Pet Love

Rudy

(aka Rudy- Patoody)

When Rudy first came into my life, I was 26 years old and could hold her in the palm of my hand.  She was the tiniest puppy, abandoned in a field in the south side of Columbus.  She was left to die.  It hurts so bad to think of the cruelness of that.  Thankfully, she was rescued.  She turned 14 years old this summer. 

I love this picture.  Such nostalgia.  It was taken when I was still living at The Little House.  I loved, loved, loved The Little House.  One of the downsides of living at The Little House, though, was that there was no central air.  At the time this photo was taken, I was actually looking to leave The Little House and buy a home in Columbus (which ultimately led me to Bendelow Drive).  My realtor who was helping me look for a house is also a friend and fellow dog-lover.  I e-mailed her this picture of Rudy in the midst of my house search.  Here is what she had to say in an e-mail after seeing the picture:  "Rudy hopes the new abode has central air as sometimes she gets too warm when lounging on the sofa."  I'll never forget the exact quote.  It  still makes me laugh.

Rudy is a great dog.  She does all things 'dog'.  Chewing raw hides.  Loves treats and long walks.  Follows us around.  Lays at our feet.  Barks at strangers.  I'm a mantra person.  My mantra for Rudy is:  Rudy's a dog's dog.  Old girl has gotten so gray around her muzzle, feet, and even her little eye-brows.

Simon

(aka Baby Boo Boo)

Simon and his brother, Isaac, were also abandoned and left to fend for themselves.  They were strays in the neighborhood where my parents live.  At the time, I was single and living in The Little House.  I brought Simon and Isaac home in October 2001.  I remember bringing them home on a Sunday afternoon.  Later that night, it rained and turned cold; I brought them home just in time.  It would have been heartbreaking for them to be living on the streets in the damp and cold.  I don't know their exact age, but according to my vet they were about a year old when I got them.  That means Simon and Isaac turned 10 this year.  Simon hates to get his picture taken and that's usually obvious in how he looks in photos.  The shot below is actually a good one of him.  Mama's big boy!

Simon Baby Boo Boo is my big, pretty, lover-boy weighing in at a whopping 23 pounds. Baby Boo Boo is totally his Mama's boy, although he has grown to love his Daddy too. When I have gone home for visits over the past 8 months, Simon is so happy to see me that as soon as I lay down, he lays right on top of me. That's sweet and all, but 23 pounds of cat laying in the middle of your back when you are trying to sleep doesn't necessarily make for restful conditions.  I loved every second of it though.  I love hearing him purrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Isaac

(aka......Isaac)

Isaac is Simon's brother.  While I don't know for sure since they were rescued off the street, I would bet every penny I have that they were litter mates.  It is amazing how similar they are in terms of body movements, postures, even how they switch their tails and the timing of it.  Isaac is an Alpha cat.  He is the Alpha of the entire household as a matter of fact.  He even out-Alpha's me, believe it or not.  He is a beautiful boy and very photogenic.

 

Jada

(aka Baby Jadies)

Anyone who knows me knows I have an affinity for Doberman Pinschers.  If you follow this blog, you may remember my tribute to Emmy; my first Doberman and the love of my life.  After Emmy died, I fostered a couple of Dobermans.  Then, in October 2006 (the year Scott and I met), we adopted Jada from Hand Me Down Dobes, a Doberman Pinscher rescue group.  Jada is a sweet girl and very, very gentle.  We are guessing she is about 9 or 10 years old this year.  Whoever cropped her ears obviously didn't know what in the h*ll they were doing.  When you look at her ears, you can tell someone cut and tried to pin them. It didn't work; they don't stand up.  I tell her all the time, "Jadies, some hillbilly done boogered up your ears."    So, now she has little cut ears that fall forward.  Pitiful and so darn cute.

Is that the cutest picture or what?  Turns me to butter.  She even looks sweet and gentle, doesn't she? 

Typical Doberman, Jada likes to sun herself.

So, there is the furry family.  I have missed them terribly over the past 8 months.  Hopefully.  Hopefully.  We will be together again permanently this coming Tuesday.  My eyes just welled up with tears as I wrote that.  I can hardly wait.

A few other miscellaneous "Pet Love" notes.

Rudy grew up with a cat named Nala.  Having grown up around a cat, Rudy has always been good about living with feline companions.  Let her off a leash outside and she will chase a cat.  But, that's just what dogs do. We don't let her off a leash outside anyways so no real worries there.  In the house, I never have to worry about her messing with the cats.  Jada gets a little excited about the cats sometimes.  Not in an aggressive way.  More in a "I-want-to-chase-them-so-bad-but-I-know-I'm-not-allowed-to" way.  So then she just gets all dance-y and prance-y, like she doesn't quite know what to do with herself.  Rudy though?  Unfazed.  Simon and Isaac don't rile her up a bit.  Here is Rudy-Patoody and Baby Boo Boo together at The Medium House.   

And Rudy and Isaac.

Isaac. Typical cat.  Put a box out and in a matter of minutes, he's in it.  Whether he fits or not.  I'm thinking "not" in the picture above.

For as good as Rudy is with cats, other dogs are a different story.  We weren't sure she could live peacefully with another dog in the house.  But Jada was the perfect fit.  Rudy is dominant and sometimes aggressive towards other dogs.  Jada is submissive and deferential.  Overall they have done really well together.  We've had a few minor episodes. But there was only a small amount of blood and just that one time.  (Yikes) 

Over the past few years, Rudy and Jada have settled in together and been harmonious.  I think Jada kind of likes Rudy.  Rudy only tolerates Jada.  It's funny, though.  Rudy is just about stone deaf.  At this point, she really only hears 3 things: Scott's whistle, my Dad's voice, and Jada barking.  Otherwise, her big, ol', floppy ears just don't work anymore.  Bless her little heart.  It's like Jada knows that Rudy can't hear.  Jada used to never bark.  Rudy, on the other hand, would bark at anyone walking by the house.  Since Rudy can't hear, she is unaware if someone is walking by unless she actually sees them through the window.  Jada has taken it upon herself to "sound the alarm" when someone is walking by.  She gives one warning bark, enough to alert Rudy, and then Rudy takes over from there.  Jumping up. Running to the door or window.  Barking like mad.

When I was home this past June, I took the picture below.  There was a time when Rudy and Jada could not have gotten a drink at the same time.  Rudy would have attacked Jada.  Guess this shot shows progress in their relationship.

 

Isaac and Simon love each other so much.  The bond likely started when they were litter mates and then strengthened when they were fending for themselves on the streets.  However it happened, they are the epitome of true love.  It's obvious how much they adore each other.  Isaac is the Alpha and the protector.  One time Simon got out the back door of The Little House.  Isaac was frantic.  He knew Simon wasn't supposed to be out there.  He kept running from window to window in the house, looking out and trying to find him. 

Want to see pure love?  Here it is.

At The Medium House we had it set up such that there were 2 bird feeders right outside the side living room windows.  We put a couple stools in front of the windows and voila!  Cat entertainment center.  Not sure where we will put a cat entertainment center at the new place in Stoughton.  I guess we'll figure something out once we start to get settled in.

There are the furry children.  Please keep your fingers crossed that next Tuesday all goes as planned and we can move into the house in Stoughton.  Living away from my family for 8 months has been one of the hardest things I've ever done.  It's time that we all share the same address again.  Hopefully.  Hopefully.