I didn’t even have a chance to send a post spay update on Brooks before she was whisked away!
Last week, Brooks, Dunn and I made the trip to see Dr. Larsen. I dropped off the meatballs for their spay and neuter, Dunn’s cherry eye removal and X-rays of their legs. A couple days later, I brought them home for R&R while they healed.
A few weeks back, I invited Bobbi, her son Justice, her sister and niece out to our house to meet Brooks. From the minute they walked in the door, it was obvious that Justice was hers and she was his.
He immediately plopped down onto the floor and their bond was formed. As you can see from the more active pre-spay pictures and videos, it was love at first sight.
Poor Bobbi intended to adopt a dog for herself; a companion to snuggle with and love on. But Justice stole the show. Bobbi will surely still get to do all those things, but I have a feeling she’s going to be playing second fiddle. Regardless, Brooks is going to have the best life.
We sat and chatted for about an hour, while Brooks and her boy played and played. When it was time for them to head out, Justice grabbed Brooks’ smooshy little face and said “I love you.” Then he begrudgingly got in the car and off they went.
Fast forward to last Friday afternoon…. Brooks is home resting from her spay and Bobbi reached out saying that she has a very anxious boy who just can’t wait to bring his puppy girl home, so it was arranged that they would make the drive to our house once again. This time, Justice would get to gladly hop in the car when it was time to go home because he’d have his girl by his side.
It was obvious that neither had forgotten their bond when they arrived and Brooks was all wiggly with excitement to see her boy again. After a short visit, the DogFather and I walked them to their car, I gave Brooks a kiss on her smooshy face and off they went.
Justice has a passion for dog training and has been watching videos online for a couple of years, learning all he can and teaching his dogs what he learns. He’s excited to start from the ground up with a puppy. Brooks is a smart cookie, so I have no doubt that their teacher/pupil relationship will be just as strong as their companionship is already. And I’m sure Bobbi will get to sneak in a few kisses here and there.
Brooks will remain “Brooks.” She will have fur siblings, human siblings and endless love forever and ever. Even if her legs are a little wonky. We’ll miss you, Brooks, and are so happy you got a second chance at life!
Double the trouble? Or double the fun? Meet Brooks & Dunn.
Brooks is black and her brother is tan, and they are the cutest things in rescue. And they are 4 months old, with razor sharp teeth and more energy than the law allows.
They have made the current bulldog residents run for cover when they see them coming. They are 2 from a litter of 7 ands ended up with a problem with their front leg. Born born perfect and as they grew and joined a family, they developed this odd condition. My first thought is this is genetic, either from the Mom or Dad. But one thing is for certain, they deserve a chance to live and get the medical care they need.
We will be needing some fundraising ideas for these 2, Brooks & Dunn.
6/13/23 Update: Brooks and Dunn have been working on their next single, “Poop, Scoop and Boogie,” but keep getting distracted by…..well, everything because… PUPPIES!
These two meatballs arrived at our house on Thursday and wasted no time making themselves comfortable. Introductions went pretty quickly and very well. Our dogs are used to new dogs coming and going, so there was no surprise there. Andy, aka The DogFather, had a family event in Wisconsin this weekend, so he just left me here with these two monsters.
Brooks, aka “the bad one,” LOVES water! When she drinks after playing and being excited, she drinks with her eyeballs, nose holes and paws. It’s pretty impressive! She’s also got a naughty streak a mile wide and you better believe that, if she can reach it, she can eat it! Thankfully, she also loves her Nylabone and is happy to be redirected to her crate when she starts getting “chewy.” She’s had one pee accident in the house, but has otherwise been a very good girl about going potty outside. It doesn’t hurt that I take them out very often!
Dunn, aka “the good one,” is very sweet. He likes water, but is only able to drink through his mouth, unlike his sister. He also has a naughty streak a mile wide and gets “chewy,” but is happy to be redirected to his crate with the Nylabones. Dunn loves the other dogs. When he and his sister are all wrestled out, he likes to find a spot near one of our dogs to rest, while Brooks just passes out wherever she lands. Dunn is definitely the gentler of the two and is such a sweet boy. He just kind of melts into you when you pick him up and offers lots of kisses.
Both puppies’ legs are wonky, but Dunn’s is worse than Brooks’. You can see him slow down and he doesn’t get zoomies like his sister, but neither let their legs hinder them from enjoying life and having fun!
We ordered some braces for them and will try wrapping their legs, as well. We go to the vet next week for their shots. We’ll ask about their little legs and get all the advice we can on what we can do to help them. They’re both full of spunk and so happy that they were saved.
6/14/23 Update: Brooks and Dunn went to the vet today for their first round of shots. They both look healthy, with the exception of their genetic deformities in their legs and Brooks’ back (it’s bowed down).
They were very good, and popular, at the vet. They even walked in on leashes of their own recognizance! Dunn thought it was so cool that he could jump up on the little shelf under the table. They wrestled and sniff-spected the room while we waited.
