a dog, a mum, and a jogging adventure

This is one of our dogs.  His name is Bullet.  He is six years old.

We rescued him from a shelter in Erie when I was six months pregnant with Greyson.  We were told at the time that he was a pitbull mix, and being that we know and adore a particular pitbull (hi, Oakley!) we were thrilled to adopt Bullet.

We learned quickly that Bullet was great at learning tricks, loves swimming (so much I'm convinced he'd swim until he'd drown if left unattended).  He loves Brandon with the fierceness of a thousand moons, he listens to me on the first command, and he loves (and puts up with a lot of forceful hugs and tugs) from our babies.

But it would be the lie of my life to not admit that for the past five years, it has been a struggle with Bullet. (and that's putting it lightly to an almost laughable degree).

Bullet has extreme prey instinct, herds cars and quads, has an almost unbreakable focus when something grabs his attention, also he's 85 pounds of pure muscle.  Words people who have met Bullet have used to describe him:  maniac, idiot, freak, 'this is why people don't like pitbulls.'

At the beginning of this year, we had a tragic event in our house in which Bullet got access to our two cats (remember: prey instinct) and our sweet Jinxy cat perished.  That was the last straw, and I demanded that Bullet be seen by a vet for aggression and a trainer to get help.  Vet gave him the okay and said that she never wants to put a dog down, but she understands how I feel with three kids in the house and she'd support whatever decision we came up with.  This is where we were at, friends.

Then we went to the trainer to work on some training methods and got so much great feedback/critiques on all the ways that Brandon and I unintentionally encourage Bullet to do things we DON'T want him to do.  She introduced us to a pinch collar and also some important techniques to keep Bullet focused on us.

And then she asked us the most incredible question, "What is he?  A Malanois?"  We stared at her blankly and said that we were always told that he was a pitbull and I think she laughed.  We went home that night and did some googling about Malanois and other Shepherd breeds and it was like we had a secret door opened for us.

"...excessively high prey instinct, unshakable focus, energy level among the highest of all dogs, easy to train, working dogs (usually trained for military and police dogs)..."

All those years we were looking at Bullet baffled and frustrated like, "What kind of demented pitbull are you!?" and he was looking back at us like, "Why don't you understand me?"

I'm not making excuses for Bullet.  It has been a long, hard, sometimes scary road (some days it still is).  And I'm not making excuses for us either.  We have not been diligent parents for him.  He's been part of our family for six years, so we love him - but I'd be lying if I didn't say that had we had known what he really was a Malanois/Shepherd mix and the intensity in which Bullet needs trained, watched, and exercised...six years ago, we were just a young couple moving towards growing a family, so truthfully we probably would not have adopted him with full understanding that we aren't the ideal family for Bullet.

But alas, we did.  And he is our family and so we're all trying to understand each other a little better.  We've made some significant changes to our life to help support Bullet and support our family as a whole.  The dogs take a 'naptime' in the afternoon where they stay in our bedroom to sleep while the kids and I play downstairs and let our cat, Lola run around, and regular visitors that naturally come during that timeframe (like mail carriers, water meter readers, etc) don't cause a huge disruption to our day.

We have done a lot of training ourselves, for the kids, and working with Bullet on commands like "Easy," and using the pinch collar to redirect his focus.  We've even expanded to socializing him and successfully introducing him to a lot of new people.

But the biggest change, for both Bullet and I have been jogging together.  After learning more about Bullet's breed mix, it was obvious that we needed to give him extra exercise to help burn energy that was making him act out.  Thus began the Mum and Bullet jogging adventure.

I try to get us out at least three or four times a week, just me and Bullet, to jog the trails behind our house.  We have grown a lot over the last seven/eight months.  Bully has been practicing focusing only on me even if he sees distractions while we jog (deer, turkey, humans) and I can jog without totally hating life for about 2.5 miles...after that until about three miles Bullet and I both just keeping looking at each other like, 'dude, this sucks and I'm bored.'

