Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year!!! Thanks for the video camera Grampa...enjoy our New Year's Eve storm video!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Yesterday, Howard, Daphne, Mark and I celebrated Christmas with our families. After opening and destroying some of the many (and still unopened) presents, we went for a nice walk and came home to get ready for company.



Daphne and Howard had fun opening their presents. At first, Mr. Howard wasn't quite sure what to do with his present, but as soon as he saw Daphne tearing the paper off hers, he caught on quickly (as usual). So...Howard grabbed his gift and retreated to his favorite spot on his favorite couch and started tearing!!

His first present was a lion! He nuzzled the orange fuz and before he tore poor lion's head off, we gave him his next present!!

The pictures really tell the story of Christmas morning. The rest of the day was spent with family. Howard was such a good boy even with little 16-month old cousin Braeden running around. Of course, dinner was a treat too...dog food with a bit of prime rib roast, green beans and some homemade gravy courtesy of grampy.

Howard and Daphne's day ended with an early bedtime as Mark and I went to visit the Olson side of the family at Auntie Janice's. We knew Howard was tired because when we looked back as we were going out the door, he didn't even get up to follow. Normally, as soon as we walk out the back door (even just to go outside for a minute) he's behind us scratching to come too. Of course, the five hour nap made for a midnight burst of energy, which daddy helped to cure with a quick round of play. Both Howard and Mark fell fast asleep in the living room. A perfect day, as Christmas should be!

If Howard had a myspace page...

It has been nearly a month since Howard came home. In the last few weeks, we have all been getting to know each other. Sometimes, I find myself making mental notes of Howard's unique, funny and yes, patience-challenging qualities.

So if Howard had a myspace page his profile would include a current photo.... and the following:

Name: Howard

Male -Bullmastiff
7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 years old

(dependimg on the moment)

Massachusetts

Quote: I love to eat!!!

Mood: Happy

Nickname(s): Tank, Destruct-o, Stink-butt, Fartboy, Mr. Howard, Howie-wowie, Buddy, Handsome...etc.

Hometown: Attleboro, Massachusetts

Favorite Food: Anything...

Favorite Activities: Eating, evening walks with mom, couch wrestling with dad, stealing toys from Daphne, playing, ripping, tearing and destroying toys!

About me: I am a middle-age bullmastiff who was rescued by two wonderful ladies in Connecticut. My former life was....not what it should have been and I needed lots of medical care to get me back on the road to health and well-being. Thanks to Sandy, Mari and Caren, I had eight large, ugly cysts removed, parasites killed, thyroid treatment, and most importantly, my faith in people renewed and my big old heart repaired. After two months at my foster mom Mari's house I was adopted by my new family. I now live in Massachusetts with my new mom, dad and sister, Daphne. I also have two grampies, two grammies and many aunties, uncles and cousins. I have been here for a month now. I have met so many new people, all of whom love me because I'm adorable and sweet (if I must say so myself). I am so happy now because I finally know what it is like to receive unconditional love.

Home Alone (Sort of)!

Last week Howard had a successful first work week as a part of our family, and we are happy to report that he adjusted unbelievably well. He learned our workday routine very quickly and seems to appreciate it. The morning routine has two parts, part one: is a 6:15 breakfast, courtesy of Mark, outside to do his business, and short rest. Part two: before I leave, he goes into his room where he gets a kong and then naps until his petsitter, Sheree, arrives.

Throughout the week, Sheree was nice enough to call me (the nervous nelly of the family) to give her report. Each day, when Sheree arrived, she would peek in the window of his room. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, he was alert and looking back at her, letting out a single WOOF! When she looked in the window on Thursday, Howard was sound asleep in his chair, curled into his signature sleeping donut. She came in the house, turning off the alarm and Howard was still....sleeping!! She called me to say, "hey... great guard dog!"

Channeling Harley

Today, Mark and I decided that Howard has started to channel Harley's spirit in so many ways. First and most important (we think), he is smart and learns quickly. In one short week, Howard has learned that when Mark finishes his morning paper it's time for a walk, a car ride or well...something fun. Just like his dearly departed step brother, Howard, knowing it's time for something good to happen, will stand in the kitchen near the door, bark and scratch. In dogspeak this means: "I know we're about to do something fun, so let's get on with it!"

Howard also knows that when I am in the kitchen, there is food and waits for something yummy to make its way into his funny crooked mouth! He parks himself, just at my feet so I have to step over him as I work.

Howard has claimed the couch from which he can easily see through the dining room, into the kitchen and the backdoor. This way, like Mr. Harley, he can track our every move.

