Weak Will.....

Sunday evening this sweet girl

had a little accident.

While we were outside playing "fetch" in the backyard, she managed to rip the top claw on her paw. I kept calling this her "dewclaw", but after doing some research, I am not convinced that is what it is. And basically now I am confused. It seems too high up on her leg to be a dewclaw, and in case you don't know what a dewclaw is, here is a picture......


Anywho...
We went to the vet (which is always an experience) and they said she basically did the equivalent of a human ripping their finger nail completely up off their finger and leaving the vulnerable meat (or fresh) exposed. Yum.

Here is Dixie at the vet. She loves it there and they love her.



So last night I come home armed with 4 very important items!
1. Pain Medicine (VERY important....to my sleep)
2. Antibiotics
3. Anti-inflammatory
4. An E-collar

As Brandon and I start preparing the nursery for Baby Bice we are cleaning out items and junk we haven't used in years. Less than a week ago we took a look at our old E-collar and could find no future use for it, so we threw it away. If only we had known. But NOOOO....we had to purchase a whole new one not even 5 days later (what are you gonna do?).

This afternoon when I went home for lunch I stuck poor Dixie in her E-collar. It was so sad and pathetic and I couldn't stand to see her "suffer". Poor girl. Enjoy!



Let's hope I have a stronger will with our children, because I took the silly thing off within moments. We will try again tonight, when we have Brandon around as backup.

Dixie-2, Lauren-0

I love this dog.



I truly do. She is super sweet and LOVES every person she has ever come to meet. It amazes me and we could all learn a lesson from her.

But (there is always a but), in the past week she has busted my lip and ruptured my ear drum (possibly). The problem (truly) is me. I sometimes want to snuggle her too much and she throws her head back to see whats going on (hence, the busted lip) or jumps up in the air and head butts me full-force directly in my right ear (hence the possibly busted ear drum). People are going to start to think my husband abuses me.

But, this ear...
It hurts. And it feels like I have an ear infection and a huge cotton ball shoved in there. My hearing is DEFINITELY affected and it just stopped ringing. Is that a ruptured ear drum? Anyone know?

The worst part (aside from my physical pain) is that she is completely aware, after the fact, that I am hurt. She stands there, tail tucked, wondering why I am holding the hurt body part, fight back tears (the truth...I cry every time I get hurt). She feels so bad then follows me around for hours wanting extra love and attention. She's a sweet girl! I guess I just need to work on my reflexes!

He has many names.....

Some might include, but are not limited to:
Noah-Bear, Big Boy, Handsome, Big Guy, Noah-Gene, Noah-puppy, Bubba (one of my favorites), and of course Buddy (doesn't every dog go by this at one point or another). He is Noah. My sweet love. He is such a good boy! There is not a single day that goes by that I don't give thanks for him.

Some people can't say this about their dogs, but I met Noah when he was only 1 day old. He was like a pink piglet. Eyes closed, pink nose, pinkish hued skin....he simply made grunt-y noises. He was one of eleven in the litter. And he was HUGE. From day one he out weighted his brothers and sister, quite substantially. The day we took Noah home he was obviously the OPPOSITE of the runt....so fat his little belly was only millimeters from dragging the ground. A sight that was honestly too cute not to take in! He was my boy from very early on. I loved him even before I brought him home. After he was born I went to see him at least once every two weeks (if not more...it was hard to stay away). I got to watch him grow with his litter mates as they learned to walk (stumble) and bark (squeak). Within a few weeks Noah sweet little pink nose started to speckle black. And as he got older (and cuter) it was harder and harder to leave him.



When I first got Noah I will admit there was some initial hesitation in bringing home a pit bull. It's always easier to believe what you hear and see in the media than to live the experience and make your own judgement. Any trepidation I may have had faded within the first day. And if you have met him, whether he was young or old, than you already know his sweet demeanor will quickly take you in.



I wish I could say Noah's training was the result of my own blood, sweat, and tears....but I can't (at least not initially). Although I can say his continued good behavior and the maintenance and (occasional) adjustments to his training are something I am proud of. He has never needed much training...as he is the smartest dog in the world (really). And he is just plain GOOD!



We run together and he minds me! We walk and he doesn't drag me down the street, although the occasional squirrel has gotten him into trouble! He LOVES to swim and does it with NO grace what so ever (the complete opposite of his sister, who I swear is part otter). Noah's toy of choice is his Frisbee. He is an amazing Frisbee dog and would play all day every day if we let him.





Why get so mushy-gushy about Noah? This Friday, September 17th, my sweet boy will celebrate his 6th birthday. Although he is completely UN-aware of this event, it has me reflecting on the quality of life he has given me. He has made my life a better place! Dogs are not lucky to have us, we are lucky to have them! Somewhere along the way I came across the following words, known as the "Pit Bull Mantra"-

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.

You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart.

You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

Happy Birthday Sweet Noah! We hope this life will give you many many more birthdays to share with us! We are graced with your sweetness everyday! We love you more than treats or walks or toys could ever tell.....We just hope you know how much that is!!









You're a good boy! Thank you for being my Bubba!