If we can't jog together (because no one is home to watch the kids), we'll load up the crew and take walks together which helps at least to give Bullet new things to smell and pee on.

These have all been baby steps towards getting every living thing in our home on the same page.  Sometimes it feels like an incredibly annoying orchestrated dance that I'm in charge of - dogs in our room, let cat upstairs, kids outside, why are you both in your underwear? close the cat door, let dogs downstairs, Greyson feed the dogs, Violet get out of the dogs dishes, put dogs outside, Gemma why are my high heels at the bottom of the steps?, dogs back inside, where's Violet? (crawled to the top of the steps, of course)

where are all the living things at every moment?  but we are getting there.  the key to all of life is a routine (at least I think so, haha) and so we are getting there - pushing towards a routine that works for everyone.  every one of the members of Team Studer.  And an added boost of exercise and alone time for the mumma is nothing that I can complain about.  I'm totally the martyr type and I'm not going to carve out my own fitness time on my own - there are too many other things that need my attention! - but the guilt of knowing the Bullet is one of the things that need my attention and jogging with him is doing him good...well then, you can bet I can get my lazy butt moving for that.  (so sad, so true.)

Am I skinnier or more toned? no.  Do my clothes fit any better?  infinitesimally (and that's being generous actually).   But you know what we have done? Added another mile (however slowly paced and with twenty pee breaks for Bullet) more than we had yesterday.  

30 miles is our goal each month.  We haven't done it yet - but each month we get a little bit closer to reaching it.  My reminder in the upper right corner of each day of my planner is a little "1+"  If we can get in just a mile and some as many days as we can fit it around the kids schedules, laundry, playdates, and life muck - then we're chipping away together.  

I'm working on my fitness. Bullet's working on his behavior and we're doing it one jog at a time.  Slow and steady, right?  We'll get there Bulls-eye.  Wherever there might be.  But we'll get there together.

June 2012 Kindness: donation to the local humane society

We let June get away from us before we completed our 12 months of Kindness commitment - so the kids and I made up for it in July.  We made a donation of goods to the local Humane Society and stopped to visit with the puppies & kitties there too.  If you are interested in making donations to your local humane society (or other local animal shelters) make sure to check their website (or call them) for their wish/need list before making your donation purchases.  When I checked the website for our center - we used their list to help guide my next grocery run.

After a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some of the items on their wish list, the kids and I headed up with donations in hand.  Grey was proud to carry in the paper towels (almost as big as him, hah!)  We brought two bags of kitten food since they said that was an urgent need.  The staff at the front desk were so happy to receive our donations and even more delighted to get them from my two little angel-faced munchkins.  

..and when they said the kitten food was urgent - they were not kidding.  There must have been 20-25 kittens waiting to be adopted - not including the other fully grown cats.  We have 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 4 fish and I was almost half tempted into just adopting one (or some!) of those sweet baby kittens.   

We've rescued 3 of our 4 mammal pets, so it is important to us to give back to organizations that take care of animals that would otherwise be in a bad way.  Visiting the humane society only further cements my belief that a neuter/spay law should be in place nationwide.  Our family does our part in making sure all our animals are neutered/spayed... because there is nothing sadder than seeing unwanted kitties/puppies reaching their paws out of cages.  (actually, the only thing sadder than that is seeing them hungry and homeless). [steps down from my soapbox.]

On the way home from our drop off, Grey and I talked about why the puppies and kitties live there (at the Humane Society).  I told him they live there because 'they don't have mummas and daddies yet, but they are waiting for them to come pick them up.'  That we gave them 'some surprises to help them while they wait for their families.'  He seemed to understand that in his little 2 year old brain.  Then he said, "Bully and Tricky-Icky have families.  We are family."  yep, they are.

This month, since the kids weren't only able to be involved in the picking up and delivering of our kindness - but it was something little kids like (animals), it was a really good reminder to me why we commit to our 12 months of kindness.  We want giving to be how our kids; how our family, grows up.  We want our kids to think that making donations of time or goods, or sometimes money alone is the 'normal' thing.  

