Life With Mr. Moose (The Mastiff)

Meet Maci!!!

2009-10-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Elizabeth finally came through for us and found herself a fabulous dog, Maci. Our god dog :)
Here is the video of Moose and Maci's first meeting.

Notice how Moose finds a short cut around the flowerbed :) He's not lazy... just intelligent:)

We had a ton of fun watching the dogs play. They kept at it for about and hour and half. We didn't know that Moose had that in him!! We'll definitely have more play dates for these two in the future.
Thanks Elizabeth for finding a fabulous addition to the family!

Treats- Yummy?

2009-10-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

The other night I got a crazy idea to make Moose some dog treats from scratch. I thought it would be fun and it would give Brad and me a break from sugary things in the house.
Of course being a novice dog owner, I've never made dog treats before so I wasn't for sure how they would turn out. But I figured that Moose could be the judge of that.

So we gave him one... waited. And he really didn't go crazy. I wasn't for sure what he thought about them until.......I saw him waiting patiently by the counter top for one of those tasty little treats to fall off, on the floor, and eventually make it to his mouth :)
Yay!! First attempt at baking dog treats was a success!

Meet Husky Tusky

2009-10-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

One afternoon when I arrived home I found a box at our door step. Not address to me OR Brad, but to Mr. Moose. It was from Granny B. :)
After waiting patiently for Brad to arrive home in order for Mr. Moose to 'open the box- the fun began. He was sniffing & licking the box all afternoon like he knew there was treat inside for him. Not anyone else.
So what was in the box??? Moose's new BFF, Husky Tusky :)
And what did Moose do first once the box was opened?? Yep- Husky Tusky went to his new home- right inside of Moose's mouth :)

We thought that we would give him the real test of loyalty. Who would he choose, Moo Moo Mr. Cow or Husky Tusky?
The choice was clear. Mr. Moose stepped on Moo Moo Mr. Cow as he walked away with Husky Tusky in his mouth. Poor Moo Moo Mr. Cow. He was such a faithful friend.

Still a Lap Dog?

2009-09-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

When we first got Moose it was fairly easy for him to craw in our laps and be a 'lap dog'.

One time he even made it in the front passengers seat with me.

But now, things are different. Moose is a growing boy and has had to get a little more creative in how to keep his lap time lovin'. Here is a picture of his new trick that he normally does while I'm home alone and not paying him enough attention. :)

So the question is, Is Moose a lap dog or not? We think so :)

Becky's Jeep Gets Lifted

2009-08-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

"All Things Are Possible With Dave as Your Friend" - Thanks Dave!

We start the day by laying out all the parts and making sure everything was there. Notice the nice clean workbench? Since we've never done this before, Brad even thought it might be a good idea to.....

Yep... READ THE DIRECTIONS!

It was really nice of Dave to give up his day to help put the lift on. Together, they worked as a team. At times, it was a little confusing.. but overall, it was straight forward - just time consuming.

As with any good Jeep project, there was some custom fabrication involved. In this case.. there was some cutting.

Most good articles show a nice, neat garage with everything well laid out. That's not the real world. In the real world, you get dirty. The Jeep gets dirty. Tools get strung everywhere, and you generally wind up laying on the tools you need.

The job required aligning the parts just right, while keeping the jeep lifted enough so the body could be moved around for final precise alignment.

After much work back and forth, everything lined up and the lift was finally tightened down.

This job was a lot easier with air tools, power tools, and two people!

In the end, it was a job that Mr. Moose the Mastiff approved of. Now, it's time for the tummy tuck, the suspension lift, and the larger tires. But, that's for another time - in the future.

105 lbs!

2009-08-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

Moose and I went in for our monthly 'weigh in'. Luckily it's for him, and not me. lol! He is 9 months old today and weighs about 105 lbs. I'm learning that his weight gain is something that I cannot predict. July I would have guessed that he put on 15 lbs but not this month. I guess it has to do with a lot more than just food consumption.

Here are a few pictures from the month of Aug :)

About a month ago Moose was given a healthy supply of band aids. Doesn't ever child.... I mean dog... need band aids??

Me with Moose- He is taller than I am when we are sitting side by side!

And one of Brad and Moose. He just lets us snuggle right up to him. I think that he likes us :)

The Attempted Rescue of Moo Moo Mr. Cow

2009-08-21T04:36:00.000-07:00

Meet Moo Moo Mr. Cow.... Mr. Moose's Favorite Toy:

This morning, Mr. Moose decided to take Moo Moo Mr. Cow out on his morning walk. In his exhuberence, Mr. Moose the Mastiff heaved his big head left and right until.... oops, out popped Mr. Cow.

And, as gravity would have it.... Moo Moo Mr. Cow was swept down into the abyss of the storm drain.

Mr. Moose the Mastiff stood there for several minutes, looking in despair as his favorite toy - and often his companion - was gone. What had happened? He was sad. He was confused. Finally, he turned around to lumber back inside, depressed that his favorite toy was gone.

When Becky came in and told me the story... I asked myself.... "WWMD?" (Translation - "What Would Moose Do?...If it were me")... So, Despite only 3 hours of sleep, I arose from bed, and donned my boots..

Fortunately, I had my crowbar in the car from the previous evening's work... Hmm.. that sounds bad, but I assure you it was all construction related... anyway, back to the story..

So, I finally got the manhole cover off, and peered down into the great abyss.... Could it be?? Despite the storms of last night, was the drain really mostly dry? What is that I see in the bottom of the pit.....

It's MOO MOO MR. COW!!!!

I couldn't believe it. So, I put the camera in a safe spot, grabbed my flashlight and proceeded down the would-be tomb of Moo Moo Mr. Cow. Alas! Moo Moo Mr. Cow is once again raised to safety!

After taking Mr. Cow inside (of course, hiding him from Mr. Moose the Mastiff for the grand finale), giving Mr. Cow a complete bath with very hot water and a good lathering of soap, Moo Moo Mr. Cow and Mr. Moose the Mastiff were once again reunited. Despite the appearance in the picture, Mr. Moose was very excited about the reunion.

I suspect Moo Moo Mr. Cow will not be making any further outdoor appearances.

The things we do for Mr. Moose the Mastiff.

Vacuum...

2009-07-19T10:52:00.001-07:00

One of the reasons why we decided on getting an English Mastiff and not another great day was because they are not big shedders. Well, I don't know who it is that determines what is shedding and what is not, but Moose sheds.
The other day we had the brilliant idea to try and vacuum Moose to help with his non-shedding- shedding problem. We had heard of other people who had tried this with their dogs and it was successful- so why not Moose?
Here is Brad showing Moose that it's ok, see, Dad does it too!!! Moose still didn't buy it. Can you blame him?

