Sadie and the baby

When JT was about one week old, the hubs went back to work and my mom left us (she had been staying with us for a week). It was my first time being alone with my baby, and I was quite nervous. Sadie did not help because she kept jumping on me, trying to sniff the newborn. It kind of freaked me out; I had heard all the negative pit bull stories, and now that I had a kid to worry about it, I had, well, something to worry about.

As JT went from a newborn to a full-fledged baby, we let Sadie check her out more regularly. Sadie seemed to get that she needed to be gentle with the baby, and although I would have never left them the two of them alone, once JT was past the newborn stage, I never really worried.

Lip-smacking good!

The above picture makes me laugh. If you did not know Sadie, you might think she was getting ready to eat my baby. That and that my dog is an alien or has eyes a unique shade of blue.

When JT started to eat solid food, it was almost comical to watch Sadie ever so gently try to take food from JT's hand. I put a stop to it most of the time, but sometimes it was just so funny. I would think of how when we first brought Sadie home, she literally ripped a sandwich right out of my hand. But when JT had food on her hand, Sadie was almost methodical, as she slowly tried to maneuver a small morsel while barely touching JT's hand. I wish I had video-taped that.

As JT got older, she and Sadie became buddies. There was plenty of snuggling going on between those two. The played together quite often, and Sadie was a part of many games of dress up. (Clearly, we have not tired of that, years later.)

You make a nice head rest.

The above picture is how the two of them spent a lot of time over the next many, many years. Sadie the snuggle puppy.

-TF

Sweater weather

Fall started last night, around 10:30. And right on time came chillier temps (well, it was chilly pretty much the entire day). Today, it was even cooler in the morning, but the temps did climb a bit. Not enough for Sadie, apparently.

Late this afternoon, Sadie was leaning on the kid, who was attempting to do her homework (on the floor, at the coffee table in the living room). J.T. noticed Sadie shivering; the kid could feel our tan and white furry family member shaking against her. So J.T. decided Sadie needed her trusty sweater. 

Unfortunately, we have not had a lot of luck outfitting the dog. At around 45 pounds, Sadie is too big for all the cute doggie outfits little dogs can wear. In fact, I found this adorable dress two years ago, but Sadie was just a little too chesty to pull it off; she was in the biggest size PetSmart had.

The only thing that remotely fits her, but is not the least bit cute or feminine, is this sweater. Unfortunately, the sweater rides up and the buttons sometimes become undone, but it does the trick for the most part and keeps our "puppy" a little warmer than she would be au natural.

 

Hope you stay nice and toasty, Sadie!

-TF

Sleepy puppy

Sadie will always be a puppy to me. I often address her as "puppy" or I will say, "Come here, puppy." And some days she still acts like a puppy, full of energy, even if only for brief periods.

But I know she is neither young nor a puppy (nor healthy, for that matter). 

Today she seemed (and looks, to me, anyway) tired. I am hopeful it is just because she spent about an hour on the back patio, not leashed, but barricaded in, with a little room to wander. She so rarely gets to roam freely (not that the cement slab in the back is a huge area). And perhaps the pacing and checking things out wore her out. In any event, in the early evening, she managed to drag the comforter we put on the floor for her several feet across the living room, and she promptly fell asleep. 

I took this picture, just after I crouched next to her sleeping and woke her up. After she sleepily opened her eyes and slightly raised her head, I patted the comforter and said, "Put your cappy down, puppy." 

And she did. 

-TF

Sadie in the sun

Whenever the sun shines through our large living room window, you can always count on Sadie to be there. She clearly relishes the brightness and the heat, particularly on chilly days. 

When the sun shifts positions, Sadie will move herself, desperate to get that last sliver of sun. We find that particularly amusing. 

When the weather gets colder, you can typically find Sadie backed up against the heat register. We are surprised she does not end up with indentations.  

Here's hoping we get to enjoy a few more months of Sadie and her heat- and sun-seeking body!

-TF

I mustache you to read this.

Today when I came home, something seemed different about Sadie. It is so hard to say this (sob, sob). Sadie is all grown up (sniffle, cry). She has facial hair. 

She has facial hair?! What?! Is she a secret undercover agent for B.P.I.M.? Is she a budder (misspelled on purpose), panda in mustaches? They are so epic! (My backstory). Let's just say they are a hybrid between a panda and a budder mustache.

And now let's get back to Sadie, unless you want to know more about budder panda in mustaches/B.P.I.M. :-)

I am glad that Sadie is grown up and all but facial hair is too much. Mustaches are my thing! 

