Smiles For Miles

Dusting off the cob webs

2009-10-27T11:37:00.001-07:00

Hello blogger world I am back. Thanks to my sweet boyfriend for posting that last update for me. I meant to start posting again after I recovered but just got lazy about it. Will try to get back into the swing of things though!

Last Tuesday was Karma's first obedience class. It went well and she is catching on quick. She is soooo focused and intense about the treats that she gets a little too wound up waiting for the commands. At least she is motivated about something though! This should work out to our advantage in the future when we want to move on from basic obedience. Tonight is the 2nd class and I am looking forward to it. Karma is in a class with 4 mixed puppies from the same litter, a very handsome sable german shepherd, and a 3 year old lab.

Sunday Todd and I took all 3 of the kids out to Pet Fest in Old Town Spring, a huge pet event that draws in a big crowd and lots of rescues and vendors....and dogs! We were there for a good 4 hours and we all had a blast. Karma was on excellent behavior and really impressed us. The only barking she did was at a horse! We bought the dogs some gourmet halloween cookies from barker street bakery, enjoyed hot dogs and a funnel cake ourselves, and bought 3 dog car magnets.

Here are photos from the day I took:

Been a bad week...

2009-10-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well I am writing this as an update for everyone. Jamie has been out of commission, so I (Todd) decided to try this out and help her out. Jamie has had a long, rough week. She got sick about a week ago and it only went down hill from there. She was eventually diagnosed as having the Flu and her Doctor said that it was a good chance that it was the dreaded Swine Flu!!! She has hung in there though and recently went to the ER. The worst is over they tell her, and it was a good thing she caught it early, that flu is deadly! We have all been praying for her and I can't wait till she is back in full swing to help me with all our children!

In Karma's world, we had recently taken her to the vet since she developed this large bump on her muzzle. Turns out it is a nasty ringworm! Eww. It is contagious, especially with humans or dogs that have weak immune systems. Unfortunately we have not been to the dog park in at least a week now, and I think Karma is going stir crazy, attacking Zelda with every chance she gets. I have been applying medication to it and I am hoping that it goes away soon so we can get her out of this cramped little apartment.

And me, well I have been taking so many vitamins and pills its ridiculous. I take my vitamin C every chance I get, drink tons of orange juice, and eat lots of fruit. My throat has been hurting the past day or so, and I have a slight cough, but no other symptoms thus far. I am praying I do not get what Jamie had...it looked terrible and I felt helpless. Well, it is time for me to go to bed now, and I think I will let my baby girl Karma sleep with me in bed tonight...she deserves it.

New collar photo dump

2009-10-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

Out with the old

and in with the new :)

After the dog park today we took Zelda and Karma to MAM's for some doggie snowballs.

Swimming lessons at the dog park

2009-09-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

A very patient Siberian Husky named Gus taught Karma how to swim and retrieve the tennis ball from the pond today. It was adorable and we couldn't keep Karma out of the water! We've always wanted a dog that would swim :)

She was pretty pooped when we got home.

It's official

2009-09-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

We have Karma set up for Basic obedience starting on October 20th!

Love fool

2009-09-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

All is well in Karma land

Karma is such a daddy's girl.

She sometimes gets too happy and will give us love bites, which we let her know we appreciate the love, but not the teeth! :)

She also loves her Siberian sister

Some individuals choose to stop and smell the roses

2009-09-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

while others choose to engage in tug-o-war! I picked up a new toy from work today and Karma approves!

http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/petsxanimals/Karma/?action=view&current=d2ff4c48.pbr

The itchy and scratchy show

2009-09-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ok not really, but we took Karma to see Dr. Parham today and had a skin scrape done over concern about hair thinning on her body in a few places. The spots aren't itchy or red/irritated looking and the scrape came back negative for mites. I guess it could be a number of things. Folliculitis, demodex in the healing stage, flea allergy, food allergies, any kind of allergies....I understand that Pit Bulls are prone to all sorts of skin problems so I hope we can find something out soon! She was eating Science Diet at the shelter but we switched her to Wellness Whitefish & Sweet Potato. Here are photos of the spots at different angles:

For some good news, Karma has been doing excellent at the dog park. Here is a video of her getting her exercise and play on! She made friends with a chocolate lab and they have been playing nonstop.

http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/petsxanimals/Karma/?action=view&current=d2b45d58.pbr

While we were at the vet clinic we randomly saw one of the shelter volunteer ladies who knew Karma way before she came into our life! It was a very sweet reunion and Karma could barely contain her happiness in front of Trish :)

Wipe out

2009-09-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

Chief and Zelda are regular dog park attendees. We've been taking Karma along with us to the dog park and Todd has been walking her around the area around the park and alongside the fence to familiarize her with the sights, smells, and other dogs.