We want our family to not only know, but live the phrase, 'Because I have been given much, I too must give.'

(quotation from Grace Noll Crowell's poem 'Because of Thy Great Bounty')

The Great Labor-Predicting Dog Experiment

So I still officially have 22 days to go until my girl's due date.  However, my dogs started acting a little strange...and if you recall reading this post (from 3 days before Grey was born 2 weeks early), you can understand why I've now become a little suspicious that our dogs know something we don't know.

Starting yesterday, Bully has become on hyper-alert of any noise in, out, or around our house.  At the slightest wind against the door, he'll start barking like a crazed lunatic.  Both Bully and Trixie have been following me all around the house; I go upstairs, they come upstairs, I sit on the couch, they want to sit on (or near) the couch.  Outside of the super-alertness of Bullet, he is otherwise subdued and kind of mopey; not trying to get into any trouble.  When Brandon comes home from work though, they are mostly back to normal - it seems like its only when I'm here by myself that they go into weird dog mode.

And I'm not the only that thinks dogs (and other pets) are labor/pregnancy predictors!  Check out these forums here , and here, and here, and here!!  (which I obviously googled to check my sanity level...not really a legit sanity checker, but you know what I'm talking about)

I, myself, have been feeling a little 'off' for the past few days.  Just super tired (even more than normal pregnancy tired) and like my belly is so full of baby and my guts that it might just tear at the seams.  Occasional tightening of my belly muscles and sporadic sharp/hot pains 'down there' (ew?) have also contributed to Brandon making comments like, "Please don't let your water break in here" (while out to breakfast on Sunday) and me texting my parents saying, "the dogs are acting weird - can I get your work schedules for this week?"  (which of course led to some frantic call backs insisting I tell them if they need to a)boil water or b)immediately leave work).

Besides just feeling off, my belly is so big that strangers that see me out, say things like, "Wow, how much longer?" and "Geez, you aren't going to have that little one in here are you?"  I have a lurking suspicion that people are tempted to follow me around with their hands outstretched ready-if-needed to catch a baby that they think might at any moment fall out of me.  (oh, don't you just wish that's what they'd do though - just 'fall out.')

Anyway, after all that rambling and somewhat TMI-info dump...I'm getting to the point:  Last time, it seemed like Bullet gave us about a week's notice of Grey's arrival...so...the point of the experiment:  If I don't have our baby by next Monday 1/30 - then you can all have a good cyber laugh at the woman who thought she can speak the secret, intuitive language of dogs.

If I do however have my girl before then, well I'm going to come on and post as we leave for the hospital and write something to the effect of, "booyah, told'ya so, my dogs are magical, holycrapwe'rehavinganotherbaby, why are animals so cool and amazing, see you on the flip side of reality when i am a mother of 2."

in the meantime, this little episode has been (at the very least) a fire under my booty to do all my last minute baby prep stuff, including:
1. finish all work leave paperwork
2. clean the house
3. stock up on necessities (toilet  paper, dog bones, cat litter, etc)
4. make a labor playlist :)
5. empty camera memory card & charge camera


stay tuned.
(cue ominous twilight zone music)

oh no we didn't...part II

I have been delaying this post for about a week or so until we notified our closest family and friends of the news first.  And now that just about everyone who needs to know first knows...we're ready to share the news that will probably make you all smack your foreheads and say, "are they insane?  seriously."

cause we got a puppy.

as in now we have 2 dogs
and 2 cats
and 4 fish
and a toddler
and i'm due with our second child in a month

let's just take a moment for you all to sit wide-eyed and in utter disbelief for a few seconds...because that's what anyone we've told already has done...with maybe an addition of a few choice words thrown into the sentence "are you ______(choose your expletive) kidding me?!"

Okay, now that we're all up to speed, let me tell you a little bit about what happened that would make my husband and I appear to have lost our flipping minds...

