A New Bed for Soo

After receiving a well-intentioned jab from my husband about the size of Soozie's old bed (something about a saccharin tablet - a bit of an exaggeration), I went to Petco to see what was on sale. I came home with a big pink cordoroy bed for Soozie, less than 1/2 price! She has hardly gotten off the thing since I brought it home and she bares her teeth at Colson if he gets too close. (We're going to work on that). :)
In other news, I'm still fighting this cold (end of week three now!), but doing much better. Geoff is a little sick with it too, so what a fun pair we make for the moment. And once again, I'm working on decorating projects at the house - new curtains, new paint, new wallpaper - you never know what will be different each time you visit! It's just like going to my grandmother's house, the decor is constantly changing...

A New Favorite Picture

I have some better pictures of Colson, better meaning that he's looking dead-on at the camera. I even have a great one I took the same day as this one. But I just love the look on his face here! I figured this could fall under the category of favorites, this being a favorite picture. I'll share some other pictures soon.

I took this one because I was outside trying to take some before pictures of the house before the contractor gets started. The official start date for all of the building and repair is November 27th, just two weeks away!

Every Dog Has It's Day

Today was a great day for the dogs. It was hot Hot HOT! So we all went out to the national forest nearby and let the dogs take a swim. I think the pictures speak for themselves...

Defending the Alpha Position

Sometimes it is tough to be the owner of two pit bulls. They don't rough me up by biting me like some people would probably think. Once Colson got so excited to get back into the house that he wrapped my arm around the posts on the entryway to my porch - I ended up in ER. Nothing was broken, but I was pretty swollen and hurt.
Another time I got a black eye - my only shiner ever! He just bumped me in the right spot to blacken it. And then there was the time one of the neighbor kids decided to throw a stick for the dogs and clobbered me in the head with it. I know that wasn't technically the dogs' fault, but it was a related injury.
And as I sit here typing this post, I have a throbbing tooth and a bloody lip. Soozie this time, bumped my tooth with her hard head, splitting my lip open. If I still have a headache this bad tomorrow, I'm going to the dentist. If I lose my front tooth over this, I'm not going to be too happy! But these are the perils of pit bull ownership I guess...

Dickonsonian Day

For years I have had a picture on the wall in my bedroom. The frame is cheap and the picture is of a teddy bear. On it is my favorite poem of all time, Emily Dickonson's "I Shall Not Live in Vain."
If I can stop one heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one life the aching
or cool one pain
Or help one fainting robin
Until his nest again
I shall not live in vain.
I know I don't have any punctuation right, but you get the gist.
Well, yesterday I got to have a Dickinsonian Day. I helped a little guy named Gabe. Gabe is a pit bull that some folks found a few months ago living on his own in the B'ham area. He has suffered a lot, judging by his excessive scarring and gunshot shards and bb's still lodged and seen on x-rays. And despite all of that, he is a doll. Anyone who has spent even a few minutes with him has fallen in love. This morning Gabe is in surgery. He is have a face lift, hopefully to put his lip back where it belongs so that he won't look like he's snarling because Gabe doesn't snarl.
I'll update with some new pics of Gabe later this week when I get a chance to go and see him in recovery.
If you're reading this for some reason and you want to help Gabe, go to www.turtlemoonrescue.org and you can donate to help cover his boarding and surgery costs...

She's not Nixon, but we love her anyway

Geoff, Colson, Irving, and I welcomed Soozie into our lives a few months ago. I have had several complaints that folks haven't gotten to see pics of this beautiful girl, so here she is. Soozie is brindle and white, a full American Pit Bull Terrier. If you read my earlier post about Colson, you'll know that Geoff largely influenced me to investigate this fantastic breed of dog.
Soozie came to us because of my involvement with Turtle Moon Rescue - the Pit Bull Rescue group in Alabama. I began working with them as a coordinator/planner of their events back in March and it doesn't take long to find another pit to fall in love with when you work with them on a daily basis. I won't say too much about Soozie online as she was a confiscation from a cruelty case and I don't wish her to be found. She's a real joy of a dog, and she's Colson's favorite cuddle buddy now.
But I can tell you honestly, I don't want a Nixon or a Shapiro to join Colson. Calamity Soo is more than enough dog for one family, and having a pair is more than I ever want as far as dogs go in my small house! (Somewhere Geoff is seconding this opinion).

Colson, a.k.a. "the Pook" is a two-year old American Pitbull Terrier. I never would have expected to own a pitbull, but he is an absolute angel of a dog and a great example of the breed. Since rescuing Colson through Turtle Moon in Lineville, Alabama, I have learned a lot about pitbulls and have become fairly active in advocating for their rights (e.g., fighting against legislation that bans dogs from areas based on their breeds).
Colson is named after Chuck Colson, former Nixon advisor and current writer/evangelist/prison reform spokesperson. We are currently looking for a Nixon (or "Nixie") to be buddies with Colson. Geoff, my husband, is also interested in a possible Shapiro sometime in the future.
Colson shows every sign of being the most spoiled dog on the planet. You cannot come back from the store - any store - and not bring him anything. He will sit on your feet and sweep the floor with his tail, waiting to get a special treat from whatever bag you bring in. His favorite are squeaky toys, but they don't last very long. Anyway, that's my buddy, protector of my home, and the center of our attention.