Bull Mastiff

As I sit here lying in my bed with a 102 degree fever, all I wish is that I had a dog to give me a little company.

Flues in the summer are the worst, however since it is gloomy and cold outside I guess I could pretend it was December 27th not July 27th. San Diego has had one week of summer this year. Everyday since April we have had gloomy clouds that wont leave the coast. I feel like I live in San Francisco.

As my fiance and I get closer to walking down the aisle we are starting to look at buying a house more seriously. Currently, I think the only area we could afford is what my friend who is a real estate agent described as "upcoming with lots of potential" that is code for make sure you have an alarm system in the house.

So if we do decide to buy in the "up and coming" neighborhood rather than paying rent in the safe and family friendly neighborhood we live in now, my fiance said that we should look into getting a bull mastiff.

Bull mastiffs were bred as watch dogs and can grow to be 130 pounds. (That is more than I weigh) Apparently, they are great with children and are very protective of their family. If you are trying to picture what a bull mastiff looks like-think Turner and Hooch! My favorite line in that movie is when Tom Hanks looks at Hooch and tells him he looks like he swallowed a tennis shoe with the drool hanging down the sides of his mouth.

I am not convinced that a bull mastiff would be right for us. The drooling would be a problem and I can only imagine what taking him on a walk would be like. I guess if we need extra money we could always charge the neighborhood kids for a bull mastiff ride.

Can Dogs See Ghosts?

I called my mom tonight and when she picked up the phone I could hear Jazz barking in the background. (I was thinking oh, no the Sheltie has found his voice!) I asked her what he was barking about and she said with a sigh, "I have no idea. Last night it was the coat stand in the laundry room."
Of course I had to ask her to explain. So she said that last night Jazz caught sight of something hanging in the laundry room and started growling and barking at it. My mom looked to see what was so disturbing to him and she couldn't see anything. She thought the only thing that he could possibly be barking at was the coat stand, that has been standing in the same position since the day he was brought home. When my mom picked him up to bring him closer to show him that there was nothing to be afraid of apparently he was not impressed.
So it made me wonder...what if he was barking at a ghost. A couple of people (including me) are convinced my mom's house is slightly haunted. I don't believe the spirits are malicious, just someone who may be lost or trapped in between worlds. (That is if you believe in such things) Strange and unexplainable things happen in her house... lights flicker, things fall off shelves, doors close and open on their own. So maybe Jazz is not as neurotic as he may seem. Maybe he is actually seeing something we are not?
Has anyone else experienced their dog barking at the paranormal?

Frenchies

I am obsessed with French bulldogs right ow. My mom thinks they look like little bats, but I can't get over their huge ears and smiling face. Maybe it is only a face a mother could love, but their personalities seem so delightful. They are meaty for a small dog, so I don't think that my fiance would feel embarrassed taking it for a walk. He of course would love to have a mastiff, however I don't think that would be a good fit for an 800 sq. foot apartment.

Frenchies are just so smiley, how can you not fall in love with them?! They seem like the perfect apartment dog as well. According to Choosing the Right Dog for you Frenchies are remarkably intelligent, good watch dogs, affectionate, sweet-tempered, dependable, alert and playful but not noisy...They do have some behavioral problems, probably due to their stubbornness and they may wheeze or snore. (OMG! I would die if my dog snored-so cute!) They are sensitive to heat and cold and may snap if they are too hot.

Sounds like San Diego's temperate climate is perfect for them! They are definitely staying on the list!

Sheltie playing tag with baby

Go here to see the best Sheltie video ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI0HW_2Xkh4

More Jazz

Jazz

My mom just got a new puppy named Jazz. He is a black and white Sheltie, and we have nick named him Jazz the Spaz. I grew up with a Sheltie, and they are definitely a cult dog. Generally speaking, once you have one you will have many more. They are sweet and loving dogs, great with kids and very playful. The one thing you learn to "appreciate" about them is that they are talkative--meaning they bark...a lot.

This is my mom's new grandchild and can literately talk about Jazz's new habits or training or personality for about 45 minutes straight. He is now her profile pic on her Facebook and Yahoo account. It is pretty hysterical and I am very happy she has him in her life. I met Jazz 6 weeks ago when he was only 8 weeks old and about 8 pounds. My mom lives in N. CA and I am up there quite a bit these days planning our wedding. My fiance and I went up there this last weekend to do the last of our wedding appointments, and we were able to spend a lot of quality time with Jazz the Spaz. Although he has doubled in size since I last saw him, he is still as soft and fluffy as ever!

My fiance taught him how to lay down this weekend, however it was only repeated when Jazz had food to motivate him, otherwise Jazz had the attention span of a gold fish. We also tried to teach him how to walk on a leash. I have never met a dog who didn't love walks, but we literately had to drag him in his harness with his legs splayed out on all fours. He did not want to leave the front lawn. After struggling for a block he eventually understood that it was not play time and that WE were taking him on a walk, he was not taking us.

Jazz is a low maintenance dog when it comes to entertaining himself. So far his favorite toys are an old plastic planter box, an old brass wind chime and a lemon. I love that dogs are always so present in life and find joy in the simplest things. If I could only live my own life like Jazz does-not thinking about the past and not worrying about the future and finding pure and utter happiness in an old plastic planter box.

49 Days & Counting

In 49 days, my fiance and I will be married and my last name will change from "McNulty" to "White." We will be our own family unit and only missing one thing--a puppy. For the past 2 years my fiance and I have been wanting to get a dog. We have had countless conversations of what type of dog we would want, boy or girl, pure bread or shelter dog...we even have names and what color collars we would purchase for our fictitious dogs. The reason we have not accidentally come home one day with a puppy is 1)We live in an apartment that doesn't allow dogs and getting an eviction can not be good for your credit score and 2)We have pretty active lives and like to travel and know that it would be unfair to a puppy.

However, after countless days of longing for any dog we come across, my fiance agreed that we could "seriously look" into getting a dog after we get married, and I am holding him to it. We did just however sign another year lease for our apartment so worst case scenario it will be one more year. The good news is that even though are particular unit doesn't allow dogs our apartment complex does, so I figure Christmas time may be a great time to move to a dog friendly apartment. What could be more memorable than sharing our first Christmas together as husband and wife with a brand new puppy!

So I have decided that I will take these next couple of months to research the best kind of dog that will fit our lifestyles and personalities. Its a life-long decision and I want to make sure we choose the perfect dog for the soon to be "White house".