beside me and we were able to walk with a SLACK leash!! What a GREAT dog!!!!

Now, for the very BEST part!!! This dog is going to be evaluated on Monday to be a participant at our local county jail's "Paws and Stripes" program!! They will take him and several other shelter dogs (from this place and the SPCA) and for 8 weeks, will train the dogs!! The adoption fee remains at $50!! He would leave for the program on Sept 26th, I believe, and be there at the jail for the 8 weeks, then we'd take him home. Based on how well he did on that simple walk we took, this dog should do STELLAR in that program!! Oh, I hope he's accepted!

There is one decision that would have to be made first, though... He'd need a place to stay between Monday and the next Monday, as they need the room, and with him being a puppy, they don't really want him in a shelter, as it's not good for his development. So, we could foster him for that week, or we could have them foster him at another place for the week. This is something we have not considered. Also, if he does NOT get accepted into the program, we probably could not adopt him, as we could not handle an untrained 5 month old lab puppy with me working and being as busy as I am and with Mark not feeling so hot much of the time, etc. Anyone who knows anything about lab pups knows that they are NOT EASY PUPPIES and they chew and chew and chew and chew and chew!!! So to have him 2 1/2 months older, and trained, is really something we'd need for him to be. I'm just being honest.

Sooooo... What do you think??

Merry Christmas! We hope you had a wonderful day, as we have. It was just the 5 of us at home, no visitors this year, and it was a nice, relaxing day. ;o) No big stories to tell, so I'll let the pictures do the talking (it's for the pictures that you visit my blog anyway, though!):

I am so late in posting!! I have really neglected my blog, but honestly, there's nothing that I can really say! There is something HUGE that I am dying to share, but I'm not ready yet. (UGH!!) It's soooo hard to not share!! Once I do, I'll be full of posts full of stuff. :o)

BUT! In the meantime, my husband Mark had a birthday! Happy Birthday, Markie!! He absolutely HATES having his picture on my blog, but that's too bad - it's my blog and I'll put pictures here if I want to! (Sorry, Markie! ...get your own blog!)

He had a pretty good birthday, even if he felt really miserable all day, poor guy. We woke him up with breakfast, cards and gifts and finished the day with a delicious supper with a sloppy dessert cake!

Poor guy! Gets woken up, eggs shoved under his nose, and is expected to smile for the camera!!

Mark and I went to the airport on Friday evening to pick up our precious new family member. We embarrassed ourselves by glancing around nervously and excitedly, with me with my camera on my lap with the lens cap off, ready to snap the moment we saw Mary's crate slide down the chute!! I kept trying to see people's luggage tags as they walked by to see if they were on the same Dallas flight. I even asked a guy if he was! I checked with the luggage ladies several times and they must've thought I was expecting a Westminster champion show dog or something, as nervous and excited as I was!

Mark, Reese, Erik and I enjoyed the day at Universal Studios yesterday! Erik had been to Disney (and was NOT impressed) but not to Universal. He did pretty well, considering he had NO IDEA what was going on! LOL Over time (we have annual passes) he will learn what to expect and he'll learn to enjoy it. (Bless his heart!) We had a great day and the weather was PERFECT!

(Don't worry - the video is short!)

I have a petty confession about why I haven't put much on my blog lately: Mark is redoing the format of it, and in doing so, grabbed a couple of random pictures to put in the title as a trial. I saved out several new pictures for him to put in instead, but he didn't get around to it and now he's out of town! So please forgive the silly pictures of Adam and of the boys with their eyes closed in the above pictures! LOL (Looked again, didn't you? lol)

A "Reese" update first: Reese is in 9th grade and is LOVING school. He has ALWAYS loved school, and just really gets into it. He liked homeschooling as long as I wasn't working much and could do lots of stuff with him (and Nikolai) but for the past few years I have been working quite a lot more and just haven't been able to homeschool him properly, so much to his excitement and joy, I stuck him back in. And he loves it. He is very much wanting to work on the AA program that gives him both an AA degree and a high school diploma at the end of his senior year. He is very charged up about this. He just recently learned that the school has "Academies" and he is joining the "Business and Finance" academy, which is like an enrichment program with field trips and special projects. By the time the kid graduates, hard TELLING all that he'll be ready for!! I'm so proud of him and how *ambitious* he is!



Now, on to Erik: I got another note from his teacher today that was fun and I thought I'd share: "...Erik is progressing each day. After PT today, he came in and walked about 25 feet without holding on to anything. We've been getting him to walk mroe and more without holding on. He eats like a horse ;o) which we really love. He interacts well with the other students and seems to enjoy being here..." Fun, huh?? For about the last week or so, Erik's walking has really taken off!!! He will voluntarily let go of my finger or furniture and toddle over to wherever he wants to go (usually his spot at the table! lol)!! I think he is finally figuring out that walking is more efficient than scooting and you can see better! Today at the doctor's office (for an icky nose that hasn't quit) as I was standing there giving my c0-pay, he let go of my finger and toddled down the hallway back by the treatment rooms! It was so weird to have to go catch him!



I walked in the room from being outside and heard a strange noise. I asked Reese if he knew what it was, being near the noise and he said he didn't know. I turned the corner to see Erik RAKING HIS NAILS DOWN THE PANTRY DOOR!!! He did it again and again until I could scoop him up and make him stop!! I still have goosebumps on my arms!! WHAT A NOISE!!!



Mark is currently in Illinois enjoying (!!) the cold and snow! He is visiting his mom for her birthday and just sort of getting a break from the daily grind around here. I'd say "lucky dog", but I'm no glutten for punishment - I'll stay down here in the 60-degree weather!! Poor guy DID have to drive the bug, as I needed the van for the kids, and he's soooooo embarrassed! A cop gave him a look, and a truck driver actually took his picture!!! Poor Mark!! LOLOL

I had to work yesterday afternoon. True, I got to drop Erik off at school in the morning and he seemed perfectly happy to be there (which was the true test - how he reacted when he had to go back!). He did show FAR more interest in my leaving however, than he did the previous day (having no clue that he would be left there all day) but he didn't get upset. I was pleased actually, that he was interested in my leaving as it shows a bit of attachment. :o)

Anyway, Mark was on "duty" in the afternoon when the bus came. I left strict instructions to get pictures of him getting off the bus, etc.

"You want me to get pictures?"
"Yes!"
"Of what?"
"Of him getting off the bus and stuff. I wish I could be there!"
Groan. Muttering to himself, "You and your pictures..." (Mark's NOT a picture guy.)

So after I knew that Erik would be home and everything and dying to know how his day was, I called.

"How's Erik??"
"He's fine."
"He's fine?"
"Yes, honey, he's fine."
"How was his day?"
"I don't know."
"Did you ask the bus driver how he did on the bus?"
"No. I didn't know you wanted me to."
"Oh. Well, did they say anything??"
"No. I didn't know I had to do all of these things."
"Well, it's his first bus ride and I was wondering if he was scared or anything."
"He's fine, honey, he's really tired, though. I DID get a picture for you like you wanted."
"Oh, good!! Is it a good one??"
"It's of him getting off the bus."
"Yay!!" (Big visions of him sitting in his bus seat, or coming down the steps being held by his bus aide come to mind.)

True enough, Erik was fine when I got home. No note from his teacher, though, to my disappointment. I eagerly dove into the picture file on my camera to look at what he took. Here is Erik on his very first day riding the bus:

I have it in good faith that that IS Erik in the picture and that IS our garbage can in the front, so I am quite sure of the authenticity of this photo.

...it's better than nothing.