4th of July

2009-07-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

I know that it a little late, but here is about the only pitiful picture we have of us on July 4th. Actually, it was July 3rd, but the fireworks were on the 3rd. We were sitting on top of the Jeep waiting for the fireworks to start. Yes, I AM wearing a jacket. It was chilly outside that night...at least I thought so.
And here is the little dessert that I made for us before we went out to watch the fireworks. This was also before I knew that my husband doesn't like BERRIES! Only strawberries! You may not be able to tell, but there are blackberries, blueberries and raspberries in this delicious little dessert. So mine was GONE when I was finished and his had a pile of beautiful berries still remaining. You live and you learn :)

Moose's Play Date

2009-07-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Meet Sawyer, Moose's new friend from down the street. Sawyer is also doing the training with Sit Means Sit.
They were so cute playing together. I wasn't able to capture a great picture of them together since I only had my phone camera, but these should give you a little taste of how well they played together.
Even though Sawyer is a 25 lb Jack Russell mix, he allowed Moose some time to rest. I think that he was secretly grateful for the time off too. It was HOT outside.
Sawyer was the perfect fit for Moose- Literally! He fit right underneath Moose. They would walk around together, Sawyer's head under Moose's chest, and his body right under Moose's belly. It was hilarious! Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture that on camera, but hopefully soon I will. Sawyer's mom promised that we could have another play date soon.

Here is a very small resolution video of the two of them playing. You may have to get out the magnifying glass in order to see it, but they really are there. Look hard!!

Vine Ripen Tomatos!

2009-07-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please.... Our FIRST tomato from our garden!! So, we HAD to have BLT sandwiches for dinner (or supper depending on where you are in the world).

Here I am making the bacon for the sandwiches... And of course I had my 'helper' with me at my feet the entire time. This is his 'spot' in the kitchen when I'm cooking. He is always hoping that there will be a crumb of cheese, bacon, carrots or even a tomato that will fall to the floor for him to clean up. This morning we dropped a spoon that had eggs on it and Moose cleaned it all up for us :)

And here is the sacrificial tomato...
And Brad cutting into it...And the wonderful slices that made our delicious BLT sandwiches!!! Yay!!! We love having a little garden :)

Voice of the Martyrs'

2009-07-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a good friend mentioned a book she was reading by Voice of the Martyrs'. My ears and heart immediately perked up. I don't actually remember the name of the book, but it has stuck with me.
Back when I was a teenager this was a topic that was part of my normal, every day conversation. It was something that I thought about, prayed about and talked about frequently.
For those of you who are not yet familiar with such an organization here is a brief overview, taken from their website, www.be-a-voice.net, about who they are.

The Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, inter-denominational organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide. VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned in Communist Romania for 14 years for his faith in Christ. His wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years. In the 60s, Richard, Sabina, and their son, Mihai, were ransomed out of Romania and came to the United States. Through their travels, the Wurmbrands spread the message of the atrocities that Christians face in restricted nations, while establishing a network of offices dedicated to assisting the persecuted church. The Voice of the Martyrs continues in this mission around the world today through the following main purposes:
1. To encourage and empower Christians to fulfill the Great Commission in areas of the world where they are persecuted for their involvement in propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ. We accomplish this by providing Bibles, literature, radio broadcasts, medical assistance, and other forms of aid.
2. To give relief to the families of Christian martyrs in these areas of the world.
3. To equip local Christians to love and win to Christ their enemies who are opposed to the gospel in countries where believers are actively persecuted for their Christian witness.
4. To undertake projects of encouragement, helping believers rebuild their lives and Christian witness in countries that have formerly suffered Communist oppression.
5. To emphasize the fellowship of all believers by informing the world of atrocities committed against Christians and by remembering their courage and faith.

It really convicted me about my lack of praying for those in the world who have given everything for the call that God has placed on their lives. How easily I get caught up in my world, with my issues, my concerns and forget about those whose lives are at risk solely because they love God.

Here is a quote from their website from a man who has been repeatedly arrested because of his faith in God. - In 2007, he was arrested and spent over 50 days behind bars where he was tortured. “I was beaten so badly that my whole body began shaking uncontrollably on the floor,” Gao Zhisheng. - He was abducted again this past February and is still in custody.

It served to remind me that we live in a self absorbed world and that I must work hard to not fall victim to it. Remember to pray for those who are being persecuted today for their faith.

Adventure to PetCo

2009-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

On my birthday Moose was surprised with a gift too!!! Granny B and Aunt Alicia sent him a gift card to go SHOPPING at PetCo! We've been waiting for the perfect time to go and last night was the night! Enjoy our little adventure with us.

Here we are getting ready to leave. Moose was so eager to go shopping that he nearly missed the ramp on his way in the Jeep. Luckily, he made it in just fine. Close call though :)

Can't you just see the EXCITEMENT on his face!! Look at how that tongue hangs out?! That is a sure sign that Moose is excited for what is about the happen. Here is our classic picture of Brad walking Moose. This one is a little harder to tell if he has grown or not... but that was the original idea. I think that the photograph did a bad job. Maybe we should hire a new one?? Again, notice that the tongue is hanging out... pure excitement!!

We found a winner!! He LOVED this ball. It is basically a giant tennis ball that barely fits in his mouth. He was playing with it while we were still in the store. We figured that was a good sign. The silly photographer was struggling to get a good action shot in the store- I blame the store lighting. Not quite a studio setting.

I don't have a good picture of the delicious treats Moose also got yesterday, but you can see them online by clicking here- Old Mother Hubbard Dog Treats. He loves these and was running low. He was really concerned that his parents were going to let him run out. So he decided that a new bag would be YUM-O!

We stopped to take a quick look at the creepy reptiles... I didn't stay around long. Moose was anxious to keep moving too. We did see a little Boa there- they aren't even cute to me when they are tiny. We found a friend to play with and practice our manners. Moose did great! He sat there and let the other dog sniff and get to know him. I think that they would have loved to played ball together. But the slick floor made it a little difficult. Yes, I know that this pictures is VERY blurry.

And here is our very happy dog on he way home. He couldn't wait to get home and play with his new toy. It barely fits in his mouth and he struggles picking it up at times. It is very entertaining for us to watch and it keeps him occupied because it bounces off in different directions. I think that this one will be around for awhile.

Thanks Granny B & Aunt Alicia!!!

Green, Green, Green!!!

2009-07-06T06:23:00.001-07:00

No, I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about GREEN, LIVING plants! I know that most of our plants are still very new and probably expected to still be in good living condition, but we are excited that ours our :) Recently we have not had great success at keeping plants alive inside the house, but I think that times are changing :) Yahoo!!!

