dog blanket snuggies

mellow yellows

sun time

Back for more!

Baby boy (not anymore, he's huge!) Bruster is back! He is staying with us for a week while his globe trotting parents are in different countries... He came last night, armed with treats, food and excitement. Pty was so happy when he wiggled in the door, she couldn't contain herself. She was like "HEY! I know you!" Today has been a good day of treats, walks and looonngg naps together on the bed. Bru knows how it works here! More pictures to come...

Bruster and Orange Cat

Bruster and Mom

Happy couch snuggler

Bruster has moved to his new home

Bruster went to his new home this morning. He had a big breakfast and lots of cuddles, and then when Lesley and Roger came to pick him up he fearlessly went with them (I was so proud!) I managed not to cry until they left (which I was also proud of). I am so happy for him, and for them. What a hard but great day.

last day

It's Bruster's last day at our house, he is moving to his permanent digs with Lesley and Roger tomorrow morning. We took him and Pty down to Sand Dollar Beach today, and ran the stairs and then played ball for about an hour. It seems that Bru loves nothing more then playing fetch on the beach, and man what a great workout it is for a energetic puppy. He seriously konks out when we get home (as seen here, today, post beach and then bath). We gave him a long hot shower, got him all scrubby and clean for his departure. Last night we took him over to his new parents house and had dinner with them, he seems to be quite at ease there and I am really hoping he embraces his new living situation with confidence (which I know he will). I am so sad that the baby is leaving me, but we did our job- got him healthy and ready to take on the big old world with his forever family, and I am very very proud of the dog he has become.

Working so hard to listen to my new dad!!!

Here is Roger, working with Bruster on the leave it command. Bruster loves to play fetch, but once you pick up the ball he is all over you to throw it- learning to "leave it" will be crucial. He loves to play ball so much he ignored the other dogs on the beach AND treats, just to have the ball thrown. Apparently we have found what to focus on with him! His new parents did a great job parenting him during the outing, he had a wonderful day! I love how hard he is working to please in this picture... (again, thanks to Lesley for the picture!)

Beach time!

On Sunday morning, Bruster and I met Lesley and Roger down at the beach on the westside to get some play time in with them before his transition this coming weekend. He loved it- they played ball for and hour and a half on the beach- needless to say he was pooped! (Photo thanks to Lesley!)

sleepy boy

everyone's napping

hiding

Sunbathers...

Well, it is with a happy heart that I tell you... Bruster is getting adopted! We are very happy and excited (and sad)... His new parents, Lesley and Roger, are wonderful people who fell in love with Bruster and have made the commitment to give him the wonderful life he deserves, and to continue teaching him to be an ambassador for his breed. He will be going to his new home next weekend, so we are going to cram as much beach/hiking/playing fun we can into this week with him. Its always hard to let a foster go, even though you know they are going to the best possible home, and each ending will always be bittersweet for me. Jared and I are going to take some time off from fostering (in my spare time-haha!- I am a full time grad student of Marine Biology at Moss Landing Marine Labs) as that I have a very full field season coming up very soon. I will update until he goes, everyone wish him well and send good vibes to his new parents for being so awesome to adopt him!

he'll give me a treat!!!

Maybe if I sit here real nice...

I think Dad's making something...

heater snuggles

Mr. Handsome

new bones!!!

sometimes it's hard to work in our house...

Cosmo, our kitty, is 10 years old. She is still feisty as all get out, but her favorite thing to do is to sit on Jared's lap. Mind you, she was my own cat before I met Jared 5 years ago, but I really can't blame her for loving him so much, I can relate. So as you can see, sometimes she just gets her way with him, and he just lets her do her thing. My favorite is Bruster in this picture, just lounging away on the couch like he owns the place!

we love to be lazy...

This is pretty much Bruster and Pty's favorite pastime- maybe second to laying around chewing their bones. We fortify the bed with "dog blankets" and they get to lounge and watch the rain come down while mom gets her work done. They are actually really good at relaxing when I have work to do, which is surprising considering how much rain we have been getting and the lessened exercise they have been getting. Bruster won't even set foot outside in the rain- no amount of coaxing and treats will get him to walk in the rain, so we settle for playing in the house and getting out when its sunny as much as we can.

"even though I am getting big, my ears are still bigger then my head!"

Bruster is advancing every day, in his listening skills to putting on some really healthy muscle mass that he has needed for so long. He is really responding to voice commands, and does really well off leash (he likes to explore about 5-6 feet in front of where you are walking, and then will wait and check in with you when he gets much further then that). He is a major snuggler, and I think he secretly loves rainy days cause it means he can sleep on the bed with Pty all day. He has learned to wait as I open the front door to let him out, and understands that he can only go out once I say it's okay with the door wide open. He is getting big, about 45 lbs now, and seems to be finally filling in instead of just getting taller and longer every day. He is really looking forward to finding his adoptive family, so put your noses out for him!

look how big I am! (it's all that fresh lamb mom gives me!)