We were ready to try Karma out in the park but today there was an over-abundance of ignorant and irresponsible dog owners with badly behaved dogs so we waited until all the dogs left but one to bring her in. Karma greeted the stranger dog with confidence but then was ALL play. She zoomed and raced around the dog park and it was so fun to see her run at top speed. She is very agile which got me thinking about agility in the future. She and Zelda raced and chased each other and wore each other out. Todd swung her around with a tire rope toy and that was really fun to watch since we do not have the room to do that in our apartment. She behaved beautifully and made me proud. Todd also talked to some of the dog park patrons and educated them about how wonderful Pit Bulls are as family pets. No one had a complaint about Karma :) While we were waiting to bring her in the park a lab attacked a chihuahua and a dalmation attacked any dog that came near it. Today was a good press day for the Pit Bull.

Todd documented the aftermath when we got home....we were all out like lights!

(yes she fell asleep with the soccer toy in her mouth!)

Houston, we have ears!

2009-09-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

We also have lobster for dinner!

Dear media

2009-09-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Can we at least get more facts from the story before straight up throwing this crap out to the public?:

Pitbull Mauls 3 yr. old

http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-pitbull-attack-story,0,6686134.story

"The little girl was visiting her aunt's house on Sweet Gum near Live Oaks when she went into the backyard to feed the dog and was attacked. She suffered injuries to her face and head and was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital for treatment. Her aunt suffered minor injuries when she tried to stop the attack. She was taken to Kingwood Hospital and is listed in stable condition. Montgomery County Animal Control took the dog into custody. Police found no prior history of problems with the dog. An investigation is currently underway.

Copyright © 2009, KIAH-TV"

I would like to know first of all why the hell a 3 YEAR OLD CHILD was allowed to feed a dog and feed him/her by herself. I would like to know why the Aunt placed 100% trust in the dog..a powerful breed at that. Has the dog ever had any resource guarding issues, not just with people? In a dog's world, a 3 year old child is not going to be taken seriously, a 3 year old child would fall below the dog's rank in the pack, a 3 year old child should not have been given such a serious task as feeding a dog...that should be the Alpha's role. Once again..the dog and the child suffers for the adult's negligence and stupidity.

In other news, took Karma back to VCA Spring Branch to get a urinalysis done. I liked the vet that saw her today, she said, "You know..I always like to say if Chihuahuas were the size of Pit Bulls they would bet he ones with the bad rap." We got along just fine and dandy and Karma made a new friend :) Some bacteria turned up in Karma's urine and that would be what's making her want to drink excessively/obsessively and urinate frequently in the apartment. A 14 day dose of Clavamox and 150 dollars later, we're back at home. Todd and I will have to add a new nickname to her list..."money pit" :)

More exploring

2009-09-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

This evening(Friday) I took Karma to Hermann Park to walk her around and see the sights. The lighting wasn't the best since we got there a little late, but I managed to snap some photos.

We will have to visit again earlier in the day..and when I get a better camera ;p

Karma has been urinating inside very frequently and is trying to get to water any chance she can. She has never shown any interest in drinking out of the toilet and if the seat is up she will try to get a drink. We are worried she might have a UTI so I will be bringing her to the vet tomorrow to see what's up...this definitely isn't like her. She was acting sort of frantic at the park too and trying to get to any water she could off the ground and in the pond. Her expression in the photos look like they tell a story of despair.

The only thing I like about Todd leaving for work..

2009-09-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

..is that I get all the Karma love!

Good kids :)

Two trips out and two positive reports

2009-09-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Karma needed a checkup at a vet outside of the shelter so I took her to VCA Spring Branch after setting up an appointment with a very nice receptionist named Olga. I braced myself before we left and made sure I had a lot of treats with me to keep her attention. For her first vet visit I am happy to report that she behaved very well.

Karma rides very nicely in the car so that helped since we were stuck in some serious traffic. Upon arrival at the clinic there was a woman with a young boy and a labrador in the lobby. I walked in with Karma and a treat in hand. Karma wanted to react to the dog but I stopped her before it happened and redirected her attention with a treat then we sat down. Karma sat nicely as the woman went to pet her. We had to wait for a good while and I did quite a bit of redirecting her attention from other pets, but she was intensely focused on the treats so it wasn't a problem at all. When we got in the room the vet tech loved all over Karma and talked in a nice voice to make her feel comfortable. Karma repaid all the affection with a lot of kisses!

Dr. Robin McConaughey walked into the room and Karma loved all over her. Dr. McConaughey thoroughly examined Karma and everything checked out fine minus some concern over hair thinning in some spots. After the exam Karma lied down and chilled while the vet and I were talking. Dr. McConaughey commented on how nice she was behaving :) We had to wait a little bit to check out in the lobby and a woman walked in with a cat in a box. She sat 3 chairs away from us and kept an eye on Karma. She asked me if Karma is friendly with cats and I told her I just adopted her and was not sure at all. She said she was taking her cat out on her lap so I said "okay" and armed myself with a lot of treats. Karma tried to go for the cat a couple times but with my diligence and the help of treats, I got her under control and she ended up ignoring the cat the remainder of the time we were there..I was impressed!