Check out these pictures of our fabulous plants!

Here is the main tomato plant we have. If it keeps growing like this we are going to have to raise the hook where it hangs. The vines are about to touch the ground.

See the RED tomato!! This was taken a few days ago... it is almost entirely red now. I think that we will be enjoying a fresh BLT sandwich this week.

This is one of the ferns from our wedding. After few near death experiences we have finally figured out what it needs. I know that these plants are very difficult to kill, but please understand... we already had to let one of them go. :( That is why there is reason to celebrate with this one. haha!

Here are the newest additions- recent birthday gifts. They are both still doing very well in my opinion. They are green and that has to be good! We are hoping that they both will last and continue to grow. The one on the left is much larger in real life. I think that Moose is throwing off the size in this picture. But isn't he CUTE?!

Good Samaritan

2009-07-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

On our way to church on Sunday morning, a church Brad was working at, our check engine light came on. Our Jeep Cherokee was over heating and we found ourselves about 5 miles from our house on the side of the road. The day was overcast and the skies were threatening to open up and flood the roads with rain. As we stood there, collecting all of the half full bottles of water in the jeep, we realized that we didn't have near enough water on hand to make a difference in the temperature of the jeep.

About that time an old Bronco pulled over and two guys offered to help. They pulled out a few bottles of water they had, but quickly determined that it would be wiser to go to the nearest gas station to load up. Brad took off with the guys while I waited patiently for them to return.

While I stood there, trying to think of something clever to do, ANOTHER car pulled over and another kind man appeared. He wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything that he could do and that I had a phone to call for help if needed. After telling him that my husband and some guys had already gone for help he looked everything over and then waited for Brad's return. The lady in the driver's seat-I'm assuming was his wife- rolled down the window and asked if the oncoming Bronco was with me. I smiled and told her yes, and thanked them for stopping.

It turns out that the guys who stopped first were on their way to do homeless ministry in Atlanta. We were very appreciative for their help and enjoyed our conversation with them. What a HUGE blessing they were. Because of their help, we were able to get the Jeep back home and to the church before the service started.

I didn't know that there were still people in this world who would stop to help a stranger on the side of the road! I sure glad that there are a few. We felt blessed and were reminded how great it feels to have someone step out and lend a helping hand.

Moose's New Trick!

2009-07-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

Well, here is Moose's new 'trick'. I was folding laundry one morning when I had a guest join me. I think that he was looking for a sock to chew on. But he got up on the bed all by himself. I'm not sure what has just begun with this new 'trick' or if I will still think that it is funny when he comes jumping in our bed during the night. But for now, it made me laugh and I realized that he IS growing!!!
Here is another one, I thought this one gave a better perspective of his size. He's such a cutie!
And one more. Here he is 'sitting' on the chair. Basically he backs up to it, tries to bite his tail, and then falls into the chair and looks like he is sitting there. However, he's never too eager to get up after he has 'fallen' there. :)

Puppy Pick Up

2009-06-29T07:18:00.001-07:00

You can't really tell what this is, but it is the outside of an envelope. It was dropped off by our neighbor girls promoting their Puppy Pick Up/Kitty Klean Up services for our neighborhood. I was out of the house for the evening when they dropped it off. They are two little entrepreneurs in the making.

Here is the letter that was enclosed. We both thought it was too cute not to share with everyone. Check out the adorable Moose paw in the upper left corner.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-06-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, bare with me. There is much to say and lots of pictures in this blog. As many of you (probably ALL of you) already know, Saturday was my 31st birthday and my husband made sure that we celebrated the ENTIRE day. :) Thanks to Brad, my family and friends- this birthday will be very memorable for me.
The festivities actually started the week before, dinner with my friends that included lots of laughter, gifts and special yummy chocolate cookies! Friday night we had a birthday dinner at Brad's parents. His mom & dad made a special meal for me and I was given a beautiful plant. I am happy to report that both plants are STILL alive nearly 48 hours or more after being in our care :) (Pictures of all of the fabulous gifts & cards are on the left)

We started off the day by sleeping in- not something we have been able to do since we got Moose, but Brad's parents were gracious enough to watch him for the weekend. When I finally pulled myself out of bed Brad brought up a fresh cup of coffee for me- prepared just the way that I like it. He also brought me a card with this cute little red tank top that I've been eying for over a year now. I loved the fact that he heard me mention it and remembered it a year later for such an occasion. :)
I finally was able to open the package that arrived earlier in the week from my mom and sister and found several fun items- a cooling rack for baking and a gift certificate to the salon to get my hair done! I was completely shocked about how they could have pulled that one off... finding out my salon and setting this all up without my knowing.

After a few phone calls from my mom, dad and sister and many text from my good friends, we headed out to visit a little piece of heaven, Fleet Feet. For those of you who are not familiar with this store, it is a specialty running store that I love. Brad decided that we needed to go ahead and get my new running shoes so that I can officially start my half-marathon training. When he told me this was a part of my birthday adventures, I was so excited. I've been waiting for this day for about a year now, but have been putting it off. Brad saw to it that we put it as a priority for us on this day. I'm excited to report that we walked away with a new pair of Mizuno, Wave Inspire 5 running shoes. They are a different brand and type that I'm used to, but I think that they are a good fit. I'll report in later on the success of the shoes. (They are pictured above in the gift picture too)

By the time that we left Fleet Feet we were ready for lunch. Brad took me to enjoy an amazing meal of one of my favorite foods- PIZZA! At Cici's, an all you can eat pizza buffet. They have some of the best dessert pizza and a great spinach pizza. Brad made the special request that they would make a fresh Tator Tot Pizza just for me! They brought it out hot from the oven to our table. I just had to try it. Here I am enjoying my first bite of Tator Tot Pizza!! It tasted a lot like a loaded baked potato. I would recommend it to anyone if you have the opportunity to try it.

This birthday Brad decorated a cake for me. He chose to make it a layered cake so we could have more icing- my favorite part. I was only expecting a basic 9 x 13 cake, in the pan, with some white icing on it and maybe a few sprinkles. However, he had a different plan. He chose my favorite color pink as the color of choice for decorating and even included a Moose paw in the upper right corner. You can see that in the picture at the top of the blog.

He also put ALL 31 candles on the cake for me to make a wish. We both were afraid that the smoke detector was going to go off- it is hyper sensitive and cleverly placed right next to the kitchen. Not that we have any real experience with that or anything- we are just speculating ;) Ha!

