Happy 4th Birthday, Desmond Jay Sweet!

(May 31)
Thank you, Des, for blessing us with your quietness and your surprising remarks. Your honesty is both humbling and humorous, and your subtle wit always makes us laugh. You are definitely a middle child - with your moodiness and quirks - but we're proud of you for always being yourself, knowing what you like and don't like, and never being afraid to do your own thing. 

We love you, little boy!

Happy SURPRISE Birthday, Mom and Dad!!

It took a month of careful planning and several "we'll smooth out the white lies later" exchanges between my brother and me, but we managed to surprise my parents on May 24th, just a couple days after their birthdays. This video says it all :)

Long story short - Tim bought me a plane ticket for my birthday (which was on May 27th), I decided to take Lincoln with me since he's under 2-years-old and still flies free, we made plans with our babysitter to have her watch the big kids for a couple days, and AJ and I agreed to keep all of this a secret from my parents, and even our closest friends. Why not let our friends in on it, though? This video explains everything ;) ...Sorry, Debbie!!

My vacation lasted until the 29th, and during that time I got to...

...spend time with these wonderful people!

...finally meet my bro's girlfriend, Debbie!

...visit my alma mater (or, as AJ put it, my Hogwarts)!

...and eat something I haven't had in the year I've lived in Arizona - Almond Fried Chicken.

We may not have planned financially for my surprise birthday trip, AJ and I may have had to tell a few white lies, and the plane ride to and from Seattle with a screaming 1-year-old may have been less than pleasant...but it was all worth it, mainly for this:

Happy birthday, Mom and Dad! We love you XOXO

Goodbye

Surrendered 4/11/14

Biscuit

Re-homed 2/17/14

Dear Cookie,

Please forgive us. We're so sorry, it's all our fault. We want to blame other things - your mom for attacking the litter, forcing her owners to give you and the others away at only 4-weeks...or the neighborhood boy who tried to teach you and Biscuit to fight each other when we weren't watching. We want to say that your behavior had nothing to do with us...but of course it did. We picked you like you were a toy on a shelf, we kept you even when we knew something was wrong, and then we gave you up when no one else would take you. We're so sorry. We should have met you first, should have said hello, and then said goodbye instead of taking you home. 

You were always a good boy, never ever a bad dog. You belonged in a quiet home with less bustle, with people who would have made you feel safe and special. Here, you were the fourth addition and at the bottom of a tall totem pole. You needed more than we could give you.

It's my fault you weren't re-homed in February. There was a couple that wanted you but I gave them Biscuit instead...because I'm the one who couldn't let you go. I knew she'd be resilient enough to handle the change, but I believed you were better off with us than anyone else. I know now that I was selfish, and that the couple who wanted you would have been the perfect fit. You had a chance in February, but I kept you...and then I gave you up when no one else would take you anymore. I'm so sorry...it's all my fault.

  

***

Our dog was a red heeler/pitbull mix. We called him a Red Bull :) At 5-months he was almost 60 lbs. His size confused everyone, including the dog trainer we had been working with. In fact, he thought he might have some great dane in him because his ears were big and floppy but they also stood straight up at times. He was quiet, hardly ever barked, and was obedient. We used to joke about how he was cute but dumb...because it took him a lot longer than his sister to pick up on new tricks. Eventually he'd learn from her example that the trick led to the treat! 

After about two months, he started becoming possessive of Tim. All Tim's attention had to be his, and if Biscuit tried to intervene, he would growl and nip at her. We, stupidly, thought it was adorable. We thought it was just a quirk in his personality and that he really loved his human. It wasn't long before he became possessive of the whole family, and the cuteness turned scary. If Biscuit tried to approach us, Cookie would attack her. If we tried to approach Biscuit, Cookie would attack her. We had tried working with them ourselves before finally consulting a handful of trainers...all of whom suggested re-homing him to a family with no other pets. Instead, we re-homed her and put him in a training class. 

He did well in the class, enjoyed the socialization...until one day where his behavior was so aggressive that the trainer had to alpha roll him to get him to stop. Apparently he was extremely nervous and intimidated in the beginning of class, and towards the end he was barking and lunging at the other dogs. It might have been because Tim had taken him that day for the first time, and the change was too startling for him...or maybe he was just super tired? No one knew. 

At home he was unpredictable. Sometimes he was fun and playful, other times he would lash out at the kids for no apparent reason. At first we knew it was resource guarding... If a child tried to take a toy from him while he was playing with it, he would growl and become defensive. But then he started guarding things that weren't ever his, like the remote control or a dust bunny on the floor...and eventually guarding absolutely nothing. He would try to attack if a child simply walked near him, and usually this child was our youngest, Lincoln. 

There were never any injuries. However, during that last incident, I had realized that he was treating Linky the same way he treated Biscuit. He stopped what he was doing, stared at him intently, and then lunged. When I noticed him staring, I put my hand on his collar...and before I even saw anything, I heard him choke on his collar because he had lunged so forcefully. 

And that was it. He spent the next two days outside until we surrendered him to the only place that would take him - the humane society. 

Even though we did what we had to do, we're still sad and grieving. It's become this unspoken rule that no one talks about Cookie anymore. We cleaned up the yard and moved his dog house out of view, packed up his toys and folded his blanket away, took the crate down and stored it in the garage, and wiped the paw prints off the patio door. We tried to erase him from our lives in an attempt to feel normal...but I can still smell him on our comforter and on the couch cushions, and I can't stop looking at his pictures. I feel like I've been crying for weeks...and I think it's because I've known, for a while now, that it would come to this.

We're so sorry, Cookie. You're a good boy. We love you. 

Lincoln Turns 1!

December 28, 2013 - a perfect day for a birthday...in spite of his cold, cough, and ear infection in both ears! He may have been snotty and a little droopy-eyed, but he still enjoyed his special day. And, of course, his cake!

Happy Birthday, Lincoln :)

Cookie and Biscuit

Born October 26, 2013 to a red heeler mom and pitbull dad. He jumped the fence one day and the two ended up with a litter of Red Bulls! They came from a family friend that Tim knew from Willcox. When Tim saw a picture she had posted online of Cookie, the pup that reminded him of cookies n' cream, he was smitten. His response to said picture was, "let me talk to Anna!" Then we found out that Cookie had a strong bond with the runt of the litter, a girl that was brown and white. We figured, if one is named Cookie, the other might as well be named Biscuit! And with that, we took them both. We brought them home when they were only 4-weeks-old (and yes, fully weaned).
Cookie took to Tim right away, as if he knew Tim had chosen him. Cookie is, without a doubt, Tim's dog. When he sees him sit in his chair on the patio, he races to his lap...and growls, scowls, nips and barks at his sister if she tries to share his affections. It's the funniest thing.
When it's just me outside, on the other hand, Biscuit will race to my lap...while Cookie patiently waits his turn to be loved. As soon as I put her down, he trots over to me and puts his paws on my lap.
They both have their own distinct personalities, and sometimes they remind Tim and me of Aislin and Des. They play, fight, bicker, and whine like brother and sister, like children. And they're absolutely precious.
We love them, and they're very much a part of our family :)

So alert!

He may be the bigger of the two, but he's a total softy :)

 8-weeks-old in this pic.

Cookie was a whopping 15 lbs and Biscuit a petite 10 lbs!