#BehindTheScenes 58 - Dog Mom

I've talked about all the fur babies. Now, it's time to focus on Tips. As this #BehindTheScenes talks about, I loved dogs long before Tips came into our lives. And it all began with my parents.

When they got together, my parents had two dogs, Sheila and Fritz. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of them, and I have more memories of Sheila than Fritz (who died when I was a toddler). But I do have pictures of the other two dogs they owned, Wolfgang ("Wolfy") and Charlotte. Wolfy was part of Sheila's last litter. Charlotte chose us when my father took Wolfy to the animal shelter.

Despite being focused on the cats (who generally hid in a room I shared with my sister), I did love the dogs. They were mainly controlled by my father, though. Occasionally, we were able to play with them and pet them. It was love at a distance, and it was sometimes dangerous. One time, I remember my brother getting scratched in the face by one of the dogs, but I don't recall how it happened. To be honest, my father kept changing the details so many times, I cannot pick up the actual truth.

Wolfy passed away when I was in college, in my late teens. My parents were getting older at that point, and my father decided not to raise another puppy. Charlotte was the only dog left, and she lived almost a decade more, being a lab. She was nearly nineteen years old when she died. She lived long enough to meet Calvin.

For the longest time, my husband and I had cats. When I moved from my parents' home, I took my cat, Tabitha,

with me to Maine. When she died in August 2012, we waited to get another cat. The chance came a month later. A friend was giving away kittens, and we got our little Myra.

It wasn't until 2024 when I thought of getting a dog. Myra was long gone, and we had two other cats, Skaara and Rory. A homeless person lived with us, and he had a dog who adored me more than him. When he began to play games, I knew that he had to go...and so did the dog. I enjoyed having the love and protection of a dog close by and had a walking companion. I went in search of a dog for us.

That was when Drako came into our lives,

The story was that he was four years old and left in a crate for months after his previous owner was in an accident. He had been starved for nearly two months before someone figured out that there was a dog locked in this person's house. Drako was then held by a friend of this person, who claimed that she could not keep him for various reasons, all of them we disregarded. We saw a starving dog, and we were ready to give him love.

Drako already had shots. All we had to do was tag him. He knew his commands, was easy to love and was the sweetest and most protective dog ever. It felt like he was never loved, and this was his first real home. But it did not last long. August 2, 2024, we went for a walk to the store...and Drako died just outside the doors. We thought it was heat exhaustion until we saw the cancer sores, which we had not seen before.

I was brokenhearted. I still am. But I forced myself to love another animal. That was when we picked up Tips.

Tips is the sweetest, toughest and sometimes the dumbest pitbull. Other than not being trained in anything (not even being housebroken), Tips has an infatuation with traffic and not listening outside. While this past year has been trying with him (including pitbull discrimination in the neighborhood, including from the police), he is a protective dog. Inside, he actually listens...most of the time. When I lay down, he climbs on me and sleeps on me (like any other pitbull). I've woken up to his neck wrapped around mine. When he saw I was awake, he licked my face.

I always wanted another child. For our own reasons, my husband and I chose not to. Having dogs helped ease that ache. Cats do too, but Skaara always chose when he wanted attention and love. With Drako and Tips, not only did I have them follow me, but they always needed me and knew that I needed them.

Being the dog mom also means Tips goes for runs with me. With few exceptions, he runs to me when he gets into trouble with my hubby. I am grooming him and playing with him mainly, because I am home. I also discipline him. I am a yeller at home when I have tried every other tactic patiently. Tips is not a dog to be tempted with treats and whistles sadly. The damage was done before we even got him.

There is wrestling him to prevent him from chasing another female dog. Tugging the leash to keep him forward and not zigzagging. Purple hands from walks. Pushing his butt down to teach him to sit. Holding onto his collar so he does not run into the road.

Ahh, the life of a dog mom.

I would not have it any other way, and I would never trade it.

Namaste, everyone. Have a great day!

#NewLife #Family #DogMom #SecondChild #Walks #PitbullMom #PitbullsAreSafe #ItsTheOwner #Safety