(Pit Bull) Stereotypes

Stereotypes are ridiculous.  They hinder our progress as a society and they prevent us from recognizing the beauty in individuals.  We are all guilty of stereotyping.  Whether it be based on race, gender, dress size, or dog type.  We all have expectations associated with certain characteristics.  We weren't born that way, yet sadly, as we age, we begin to fall somewhere on the judgment spectrum.  Each day I try to slide myself one notch farther away from judgment and on my way to loving.  It is a struggle for me.  I am very judgmental about certain things.  Yet I try to open myself up to new experiences and new people to reverse my tendency to judge.  Watching this video helped me today.  It brought me tears and chills and meshed with the intention I set during my yoga practice:  Judge less, love more.

Children and Their Pit Bulls

I hope this video moves you in the way it did me.  Happy Tuesday :)

The Surry

During our first Christmas, David gave me the most thoughtful present I have ever received: a heated body pillow.  I tend to be cold. All.The.Time.  Something to do with low blood pressure/poor circulation, blah blah blah.  Anyhow, I love nothing better than to snuggle up with a warm body to ease my chills.  Well, for those of you who don't know about our relationship, David and I spent our first year together in a long-distance relationship.  Therefore, I spent many a chilly Chicago night wishing I had him here to snuggle and warm me up.  So he bought me a heated body pillow and dubbed it the Surrogate David, Surry for short.

Since we are now married and living together everyday (yay!) I rarely have need of the Surry.  It comes in handy on the odd night that I head to the couch by myself to battle insomnia with terrible late-night television.  I break it out and snuggle up and after allowing my brain to become numb, I eventually zonk out.  As it turns out (much to David's chagrin) I tend to enjoy falling asleep being cuddled, but once I am asleep, I turn into a nasty ninja warrior who hates being touched for any reason.  This means that anyone and anything sleeping with me will likely be kicked off of my side of the bed, or in the case of the Surry, right off the couch.  Well, a few months ago, Raisin woke up and decided to join me in the family room.  Before she could make it to the couch, she stumbled (literally) upon a warmth-emitting cushy surface.  From that day forward, she was hooked.

"Y'all have been holding out on me! Hmph!"

As has been previously documented Raisin will snooze on just about any surface.  However, when the Surry is out and heated, this is her number one choice.  She has spent this entire dreary Monday sprawled across its surface.  She hopes that you have a similar cozy spot that makes you feel good on yucky days like today.

"Catch ya on the flip side, loyal readers :)" - R-Dog

One Word Wednesday

Smile!

Icky Fridays

We don't know about you guys, but on gross days like today, this is all we want to do:

Who are we kidding, this is all we ever really want to do :)  Happy Friday everyone!

Tender Hearts

"When we honestly ask ourselves which people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." -Henri J.M. Nouwen


I was instantly struck when I read this quote.  It brought up so many emotions and thoughts and I tried to envision who this was for me.  Several people came to mind, but when I read through the quote several more times, I realized that the individual who truly embodies this for me is not a person at all: it is our dog.  It made me think of all of the times I have sat, crying on the couch, and Raisin has intuitively known her presence is needed.  I tend to be an emotional person and allow my tears to flow naturally as part of the healing process.  Although David is learning to be supportive without immediately needing to know why I am upset, it does not come naturally to him and with regards to that, I am working on being more understanding.  Fortunately for both of us, it is ingrained in Raisin's very being.  She knows when my heart is aching and when her warm body will offer comfort.  David thinks that she just likes the saltiness of my tears, but I believe that she knows that licking my face will brighten my outlook, even if just momentarily, and will help me along the road to overcoming whatever has saddened me in that moment.


Some people view animals as lesser beings than humans.  I'm not one of them.  I think that we can learn a lot from the animals around us, starting with our very best companions: dogs.  Sometimes, what a person needs is a judgment-free arm around their shoulder (or paw on their chest) saying: It's not okay right now.  I don't have the power to make it okay.  But I will be here with you while you hurt and I will do what I can to make it hurt a little less.  For me, that is what true friendship is about: whether that friend be furry or human.


Sorry if you visit this page for the normal light-hearted, happy posts about the world's cutest dog.  To make sure you come back for more of those (because, really, that's what this blog is normally going to be), here is a picture of the Cuteness Queen herself:

One Word Wednesday

Cuddlebug!

Bad Habits

While we all do our best each day, everyone among us has developed a bad habit or two (or nine or ten...). Our little family is no exception.  But as the great Katharine Hepburn said, "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."  Well, we certainly wouldn't want our little Raisin to miss out on all the fun things in life.  So below you will find some of the bad habits we have picked up as dog parents.

Destroying EVERY stuffy she's ever been given.  We are working on teaching her to be gentle with her friends...thus far, this has always been the end result:

 "Seriously guys, this thing SQUEAKED at me!  The absolute nerve of some stuffies."

 Sharing people treats.  This particular transgression happened only once, during Raisin's first Christmas, when Daddy was still trying to curry favor with his new little girl (fun fact: Raisin still has her full tail in this photo!)

 "Oh yeah, Dad, a couple more licks and I will be like, Mommy who?"

Riding in the front seat area of the car.  When Grams and Gramps come to pick us up in the beloved van, Raisin usually rides on the front passenger's lap.  When she is forced into the Hyundai, she prefers the safety of this little nook:

 Big smiles for her major accomplishment of fitting down there :)

This particular bad habit is 100% the result of a Grandma who loves to spoil her granddog.  We know it is bad, but she ADORES ice cream cones:

 How are we supposed to resist this adorableness?

Getting a closer sniff at dinner time.  We never feed her from the table, but sometimes I might just encourage a little lap time to make sure she knows she is truly part of the family:

 "Surely you two will not eat ALL of that food.  Ya know, you've both been lookin' a little chunky..."

Inserting herself into any situation...convenience be damned.  Raisin has somehow gotten it into her head that she has the right to be anywhere/anytime.  This often results in her hopping onto a lap already taken up by a computer.  Both David and I have developed superior work around skills because, honestly, who could kick her off when all she wants is to spend time snuggling?

"Look Mom, I fit perfectly in this natural nook Daddy had to create when I forced myself under his arm."

Clearly, these are not every day occurrences (except the computer thing...that really does happen almost every day).  They are special occasions and oops moments caught on camera.  We want Raisin to be a respectful pooch who recognizes that she is, in fact, a dog, maybe with just a few of the comforts and extravagances normally reserved for humans.