A Very Special Mutt Monday: The Thrilling Conclusion

Well friends, it's been three months since BD wandered into our yard and refused to leave. After a while, we really didn't mind and seriously entertained thoughts of keeping him. He's a loyal, loving, laid-back pooch, and sometimes I wished that the other two mutts would act more like him.

When our first attempt at rehoming him didn't work, we decided to get serious and sign him up for the Heartland Lab Rescue progam, so we'd know he'd be taken in by folks who desperately wanted a dog just like him. We offered to continue fostering him until he was adopted.

All things work out in the end. We were contacted last week by our coordinator saying that she had a family who fell in love with the pictures of BD on the rescue site, and they were looking for a dog that would be calm around their four small children. I don't know how many Labs fit that distinction, but BD is the ultimate kid-friendly dog. Just ask Joe.

 

We loaded him up and drove over an hour into the city to meet the potential new family at a Petco. BD gave Joe an in-car spa scalp drip treatment on the way. We met up with BD's New Fam and their sweet older Golden, and it was pretty much love at first wag.

 

It turns out that the eldest boy turns 7 this week, and BD will be his. We said our goodbyes, trying hard to remember that we did have two lazy mutts waiting for us when we got home. Later in the evening, I received an email from BD's New Mom, who let me know that everyone was getting along well and "acting like he's always been a member of the family." The Birthday Boy had even decided to keep the name "BD" since it also stood for "Birthday Dog." 

 

It will be a little quieter (and less hairy) in our house, but I'm so relieved that BD is where he was meant to be. This is really the start of a beautiful relationship between a boy and his dog and we feel honored to have played a role in it. I also came away feeling very positive about our fostering experience, and one day when Joe is older, I definitely want to do it again.

Mutt Monday: Doldrums

We've reached the period in winter when it feels like spring will NEVER come, and we should just resign ourselves to mud and cold winds and call the whole thing off.

The dogs have the right idea. They spend approximately 40 hours per day sleeping. As we know, Boston's default position is the following:

 

Yes, she enjoys a little tv in the evenings. Especially when it's frigid outside--this dog can hold her pee until May if she has to.

 

In an attempt to curry favor with his older hostess, BD has been going for "the Boston" too.

 

"See? I can lie on my back and be calm, too! Can't we come inside and watch tv? We promise all of this dead grass sticking to our backs will only enhance your carpet."

I'm not buying it.

Mutt Monday: The Cleaning Crew

Where there is a baby in a highchair, there is a cleaning crew of mutts waiting like moat monsters beneath it to devour the castoffs. And where there is a 1-year-old's birthday, there is airborne cake.

These dogs are probably the most efficient vaccuums I've ever seen. I keep trying to convince Bill to let me get a Roomba, but he keeps pointing out that as long as the floor is soiled with food, we don't need one.



*Note, BD is still with us, though he was out having a romp while the girls remained vigilantly by the door. They know what it means when we take the baby's shirt off to eat...

Mutt Monday: The Saga Continues

So, as many of you know, we sent BD home with a friend on the Wednesday night before the big ice storm. She lives about three miles from us and has another brown lab that she thought BD could be a companion to.

Well, on Thursday morning, as I was running around trying to do as much as possible before we lost power, this is what I saw as I passed by my back door:

 

Yes, this crazy dog walked 3 miles in an ice storm to come back to his lady love. Have I mentioned that all parties are fixed? 

Anyway, there wasn't much we could do since everyone was scrambling for heat and generators, so we let him hang out for an extra week. None of the dogs really knew what to do with the thick layer of ice that covered the ground, but once it started to snow, they got down to business.

 

The kung fu fighting made them thirsty.

The dogs then spent the better part of the entire week stuck inside in the living room, since it appears that there are neighbors who are not fans of BD traipsing up to them expecting to be pet. Apparently the local animal control has received complaints, so we're trying to keep him contained until we can get him adopted. 

In the meantime, more doggie goodness:

Mutt Monday: Trash Crop

Hokie and Boyfriend Dog have moved past their mutual attraction and are developing a deeper relationship by exploring their joint interests. Which is mainly garbage.

Friday is trash collection day in our neighborhood, and it is always inevitably the windiest day of the week. Everyone sets out their cans and bags and then heads off to work. This is where Hokie and BD come in. This Friday they had dragged no less than THREE entire bags of trash to OUR FRONT LAWN and proceeded to delight in the contents as if it were Christmas morning. I do what I can to keep the front cleaned up, but the backyard...well....



I'm all for young love and all, but this plus the heavyweight wrestling matches in my veggie plot has me leaning towards sending Hokie and BD to boarding school and a military academy, respectively.

Mutt Monday: Oklahoma Animal Planet

Friday afternoon was a bit exciting around these parts with some entertainment provided by our local herd of mutts. Yes, Boyfriend Dog is still around. Don't act so shocked.

Around 90% of the time, Boston practices her life passion of being a speed bump, but every once in a while there will be an occasion (ahem, rodent) that catches her attention and gets her moving. Boyfriend Dog shares her passion for rooting out critters, and I was lucky enough to catch much of their bonding session on video.
(The narration is provided by me, our babysitter, and Joe. You'll see background shots of our under-construction garden shed, but I'm waiting for Bill to guest-blog about that.)



Don't worry, the lawnmower made it. As for the critter, it remains a mystery.

Mutt Monday: Boyfriend Dog

Around here we get a lot of doggie visitors because of our split-rail fence. Our dogs are pretty good hostesses, but this week, they fell in love. Well, Hokie fell in love anyway; Boston is pretty much a cynic when it comes to canine relationships.

ANYWAYS, we were joined by a very sweet young Lab that we called "BD" for "Boyfriend Dog," "Brown Dog," and "Big Dog" because they all apply.


We've seen him here and there for the last several weeks, and every once in a while he'd raid a can on trash day and share some of his scraps with our girls. This week, I guess, he decided to take the relationship to the next level by breaking out the big guns...or big bones, as it were:


Only the best, giantest bones for BD's lady loves. We found out later that he'd pilfered them from the One Acre Homestead. I guess all's fair in love and bone theft, but we'll do our best to replace them somehow. This one reminds me of a married couple sharing the remote:


As I've mentioned several times lately, the weather in our neck of the woods has been ridiculously cold. Like, in the single and negative digits with the wind chill. So being the giant pushover that I am, I couldn't help but let BD stay over night with us when he made it clear that he wasn't leaving his women, despite the weather. Some women are destined to be crazy cat ladies; I'll be the woman with 40 dogs. Besides, he was quite the charmer, what with his advanced ability to sit, stay, and infectious tail-wagging whenever he saw me coming.

Over the course of his 3-day stay, there was lots of lover's turmoil out in the yard. At first Boston turned a cold shoulder to the flirtfest.


But in the end, she couldn't refuse a man bearing cattle-bone shards, even if it meant sharing him with a younger woman. So scandalous.


We were content to let BD stick around until warmer temps prevailed and we could start the search for his people in earnest (because it was very clear that he was a beloved pet) but he struck out on the morning of the 4th day and we haven't seen him since. I guess he was born a rambling man. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.

EDIT: Sure enough, he was back first thing this morning to play. I'm sure he came right over as soon as his people left for work.