Sadie, don't grow so fast. Even though I'm 17,851 years old. What?! Nothing. 

******

*J.T.*

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When Sadie was famous

My mom and I were trying to think of something to write about Sadie. I told her to look for the picture of Sadie joining one of our tea parties when I was a little girl. She could not find that on the computer. Then she suggested we do a post about Sadie when we were both in a catalog. I did not remember that. My mom said that when she was at her last job years ago, her company worked on the Leed's catalog (they sell things that you can put your company's name on). She showed me a picture of me and a picture of me and Sadie from one of their catalogs.

Here it is, page 256 of Leed's 2009 Catalog.

Do you want Sadie's autograph?!

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*-J.T. *
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[Editor's note: After I typed this post (J.T. usually does her own typing), the kid asked where was the picture of just her from the catalog. I had to remind her that the blog is Sadie the pit bull, not J.T. the kid. However, I was surprised when I went to Leed's website and did a search on "photo," J.T.'s picture from a princess party many years ago was still there, item 1550-02. :-) ]

Sadie's 12th birthday

When we adopted Sadie from the Human Society, one paper said she was 7 months old and another paper said she was 9 months old. We picked her out (well, she picked me out) on the last day of June, and she had been at the shelter for about a week. 

When the kid (who, to review, was not born when we got Sadie) became a preschooler, she thought we should celebrate Sadie's birthday. I am pretty sure J.T. picked Halloween, so that is when we celebrate it. 

Here is Sadie on her 12th birthday last year, sporting a birthday sash and a sweater. 

- TF

Sadie's fashion shoot

We decided today, after we were riding our bikes, to go spend time with Sadie. My mom had a brilliant idea: to have Sadie's Fabulous Fashion Show. 

Take 1, of Sadie's Fabulous Fashion Show, Star/actor: Sadie the Fashionista, 
Action!

Sadie decided for her first look to go on a safari adventure.

Sadie wanted to do a disguise. Will anybody know she's a dog?

Sadie the old lady

Brr, it's cold outside, and Sadie is ready for Christmas caroling with her old pals.

Bling, bling! Sadie's so bright; don't forget your sunglasses.

It's a tiring day at the office, so Sadie's always close to her bed.

Sadie always dresses nicely for the boss; he may give her treats as a raise!

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*-J.T. *
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How Sadie schemed her way into bed

The first night I brought Sadie home, she was not feeling well, because of her surgery (spaying). She walked around the house and hung out with me and the hubs for a bit, but then she retreated to her crate. When I went to bed, she was still there, but within a short time of my going to bed, the hub brought her upstairs, and she immediately jumped on the bed. 

We had decided we wanted to keep her off the beds, but I was so happy to see she had perked up. I also knew it might be challenging since she had slept in a bed in her previous home. In any event, the hubs took her back downstairs, and she slept in her crate.

I don't remember if that lasted one or two nights, but I do recall deciding that since we both worked FT and were gone for a big part of the day (other than the hubs came home on his lunch hour to take her out), we should let her sleep in our room. On the floor. In a pet bed.

The first night, she woke me up around 3 a.m.; she was standing next to the bed whining. I recall the hubs making a joke about 3 a.m. feedings. But I took her out, and she went back to her bed, and that was that. She did, however, jump into bed early that morning, but we were okay with that. So much for keeping her off the bed.

A similar thing happened the next night and morning, though she jumped into bed a little earlier. Within a few days, she starting quietly jumping into bed a little earlier, and we were too tired to do anything about.

By the end of the week, she managed to jump into bed around midnight, which was only about an hour after the hubs had gone to bed. Within a day or two, all three of us went to bed at the same time. In the bed. And within another week or so, she slept right between us.

Eventually Sadie stopped sleeping with us (having a baby can do that), but I will never forget how she slowly but surely wormed her way into our bed. :-)

- TF

The Master of Uno: Sadie

One day after I was done with my homework, my mom asked if I wanted to play a card game. She suggested Uno, and I said yes. My mom asked if we should deal Sadie in. I said yes, and I went upstairs to get my IPod to take some pictures. It was so funny; my mom kept calling Sadie over to pick her card. My mom would pick the card that Sadie licked or sniffed. Sometimes she wouldn't call Sadie over and I would say, "Why didn't you show Sadie her cards?" She would either say, "There's only one card she can play." Or she wouldn't come over so my mom would play for her.