Yesterday she was spayed at BARC and was pretty much down and out.

Today she woke up feeling like her normal happy-go-lucky self.

For the most part she's been good about not jumping around everywhere and I am glad that she isn't trying to lick her incision. I needed to take Zelda and Chief to the dog park so since Karma was being somewhat calm, Todd took Karma and followed us in his car to Erwin Chew. Todd hung out with Karma in the park next to the dog park while I went in with the other two. This was also a socialization test for Karma to see how she did in a park with other people and kids around and dogs close by running around in the dog park. Todd walked K along the outside fence of the dog park and she did just fine..he also walked her around the park where adults and kids were playing and hanging out and there were no issues, he rewarded her good behavior with those yummy treats she likes :) A couple people in the dog park commented on how well she was behaving. Woo hoo!

Once she is healed from her spay she will be signed up for obedience classes at Pup Scouts. Depending on how she does we are going to strive for competitive obedience or some sort of dog sport!

Responsible Pet Ownership = Spay & Neuter

2009-09-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Karma is currently resting in her crate recovering from her spay today. She says no pictures please because she doesn't want everyone to see how groggy she is..definitely not the happy and spastic Karma we know and love! She has agreed though to share photos of her from the past couple days...you might find out why the title of the blog is "Smiles For Miles"....

She was super excited to discover these fun chew toys filled with peanut butter called Kongs

I think rope toys put her in the best mood!

She likes her big German Shepherd brother, Master Chief

Sorry Zelda...I think she's got you beat!

Group shots

and with us :)

She loves those boys in uniforms just like her mom ;)

You Just Adopted A Pit Bull?!.....

2009-09-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

....but not just any pit bull!

World, Karma...Karma, World.

I receive countless emails daily on dog rescue lists about pleas for urgent shelter dogs. On September 3rd, 2009 one particular dog in one of those urgent emails caught my eye. This was her listing:

"HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MINIATURE SUGAR
AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE. This
beautiful 2 year old brown pittie mix can best be
described as animated. Watching her zany antics
in the play yard will have you laughing. You pick
the game and she'll play. SUGAR is also friendly
and enjoys meeting new people. She's about 50
pounds and with her high energy she will need a
home with a big yard and an active family. Do you
have what it takes to keep up with ?
Look for SUGAR at BARC in South D Ward, I.D.
A0995268."

My sister owns a rescued APBT, I dog sit a pit mix, I have friends who own them, and I get loved on them at the dog park all the time. However, I never thought I would actually find myself owning one. Just a couple years ago I was one of those people blaming the wrong end of the leash. I was completely ignorant about Pit Bulls and the media totally had my mind warped (wow! it's amazing the kind of swaying power it has over people regarding these dogs). I am happy to say that I have since then been educated and am a certifiable pittie fan.

So back to September 3rd, 2009. I showed my boyfriend Sugar's photo and description and he actually agreed about going down to the shelter to meet her. I was pleasently surprised because A. He wasn't too keen on the idea about adding a 3rd dog at this time, and B. He wanted our next dog to be a Doberman and we were actually looking into one with the local Doberman rescue. Sugar had some powerful magic over us though.

We went to BARC, the city shelter, and eagerly walked to the room she was in and down the row of kennels until we found her.

Sugar's tail was going a mile a minute but she remained calm and didn't rush the kennel as if she had gotten her hopes up many times before and had been let down. My boyfriend and I leashed her up and took her out to the play yards where other families were meeting and interacting with other available dogs. Sugar was zipping around the play yard like a bullet and when she did take breaks to come over to us, she showered us with kisses. We spent a long time just sitting and watching her, not wanting to really force anything. We then walked her around on leash and she pretty much pulled our arms out of our sockets. I thought my husky pulled....you do not know what true strength and power is until you've attempted to walk an untrained, young Pit Bull who has been cooped up in a kennel for 3 months! So we talked it over and thought out things...

..and of course we couldn't leave her at the shelter to die so we made things official :)! We gave her a bath at the shelter and she behaved beautifully. She stood still for us and seemed to savor the moment. We decided to give Sugar a proper name and we couldn't think of any name more fitting and right than "Karma".

So this is Karma's little corner of the web. She is between 1-2 years of age and didn't even know how to sit. One of my main reasons for starting this blog is to keep people updated with her progress because she surely has a ways to go. We have been reading up religiously about her breed and understand we must not fail her. We, as new owners of a Pit Bull Terrier, have a heightened sense of responsibility to shape and mold Karma into a model citizen. We are hoping to only make GOOD and positive headlines with her! Our biggest goal is to eventually get her CGC certified. Thank you for reading :)

This is a video of us meeting and adopting her at the shelter:

http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/petsxanimals/Karma/?action=view&current=253cae86.pbr