My Dog From Hell

I often talk about my pup from hell. Read here and/or here to catch up. I’ve come home on many occasions to her at the front door when she should be in her kennel.  I don’t know how she does it but several times she has broken out of it.  My house has often looked like either a tornado hit or someone broke into the house and decided to rip up a bunch of shit. But no it’s just my dog Dragon who has severe separation anxiety and just cannot be alone and resorts to chewing EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING. 

It was a huge problem for a while because she has ruined so many of our things, some of it defiantly needed to go but still.  Here is a list of things that she has chewed.  Living room couch (just a tiny hole), computer power cord, iPhone charger, cable/internet cord (outside), AC cord (outside), vs bras, heels, mouse’s thunder coat, leashes, plastic floor mat in her kennel, front room couch, ottoman, table, kitchen chairs, bourbon (she apparently has acquired a taste for it, just like her dad), belts, books, boxes, hats, pillows, shower cap, legos, I’m sure there is more I just can’t think anymore.  I am honestly shocked that she hasn’t been hurt from the things she has consumed. 

Not only has she ruined our furniture/house but it has also led to many fights with the bf.  He was ready to get rid of her months ago and I wasn’t going to have it.  A friend had suggested doggy daycare so I said lets give that a try? I found a place 5 minutes from my work.  It is not cheap it’s about 17 bucks a day.  So we were fighting about money.  It adds up fast.  For a couple weeks she was doing great and all the staff loved her and said she got along well with the others pups.  She seemed to love going there and it was nice to have a buddy with me on the commute.  On the way home she would just pass out from exhaustion from playing all day. 

My favorite!  She was so tired we made the bed around her and she didn't move!  

Randomly, she started going after other dogs and at home she was getting out of control.  We would have to separate both dogs, one dog outside one dog inside, or lock Mouse in the bedroom and keep Dragon in the living room.  When people came over she would become super hyper, jump up on people, and would literally start to go insane.  I would have to chase her around the house for a good 5-10 minutes to try to get her in her kennel.  She became territorial outside and if I would go out there she would jump and nip at my arms and damn are her teeth sharp.  She stayed at the bf’s parents for a while because they have a lot of land so she could run around and let out some energy.  She started going after Phil’s Mom.

I was losing faith in her.  She wasn’t all bad but it was getting worse.  I couldn’t stand to send a dog back to the kennel because we couldn’t handle her.  I’m sure she would be put down and I was not ready to give up.  I felt like I had failed.  My dogs are my family, if I can’t raise a dog how the hell am I going to be a mom?  I said Phil lets please try one more thing.  I give him so much credit that he stood by me with all of this because I mean this dog was more than a handful.  So I found a guy who specializes in animal behavior.  Originally I had contacted him about the separation anxiety and her not being left alone.  His words: “that sounds like one of the most severe cases I’ve seen”.   Oh great.  So the morning of our Anniversary we had an appointment to go meet with him. 

We started explaining to Mike (Trainer) that this was our last resort because we really had tried all of our resources.  For the first 25 minutes we just talked to him about everything, her chewing, her hyper, her daycare incidences, her aggression, you get the point.  He said wowww this is a lot worse than I thought.  He actually said that he wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do or that could be done.  I was heartbroken.  Dragon was dropped off at the kennel when she was 7 months, so we aren’t sure of her history.  He said from his experience with Pitbulls many of them are bread to fight and kill and I’m sure you heard that there is a lot of interbreeding going on.  Well he was afraid that this was the case with her.  Around 8months to a year is when their behavior starts changing, it’s like a switch.  They could be the most perfect dog and then something in them just changes like that.

He did a few tests with her and by just watching noticed that she obsesses over things.  And that’s exactly what she does!!  So he put a shock collar on her and wanted to see if she would “break” as they call it in dog world.  Her task was to stop locking eyes with the trainer’s dog because since we were there she spotted this dog in her kennel and was just staring and obsessing over this dog.  Phil did most of the brunt work I kind of sat, listened, and watched.  Basically the trainer shocked the shit out of Dragon, she was whimpering and I was crying.  Pitbulls who are interbreed, when they get hurt or feel threatened go harder, they are meant to kill.  But to all of our surprise she finally looked away and tucked her head into Phil and hid behind him. 