Dunn’s prepuce has been hanging out lately, but the vet said everything looked normal. It’s likely just because his testicles are quite large and pushing on it, but we’ll get that straightened out in about two months when it’s peach harvesting season, if you know what I mean.
We’ll go back in three to four weeks for boosters, but I’m going to try to get them in sooner for X-rays so we can consult with the orthopedic vet about next steps.
For now, we’ll use their braces, which is no easy feat because they HATE them! A very nice friend sent us some dog toys today ~ a cow and a hippo. Brooks and Dunn were over the (neon) moon for them!
All in all, these little terrors aren’t really terrors at all. They’ve proven to be smart, silly and so fun! They’re doing so well with house training and they sleep through the night. They correct well and have pretty much fallen right in with our routine.
I keep telling my husband, aka the DogFather,, that Dianne must have been hazing me by giving me not one, but two puppies for my first fosters with Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue. Well played Dianne, well played. I hope I pass the test!
6/16/23 Update: Foster kids Brooks and Dunn are getting accustomed to their leg braces. They’re also getting along great with the other dogs in their foster home. They’re still doing well with house training, although they do require frequent trips outside.
6/21/23 Update: Brooks and Dunn are still doing well and giving us a run for our money! They are very busy, curious and stubborn.
Brooks has started to run from us when we go to take her outside and put her in her kennel for bedtime. Little stinker! So we get a mini workout. Dunn is much more laid back and only makes us chase him a little.
Housetraining is still going well, but they require frequent trips outside. They have not yet figured out how to let us know when they need to go out. We just have to watch them and, when they start sniffing around, we know it’s time to go!
Our foster Frenchie has taken to wrestling with them and they just love it! Our Frenchie, Frankie, will play with them for short bouts, but bows out pretty quickly.
Brooks got into a pretty heated argument with the robot mop the other day. She was NOT having the intrusion of this machine in her home!
They’re getting used to their leg braces. We put on them for about 30 minutes at a time, usually after they’ve been playing for a while so they’re too tired to care that they’re on…. otherwise they try to chew them off. Hopefully we can get that all straightened out soon!
These two are so much fun! Andy, aka the DogFather, says he has a love/hate relationship with them because they can be a pain in the-you-know-what, but they’re so cute! Dunn is definitely his favorite and just loves that he follows him around. He’s gruff, but he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear.
7/7/23 Update: Mom Lady and the DogFather left for a few days, so the hooligans had to couch surf with some other folks while we were out painting the town (we’re still recovering).
All reports were good, except for some bouts of diarrhea. We’ve got them taking FortiFlora and are switching them over to a different food. Fingers crossed that fixes them up.
Both turds, um, I mean angels, are doing great! They love to wrestle with each other and have figured out that cuddling is pretty awesome.
Dunn gets hot pretty quick and requires some space. Brooks, on the other hand, well….. she likes to get as close as possible. I laid down for a nap and woke up with her curled around my neck.
They’re still doing great with our other dogs, though they still get on everyone’s nerves from time to time. We have to watch them closely when they start wrestling with or near our Missi; she can be a bit spicy and sometimes takes her corrections of other dogs way too far. It’s something we’re working on.
The DogFather is absolutely in love with Dunn. I’ll catch him holding him and looking at him lovingly or rocking him like a baby. It’s really sweet.
They had watermelon recently and they LOVED IT! They also love ice cubes and come running when the ice maker turns on.
Dunn is a stubborn, bull-headed little butt head and persistence is his middle name. Brooks likes to run away when she thinks you’re going to make her go outside or do anything she’s not feeling, and she always goes for under our bed. We have to watch her though because we have a motorized bed frame and she likes to chew on the cords.
They still love their Nylabones and will even chew nicely on the same one at the same time. House training is going well, although we still have accidents from time to time.
We’re getting ready to see Dr. Larsen again to have their legs checked. Fingers crossed we’re making progress!
7/12/23 Update: Brooks and Dunn went to the vet yesterday for their vaccine boosters. They’re both doing so well!
They still hate their braces and will chew them off if allowed. I call Brooks “Forrest Gump” when she wears hers because she gets one on each leg.
They don’t really care to walk on a leash unless they’re going somewhere they want to go.
We have to watch them when they’re loose because they’re very mischievous. Dunn likes to aggressively love on the Frenchies and they’re not big fans of it, so we have to correct him because he doesn’t respect their boundaries.
We had a friend over Sunday night. We had to make sure Brooks was still here when she left because she ADORED her and wouldn’t put her down. She’s pretty adorable.
Potty training is still going well, although they do still have accidents from time to time.
Brooks is starting to show some anxiety. She’s a little more cautious than Dunn and startles at loud noises or fast movements. She doesn’t like riding in the car and tries to climb inside my body. It makes for an interesting car ride!