Howard also loves (and can't get enough of) Mark's signature "couch wrestling" moves. Harley absolutely loved this game too! Is this a square-headed bullmastiff boy thing? Perhaps...

Of course, there are many other things that Howard (poor boy) doesn't quite understand yet. First of the list is food filled Kongs...his first was last Friday and it took him a few minutes to figure out what to do with it. Next was how to eat doggie ice cream. The first time he saw a Frosty Paw he looked at it quizickly, bumped it with his nose and gently lapped away at it. SUCCESS...we were psyched! NOT! Howard had his second Frosty Paw as we sat down for dinner one night. We thought it would keep him occupied. Howard had another idea. "Hmmm...perhaps I can simply chew and swallow this in one gulp and still have time to get some of what they have!" So Mark and I had to tag team him and wrestle a drooly, half-chewed and melted Frosty Paw his giant bully mouth. Today, for his third (and perhaps final) try at a frozen treat, we removed the doghoodsie from its cup and placed it on a paper plate. Uh oh....Sslurpp...chomp...gulp...chomp...slllurrp!!! It was gone in two bites, 4 seconds (Daphne was just starting hers). Hello, can you say ice cream headache Howard!!!

Tomorrow, Howard will begin his first work week. Last week, he enjoyed Mark's company for a good part of the week and then both of us toward the end. It has been a gloriously relaxed week for everyone. Howard did meet his petsitter Sheree this weekend so she will not be a stranger. Howard's new routine will be: 6 a.m. wake up, 6:15 a.m. breakfast and outside, 6:25 to 7:15 relax on the LR couch, 7:20 in his room with a Kong to stay busy, 7:20 to noonish, rest. Sheree will come between noon and 2 for outside and play time. Mark will be home by 4:30 for dinner and fun. We are hoping that Howard adjusts to the new schedule. He is pretty smart and if he's like Harley, he will enjoy his weekly down time. : ) We'll keep you posted.

Happy Thanksgiving...

We hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, Mark, Howard, Daphne and I spent the day together. We began the day with breakfast and a walk followed by naps (the dogs), ending with a turkey dinner.

For our walk, we decided to go to a local school that has two large open fields where Daphne and Howard would have plenty of room to play (we hoped). To get there, Daphne and Howard got a chance to enjoy their first car ride together, which was without growling or grumbling. A few minutes into our walk, to our delight, Daphne decided to show Howard her idea of play, which is: stop, stare, bow, charge and body check. Howard seemed a bit confused by her WWF style moves walking away with a look that said "I'm not sure about what you're doing, so I'm just going to be over here..." The rest of the walk, they stayed side-by-side sniffing and doing their business along the way. As we got in the car to leave, Howard gave Daphne a kiss. Mark and I were absolutely thrilled with the progress.

Howard has been with us for just about a week now. In that time, he has claimed his favorite spot on the couch, learned when it's time to eat, how to get Mark to rub his belly, how to get food from me (albeit an easy task) and how to keep his distance from Daphne. He has met a few more people, including our friend Pauline and is making an impression among our circle of friends through photos and this blog.

Mark spent the last week at home to supervise the adjustment. During the week, he walked Howard and Daphne,took Howard to the vet, introduced him to our neighbor, Martha, and her young hound dog mix, Ruben. Ruben and Howard quickly became BFFs romping and running around together in Martha's backyard. Mark also converted our office to Howard's room, complete with a fresh coat of paint, an oversized chair, toys and his crate. Now, when we leave the house, Howard will go to his room where he can lounge on his chair, look out the windows, play with his toys or hangout in his crate. He also has access to a short hallway and the cool tile floor of the half bath (toilet cover closed).

Daphne seems to be slightly more accepting of Howard these last few days. She doesn't raise her fur as much, is approaching him more often and growling less (except for today). She also spends more time with us instead of the bedroom where she would often retreat for long periods of time, especially since Harley left us. For now, she is simply keeping an eye on Howard, observing and processing his actions and reactions. We hope that she will eventually see what Mark and I see in Howard, a goofy, happy, friendly boy. In the meantime, we are careful to let her know that she is number one.

Howard's lovable, goofball personality has kept us entertained and has endeared him to us even more. Last week, he accidently closed himself in the downstairs bathroom during one of his many explorations. Luckily Mark was home to hear his scratches for help and Howard was freed, no worse for the wear. Howard has also been providing us with a symphony of vocal sounds that keep us giggling and Daphne wondering what all the commotion is about.

With the holidays upon us, we are happier than ever that Howard found his way to our home. We are looking forward to sharing more about Howard and Daphne's progress in the weeks to come.

