Brother John & Blueberry

I apologize in advance for the blurry pictures.  These boys were having so much fun, I couldn’t even ask them to pose or stay still.  🙂

So here is the last brother in the family, John!  And with John, comes the family dog, Blueberry.  John and Blueberry are a very special pair; bonded and in love.  I got my hair cut just today and my stylist/neighbor remarked, “They are the type of pair that we make movies about.”  Blueberry is a special pup that struggles with extreme separation anxiety.  She is lucky enough to be employed- she is my parent’s office dog!  And trust me, the place would fall apart without her there to provide some stress relief 😉 When Blueberry isn’t busy working, she’s looking for John.  She loves him and protects him.  She needs him.  They are the best of friends. 🙂

Blueberry

John and Leroy also are good buddies.  Their favorite past time is playing tug-of-war.  This was happening during my “photo shoot” of them.  Both boys were having a blast and enjoying the game so much.  I decided that I was going to deal with the blurry pictures for this one.  John does the rough housing that gets Leroy all exciting and in tail-chasing bliss.  Here they are in action:

John is an animal lover.  He’s my youngest brother checking in at 18 and 6 foot something.  Affectionately called, Baby Brother or Little John.  I am a proud older sister.  I have been blessed with a wonderful family 🙂

Stay tuned for posts about my parents, or Leroy’s Grandma and Grandpa 🙂  And the PUPPPYYYYY ❤

Brother Robert

Introducing, Brother Robert! Robert is the middle brother, in his prime college years.  He is the type of guy who can use the phrase, “lovin’ life”, and mean it to the full extent. 🙂  He is certainly animal friendly and always gives the dogs a nice pat on the head before he is out the door.  He will cuddle on occasion or nap with Blueberry.  But he has assigned the family cat, Lucky, as his animal.  (Though somehow I am the one that took Lucky to the vet for his yearly…)  Regardless, Robert is a good sport and is excited for the puppy.  He also came out and ran the LCPO 5k with Steven.

 

“Nice to meet you” with Robert

Robert is a great brother who does his best to participate in the dog-crazy that is our home.  He tries to help out when he can and he likes hanging with the big Lee.  I am especially excited to bring the puppy home, because I know Robert is excited and will love that puppy to pieces 🙂

Thanks Brother Robert, for being part of this crazy family!

 

Brother Steven

I decided that it’s finally time to introduce the human family members that Leroy and I have adopted.  Ok.  They were all here before Leroy.  But still, they’ve grown to love and accept him as part of the pack.  It wasn’t all happiness and cuddles from the first moment he came home though.  It took love, and time, and kisses… lots of kisses.  But Leroy was eventually able to win over their hearts.  And I am very thankful for that. 🙂

So here he is!  Brother Steven 🙂  Steven was my roommate during this past year in Philly.  He helps with Leroy when I am in a bind, meets all the foster dogs, tolerates the occasional kiss on the mouth, and is happy to help me with training.  He is great at making friends with shy or fearful dogs, and his patience and understanding are always appreciated!  While he happens to be the father of a fine feline creature, I would say he is one of the more dog savvy people in my family.

(I apologize for all the terribly quality/ flashy iphone pictures)

“Sit” hand signal with Tofu

If I was being honest with myself, I might say that Steven is Leroy’s favorite person in this world.  But I’m going to lie and say that Leroy loves me the most.  However, this dog is joyful when he gets to hang out with Steven.  He wants so badly to curl up with Steven and bask in all the man glory that they share.  Leroy has a strange relationship with males.  To be honest, I haven’t done much research or exploration of it.  I know that he actively wants their love and affection.  He wants to be around them, to make friends, to cuddle and play, to please them.  But he is more fearful around them.  He has been hand shy around Steven; cowering at the floor when he waved his hand too quickly.  He can become over aroused; constantly jumping up on Steven even though he knows he should not do this.  Leroy is very uncomfortable around new men.  But once he has build some trust, they are the best of friends.

All the dogs love Steven

I do not like to think about Leroy’s paradoxical struggle of love and fear towards men.  I imagine him as a puppy, desperately trying to please his owner.  He was likely a big man who would visit him occasionally in the yard, only to bring more food or yell at him for doing something playful.  I know that Leroy loved this man.  But I hate him.  I hate him for all the irreversible damage that he has done to my dog.  But somehow, Leroy still tries to trust and love.  He wants to cuddle with Steven and play tug of war.  He wants to be friends.  He wants to be loved.  So I am thankful for my brother Steven for being a loving and patient male figure in Leroy’s life.  He needs to have this.  He is still so eager to please.  But he needs an understanding friend to help him practice trust.  And Steven is that person.

Evening cuddles 🙂

Thank you Steven, for being part of our crazy family 🙂

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Well friends, as I mentioned in my last post, Jora went to a new family to start her trial run with them.  They are first time dog owners and wanted to make sure it was a wonderful fit, so they are doing what’s called “Foster-to-Adopt”.  So as of today, Jora has been with them for five days and she is doing great!  Foster-to-Adopt basically means that they have Jora legally as a foster dog but with the intention to adopt her.  It helps everyone feel 100% comfortable with the decision and confident that they will be able to love and care for her forever.  Her potential family reported that her first night was a little rough; she was probably confused about where she was and looking for her cuddle buddy Leroy.  But they were working hard to tire her out so that night two went a little better.  They even made a vet appointment for her on Thursday to get her a check up on her Mange.  So if all continues to go well, Jora will be spending the holidays with her new forever family ❤

I love it here!

Here is a picture with Jora on the day I dropped her off.  As you can see she was enjoying some belly rubs and settling in nicely!  I think they will be a great family for her.  And now I will be hopeful and wait for the official “ADOPTED” announcement.  Love you Jora!

Signature Move

I’ve decided that all dogs must have a signature move.  For Leroy, it’s a simple, Sit-On-Top-Of-You maneuver.  Generally this happens while I’m typing at my lap top or laying in bed ready to go to sleep.  Leroy knows just how to shove my arm up with his nose or paw at my face until I allow him access to a ‘little spoon’ position in bed.  He enjoys sitting smack in front of my computer while I type around him.  And he especially loves sleeping under the covers with me, on top of my body in some manner.

Jora on the other hand…  I think I’ve finally come to terms with her signature move.  It’s the Direct-Wet-Willie.  Now this doesn’t happen all the time, which is why I’m not 100% sure it qualifies as her “signature move”.  But let me tell you a little bit about it.  Jora loves to give kisses.  She’s an affectionate little Peanut.  Every time I bring her home to visit my parents, my dad and I (and Jora) have a conversation that goes like this-

Jora- *Runs up to my dad, wiggles her way on to his lap, kisses him like she’s meeting some doggy guru and being accepted into the promised land*

Dad- “Hey little girl! Did you miss me?  You just LOVE to give kisses don’t you?  You would just give kisses all day forever if you could.  Casey, don’t you give this girl any attention?  She just wants some love!”

Me- “Yea Dad, I give her lots of attention.. She is a happy baby girl.  I hope I find her a family that will spoil her with love forever.”

So somewhere among this showering of kisses, Jora slips in a Direct-Wet-Willie.  For those of you who may be confused by this.. it means that Jora will put her tongue right into your ear.  She will actually kiss and lick your inner ear.  She has a few other maneuvers that could pass as her signature move, but this one is special.

I want any and all potential adopters to know about this “issue”.  It’s not something that happens excessively.  But just enough to make you remember it.  You should always make an informed decision before you adopt a lifelong companion… and while many people may turn away in disgust, someone out there might say, “This it the dog for me, ear licking and all!”  ❤