This was a good sign.  There was hope for everyone.  Mike even thought that she actually might be ably to change and be a good dog.  The conclusion of the appointment was to take the shock collar home with us for a week and start working with her.  Our plan was to take it day by day.  We weren’t sure how she would do.  We didn’t know if we would keep her but we had to think about the future.  Down the road we want lil bittles running around and from what we had seen it wouldn’t be safe. Per Mike's recommendation we pulled her out of Daycare and now she stays home in her kennel.  

It’s been a month since that first meeting and we STILL have Dragon.  J  It’s been a roller coaster full of up and down emotions.  It’s unbelievable that in a month she has become such a different dog.  She listens, she’s calmed down, and she’s just a big o’l love.   You say kennel, she stops what she is doing and runs into the kennel and just sits there.  We don’t have to separate both dogs AND they actually cuddle together now.  People came over last weekend and she wasn't a pain in the ass!  There is still more to be done but I know that she is the dog that I picture being the right fit for our “family”.  I’m so glad that I stuck by her and gave it all I got because I love that dog so much.  Dragon has so much love and good in her and whoever had her before tried to make her mean and they suck and don't deserve to have any animals!

Phil's been out of town for work and she has become lil Miss. Watchdog.  She know's that Philly's gone and someone need's to protect me and she has stepped in.  It's really cute because she'll walk around the house look outside through all the windows, bark if she see's something like get the hell away people, and then come sit by me.  :)

And wowww this post was a whole lot longer than I planned on. 

I get to head out of the office early today because I have got some major cleaning to do before Mom and Martha get here tomorrow!  Life is good.  

Happy Friday!  

Litte Bit of This and A Lot of This

Last weekend involved a little of this:  

A lot of this:

And a lot more of this:

1.  Fixing up the house:  For a while Phil and I were up in the air about moving to a new house and for a short time we even had our house up on the market.  We decided that we love our lil starter home and most importantly we love the area so now we can finally get to fixing up the house and make it our own.  Though the bachelor pad he had was suitable for his needs it’s now time to make it ours and more functional.  Last weekend was the start of it, we moved the TV Room next to the Kitchen, which I’ve been nagging asking him to do for a while.  Our project last weekend we wanted to repaint the built in cabinets and add the doors that once were on them, back on.  I spent a good 45 minutes taping the windows and the bf painted them.  On Sunday we went to hang the doors and whelp, the paint was a little too thick from all the previous paint jobs that they didn’t fit.  So now we have to sand all the edges and then repaint it with one coat.  Just call us home owner armatures because we aren’t really sure what we are doing but hey we are figuring it out along the way together.  Pictures to come when we get it finished! While Philly went around touching up the trim I did a major closet clean out.  My closet, which is technically the hallway closet is full of junk that does not belong and I have a hard time getting to my things.  So I put all the junk in the attic and reorganized all of my clothes and shoes.  One thing you should now is that I’m super organized and neat but I’ll leave a sink full of dirty dishes for days.  

This is After.  Totally forget to take a before!

2.  Drinking:  After all the cleaning/organizing/painting the bf and I went to Bdubs for drinks with friends.  Side Note:  Asian Zinger Sauce is HOTTTT!  My mouth was not happy with me.  So anyways I drank way too much Cider Beer but it is so good and its Fall so its the perfect time to drink it.  We are so old tired from being busy all day we didn't fee like going out after dinner/drinks so we had everyone come over to our place were I continued to drink more Cider Beer.  We haven't really had people over since we started really working with Dragon. Read this to find out why.  Anyways I was so surprised to see how well she was interacting with everyone aka not being totally annoying and up on everyone's sh*t.  When people come over she gets really excited and hyper but she just chilled on the couch with everyone and kicked back.  I love it! 