Howard and Daphne Day One

I think Miss Daphne was surprised to see Howard in HER room Sunday morning. It was the first time Howard got a chance to see the second floor since his arrival Saturday night. The first thing he did was walk around the bed, climb on the bed, walk over Mark- who was still in the bed and step off on the other side. He made that loop around, up, across, off...about three times. As I sat with Daphne on HER loveseat, Howard approached and we heard Daphne's first real objection to his presence in HER space. Sweet Daphne snarling at Howard was well, a little surprising, but also understandable. Howard simply looked at her and decided he would just get on the bed and sit. Daphne continued with a low closed mouth growl, so we decided that it was probably time for Howard to head back downstairs. Of course, Howard was fine with that plan. In fact, Howard seems to be fine with just about anything.

Once Daphne decided to grace us with her presence that morning, her first order of business was to stare at Howard who was chillin' on the couch. Howard simply continued resting, watched her, but did not challenge the stare...good boy! Once Daphne was done sending her silent message, she went to her favorite spot in the dining room.

Our next adventure was a car ride to visit my dad (Grampy) at the Life Care facility where he is recovering from knee replacement surgery. Grampy George was in his room knocking on the window and waving. Howard and Daphne happily put their paws on the window ledge to greet Grampy through the window. After the quick visit, we went for a walk. Howard led the way and Daphne followed happily. They also walked together for part of the walk and seemed relaxed and content. It was, all and all, a good experience. Daphne even playfully charged and pounced on Howard just like she used to do to Harley. Howard, like Harley, just kept walking. LOL!

At home both dogs rested for the afternoon with Mark. We have a few more growls from Daphne when Howard came too close for comfort, but no real conflicts. There still more to share about today, Monday. Mark was home so he was in charge of the two bullies. They went for a walk, Howard met Ruben, our neighbor's dog, and went to the vet (nothing serious) just a stinky bum. There were few growls from the girl, but again...nothing that can't be expected. : ) We're feeling very upbeat. More details later...

Howard's Homecoming

Mark, Daphne and I welcomed Mr. Howard to our home Saturday evening. We picked him up at his foster mom, Mari's house in Connecticut late Saturday afternoon and arrived home about 7 p.m. Howard was great in the car on the ride home. He's an extremely mellow boy, and slept the whole way.

When we arrived home, Daphne and our niece, Jessi were there waiting to welcome him. Our plan was to walk him around the front yard and then introduce him to Daphne again in the garage (which how we enter our house). Plans be damned, Howard was more interested in getting in the house...although can't blame him, it was freezing!!! So...I went in the house, said hello to Daphne and then brought her out to the garage to meet Howard. As she came out, there was Howard eagerly trotting up to the babygate (which we use to keep the bullies in the garage). As Daphne and Howard met face-to-face again ~ "SSslurp"-- Howard gave her a big, wet kiss just like the first time they met!

Howard then immediately proceeded, without hesitation into the house and like a hound dog on a scent, made his way through the house. He happily ran around the first floor investigating, whiffing. Daphne simply watched with reserved curiousity and then decided she wanted to go to her room (our bedroom) which is her sanctuary. Howard in the meantime headed downstairs and out the basement door to his new yard, with more to see and smell.

After a thorough run through, Howard quickly found a comfy spot on the couch with Jessi and spent the rest of the night sleeping and cuddling with her. More on the next morning to come...

Harley

Somehow it doesn't seem right to have a blog about our bullmastiffs without including Harley. Harley was our first bullmastiff. He was born on September 27, 2001, just two days before Mark and I married. We went to see the pups the Monday following our wedding and there we had our first glimpse of the boy who would change our lives and hearts forever.

Our breeder, Mary, showed us the pups one-by-one until she came to the runt, who she named Harley because he looked solid black. As soon as we heard his name, we knew he was meant to be ours. For those of you who may not know, Mark and I both ride Harleys. Unfortunately, since we wanted a "companion" animal, it would be up to Mary to decide who would go home with us in 8 weeks. We told her that we were partial to Harley for obvious reasons, but in the end the decision was Mary's. One week before we were due to pick up our bully pup, Mary told us the news, Harley was ours if we wanted him. We brought him home the weekend before Thanksgiving 2001.

Harley was an amazing dog. Despite being the runt, he quickly grew to be one of the largest of his littermates. He had looong legs, a giant square head, large round brown eyes, and the most beautiful brindle markings, including a small patch of white on his chest. We were instantly and hopelessly in love with him.

