Fiesta Island

I know I've bragged to you all several times about how much I LOVE swimming at dog beach (like here and here.) This weekend Mom and Dad took us to Fiesta Island, a little gem here in San Diego that is completely leash-free. You read that right, my dream come true. I'm not sure what took them so long to bring me here, seeing as how I love to run and I love to swim but hey, better late than never!

A friend of Mom's from Pit Bull Rescue San Diego named Alicia Anthony was asked to take pictures of dogs playing on the beach for upcoming articles and features in StubbyDog. We were happy to oblige! Check out some of the amazing images she captured:

Aren't they great? I particularly love the one of Kayna with the sand on her nose and the one where Dad threw me into the water. Even though I love to swim you can just tell by the look on my face I am panicked!

We had a great time and Alicia captured it perfectly. If you want to seem more of her work check out her site here. I hear she may be adding a page of just her puppy pics soon so keep an eye out!

Observe and Obey

Yesterday I had the honor of attending my dad's re-enlistment ceremony for the Navy and I was nice enough to let Kayna come with as well. He didn't want to make a big fuss out of it so we did something quick and to the point, with just a few of his favorite co-workers outside of his clinic. I was still so proud of him and all that he's done to serve our country. Thanks Dad for letting me be there.

 Here's one interesting thing Mom and I didn't know until we were there. When you re-enlist they actually honorably discharge you first, then wait one minute, then re-enlist you. We got a little confused at first when they started reading the discharge (and Mom even tried to get him to run away for the short minute he was a civilian!) but he then took the Oath of Enlistment confidently and without hesitation.

Anchors aweigh! Dad's next duty station will be starting in early June when he moves to Coronado to provide medical support for the Navy Seals. He'll likely be gone a lot but Mom tells me it's ok, I'll get used to it. Oh and she promises lots of cuddles during those times! Dad is very excited to have an adventure and I can't wait to hear all about it. Love you Dad!

More fun Pit-Positivity!

You know me, I'm always happy to read good news about dogs in general but seeing such "pawsitive" press about pit bulls makes me shake my little tail even harder!

One organization that's featured in the article, Pretties with Pitties, is a local group of really cool girls who work with local pit bull rescue groups here in San Diego to promote adoptable dogs, including Pit Bull Rescue San Diego. As their Facebook states,

"We strive to correct misconceptions about the breed and educate the public with our friendly, non-threatening group of pit bull-loving volunteers!" 

 They were lucky enough to walk my little foster sister Kayna a few weeks ago and they loved her just as much as I do. Check out some of the pics they captured of her:

As the article states, 

"Any dog can become aggressive if neglected or abused, or if "they've never been properly socialized, if you've tied them up or fenced them up," Mountain says. "It's not the breed to be blamed, it's the other end of the leash."

 Check out the full article here, published in today's Life section of the USA Today.  It's another great step towards showing the public how great pit bulls can be, including the mixed ones like myself and Kayna!

Happy Easter!

I make such a good Easter bunny!

Ok Mom I think you have enough pictures...

I'm serious, take this thing off.

Fine, I'll get it myself.

Kayna, can you help me out here?

Yeah, there you go, make yourself useful.

Hope you all enjoyed your day without the embarrasing headgear!

Hide and Seek

"No, Mom, I haven't seen Kayna lately. Maybe she is hiding in the other room? Not much to see here, I'm just relaxing in my bed like usual..."

Happy Friday!

Crate training

Look who is warming up to the idea of crate training! Aren't we cute, sleeping side by side?

Passed out hard after plenty of playtime:

 Someday she will be big enough to enjoy a nice fluffy bed like me!

Mom is thankful that Kayna is sleeping in a crate too. Less to worry about leads to much more restful sleep!

How to: Transition to New Dog Food

When we first got Kayna at our house she was really gassy and her stomach did not agree with her food. We soon learned that in her last foster house they transitioned her to a new food too quickly and that was why she was so unhappy. Poor thing!

Our (dogs) stomachs can be very sensitive which is why we have to eat the same food every day. We can have bad diarrhea, vomiting and stomachaches if we eat something new or different. I've always had Blue Buffalo brand dog food though I have tried several flavors in the last couple of years. However, the truth is that sometimes we need to change foods such as when we grow from puppies to adults, as a result of a food allergy or if the company stops making our favorite kinds. We've changed my food a couple of times and we've got it down to a science!

This isn't really FOOD perse but you get the idea!

Here is the trick. Make sure that the transition is done slowly, over the course of 10 days or so.

• For the first three days mix 75 percent of the old food with 25 percent of the new food.
• Over the next three days mix 50 percent of the old food with 50 percent of the new food.
• In the next three days mix 25 percent of the old food with 75 percent of the new food.
• On the tenth day switch to 100 percent of the new food.

Remember that our bellies might still be upset a little bit so cut us some slack. Be sure we drink lots of water and always have access to relieve ourselves in the right place so that we don't upset you if we have to "go" suddenly.

I hope that was helpful...bon appetit!

Jealousy

Now and Then: Puppyhood

Remember my first day home? It seems like so long ago! One of the first things I did was to attack my dad's face and give him lots of kisses:

Looks like my foster sister Kayna had the same idea...

Don't forget to kiss the ones you love today too! 

Introducing: Kayna!

Mom and Dad have been keeping all kinds of secrets from you, our loyal readers. Shame on them! I would have told you but as you know, I still can't type on my own!

About two weeks ago they put in an application to be foster parents with Pit Bull Rescue San Diego. A very nice lady came and visited our home, asked a bunch of questions about me, and told us we passed! I didn't really know what that meant at the time but when they called on Thursday to offer me a "foster sister" I said yes!

Meet...Kayna! She is about two and a half months old, a pit bull and labrador retriever mix who is a really big sweetheart.

Isn't she cute??? Mom says we will probably only have her for a few weeks since she already has a couple of people wanting to adopt her. I'm not surprised though, she is a pretty good dog. She already knows how to sit and mom promises to teach her some of the cool stuff I know. Here we are sitting like the wonderful pups we are...

We've also been on a few walks together and she does really well. She gets a little tangled up in her leash but that's to be expected since her legs are so short!

Mom guesses that Kayna is probably about 15 pounds so she is considerably smaller than I am and we are still learning how to play together. I can't figure out how to wrestle with her...she's just so small! She also hasn't learned that the humans don't like when you pee inside. Oops! I'm sure she will catch on, it will just take some time.

If you have any questions about how you can adopt Kayna be sure to email me. I'll send you everything you need to know :)