"what's that I hear?"

stoic pose

squinty smiley

some words from Bruster...

Hi guys, Bruster here. I know my mom talks a lot about my life here, but I thought I should clue you in to what I think and what my days are like... I think its great here! I have a big cozy crate with a bed and 3 warm blankets in it, in my own room (!) that I get to cuddle up in every night. It gets really dark and quiet, and I know I am supposed to sleep all night, not like before when I was a baby and had to get up all the time. Then, it gets light out and my mom comes and wakes me up. Sometimes my dad is home (since he is a paramedic he is not here every night) but when he is here he lets me jump up and get in bed with him. I really like that. Usually I have to go out right away, and I am really good at letting my mom know that I have to go out by sitting patiently at the door. Then, its my favorite part of the day-Breakfast time!!! My mom gives me yummy high protein grain free food (how spoiled am I!) with something my mom likes to call "specials". That's usually cottage cheese these days, since dad says my bones need to grow big and strong. Mom usually sings me the breakfast song, and I do the breakfast dance to it. Then my sister Pty and I go outside and play, or if its raining mom gives us our bones and toys and we play inside. Sometimes mom and dad have to go out for a few hours, so I get to go in my crate and eat my favorite treat, mom and dad call it a kong. I love it. In the afternoon I usually walk around our town with my parents and my sister, which is really cool 'cause I get to see all my friends. Sometimes they even take me to the dog park, or my favorite place- the beach. At night, after dinner, Pty and I like to lay in front of our wood burning stove (its really yummy and warm), and sometimes I get so tired that I put myself to bed in my crate while mom and dad are working or watching a movie. One time my mom took me to this place called "the lab" where she goes to school, and I got to meet so many people! It was super fun, I hope I can do it again. Needless to say, I love it here, and I am working really hard to learn all the good manners I can so I can go to a new warm house with new people who will give me lots of "specials"! If you know anyone, let them know I am looking!

"I like to lay right in my mom's native garden and chew my stick"

Rainy days...

Rainy days are hard on my babies. They don't get the outside time that they need and love to play and run off their steam, and while they are pretty good at being mellow in the house most of the day (as you can see from the above picture), after a while they start to look at me with the "moooommmm I'm ssoooooo bored!" faces. Kongs are crucial on these days, I pack them with peanut butter and stick yummy treats in the PB to make sure they don't get through it in a matter of minutes. Right now (I just took that picture) they are cuddling on the couch as quiet as can be, which is my opportunity to do the flurry of things that need to be done in the house with out 2 pitties between my feet. I really envy those pit owners who have enough money to buy their pitties treadmills, one of those would go over very well in our house on days like this. Bruster is doing great, he really seems to adore Pty, he follows her around like a little brother who idolizes his older sister. We have been working on the "down" command, and he has learned "out" (in reference to getting out of the kitchen when mom is cooking, but also comes in handy when the bathroom door gets pushed open by inquisitive pups). Luckily he is extremely food motivated, which makes training so much easier. Alright, must go do chores before dogs wake up! Happy rainy day!

My pibbles!

Time to re-evaluate...

Well, we hit a hitch in the road day before yesterday- Brusters adoption fell through, causing us quite a bit of emotional disappointment. It happened rather suddenly, and caught Jared and I both off guard, but we snuggled with Bru for the rest of the evening, got a good night sleep and vowed to move on the next day. In the morning Bru bounded out of his crate, with a puppy bounce that would make anyone feel good about life, and we headed out for a day of hiking with my mom (fondly referred to as Grammy when talking to the pups). We took Bruster and Pty to Pogonip State Park in Santa Cruz, and had a lovely hike through the redwoods and bay laurels. Bru stopped to explore every smell he could, and he was loving the seasonal creeks that are running through the main trail from all the rain. Needless to say, I had two happy, mud caked dogs on my hands that evening. They both got baths (and multiple tick checks) and relaxed into the evening, with the little guy putting himself to bed in his crate. The great thing about dogs, and Bruster in particular, is that they have such a great way of reminding us silly humans that, at the end of the day, everything is going to be alright, and life is a great, exciting, fun thing. Keep Bruster in your thoughts at we move on in looking for his perfect loving forever home!

They found the most comfy place in the house...

livin' the life

Good news, Bruster fans. Brusters first mommy, the wonderful Joanie at the Salinas shelter, has decided to take Bruster into her home for good. When Bruster came into the shelter, she fell in love with him (how could you not?!), made sure he was well taken care of and facilitated his fostering. She missed him so much and wanted him to be part of her family, and I am happy to say he will be going to her home with her and her husband and two other dogs at the end of this week. This is great for Bru, he spent time with them and her dogs at Carmel Beach last week, and had a great time with them all. It is bittersweet for us, since we LOVE him, but it solves our dilemma of "how do we decide if we want to keep him permanently or not?", because he was meant to be in their family. Yay for Baby Bru!!!