Harley was a smart boy. He was potty trained within days of his arrival (learning to ring a bell that still hangs on the cellar door) and learned his basic obedience without hesitation. We enjoyed bringing him to puppy playgroup where he would romp with the smallest of dogs in the group, laying on his back to show them that despite his size he was gentle. He would play for an hour and sleep for four hours when we got home. Mom and dad took advantage of the quiet time to get errands done.

As an adult, Harley continued to show us his unique personality. He somehow "trained" his daddy to come down to the basement after potty time to play by barking a few times. His favorite toy was a small black latex boot by Harley Davidson. His first toy from Auntie Cindi.

He also loved to lay frog dog style, hind legs stretched out flat behind him. When it was quiet time, Harley would bunch up a soft quilt in his front paws and suckle it like a puppy.

Harley was incredible in so many ways, that there is not enough time or space here to share them all. We were devastated to lose him in August after discovering that he had terminal, fast moving cancer. He was a distinguished dog and never complained. We spent our last week with him doing everything we could to make him happy and comfortable. He deserved everything. In the end, he told us when it was time for him to leave us. We helped him gently and painlessly pass to a place where he is now vibrant and active once again. We miss him terribly, but are thankful for having him in our lives, if only for a short time.

This blog is also in his memory for if it were not for his passing, we would not be bringing Howard into our life. I think Harley would be a little jealous, but also happy that we are giving another dog a life like his.

Getting Ready for Howard...

Today, we started getting ready for Howard's arrival this weekend (we hope). I went to our favorite specialty dog shop, Pawsmopolitan, where I bought Howard food, a couple of new indestructible toys (or so they say), including a mint scented eggplant that can hold treats. Of course, I couldn't forget our girl. Daphne also got a couple of new plush toys, her favorite.

Until Howard and Daphne get used to sharing a home, it was recommended that we keep them separated. A crate is a good solution because they can be together, yet separate. Luckily, we have an extra large crate from when Harley and Daphne were pups. We decided to set it up in our bedroom because Daphne seems to spend a lot of time there when we're not home and at night.

Howard's crate has already been fashionably outfitted with a comfy doggie memory foam mattress, a brand new soft quilt and a pillow of course. We then covered the top of the crate with an old fabric shower curtain to make it feel cavernous (which is what dogs enjoy about crates). Howard has been in a crate at his foster mom's house, and we hope he will his new crate equally as comfortable. Although, he will only be in the crate when we are not home and at night to sleep. He will spend the rest of his time with us, on the couch, in front of the fire, out the in yard and hopefully playing with Daphne. Basically, where ever he is comfortable and happy.

Daphne

Our beautiful girl has not been the same since her brother, Harley died this past August. Initially, we thought that she was really handling the loss better than Mark and I, but as time has passed, we see that she does miss having a companion. We also realized that we are not a single dog household.

The void left by Harley's passing is huge. While no dog can ever replace our spectacular boy, we have room in our hearts and home for a new dog (Howard) to help fill that space, bring us joy and help our girl find her purpose again.

Daphne and Howard met last Saturday at Howard's foster mom, Mari's house. When Howard came out to the yard to meet her, he walked up and immediately kissed her sweet face. Daphne, not expecting such a greeting, pulled back ~ a little surprised by such affection. Her brother, Harley, was rarely, if ever, affectionate with her. Howard, of course, proceeded with the usual doggie greeting of sticking his nose in her bum. Daphne simply looked back at him and walked away. She had a look that said "excuse me, do I know you?" After that, she simply sat at my feet and watched Howard and Ilsa.

Our little girl is a homebody like her mom. Being in a strange place after a long ride was a little overwhelming. So when we went inside Mari's house, Daphne had a quick look around and then plopped down in the hallway away from the action of Howard and Ilsa. In the end, despite her shyness, she met Howard face to face before we were leaving. Mari said that it was if Howard was saying "so what'd ya think?" We think she thought, hey he's okay.

We look forward to seeing how they are together when Howard arrives here this weekend. I think she will find new enthusiasm through Howards boundless, yet sweet energy. Hopefully, Howard will also appreciate our girl's sweet and gentle nature.

We will continue to share their progress together.

Howard - First Meeting

Last weekend, Mark, Daphne and I drove to Connecticut to meet Howard, the rescue dog. He's a beautiful red bullmastiff with long legs and a large square head. His past is sad and his body isn't pretty but his heart is wide open and loving. He will joing our family next Saturday and we will become his forever home. We are looking forward to sharing our journey with those who brought us together, Sandy, Mari, ABA Rescue. Enjoy future posts and feel free to comment.