happy birthday, rigby + fitz: an honest look, four years later

We shared this post last year, and updated it for their birthday this year, since we thought it was oh so appropriate for today… here’s the updated version!

Four years ago, these sweet pups were born.

Our little pyreheelers, as we’ve affectionately dubbed them, were in a chilly Tennessee barn, with a few other brothers and sisters, and they had no idea they weren’t really “supposed” to be there {you know, according to the laws of ‘wanted’ dogs}. Meanwhile, we didn’t even know it yet, and we were dealing with a loss of our own.

It was a rough fall. One that we’ll never really forget. After we lost our first fur baby to lymphoma, we didn’t last long. Our “gotcha” day is January 2nd, so by then, we were ready to fill the furry void in our lives.

I woke up this morning, and they were at my feet. Waiting patiently for me to do my thing, so that they could go downstairs. They know to wait now. They let me exit first before I give them permission to do whatever it is they want to do. And it made me remember that it hasn’t always been this way.

Our journey with Rigby and Fitz has definitely been a process.

These sweet girls are a part of our family now, through thick and thin. We knew we were making a commitment when we adopted them, even though some people didn’t get why we were opting to deal with, not one, but two absolutely insane, and very large cattle dogs. Hello, 70 pound fur balls. They have So. Much. Energy.

Because beyond the {adorable, if we do say so ourselves} photo-ops, there were a few hiccups along the way. It was a lot of hard work, but we’re so grateful that we stuck with it. Chloe was a tough act to follow, but they’ve stolen our hearts.

While we’re celebrating these sweet girls today, I thought a post on adopting dogs would be appropriate. It’s a subject that’s near and dear to our hearts. But I also wanted to discuss the reality of it all. Because after they arrived, we weren’t sure we were going to make it with two large and in charge dogs in our home, and like I said… it hasn’t always been this way.

So Happy Birthday, Rigby And Fitz! Here’s a few things we think you should know and consider, if you want to own a dog.

An honest look at dog ownership: sixteen years and three rescue dogs later.

• Expect Antics

Sometimes, they get into things. This is always the case with one dog, but throw in two of the same age, and it can get a little out of control. This is the understatement of the century for us, with two.

They’re basically like the drunk friend at the party paired with another drunk friend who eggs them on, and they just keep getting into trouble while things spiral out of control. Before you know it there’s an awkward youtube video gone viral, and the principal has called parents into the office at school the next day for a meeting.

In retrospect, maybe I’ve been watching too much trash tv.

When we brought these pups home, we had no idea it would be like bringing two 70 lb babies into our lives. And the funny part, is that they each come with their own unique personality. {See more shenanigans here.}

They’ve stolen bacon off the counter- and eaten so much of it we thought they may have some type of overdose/meat sweat seizure. Rigby has perfected the technique of tiny-hole-in-a-bag, and eating all the candy inside. Most of the time, puppies are hilarious. Sometimes, you’ll cry because they gnawed on your kitchen cabinets {our last house}. Those are dogs being dogs, and unfortunately, when they start to lose their adorable puppy faces and move into teenager-hood, is when the whole adoption thing doesn’t always pan out.

The worst came for us was when litter mates started acting like litter mates, and they got into a couple of knock down, drag out fights. You may find it hard to believe, but these faces were dangerous. There were a few stints where we weren’t really sure what to do. The first time our children were literally in the middle of it, and we learned very quickly that a. it was dangerous for our family, b. they would destroy each other {we tend to give them human emotions when we need to be reminded that they are, in fact, animals} and c. they would destroy our house, too.

What we recommend:

Hire a professional dog trainer.

No, don’t just ship them off to doggy camp. From the beginning, hire an expert to work side by side with you and your dog{s}. In your home. Most of the time, it’s the owners that need training, and it’s just as important for you to be a part of it, as it is them. That was the first thing that we learned.

How did we find our dog trainer? We asked our vet. And through word of mouth, it was the best way to find someone that we knew would be a good fit for what we needed.

It’s the best thing we ever did. These professionals have a college degree {and may have also worked with lions, tigers and bears, oh my}. It was amazing to see this trainer walk into the room and immediately take command of our dogs. As it turns out, they were fighting to be the leaders of the pack, and it was up to us and the kids to establish ourselves as the alphas, so this would no longer be an issue.

Since then, working closely together and keeping an eye on triggers, {like sharing food and general anxiety} we have had no troubles. It was a game changer. I can honestly say if we hadn’t taken these steps, we wouldn’t have been able to keep both dogs. We were in it for the long haul so we knew that we had to look for solutions instead of giving up.

Some basic things we learned: {Things that help establish that you are the alpha, not them}

• Establish a feeding schedule + don’t keep bowls on the ground. Let them know that food comes from you, and only when they sit and wait patiently. Even then, don’t give it to them. Put it on the ground and make them wait until you give them permission. They learned this with practice.

• Make them sit when they wish to go out, and also make them wait for permission to do so until you give the verbal command. In other words, they should sit nicely and wait at the open door until you say so. Opening the door is not their cue.

• Furniture Surfing is a personal preference. If you let them, they’ll run all over you, and this is another miscommunication that they are alpha, not you. Only let them on the furniture when invited to do so. You see a lot of photos with them on our furniture, and this is only because we have given them permission.