After enjoying a small piece of cake I headed out to get my nails done with the gift certificate my girlfriends gave me for my birthday. It was such a treat. This place is a new find for me, thanks to my husband, and they are a fabulous find. They do such a great job there. My nails look great and the polish last for several days before chipping. yay!!

Brad found a little restaurant over in Canton, not too far from our house, where we decided to go to top off the night. We got dressed up- which we hardly ever do, but I love to do. I wore the dress that Sarah gave me for our wedding- thanks Sarah! With my nails done and dressed up I felt like a princess and it was the prefect way to finish off the day.

Goin' Coastal is a unique place that has all of the seafood shipped directly to them within 36 hours of being caught. They clean the seafood there to keep them as fresh as possible. It is a quaint little place with the old, rustic brick walls inside and simple decor.

The food could have been horrible for all I cared at that point. I was having a great day being pampered by my husband and spending it with him. It was just an added bonus that the food happened to be first class. Brad and I both had dishes we wouldn't normally find elsewhere. I had the Shrimp and Grits Ravioli with a Marinara sauce and Brad had the Shrimp and Rice in a Curry sauce. They were both very delicious.

I had very memorable day and felt loved and appreciated by all of you involved. Thank you for the amazing gifts and thinking of me on my special day. Here's to another amazing year of life!

Now here are some updated pictures of Mr. Moose- the reason that most of you actually visit this site :) They are nothing too exciting, but some that I took in our backyard the other day. He is just over 7 months old and weighing over 84 lbs! He put on 14 lbs in a month! I guess he is growing.
Here is is chewing on a branch from the rose bush. I can't imagine that it didn't hurt, but he seemed to love it.

This one I like to call his old man pose- or maybe Sherlock Holmes. He likes to cross his paws a lot while he sits. We think that it is cute. Of course we are probably a little partial. :)

Me and Moose enjoying the cool sun one afternoon- can you tell that my toes are freshly manicured??? Thanks Sweetie!!!

And lastly- here is Mr. Moose with his tug toy outside. His legs seem to be growing... and maybe he is filling in a little more in the chest? Our neighbor thinks that his head is starting to fill in too. I'm not positive. It doesn't seem that he has grown that much until we start to look at the pictures and compare.

Until next time....

2009-06-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Summer has proven to be very busy for us so far. We can't believe that July is sneaking quickly up on us. With the summer comes the summer Georgia heat. Which in Moose terms means, 'please don't make me go outside again!' We took him to training last weekend and it is a good thing that it is only 1 hour- if it has been much more we probably would of had to have left early. By the end of the hour session he slowly walked over to lay beneath a tree to get in the shade. Once we were home he ended up sleeping the remainder of the day away. Poor little fellow was exhausted from all of the high energy exercise. haha.

Brad and I have been really busy with work over the past couple of weeks which allows us little time to take any fun and exciting pictures of Moose sleeping. So instead, I thought that I would post a few random ones that we've taken over the past couple of months.

Our First pictures of Moose... before he was officially ours.

Yep, there was a day that he COULD fit in our laps.

I think that this was our first attempt at capturing his 'thinking cap' look. :)

Here is the famous ramp that Brad built and Moose loves. We were practicing with him so that he would be familiar with it on the trip to Missouri. He did GREAT!While we were in Missouri we got some help on a few Jeep projects. Its a great thing that Mr. Muscles was around to help us out on the swing out tire carry install. I don't know if the guys would have made it without his powerful touch. Thanks Mr. Muscles!

Moose, Brad and Biggie. Our Friend Elizabeth was dog siting a few months ago and brought Biggie over to play. I was able to see what an active dog was like. She was so so sweet though. A very loving dog. Horrible name, but very lovable dog.

We cleaned our carpets a few weeks ago and confirmed the fact that Moose is not interested in change to his surroundings. He was quite disturbed by us moving everything out of the living/dining room. That included moving his pen outside!

This isn't a great picture, I know. But if you look closely at the orange thing in his mouth you will notice one of his new chew toys- a pacifier :) Thanks Granny B! At home, he will swing his head with this in his mouth and it sometimes goes flying. Both Brad and I have been hit by this 'toy' more than once. It packs a pretty powerful punch!

A Little Sunday Morning Tug of war was in order while visiting our family in Missouri. Moose got more play time in during the short visit than he normal does in a month!

And lastly... a picture of our first tomato of the season. It is much bigger now, but this was the shot we got the first morning we noticed it. Can't wait to eat a fresh picked tomato!

Memorial Day

2009-06-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yikes! It’s been a month since we’ve last blogged. I guess we’ve been busy??

Over Memorial Day weekend Brad and I packed up the Jeep and traveled with Moose to spend some time with my family in Missouri. We all had a great time while we were there.

Moose travels well, but doesn’t like to eat much when on the road. I think that he has a nervous stomach. Once we were there he wasn’t anxious about eating either until Granny B started feeding him little unexpectant treats here and there. He loved those little surprises and learned to stand right under her feet while she was in the kitchen or at the table for dinner.
Brad welded a special ramp for Moose to get in and out of the Jeep easily for the trip. Oddly enough, he doesn’t or will not jump up. So it gets a little difficult getting him in and out of any vehicle. After making him go up and down on the ramp several times he found out that it would make life easier for him and LOVES it. It was really a life saver on the trip, especially on the way back. Stopping several times in a day gets tiring when assisting a 70-80 lbs dog in and out of the Jeep.

We were able to meet some of Alicia’s students while we were there. One in particular touched out hearts, a little boy who has cerebral palsy who uses a walker to get around. We met the little boy on Memorial Day and found out that he is usually not fond of dogs. In fact, he is usually quite afraid of them. Well, Moose is typically quite uncertain about anything on wheels so we were not sure how the two would get along.

After both parties being as patient as they could be they realized that they both found new friends. They went on a walk around the park together and Moose ended up staying by his side for most of the afternoon.

It was a great trial run for us to see how Moose would do as a Therapy dog in the future. He gave us hope that he would be able to pass the test one day and provide some comfort for those who are in need.

My family is doing great and are all grateful for the summer. Brad and I have recovered from the trip and have been keeping ourselves very busy with work. We are blessed to have the work that we do. Brad just received his first copy of his book in the mail- we are so excited about it and can’t believe that it really happened! We’ve been ramping up our marketing efforts with the publisher to help get the book out there for the churches. (I’ll post more about that in our next blog) Needless to say, we’ve been keeping ourselves busy here in Georgia starting off our summer.

Adult Training

2009-05-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

For those faithful followers of our blog, you know that we are working hard to get Moose trained properly. We want to make sure that Moose minds his manners and is enjoyable for everyone once he is the size of most of us. J Our desire is that one day he will be able to be a therapy dog to hospital and nursing homes. We still have a long ways to go, given that he is still afraid of wheels, but his temperament is right on par for where he needs to be.