Dunn is so chill and laid back. He gets the crazies and wants to get into everything, but that mood doesn’t last long. Soon, he’s right back to being a sweet little floppy boy.
These two are pretty wonderful.
7/18/23 Update: Dunn continues to steal his foster dad’s heart, piece by piece, even when he cries to be let out to potty at 5 a.m., goes back to bed and cries again an hour later, not to go potty but because he’s bored. We oblige his potty requests, get up earlier than we may like, toss him a chew bone to hold him over or, sometimes, even bring him into our bed where he snuggles up against our legs, belly up, content to be with us and snoozes until we’re ready to get up. He really is such a good boy who, I believe, will fit in easily with any family as long as he has a good chew bone and at least one person who loves him. Oh, and you can see how upset he gets when his meal is over in the video I’ve included! When I took it and sent it to the DogFather his response was “I love him”.
Then, there’s Brooks. She’s a stinker! Her new favorite thing to do when it’s bed time is to run as fast as she can to get under our bed and hide so we can’t put her in her crate. And she goes to the middle because she knows we can’t reach her! She’ll come out eventually, but we can’t trust her because she’ll bolt right back under there if we’re not careful. But, once she goes in her crate, she sleeps soundly all night until it’s time for everyone to get up and go out. She’s starting to ask to be let out when she has to potty and goes right out and does her business. Then, she’ll do a few passes of the yard in full zoom mode before skidding to a stop in the grass where she refuses to come back in until she’s good and ready! She also loves a good chew bone, and loves to bork at them when they don’t magically levitate over to her. Really I think she’s displeased because she much prefers a chew bone that she’s stolen from her brother than a plain old bone nobody else wants. She continues to demand snuggles at the end bed of the day when we sit down to relax at night and helps herself up onto my lap. Never the DogFather’s lap, only mine. I think he’s a little intimidating to her.
I made an appointment to take them in to Dr. Larsen next Wednesday for their first once over with her. Im excited to get started on a treatment plan for their legs and Dunn’s cherry eye. They continue to wear their braces, but I worry they’re just not enough.
Oh, and last night Brooks got a hold of a locust. I only got a very short video because I was chasing her around trying to get it out of her mouth! As soon as she dropped it, Dunn gobbled it up! And let me tell you, he took his time savoring every last crunch of that poor creature.
8/18/23 Update: We’re doing well here with Foster Mama and the DogFather. Foster Mama talked to that nice lady we met at the vet, Heather, this morning and scheduled something called a “spay and neuter.” We don’t know what that is, but we hope it’s fun! Otherwise, we’re just living our best lives and trying not to cause too much trouble.
Update from the foster momma: I regret to inform you that they are, in fact, causing trouble.
Nothing more than silly puppy beans. The roles have reversed though. Brooks has turned into quite the sweet girl and Dunn is quite the handful. He’s into everything and is attempting to *ahem* express his love *ahem* to anything that moves. Brooks looks like she’s about to go into her first heat with a very swollen vulva, so that’ll be fun.
They’re growing, growing, growing, and Dunn is definitely going to be a big boy. Brooks is still pretty petite. Both are so stinking cute! And their legs have gotten a little better since they arrived. Dr. Larsen is going to do radiographs when they’re under for their spay and neuter, but she didn’t feel like surgery would be necessary based on their physical exams.
Everything is pretty much business as usual here! Eat, poop, play, drink, sleep… and repeat! Oh, and a little yoga and some snuggles.
8/31/23 Update: Brooks and Dunn are coming along. Brooks’ heat is in full swing! Dunn is well aware of what that means and what he’s “supposed” to do so there’s a lot of juggling keeping her and Dunn apart.
During the day while the DogFather and I are working, Brooks hangs in the office with us and Dunn stays out in the living room on the other side of the baby gate. Brooks is quite happy about this arrangement and gladly follows us every morning and settles in for the day right away. Bathroom trips are staggered so they’re not outside together. Play time is allowed, but only when supervised and Dunn has on his belly band.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual! They’re learning and listening much better. They’ve both settled into our routine well and are silly, happy pups.
9/12/23 Update: After what seemed like forever, these two have been reunited to play together now that Brooks’ heat is over.
Dunn still has to wear his belly band, which he hates. But he tolerates it and lets us put it on him. He’s a good boy.
Brooks is such a love bug and doesn’t even let us get out butts in a seat before she’s trying to climb up to snuggle. You can see that she gets very relaxed when she gets to lay in your lap and absolutely cannot be bothered. She can usually be found snuggling with her brother when we’re not available.
Dunn likes to flop over on his back and let it all hang out! But he does like to snuggle with the other dogs sometimes too. They are so happy to be able to wrestle and play again and they definitely take advantage of the time they have together.
Oh, and we rearranged our home office this weekend. Dunn approves because he has so much more room for activities! This morning, he used that room to run in circles with a ball toy in his mouth and drive the DogFather crazy!