Another reason Sadie wouldn't come over is because recently this spring Sadie became deaf. Now this is good because she won't bark at cars, people, cats, dogs, and other things. The bad thing is she doesn't know what's around her; so sometimes she'll get scared if my dad is coming around the corner of the house or she cant hear us if we're calling her, so she could run away.

We kept playing Uno and guess who won... Sadie! I came in second and my mom in third. I still can't believe a dog beat us!

 

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*-J.T. *
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Sadie and her bed nests

Quite a few years ago, Sadie started moving the bedding when she jumped on the bed. It started rather innocently; like most dogs, she had to move around the bed and walk in circles before she found that spot. But sometimes she just could not get comfortable unless she dismantled the entire ensemble. Often I would find her half buried under some blankets, even though I had already made the bed.

Unfortunately, at some point, she started digging, which was more unfortunate when she had managed to get under the comforter and blanket. This resulted in rips and tears in the fitted sheets. We replaced three or four sets of sheets over the course of a few years; if I could have consistently remembered to keep the bedroom door closed after I had left, we could have probably stopped after the first one.

Recently one evening, I went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Because I would be back in my room in about 5 minutes and Sadie was lying on my bed, half asleep, quite contentedly, I figured I could leave her there without fear of real harm. I took her pic, just to see her exact position.

When I returned a mere 5 minutes later, this is what I found.

-TF

My thoughts about Sadie

Growing up, we did not have dogs, even though I wanted one. I guess I was not willing to take care of a pet; my dad made it abundantly clear that the first time the dog made a mess and we did not clean it up, the dog would be gone. I was not willing to take that chance.

When I was in college, my aunt got us our toy poodle Buster (my parents had divorced). I was at home only in the summers and a few weekends during the school year, so my time with him was limited. But I lived at home for two years after college, and that is when Buster and I became close. After we had a gas leak, I made sure Bus slept with me every night. In fact, the day I moved to Pittsburgh, that little 7.5 pound dog jumped into the trunk of my car; he obviously knew I was leaving, and I guess wanted to go with me.

Until the hub and I bought our first (and current) house, there was no way we could have a dog. But a few months after living in our new digs, we decided to take the plunge. We knew we wanted to adopt a shelter dog, to try to save a dog's life. The day we picked out Sadie, there (fortunately) were not many dogs there (maybe 20?). I thought quite a few were cute, but Sadie (then named Shortie) was stalking me, even though I did not realize it right away.

Sadie picked me out, and once I read that she was housebroken, I knew she was the dog for us, two FT-working pet parents. My friend Amy went with me the next day to pick her up, and Sadie has been with us ever since, for over 12 years. I did not know much about pit bulls at the time (we are not sure what Sadie is mixed with, though I don't necessarily think it is a shar pei as the vet thinks). But I have since learned they are (or can be, anyway) extremely affectionate and loving.

I just hope we can make the most of our time with Sadie during her short time left.

- TF

Sadie the pit bull

Sadie is a medium, tan and white dog who is about 13 years old. 

My parents adopted Sadie when she was between 7 and 9 months. It all started when they were at the Humane Society and were looking at some dogs. My mom was walking by a dog and looked over and thought this dog was kind of cute. She moved on to the next group of dogs and liked one of them. She went to the third group of dogs and finally she realized that it was the same dog following her! My mom called my dad over to come look at the dog. His first reaction was not: Wow! I love this dog. Let's get her right away! She's perfect for us. It was more like: That dog is in charge! She kinda looks like a bully. What if she hurts our guests, or more importantly us!?!?

You may be wondering why my dad's reaction wasn't or our kid(s); well, that's because my parents made an agreement that if they get a dog, there will be no kids. Or if they have a kid, there will be no dog or any pets. Well, fortunately they changed their minds, and my dad was wrong! Yes he was W-R-O-N-G! And that's a good thing because if he wasn't, well, I guess then our dog wouldn't have a new home and I wouldn't be here! 

My parents "played" with her and left. Now I know what you're thinking: What?! You left her? That perfect, well-behaved dog? Actually no. Don't worry my parents came back the next day to get her because she had to be spayed. Sadie came home that day. The most wonderful day of her life: 7-1-02 July 1, 2002 (well technically they picked her out on 6-30-02, June 30, 2002.). 

Sadie living happily with her new family for two months.

- J.T. 
(Editor's note: The hub insists he did not say he was afraid of Sadie being a bully. I also did not remember it that way. The kid, however, says she just wanted to put that; it made for better reading, so she thought!)