This past Monday was our first day of adult training with Moose. He is not even 6 months old but he is already considered an adult for training purposes. Or trainer Alex, with Sit Means Sit is great. You can tell that he is truly a dog lover. I think that he might do this even if it wasn’t a job. Moose loves him and responds really well to him. I think that if Alex was something in a previous life it might have been a mastiff. Not because of his size, but he demeanor is spot on with Moose. However, Alex is far from lazy and I think that Moose still gets in much more nap time each day.

This week we worked on heel with Moose and some with dealing with his distractions. I have to say- by the end of the hour session I saw improvement with him. He’s still Moose a big, clumsy dog with a sweet personality, but he was learning to ignore some of the more exciting things around him that would distract him from doing what we ask.

We also worked on Place with him. Basically, that means that he must remain in the place that we asked him to stay. In most cases it would be an object that we would ask him to sit on. The idea is that he will not move from 'place' until you let him up. We have a long way to go on that.

We will continue to work with him over the next week in spite of our busy schedule. Moose may not know it yet, but we have high aspirations for him. Maybe we are naïve, but we think that he will do great!

Alex’s dog Jackson does things that we will never see Moose do, but that we thought was rather impressive nonetheless. Check this out. Alex told Jackson to ‘place’ and he jumped up on top of the fire hydrant! He didn’t move until Alex told him he could. There was a couple of times that Jackson had to sneak in some Brad and Becky lovin’ but other than that, he barely moved an inch without permission from Alex. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Something had me tickled in this picture of me walking Moose. I don't remember what- but I'm SURE that it was well worth the head tossed back laugh. And NO, I do not exaggerate, nor do I add drama to any situation. ;-)

Spring time

2009-05-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

My Mom found this super sweet little bunny in their yard the other day. I think that my mom almost mowed over it- oops. However, she spoted them and went around. And then promptly called for my sister to take the pictures. I thout that they were so cute and wanted to share with everyone!

This one made me smile too. The little guy found his way back to his home, with the help of my sister, and found the rest of his family. It looks like they are laying on top of each other! How sweet.

I love Spring time! Everything is new. The air is new and it feels fresh. In Georgia, we've been blessed to finally get some rain so it feels very fresh in the air. Fresh and muggy. :)

Brad & I have an outdoor tomato planter that we've been trying to get some tomatoes to grow on. I think that they are coming and in a couple of weeks we should have some tomotes worthy of eating. In the mean time, we have a few visitors that have made this their home. There are a couple of little birds in the top. I tried to get a good picture, but I do not have a steady hand. Here is one that you can at least tell that there are two little mouths wide opened, hoping that I was bringing them some food.

Moose Update!

2009-05-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

As some may already know, Brad has not been feeling great this past week. I got a few pictures of Moose being sweet and sympathic to him. I love the paw on his face!

Who wouldn't start to feel better after you dog sleeps at your side while you rest up in cow pants?? That, along with an antibiotic & extra fluids seem to be doing the trick. Unfortuantely the resting period is over- he is working long days for the next 5 days. Maybe there will be rest in his future next week? Good time to cash in some of those fabulous sick days??

Moose continually surprises me with all of his crazy stunts that he does. Mostly he slides down a stair or two, runs into the walls, hit the door stopper in the hall or manage to drag his stick all along the wall when going up the stairs- only on the right side mind you. I don't know that he has ever gone up the stairs on the left side. Silly and entertaining to us.

His sleeping position are another thing that never ceases to amaze me. Look at this one. I don't know how this can be comfortable. But he slept like that and seemed to have gone into a deep sleep when we started to hear him snore! I've never had a big dog, so this might be perfectly normal for all, but I find it cute and endearing.

Here is one of his sweeter sleeping positions. Partially on the hearth and partially on his bed. Taking advantage of the good life. He'll just lay there for awhile resting, get up and move a little and go right back at it. It must be a rough life being a dog- more importantly, Mr. Moose.

So here is one of those priceless moment with Mr. Moose... the flung drool around the nose. :-) I captured the moment so we could

share it with all! It is just not right to keep all of the great moment to ourselves!

The other weekend we went to a great little weekend for jeep owners. It was mud 4 blood. People there donate blood for LifeSouth and jeep parts distributors bring their scratch and dent parts to be sold at discounted prices. All of the proceeds go to LifeSouth and their efforts collect blood donations.

The day was rather warm for April, reaching 90 degrees that afternoon. Here is a picture of Moose's experience there.

He would dive to get under any jeep just to find some shade. I don't think that this was he favorite jeep outing. Brad and I enjoyed it though and walked away with some really great deals.

And in closing I thought I would share with you a picture of Moose and his favorite toy- a stick. He goes into a small wooded area near our back yard and doesn't want to come back out until he has found a 'treasure'. It is ALWAYS a stick. :)

5K Race

2009-05-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

I hate to disappoint most of you, but there is only 1 picture of Moose for this blog- and this is it. :(

After a long hiatus from running I finally got back in the game- sort of. My friend Jody and I ran a 5 K this past weekend and had a great time.

In my usual Becky style, I made everyone arrive at the race with more than enough time for us to register, walk around and observe the area, time for a potty break and STILL have plenty of time before the beginning of the race.

We had time to help the Blimpe Bear 'get ready' for his day in the spotlight. He even took some time to take a quick picture with us. I didn't even know that Blimpe had a Bear mascot.

Here is a picture of my gracious husband. He willing got up well before dawn to come and cheer us on. Oh, and take a few pictures for us. :) It was really cool to come back and see the entire race fully documented for us.

The course basically took us through a small community of homes for the first .25 mile and then along a trail in a wooded area. We probably ran 1 mile of the 3.12 miles on a boardwalk through flood plains. You can spot me and Jody here on the left just at the start of the race.

We ran together the entire time and enjoyed our race until we hit the last .5 -. 25 miles which was entirely up hill. Since it was an out and back course we knew what we were up against, but it was still a great challenge for us nonetheless.

Jody has one strong finish! She picked up the pace like a pro and made me kick it up a notch up the last hill.

We crossed the finish line at 31 min and 26 sec. We were both proud of our come back race finish time. It gives us both a starting point to grow from. Who knows where we will go from here?

Just because the race was over didn't mean that the camera stop clicking :-) It's a good thing that neither of us are camera shy. Here we are recovering from our run and enjoying the moment of success. We did what we set out to accomplish.

Hopefully we'll get some more pictures of Moose up next time :)

New Moose Bed!