   

Fav picture of the night!

 

3.  Lounging with the pups:  It was so nice to spend time hanging with my Man and our babies pups.  The pups are finally getting along with one another so now we can all enjoy being snuggled on the couch!  Sunday we watched movies and snacked on appetizers all day.  The only thing that was missing was making a fort.  We will have to save that for another day.  Nothing crazy or adventures happened but it sure was a really great weekend spent with Philly, the pups, and friends. 

Sunshine Award!

I've been nominated for the Sunshine Award from my favorite wine drinker Jess over at No Happier Hour. She's my go to tweeter, usually when it's 4 o'clock and I am hiding in the bathroom just waiting till its 5! 

Rules:

1. Link back to my Sunshine Award blog

2. Insert the Sunshine Award logo in the post

3. Answer the following 10 questions

4. Nominate blogs/bloggers who add a touch of sunshine to your day

5. Post 10 new questions for the nominees to answer

My Answers:

1. What is the most important thing you've learned?

That life passes by way too to friggin fast, I can't believe I'm 24 1/2 years old already, where did college go?!! Take every opportunity/adventure that you can because you only get this life once.  

2. What's your can't-live-without beauty product?

Under eye concealer for those dark circles.  I don't leave the house without it! 

3. Are you a coffee, tea, or energy drink kind of person?

Hands up to all three! Lately these days its been just plain ol' black coffee, probably about 3-4 cups a day.  Its about the only thing that gets me through the day.  Winter day's though nothing is better than a cup of tea with a squirt of some local honey.

4. If I handed you $100 to use for whatever you wanted, what would it be?

Right now it would just go right into the bank because I need to seriously start saving. Wow, I kind of sound like a grown up....

5. What's your favorite place to shop (doesn't have to be clothing)?

TJ.MAXX because i'm a maxxinista! :)

6. What's the best way to spend a day off?

For me it would be playing hooky with the bf.  We would sleep in, stay in our jammies for half the day, watch movies or a tv series, build a fort, then go take the dogs for a hike/walk and finish the night at one of our fav restaurants! 

7. If you could do anything as your dream job, what would it be?

To be a stay at home mom!  There is nothing I want more than to be a mom of  2 or 3 lil minions and to have the chance to stay at home raising them.   Recently I found out that this might be harder for me to accomplish than most women, which is something I am still processing and still emotional over.  I know though when the time is right I will be a mom.  

8. Who has been the most influential person in your life?

This is so hard because honestly there are a lot of people in my life that I look up to and that I find inspiring. I'm not sure I can even just answer this with one person. Does that mean I fail?

9. Where is your favorite place that you've ever traveled to?

Cape Cod.  It's my family vacation spot.  There are so many amazing memories that I have had there and people that I have met, I hope to be able to hold that tradition with my own family one day.  Plus the seafood there is sooooo good, I could eat lobster and clam chowda all day/all night!

10. Describe yourself in 5 sentences.

I'm a 24 year old Upstate New York gal trying to get used to life in the Midwest with the love of my life.  I'm a indecisive, terrible dancer who loves to dance, goofball who loves her imperfect family more than anything.  I'm super emotional and my face is a big giveaway of how I feel.  I talk too loud, laugh with everything I've got, and love with all my heart.  I don't know what I want to be when I grow up but all I know is life is a changing journey and I'm just doing everything I can to be happy.