• Don’t let them show ownership Paw placement anywhere on you can be adorable at a glance. That’s also your dog saying they own you, and bullying you into doing something, like a scratch behind the ears. Don’t let them do that. You’re letting them boss you around. {We still work on this one because we’re total suckers.}

• A wagging tail doesn’t always mean ‘happy’ in a dog. Again, this is where we assign human emotions to an animal. It can also signify anxiety, or nervousness in a situation, and our dogs have a lot of that. When Fitz was just a puppy, she locked eyes with me and ran at me barking. Later, we noted that her tail was wagging so we assumed she must have been just playing. When we brought this up to the trainer, he was doubtful and said that this could signify anxiety. Fitz was unsure about me in that moment, and we needed more bonding and more assertiveness from me. {I’m a big pushover in the relationship} It’s in their nature to be anxious, but they also feed off of us.

• Socialize Socialize Socialize We still work on this, and it’s the main thing people harp on when you get a dog. But we also have to have boundaries, too. For instance, because of their anxiety, Rigby + Fitz hate it when there are other guests over, and they’re all screaming and splashing around in the pool. Their herding nature takes over and they start barking, trying to corral everyone and calm them down. We’ve learned to let them be around guests, but when children are swimming, take the dogs inside. – New edit: This is a post that we shared last year, and I can now say most of the time, the dogs are outside again. They’ve learned over time and through exposure that no one is dying when they swim.

The important part is looking for their triggers, and being proactive as an owner, to establish boundaries and expectations.

I could keep going on and on, and there’s a reason an entire industry exists. There are so many different approaches, too. But in short, we learned what behaviors to look for, and this solved/prevented their bad habits. Life can be crazy with three young kids and two puppies. We wanted it to work for us, so our solution was to hire a dog trainer.

It’s an investment, but you won’t regret it.

• They Shed

Unfortunately, more or less depending on breed and season.

Also unfortunately for us, we fell in love with the faces of notoriety when it comes to shedding: a Great Pyrenees and Red Heeler mix. It makes us sad that so many dogs can’t find homes just because they shed. It’s just a part of their nature, and we say that the love and therapy makes up for it all.

Confession: sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that 😀

Some things we recommend: {affiliate links below}

• Brush them outside – We can make another dog with all their hair. We are now in love with the furminator {We’re not always great about this one}
• Give the fish oil with their food – It can help moisturize their skin and reduce shedding – we recommend this brand.
• Get a Swiffer Sweep + Vac  – this is a game changer and it reaches under the furniture – more on that, here.
• Adjust your expectations – this is just as important, if not more, than all of the above. Learn how to swing with the punches and be flexible. They’re a part of your life and that means rolling with it.

• Dog crates are essential {with more than one}

To each their own, but once upon a time, we were so spoiled with Chloe, we’d ditched her crate completely. She started out absolutely insane as a puppy, but later in life was the perfect dog. Later in life, she preferred to skip the crate. Maybe these two will be the same, the more they mellow out.

• Edit: they have started to mellow out more, though they still cannot be completely trusted when we are away from the house.

So going from one ‘perfect dog’, and starting over again with two puppies, was a bit of a challenge.

I hate crates. They’re bulky and ugly but oh so important. Our dog trainer told us to never use them for punishment, and we do think that’s important to note here. The idea of a crate is for your dogs to love them. So you can calm them when you need to, or keep them contained for short amounts of time.

Think fireworks, or separation anxiety, and the comfort that would come from a crate, if they are crate trained. We do use them to help calm our dogs, and we use them for transportation.

It was especially hard this past winter in a smaller house in the middle of a rehab, with two giant crates sitting in the middle of our living room. I was sick of looking at them. I would stress over something and it all came back to the giant crates sitting in the middle of the house. So since they’d been calm and behaved as of late, we thought we’d test it out. We started small, by leaving the house for short intervals of time, letting the pups stay out without their crates.

I should have known there would be a problem when we arrived home to find Fitz lounging on the sofa without permission. But we were stupid {don’t all good stories start this way?} and decided to leave for the afternoon and take the kids to a matinee.

When we came home, they’d had a party of their own. Cue getting into all the things, including a freshly squeezed bright green craft paint bottle on my brand new rug, six giant homemade cinnamon rolls polished off with some counter surfing, {we’re still not sure how they got to them} and a bit of Rid-X for dessert.

Thank goodness Rid-X isn’t poisonous. And for what it’s worth, all of this had been placed out of reach. We thought they were safe spots.

What could be do but laugh? Lesson learned.

Crates are back. 

These are some of the things we feel like you should be ready for when you’re getting started. When you’re ready to take the leap with a new fur baby, it’s not easy. I think it’s all about adjusting your expectations, and being ready to roll with new adjustments.

In retrospect, Rigby + Fitz have been real troopers. When we adopted them, our house also went on the market. They endured showings {having to pack them up constantly for fruitless look-sees} and a year of ups and downs. Then we moved into an apartment while we took on the rehab, which meant cramped spaces and dealing with the moment, while we transported them across town to romp in our new yard. We went through a lot of adjustments as they were adjusting. And that was all on us.

Sometimes it means taking a step back and just acknowledging where you are in life. That means you need to find how to best accommodate both parties, working together.

Adopting a dog is also one of the best, most selfless things you can ever do for another creature. We live in a broken world with broken people and we need more that are willing to work with animals. When you commit, it’s for their lifetime.

And in the process, you learn so much about patience, love, and bonding. Chloe taught our kids to grieve. These two have taught them how to love again. From responsibility to commitment and so much more… adopt.

This is just a shot of reality if you’re considering it. It’s also a reflection of where we are, three years later with two crazy dogs. I feel like we’re over those teenager bumps and all settled in as a family, because we knew it was worth it. We can promise you this… if you stick with it, you won’t regret it.

What are some things you’ve learned {both the good and the bad} with your fur baby that you’d recommend to a new mom or dad?

We’ love to hear!

Psssst: These puppy {and vet!} approved treats with the full recipe can be found here – check out all the details and how to! 

 

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