2009-04-23T15:45:00.001-07:00

Thanks Granny B! Moose has a new Bed... He sat curiously with me as I figured out how to squeeze 4" foam inside of a very small opening. We figured it out and I think that it is nicer than our bed!! Brad might be fighting him for it :-)

Here he is trying to cheat and see what it was all about before it was completely ready for him. Of course I let him. Why not?

And here is with his new FAVORITE toy... a stick. :) I'm sure that if we dig deep enough Brad and I will find somewhere that warns us that him eating a stick will some how end up in his death, but we don't think so. He chews on it breaks of really small, soft, slobber soaken pieces that end up all over our floor. I'm sure that some of it is getting inside of his little tummy, but hopefully not enough to do any drastic damage.

We've been working on Moose's manner and his behavior as you all know. He done well over all in my opinion. I don't remember ever having a dog that would sit on command or lay down when you said down. So we started to move on to bigger things like 'speak'. Here is a quick video of him obeying his command. Yay Moose!

As a kid I remember playing with our friends in the back of Guy Wright's State Farm agency and 'randomly' finding State Farm Good Neighbears to play with. When Brad and I met with our agent I mention this to her and she asked if we wanted one. Brad quickly responded, yes! It would be a great toy for Moose! Of course he loved the little bear a little too much. And after him tearing off his ear I had to take him away. Maybe on another rainy day, with supervision, we'll bring it back out for him to play with.

We keep his food and treats in our pantry. I know that might seem a little odd to some of you with more than ample room at your house, but we are starting to get a little cramped in certain areas, the kitchen is one of those. Moose's new thing is to sit at the opened door and just stare at his bag of treats. He never barks or anything, but he will just stare begging them to fall off the shelf and into his mouth.

And I'll leave you with this last image. Tomorrow is his 5 month birthday! While we probably will not do anything special, we will love on him like always. It is a Friday... maybe we should do a special treat or something for the poor guy. However, we weighed him this morning and he is at a whopping 58 lbs. :-) Seems like he is growing rather nicely. He seems so big, but he couldn't be sweeter.

Moose Goes Camping

2009-04-19T17:36:00.001-07:00

Yep... he sure did! Well, we all did. We packed our bags and headed for the foot hills of the Appalachian Mountains to get out of the city for a little bit and recharge. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing once we finally got on our way.

You can see here that Moose has a very rough life with Brad and me... here he is sleeping on the way up there. Brad made him a little pallet to

rest on during the drive and Moose took full advantage of it. He slept most of the 1 1/2 hr trip up there.

You'll see there were the occasional looks out the back window to see where we were at. But other than that, he pretty much laid down and waited for us to stop so he could get out and play.

Moose was a great helper the entire time, he helped Brad set up camp, cook dinner an d find sticks for the campfire. He LOVES his sticks! He wasn't always willing to give them up for such a 'worthless' cause such as making a fire.

We arrived fairly late in the evening for camping- close to 7 pm- so our evening fun of dinner and s'mores went late into the night. Moose joined us in the tent for some rest, starting off at the foot of the

bed but ending up at the top right next to us. He was so sweet. He snuggled right between us.

Eater Sunday we had a service by a fire with some hot tea and breakfast. We went on a hike next to Jack's River and even got Moose's paws wet. What started off as a very chilly morning quickly warmed up to a hot afternoon. Moose chose to take a break from chewing on the never ending pile of sticks to catch a few moments in the sun.

And the way back wasn't much different for Moose than the way up there. He rested on a pile of pillows and blankets while we drove through the VERY rough roads back home. We were getting jostled around a lot, but Moose didn't seem to mind. We think that he'll end up being an ideal trail dog for us. We had a great time out there and are looking forward to the next outdoor experience with Moose. Maybe next time he'll try to swim :-)

Visit with Granny

2009-04-08T17:47:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Moose went for his first official road trip to see Granny Herring in Montgomery, AL. What should have been a short, 3 hour trip one way, turned into a 6 hour trip! There was traffic and accidents everywhere and we couldn't get around them.

So we took out time and made a few extra stops along the way. Moose didn't really want to sleep this time in the Jeep which was really odd, but he seemed to do well. And maybe, just maybe he might have enjoyed himself a little. We stopped a few rest stops and I learned that there is a certain area where dogs are welcomed and a certain area where they are not. I think that is segregation- but who am I?

He is doing really well at getting in and out of the Jeep now and continues to get excited that we might be going somewhere new to explore.

Once we arrived at Granny's apartment Moose tried to find some energy to explore, but soon found himself taking a quick nap. He did wake up to enjoy some time with Granny. Here are a few pictures of out time with Granny.

Here she is giving him a treat. He will do anything for food. He loves a treat! Granny really wanted him to speak for his treat. I'm not sure if it is unfortunately, or fortunately, but he doesn't know that command yet. He is not a 'barker' right now. We'll see when he gets older. He will bark when we go down the stairs or if he needs to go outside and we are upstairs, but that is about it. He is quite like they all said he would be. Unless he is upstairs running around and you are downstairs. :)

Dooms Day

2009-04-08T17:45:00.001-07:00

Poor little Moose had the day that men around the world dread.... he was snipped. I dropped him off this morning thinking that he was a dead dog walking. I signed a form that basically said, if we kill your dog- it is because you did something stupid. Yikes!! He didn't want to go back with them and they asked me to help them. I graciously agreed to walk him to the back, all the while watching his big eyes stare up at me, questioning me as to what was going on, where was he, and why wasn't he leaving with me. Oh, it broke my heart. (Never thought I would say that).

But all's well that ends well. Moose survived the day and seems to be doing well. We found out that he has put on 7.5 lbs in the last 2 weeks- tipping the scales at 52.5lbs! He has almost doubled his weight since we got him about 6 weeks ago. WOW!!

We had a moment on the way home from the vet where I thought it was touch and go... it looked like he as hallucinating. I thought that he was having a horrible reaction to a medicine they had given him. So, I called the vet. :( Yep, I was that concerned. They said that it was a normal reaction to the anesthesia and that he was just a little loopy. Who would have known- apparently- not me!

The Vet didn't send Moose home with a E- Collar, or what I've always called a 'Cone' to protect his stitches. We thought for a minute that he would be ok without it, but then paranoia set in after he became interested in the stitches 3 times within the first hour that he was home. So, I quickly ran out to Petsmart to grab a 'Cone' to protect the little guy from himself.

While I was there I thought that he deserved a toy for all of his pain and misery that he went through today so I picked up a dental Kong (the red toy in the pic). He'll never know that it is good for him and GREAT for our socks!

He is doing well overall. If you can believe it- he is a little less active than normal. I know that some of you thought that it could never happen, but it did. :) I'm glad that day is over and I'll be happier still when the cone will come off of his clumsy body.