Last Friday (as in the first Friday of the month), after hearing about a l3 week old brindle pit-lab that was going to be taken to the pound unless someone could take her that day - Brandon and I conversed over text messages (hah, how official of us) and decided that we'd take her with the safety net that if it didn't work out (ie. Bullet went totally crazy, Booboo was in danger, we couldn't handle her, etc) we had someone else that would be able to adopt her after about 2 weeks when they moved into their new house.

So, after picking the pup up after work, we spent Friday evening introducing her to the already crazy house that we live in.

After a slightly anxiety-ridden first meeting of Bullet and the new puppy - in which Bullet followed her around and sniffed her an impossible number of times - it was clear that Bully boy was quickly falling in love with having a friend.  It was also clear that Greyson was quickly coming to think that we had somehow cloned Bullet and made him a "baby puppy."

So we've had her for about a week and half and Brandon and I have discussed and discussed and discussed again the pros & cons of keeping our new girl around the place.  (To try to win me over, Brandon also threw in the mix, "Think of the kindness, we've saved her life.  That's not 12 months of kindness, that's like 15 years of kindness")

So it seems that the fact that Bullet has become completely enamored with her - to the point that they just play together until they are both exhausted - has outweighed any of the Cons on our list.  Because, honestly, Bully has been a handfull since we've had him (to say the least) and the majority reason for that has been that we just can't get him tired and his pent up energy has meant chewed toilet paper rolls and pillows, stealing things that he knows he's not supposed to have, jumping on anyone when they walk in the door, and a whole pile of annoying Bully-traits.

And now that he has someone in his life that is ready to run and play-fight and steal his bones and snuggle up close to him...he has had a transformation in the last few days that we have been hoping for since we first adopted him.

So, even though we may have truthfully lost our minds

and even though everyone else may or may not think we need to get our own episode on animal hoarders

The truth is:  Trixie (or "Chicky" as Grey calls her) has kind of weaseled her way into all our hearts - most of all Bullet's...and we've decided that we're just going to go ahead and dive headfirst into full on circus-style living.*

*let's revisit this in about 2 months when I'm home alone with 2 babies and 2 dogs...I fully anticipate that I may just very well be singing a different tune.

Bullet is a good dog

No matter how many bones we have to buy.  No matter how much dog hair I have to vacuum up.  No matter how many UPS delivery truckdrivers he barks out of our driveway.  No matter how many times he sits on our feet.  The truth is - Bullet is a good dog.

because he listens to Booboo read

And he lets Booboo use him as a seat

And especially because he sits still for truck-sticker masterpieces. 

mummie vs. kids....mummie loses

..yea, this is all day.  everyday.
2 against one ain't fair.

dog seeks friend

Name:  Bullet Studer
Age: 1.5 years
Looking for:  a friend to play with and relieve some "freaking energy," as my mom would say

Hobbies:  chasing cats, shredding toilet paper, playing tug-of-war

Likes: peanut butter, sitting on laps, chewing anything, treats, bones, human food, baby toys, car rides

Dislikes: waiting any amount of time longer than 15 seconds, my crate.

if interested, you can contact me at: i'mapain-inmymomsa$$@gmail.com

i'm not kidding

Coming up from the basement at 10 o'clock on Sunday night, "Bullet might throw up," huffs Brandon.
"What?  Why?"  asks disbelieving and exhausted Tabitha.
"He just ate half my snuff can."



It's your world, Bullet.  We're just living in it.



Bully has the best day ever...

While my family was visiting, Bully had a great day when almost all of us went outside and chased him around the yard.  We played keep away, football, and some snow tackles were in order for everyone (thanks, Dad!)  Bullet had a blast running all over the backyard and getting so much attention from so many people!

After all that release of pent up energy, Bullet threw up twice in the garage and then went to sleep.  That's basically the equivalent of dog complete happiness.  hah.

aw, crap.

It's offical.  We're in trouble.

