Good Bye Jesse

In September 2005, we got each of the kids a baby bearded dragon.   As luck would have it, we ended up with 1 male and 1 female dragon (no, we never did breed them).

My son named his dragon Jesse and my daughter named hers Jasmine.   The dragons are pretty good pets for the kids...not cuddly like the kittens, but not as strong willed either.

Unfortunately, lately Jesse had not been normal.  He had gone off of his food and was very lethargic and listless...this morning, he looked really bad and this afternoon, we found that he had passed away on his basking rock.

It was very sad for the kids, my son especially...Jesse was a good dragon and will be missed. 

Jesse, not too long after we got him...and his sister.

Enjoying the sun and warm summer weather.

Good Bye Jesse

In September 2005, we got each of the kids a baby bearded dragon.   As luck would have it, we ended up with 1 male and 1 female dragon (no, we never did breed them).

My son named his dragon Jesse and my daughter named hers Jasmine.   The dragons are pretty good pets for the kids...not cuddly like the kittens, but not as strong willed either.

Unfortunately, lately Jesse had not been normal.  He had gone off of his food and was very lethargic and listless...this morning, he looked really bad and this afternoon, we found that he had passed away on his basking rock.

It was very sad for the kids, my son especially...Jesse was a good dragon and will be missed. 

Jesse, not too long after we got him...and his sister.

Enjoying the sun and warm summer weather.

Pit Bull Awareness Day!

We got Bella at 6 weeks old from a rescue which had rescued her mother before the puppies were born...11 puppies.

They had her listed as a doberman/boxer mix, which for us was a good thing, because honestly, we would not have adopted a pit bull (at that time) on purpose.   I don't think the rescue listed her incorrectly on purpose, because they did have other dogs listed as pit bulls.

The rescue was a 3 hour drive, which Bella (at 6 weeks old) slept through.   The minute her little feet hit the ground or neighbor was commenting on 'what a nice looking pit bull' we had.  I didn't 'want' to believe it...we didn't want a pit bull...we had kids...and we had (even if we didn't want to) bought into the media hype.


However, we kept hearing about her being a pit bull EVERY time someone new saw her.   At her first vet appt, he said the same thing.   We really weren't sure what to do with her...we decided to contact the rescue and tell them that we wanted to return her, that we didn't think a pit bull was the right breed for us.   They said OK and we made arrangement for them to pick her up the next week.

My husband and I continued to talk about what to do with Bella...and decided that we got her because we wanted a dog and because we wanted her...it didn't really matter if she was a pit bull or not...we had her and we wanted her...so we called the rescue back and told them that we had decided to keep her in our family.

Oh my goodness, am I glad we did.   Bella is now 2 1/2 years old and is fantastic.  She is funny, smart, protective...is great with the kids, cats, doesn't mess with the rabbits.  She is good with kids friends, other dogs...she still has A LOT of maturing to do, which I am positive will happen...someday.

I can't express how happy I am that we decided to keep our pit bull...our family would not be the same without her.

Do you have a pit bull story????   Please share!

See Bella's profile here.

A New Buddy for Bella

We had new neighbors move in this last week and they brought a new dog with them.   This was VERY exciting for my dog, Bella.    Our previous neighbors had a dog too, but he was older and was not so inclined to play.

The dogs played and played and played the first day, this photo was today (the second day), Bella waited  for the new dog (we still don't know her name) to come outside...you could see the anticipation on Bella's face.   FINALLY, the new dog came out to play...and I snapped this picture.

They are SO funny to watch, like mirror images of each other.  Not only are they fun to watch...but Bella sleeps so well at night.  :)

Learning New People Skills

So, I have been busy trying to improve the blog...something that I think it sorely needed.

You will notice the addition of a facebook button...please click and become a fan...I'll be your buddy forever! :)  Also,  I have added buttons to each of my pets 'pages', so that you can get to know them too.

If there is anything else that you would like for me to add to the site or the blog, please let me know...I am totally open to suggestions.

:)

Meet the Tortoises!

Meet the newest members of the family...

Lacey - an African Hinge-back. She is roughly 1.5 years old, she is a little shy, but is coming around.

This is Emma...a Russian Tortoise (at least I think she is). Her vet said that she is 15 to 20 years old. She is much more outgoing and friendly.

They are getting along just fine...

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! While we are enjoying our grilling, fireworks and sprinklers, be sure to take time out thank a service person.

Would you be willing/able to write a soldier? If so, check out this site, they are always looking for people who are in a position to help.

Soldiers Angels

Don't forget that our four-legged friends also participate in keeping our country safe.

The following links have some good information...enjoy.

Wikipedia

Military Working Dogs

Now get back to the grill...the burgers are burning!!!

Summer Has Arrived!!!

Summer sure has seemed to take its time this year...I know, its only the beginning of June, but here in West Michigan (as well as much of the rest of country) our weather had been unseasonably cool, if not cold.

But alas...summer did show up and I have been working on my garden. This is a first for us and it is off site, so no chance of Bella getting into it by accident. However, I know this is not the case for a lot of you or your pooches...so I just wanted to take a minute to remind everyone of the dangers that can lurk in a garden, be it vegetable or flower.

Here is a list from the Humane Society containing some of the most common plants that are poisonous to our pets.

Please be sure to check the list before exposing your pet...on a side note, most of these are also dangerous for children.

Please take steps to protect all of your loved ones.

A new beginning

Wow! Its been a LONG time since I have visited this blog...mostly because I TOTALLY forgot about it.

So much has happened over the last several years...

Unfortunately, Yukon developed kidney disease and was put down in May of 2009 (wow, its been that long already...). We is missed everyday.

In June of 2009, we decided it was time to add a new member of the family...and we adopted Bella.

This is what Bella looked like when we got her. The rescue had her listed as a 'Doberman/Boxer' mix...however, we soon found out this was most likely not the case. You can read more on that here

Here is Bella all grown up - she just turned 2.