Nominees:

Brooke Lyn - Babbling Brookelyn

Heather - Fiery and Opinionated

Monica - The Empty Teacups

Nicole - Treasure Tromp

Jess -  No Happier Hour

Questions 

1.  If you could get on a plane tomorrow, where would you go?

2.  What board do you find yourself pinning to the most?

3.  What is your favorite thing about where you live?

4.  What is the last thing you bought?

5.  If you won the lottery what would you do with the money?

6.  What are you currently obsessed with?

7.  What would your perfect date night be?

8.  What song is on repeat on your iPod?

9.  Texting or talking on the phone?

10. What is your number 1 blog advice?

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Holla Holla, It's Friday!  It will be even better when it's 6 o'clock hanging with the bf and the pups!  The only thing on the agenda this week is to relax, clean and maybe do a DIY project for the home.  The Mom's just surprised me that they are coming to visit next week and it will be the first time they will see our place!  So if anyone has some great project ideas, please let me know because I am new at this "I live in a home thing."

I can't not post any pictures so random but on Wednesday the bf and I took a half day and went to a Horse Race.  My boss happens to own 19 Horses, aint nobody got time for dat.  He has been trying to get Phil to come to one of the races so it worked out and he let me take a half day. I'll take it.  It also hit me how stupid much I love animals!  

Not the best picture, but this horse loved my scarf!  She was seriously the sweetest horse I've ever met. 

Well it's time for me to read blogs work, so I should get to it.  

Happy Friday!

Upstate New York

Remember that time I went to New York and it took me a month to blog about it? Yes, I'm finally getting around to it.  
So I won't lie and say that the start of our trip to New York was perfect because it ended up being the furthest thing from it.  I learned that the bf does not function well under minimal sleep and lots of stress.  It all started with a phone call at 11:30 pm that our 8 am flight from Indianapolis to Chicago was canceled. After an hour of both waiting on the line and straightening everything out I made the executive decision to take the 6:30 am flight, which would take us to Detroit and then to Upstate.  The other option was to take a 1:40 pm flight but that would get us there rather late and my thought process was well I would rather be with my family and tired then still be in Indiana. But the bf had a lot going on at work and really wanted a good nights sleep in his own bed, which I get but I don't get to see my family that much so my mindset was just to get the hell home! Anyways we got in a fight and I ended up driving us to the airport at 2:30 am because we couldn't sleep and it's about an hour and 20 mins to the airport anyways.  Fights happen especially under stress but it is all how you work through it together. After talking through it, he apologized and we moved forward.  When we got there my brothers Sean and Liam and his wife and 2 kids were there. It was such a gorgeous day and we spent it outside drinking beers, playing corn hole, eating yummy New York pizza, and laughing about old times.  Couldn't have been more perfect!  

Corn hole with my brothers Liam and Sean! And yes my mom has flamingos in her yard...

Friday all the ladies went and got mani and pedis while the men did some honey do list items in preparation for my moms wedding. (Number 79 on my 101 Things List)  We stopped and got a cocktail before heading home, because well we all love to drink and why not? The rest of Friday was spent getting things done outside prepping for the rehearsal/wedding!  All the guys wanted to do was play cornhole, needless to say they were somewhat useless.   At this point I was still freaking out about the toast I would have to give because that's what I do I stress myself out for no apparent reason at all other than to raise my blood pressure. After the rehearsal run through and hanging with family it was time to get away for a little bit. Phil and I went into town to meet up with my sistew Erin and meet her new BF!!!

Sister in-law! 

Saturday was obviously all about the wedding!  For those that don't know I don't have your typical family.  My Mom and Dad were married for 25 years, had four kids and then my mom came out of the closet.  So now I have 2 Moms.  They have been together since I was 12 so my Moms now wife has been a big part of my life.
I wanted to be there for my mom and help her in any way.  For the most part all the flowers were set up it was just finishing all the last minute touches, lighting all the candles, talking to the caterer, and getting ready which took way longer for me than it needed to.  I had a hair crises because the lady showed up late and didn't have time to do my hair, which I would have been fine with but I didn't have anything with me to do my hair but my bf went and got me bobby pins and my Aunt saved the day and helped me out.  The wedding itself was just beautiful and comical.  2 year olds are just so unpredictable.  My lil nephew was supposed to walk down the aisle with me but he decided that was not happening.  So Martha, my moms wife picked him up and he was kicking and screaming the entire way they walked down the aisle, everyone was cracking up!  Haha and then half way through the ceremony my little niece fell on the stone and started screaming.  It was simply perfect because it just sums up our family. 