Random Pictures

2009-03-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here is our first blog of just random pictures that I thought everyone might like to see. Enjoy!

This is what we spend a lot of time doing... taking things out of his mouth when he is outside.

His new place to relax. It was barely cold enough for a fire, but we built one any way.

Here is a glimpse of great things to come... check out the drool wrapped around his snout!

Me playing with Moose outside. He really likes it outisde.

Moose playing outside...again.

I thought that this relaxing position was hysterical! How uncomfortable does this look to you?

Moose had a really long day... he was tuckered out.

Our Sweet Moose- just chillin' outside.

Our lap dog. Check out that BIG yawn!

And his new way to lay in the back of the Jeep. I think he must be double jointed... or do all dogs do this?

Obedience Training Paying Off!

2009-03-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

Practice Makes Perfect!
It may not look like it in this picture, but this is a very difficult task for a dog to do. Try getting your dog to stay still like this for a picture. hehe.

We didn't make it to training class this weekend because it was raining, but check out his progress :-) We'll be back this Saturday and we should have a story or two to share.

Finally! A video that you can actually see something in!!

Here is Moose demonstrating his ability to sit when asked. He is actually doing well with this and will even sit in a busy area. He may not stay seated, but he still understands the basic command. One step at a time.

Next we'll show you down! He just starting to understand that command. He will try anything for a treat! He loves the peanut butter ones.

Did I mention that he has put on 5 lbs in the last 10 days?

Play Time with Moose

2009-03-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Play Time with Moose

For all of you who think that our dog does nothing more than sleep, we are posting a few pictures and short videos that may suggest otherwise :-)

On rare occasion you might see Moose running through the house or outside. He looks adorable when he prancing around but it never last long. Soon after you will find him rolled over on his back for a belly rub. Last night Moose and I were outside on a potty break when Brad came home. When Brad walked to the door Moose looked up and came running towards Brad to greet him. It was really cute. Other than that and a quick run to the door to make it outside in time, he is mostly content to stay in a slow, meandering pace.

Here is Moose 4-wheeling across the lap of Brad. It looks like he got tired half way through and called it quits. Must have been working hard. Mind you, he did have to move to get in this position...

Side Note: Looks like I take after my Great Grandma Zeltner in picture taking skills... I cut off the top of Brad's head! But I DID manage to get all of Moose in the shot ;-)

Here he is playing with the tire ball toy. Notice the small flip he does at the end. Who knows, maybe there will be an Olympic event for this soon! It made me laugh. He really can be playful at times. But he honestly doesn't mind taking a nap.

Here's Moose playing his new chew toy. This boy loves to chew right now. But we're pleasantly surprised that he doesn't really chew on furniture. Just his toys and us :-) Once we tell him, "No bite," he typically stops and besides us, he rarely return to the item he was biting.

And here he is eating some of his delicious food. He really does seem to like it overall. When I add in one of his vitamin supplements, it's like a gravy, he always licks the bowl clean. He loves his Nupro- and luckily it was FREE!! They provided us with samples to get him started to just see if he liked it. It actually smells like it taste good too! No, I haven't tried it. He likes to join us when we eat dinner in front of the tv. He doesn't eat off of our plates or anything, but he is very curious as to what is there and why we are not sharing.

This is us playing fetch. We've really got to get a better video camera for these dark occasions. Wait, we HAVE one already. humm... so, I guess we really do not have a good excuse.

So as you can see... we do have some moments around the house where Moose moves faster than a snail's pace.

Moose Meets Aunt Perian!

2009-03-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Moose with Aunt Perian!

Yesterday evening Moose was able to meet his Aunt Perian! We met up at the mall and that was quite that adventure in and of itself. We weren't really sure if dogs were allowed inside, but since there wasn't a sign posted so we decided to press our luck.

After a few small incidents of pooing on the floor, sliding off of the bench several times, a few close encounters with strollers, and finishing off with a quick tinkle on the floor- we were politely asked to leave by a security guard. :) It was perfect timing as we were heading out any ways.

Moose was really great with all of the people that he met and seemed to quickly take up with Aunt Perian. We had a great time visiting and catching up while we were permitted in the mall.
Besides the bathroom accidents I was really proud at how well he did. You can't help but love this little guy!

The Beast Rolls!

2009-03-14T13:10:00.001-07:00

It seems that Moose has been taking up most of our blog space, but let's not forget the beast!

It actually snowed a little big (and rained). We took the Beast out and gave it a little test. The lockers and 4wd worked great on the hills.

Becky and I took some time a couple of weekends ago and added a new bumper and rock sliders to the Beast. You can sort of see them here.

Next up on the modification list is a small body lift, a "tummy tuck", and a suspension lift. Soon, we will be getting some 33" tires on her and she'll be ready to go.

Moose likes to ride in the Jeep.

We are looking forward to this summer when the top is off, Moose is bigger and we are able to go running around the mountains! Soon we'll be taking advantage of the spring weather and going four wheeling on the rocks!

Life is good.

Our Weekend

2009-03-09T06:20:00.001-07:00

Over the past couple of days Brad has been gone a little more than usual working at a show. This sudden change in our schedule has thrown Moose for a loop. He is a recap of the events of our 4 day weekend (sort of).

Thursday, Brad's first night working late, Moose was very needy. He wanted all of my attention and was not happy when I was doing any other simple task such as talking on the phone or reading a book. He wanted all of me.

Friday night he seemed mopy and little withdrawn. He not as eager to play ball with me, but did seem to want to be with me for the most part. When Brad got home that night Moose heard the garage door open and he perked up. Literally, he was laying on the floor near me- his moves to a seated position (this is a TON of action for Moose- seriously), and he started to act excited. It was so cute. After a little waiting for Brad to walk in the door Moose let out a sigh of relief- life was back to normal for Mr. Moose if only for a brief moment. :-)

Saturday was a BIG day for Moose. Not only did he have to deal with Brad being gone, but we had our first puppy training class. He did great there! He is doing really well with 'Come' and 'Sit'. He is really motivated by treats, so as a reward for good training he always gets a treat.
The training was about one hour long. I spent about 45 min talking with the trainer about what to do and what not to do with Moose. How to look for ear aches, signs of dehydration & check for good blood flow. I also learned that it is good to frequently touch his paws & my favorite, that we need to hug Moose :-). After that we spent about five min talking about training and how it works- that repetition is key as well as keeping the sessions short and fun for Moose. And then the remaining 10 min Alex, the trainer and I went over commands 'Come' and 'Sit'. While Moose did very well and seemed to enjoy training, when I left I had to ask myself, was that puppy training or owner training?