Greyson started crawling a few weeks ago, as you may have noticed in previous blog posts.  But he was still pretty limited with his movement because he would get a) tired and b) frustrated after just making the crawl from his toy area to his bedroom door.  But now, he's got the stamina to make it from his toy area, to his door, down the hallway, over the tile foyer, under his jumperoo, past the dog dishes, and into the kitchen.  Or let's say, from his jumper in the basement, across the length of the man cave, under the Christmas tree, and put his head through the cat door...either way you look at it - he cannot be left unsupervised for a moment.

And now, he's started to pull himself up to standing. exhibit A:



And to top it all off, he thinks he's actually a dog.  He's already been found with Bullet's rope and bones in his mouth. 

If Bullet has a snack, Grey crawls over to him and opens his mouth for Bullet to give it to him [he doesn't, thank goodness].  But Booboo thinks that just because he gives his food to Bully from the high chair, that Bullet will reciprocate - not happening. 




he wants to be outside like Bullet

For as much as Bullet makes us totally nuts, I must say that I am eternally grateful that he is so calm and kind to our son.  Bully just lays there and takes it while Greyson rips at his ear, squeezes his tail, grabs his toes, or tries to steal his bones.  He may be horrible to deal with as an adult - but that dog is a loving saint when it comes to kids.

Things I never thought I'd say..& then we got a dog

"Who ripped up the toilet paper into ten million pieces?"

"I'll hold his mouth open if you reach into the back of his throat to pull out that balloon"

"Did he just swallow that frozen chicken breast whole?  (the reply to this was "yes")

"Oh yea, I meant to tell you - He ate that hole in the drywall"

"Did he mean to prune that plant perfectly or was he just trying to rip it out because it actually looks kind of good"

"Did you just not notice the couch cushion sitting in the middle of the yard all day? 

"Can you add vasoline for the baby to the grocery list?  Bullet licked out the rest of the tub we had and then puked it up in the sunroom"

and finally;  the most likely response to something missing in our house;  "Bullet ate it."

Boo boo & Bully

With the following combination:  Grey(sitting up + more aware) x Bully wants all of Grey's toys = funny interactions

I caught the two of them "playing" the other morning.  Bully wants Grey's toys, Grey wants Bully, Bully loves Greyson...commence photo progression:



my nature boys

The division of girls and boys in our house is equally divided at this point (technically).  3 girls (mum & the two cats) and 3 boys (dad, boo boo, and the dog).  But when we break it down like normal people and just count humanoids - mumma is the lone estrogen carrier in the house.  I love love love the city, I miss NYC everyday, and I love being surrounded by nameless faces....but luckily for my hunting/fishing husband, I can also be completely happy laying in the grass looking for bugs too.  So, is it a surprise that Greyson is an outdoors lover already too?  Since he was born in the spring, he had all summer to enjoy soaking up the sights, sounds, and summer breezes in nothing but a gdiaper.  He already has some favorite outside activities like sleeping on blankets in the grass and riding Dad's tractor!

Once while Grey was mowing with Dad, I tried to take him in and he wailed until he got back on the tractor with Brandon.  Oh brother, this kid is BOY to the bone, I swear.

As hunting season approaches and Daddy is in the woods scoping out his hunting spots, Greyson has taken a trip or two to Dad's hunting spot.  Boo Boo loves taking walks, especially in the Bjorn, and Daddy even went up in the tree stand with Grey.  (Mumma was not in attendance for this trip; I was at the spa relaxing....little did I know my little 4 month old baby was hanging out in a 15ft. tree stand with his daddy...naughty).  Boo boo loved it - big surprise.

We also recently took Grey out in his first rainstorm (more like a drizzle) and he giggled the whole time.  Not only does he love being outside, but he really loves water...it was like the best of both worlds for him!

Not only do I have an outdoor-loving husband and baby, but our pup also loves hanging outside.  We are in the process of getting a fence so Bully can just roam free in the backyard.  He recently got into a battle with a wasp (and lost).  When we brought him in the house, his whole left eye was swollen shut.  He was a sad sight, but at the suggestion of some helpful googling- we put some vinegar on it and it went down gradually.  It was completely healed by the morning and Bully of course went on without missing a beat.