My family! 

Decorations!

The Toast (Which I have to say is all about the delivery) It was a huge hit, both with tears and laughter!  

Good evening family and friends!   First off, congratulations to the newest married couple of Trumansburg.  You both look beautiful tonight.   I can’t express how happy I am that this day has arrived, that you two are finally able to stand here as a married. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and I can only imagine that these two have been waiting even longer.  It truly is such an honor to be part of this special day and a moment I will never forget.

Martha, welcome to the family officially, even though I already considered you to be, you’re a brave one because we sure haven’t made it easy. You have supported me through good times and bad.  We have had many fights but yet so many more hugs.  You truly have become a parent figure in my life.  Most importantly you have brought laughter and joy back into my mom’s life and when I see you two look at one another it’s obvious of the love and happiness you both share.  So I thank you for being an incredible partner for my mom, but also thank you for considering me the daughter you never had.  Please take care of her and treasure each moment you have together.  I love you.

To my beautiful mother and best friend, I can’t express how happy I am to be a part of this day with you. There isn't a time looking back that you haven't been there for me or supported me in the newest crazy idea that I seem to come up with. You truly are an inspiration to me and I find myself being more and more like you every day and I am so proud.  You stand up for what you believe in and fight for what you love.  So today I am here to support you and your love for Martha, I couldn’t have been more honored to stand by your side when you said “I do”.  I love you to the moon and back!

To the two of you, you've both worked hard to get here today and when life handed you difficulties, it did not make you bitter, it made you better. Your marriage to each other is a true triumph and example of a love that I look up to.  I’m a big believer in the idea that when it comes to the person you’re meant to be with, when you know, you know. (Thats when I looked at Philip) Today’s beautiful bride and bride, are the perfect example of this.  Congratulations and enjoy each day of your marriage together. Be friends to each other, share each others hopes and fill each others dreams.  Let’s raise our glasses to the happy couple, to my Mom and Martha, Cheers and I love you both.  

 

The Toast!  (Number 92 on my 101 Things in 1001 Days List)

 
The rest of the wedding was spent mingling with everyone, eating, and of course drinking and dancing!

Sister!!!

My mom knows how to get down!

My Mom and the Maid of Honors!

Paper Lanterns.

Sunday Phil I get to spend all day with my sistew, her new man, and her family.  We walked the Watkins Glen gorges where we got the booty workout of the week with the 2 miles of stairs, had lunch on Seneca Lake, hit up some wineries for tasting (Number 13 on my list), went to a family friends pool, and ended the night with a bonfire/hot tub party in the pouring rain. It was a fun filled drunk fest of a day!  This my friends was the day that I consumed far too many adult beverages and the pool was about the time that I bawled my eyes out on my best friends lap because I miss her.  

Seneca Lake

Best Friend and her Man! 

Friends

The rest of the trip was spent being with my family and showing the bf around all the local joints! It was so nice to be home for 6 days because I don't get the chance to be home that often.  It's a 10.5 hour drive or an expensive plane ticket, aint nobody got time for dat.  

Just playing cards with my cat....jk Fun night playing skipbo and drinking beers with the family and Phil

The rip roaringggg Falls 

Ithaca Guns

House built by Frank Lloyd Wright behind us.  

Now I am back home and its already been a month because I suck and I'm still sad because I miss my family and friends!  I'm glad the bf got to be part of it, I'm glad I got to spend so much time with my sister and her new boo, which by the way I approve, he's a keeper, i'm happy that I got to be with all three of my brothers, i'm so happy to have been part of my mom and her partner's wedding (Number 7 on my list), and I got to check off lots of items on my list, which is a good feeling!  Good news is both my Mom and Dad will be visiting in November, but not at the same time of course and I get to see sister on a cruise for a whole week in 3 months! Party dance! :)