We then went home for a quick puppy nap before we took a trip to meet Brad and some of his friends down at the show. He did great for us while we were there. He and Brad even went for a quick run in an open field together. Moose is SO cute to watch running. But he is still very clumsy as he proved when I called him over to me. He was still very excited about his run with Dad that he continued to run towards me. The problem with that was that I was on a platform about one foot off of the ground. He tried to run and jump up on the platform to see me... but it was more like a run and crash. I felt horrible! But it was kind of cute to see him try something new.

After arriving home around 6:30 Moose tried his best to stay awake for a little while, but finally collapsed around 7:15. He slept until Brad got home around 10:00 and didn't complain when we put him to bed that night.

Sunday he was so tuckered out from the full day of activity on Saturday that he spent the ENTIRE day recovering. At first I thought that he might be sick because he would not do anything but sleep. But then I figured that he was just worn out and needed his puppy sleep. He even found a new place outside to nap in the sun so he could enjoy the beautiful day. Such a great way to multi-task. What a smart dog!

Same Personality?

2009-03-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if Moose was born with these personality traits, if previous life situations shaped him this way or if he is simply taking on the personality of his new family. Either way, we are a noticing that there are several similarities between us and Moose. It is quite humorous for us to observe. Most of the time we first think- why in the world would he do such a thing? And then after a moment of pondering, we realize that we, in that situation, would have done the very same thing.

General observations:

He doesn't like to change his schedule. Once it is set, he is happy to keep it that way. That is identical to me- Becky.
He is very resistant to change, if he is inside the house- let's stay inside the house. If we are outside- why go inside? Just getting him to cross over the threshold to the new place is sometimes a challenge, but once he is there, he loves it! This is Brad.
He groans and snores. It is so cute right now. We just chuckle when he does it. It is still soft enough that we can still watch tv or speak over it without interruption, but who knows how that will be when he puts on another 100+ lbs. I'll let you try to decide which one of us does this on a more regular basis. hehe
He gets cranky at the end of a long day when he hasn't had enough rest or has been out of his routine. That is especially true with me, but also some with Brad. I think that Brad is better at faking his good mood than Moose or I are.
He loves to be with us. For the most part he is content to be in the same room with us. He likes to just be a part of the family. Brad and I both are like this. We enjoy just being together and doing life with each other.
He is easily distracted. Again, you can decided on which one of us this applies to. :-)

On a side note- how is it possible that I still shed more than a dog?? I'm not complaining. This helps me keep the house clean and not feeling like we are living in a dog's house. But really, me more than a dog? ho hum. Can't have everything I guess.
Should we expect him to continue to become more like us? Hopefully not with the shedding.

Week of Firsts

2009-03-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

Our First Family Photo

It’s been a full week of FIRSTS for me as an adult. I never knew what my parents really went through every time I begged them to get us a new puppy. I think that we had about 4 growing up, but I’m sure someone else in the family will disagree with me- I have a terrible memory about those things. Any ways- house training, finding the right dog food, jeep riding, medicine giving, general training, rearranging our house and our schedule! I think that is just the beginning of the things that Brad and I have been going through since we brought Moose home to us. But we love it, and love him. He is really a great dog and we are having lots of fun with him.

So let me begin sharing some of our firsts with you.

We had our first outing together to Petsmart! Moose was a little timid at times with very hyper, barking dogs- but found plenty of nice people and puppies to make friends with. Here is Moose with Brad walking heading in the store. He did great! We were very proud.

We try to daily take a walk around our small subdivision to help with leash and obedience training. We know that he will be growing quickly and strong training is key. He is improving a lot each time we head out doors. Of course, he still loves to sniff out every rock or leaf in the area. He is still a puppy- even though he is already bigger than any dog that I've ever had. :-)

Saturday we took at trip to a local Tractor Supply Store, TC Country to find good quality food for the new member of our family. He was amazing! He walked around the store like a champ.
Everyone wanted to stop and pet him and it seemed that the overwhelming statement made about him was, 'He is going to so big. Look at those paws!' Here is a picture to help show the size. We just smile, laugh and agree that yes, he will continue to grow to be a large, healthy puppy.

After several less than desirable trip in the Jeep we were concerned that our little guy just might get car sick. However, he did great on Saturday and Sunday. I think that he is finally settling in to his new family.

Let it Snow, let is snow, let it snow!!! We got snow in Georgia on Sunday! What a treat. We were able to enjoy it for a little bit while it lasted. He enjoyed playing around and especially eating the snow. But doesn't everyone love to eat snow? At least once when you were a kid?

Yesterday we had our first Vet visit. I was pleased with the vet and the team that we met with. Dr. Land has previously owned Mastiffs as well as another assistant there so they are familiar with the breed and the special needs they might have. They allowed me to ask tons of questions as a new mastiff owner and I felt good about the team there when I left. In fact, we had to go back in because we forgot something and Moose didn't hesitate- he walked right back in with me without question. That made me feel good about the choice of vet.

So that's all for now. We love having the new addition in our family and hope that you enjoy hearing about our experiences.

He walks with heavy steps

2009-02-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

Today, we looked around and realized that Moose was not near us. We fell quiet to hear the loud thumping of footsteps upstairs! I can't even hear Brad when he walks upstairs, but the sounds of Moose pacing the floor were unmistakable!

Brad and I also planted our indoor garden the other day, and were happy to see that it was doing great!

Finally, we worked on the Beast! We finished the rock rails on each side of her. One step closer to four wheeling!! (Pictures coming soon!)

2009-02-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

Here is the video some of you were wanting to see... The lighting is a little low, but it is proof that Moose does more than just sleep! Thank you Grandma for the toy!! He loves it!

It's been 6 days...

2009-02-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

We got Moose (Mr. Moose if you are feeling polite) 6 days ago today. When he first got home all he did was sleep. We wondered if we had made a mistake. We couldn't get him to do ANYTHING! I mean, we wanted a lazy dog, but had we gone too far?

Well... 6 days later Moose is feeling right at home. We actually have to keep him from being overly active. We hear his bones are growing so fast that we need to really baby him in how much activity he gets.

He's learned how to navigate stairs. So we're having to limit that. He's learned that the house is his, but he's not learned that my socks are not.

House training is going well. He's 13 weeks and 35 pounds. He looks like a full size dog, but he's just a puppy.

He is great with people and mostly good with other animals (sometimes he gets a little scared and has to collect himself). Overall, life with Moose is good. He loves the Beast (our Jeep Rubicon) but has yet to have a Big Red (our Jeep CJ7) experience. I have confidence though... Moose is a Jeep Dog!

Welcome to the family Moose!