All About Dusty

About a year ago Chief and I considered adding to our family. We thought JJ could use a brother and we had the itch to have a little excitement in our house. So after much discussion and research we decided to adopt a little mini Aussie named Dusty.

Dusty's story is that he was given up because his previous owners moved to an apartment that had a 20 pound weight limit on pets. He came from Minnesota and was brought to Wisconsin to be fostered by his temporary mom Sandy. Sandy and her family brought Dusty in and took great care of the little guy. He had a cyst on his head which had been infected, he was underweight, and he had worms. He had a very shy personality but was the sweetest dog.

We corresponded with Sandy for many days trying to figure out if he was a good fit for our family. Dusty needed confidence. He didn't know about toys or how to play with other dogs. He was non-confrontational and afraid of some dogs. Would we be a good fit for him? Would JJ be a good big brother and teach him about play and toys? Would JJ resent us for bringing home a new dog?

We decided to drive up towards Milwaukee and meet Dusty. We took JJ with us too that way we could see how they would interact. It was a rainy and cool August Saturday. We got to Sandy's house and minutes later we met Dusty. She opened her garage door and there he was. The cutest little dog ever. He was so very shy and he was skinny. He had this cute little face and he knew how to look so sad. I bent down as did Chief as we petted him and tried to get him to trust us.

Since JJ was still in the car waiting to meet this new guy, Sandy thought it would be a good idea to let the boys play in her fenced back yard. Just like Sandy said Dusty had no idea how to play. JJ tried so hard. He tried to play chase but Dusty wouldn't run. He would lay down at Dusty's level but Dusty had no interest. We could see that there would not be any problems with fighting between the two of them. JJ got bored after a while and decided to sit on Sandy's deck and watch the Aussies inside of her house from her patio doors. Chief, I, and Dusty tried to figure out if he should come home with us. We spent a few hours there and decided that we could give this a try. We adopted this little guy and away we went back to our house.

He has been with us for a year now. The first months were not easy. Dusty has separation anxiety and after many nights of not sleeping he made it into our bed. At first JJ would not have anything to do with Dusty, even going upstairs, but I think he too was tired of the crying by his brother at night. Dusty didn't do well in his kennel when we went to work. We figured he cried all day and by the wetness outside of his kennel door he was probably barking too. He also had accidents in his kennel and just when we were about to give up on him we decided to leave he and JJ in the kitchen while we went to work. Perfect solution. He never had a problem after we got rid of his kennel. JJ was a trooper for staying in the kitchen. Before Dusty was here, JJ had the whole house to himself. He didn't seem to mind regressing back to one room all day so he could hang out with his new brother. Eventually, Dusty graduated and now when we leave they get to have the entire house.

His favorite things to do are: sleep on the couch, watch squirrels, bite JJ's ankles, run with dad three times a week, steal toys, play fetch, go to school at Doggie Depot, car rides, walks, and anything to do with going outside.

Dusty has come a long way. With Sandy's encouragement when things were tough, Dusty found a forever family. With the help of Brian and Colleen at Doggie Depot, he has more confidence with other dogs and his play skills are exceptional. Because of JJ, he knows all about toys, how to pee in the yard, and has new friends (canine and human) in the neighborhood. He is a good little brother and a good little dog. He is Chief's little buddy and my little guy. We love Dusty and he is a perfect fit for our family.

Lazy Sunday

It seems to be a lazy Sunday at our house. Except for Chief who ran 2 hours today. I walked the boys to the pond and went to breakfast with some friends. Today is an "off day" for me. I did my 5K walk/run yesterday and was not excited to get that work out in. I woke up tired and unmotivated. I was also feeling rushed because I had to get to the farmers market, shower, and get to work by 9:00am. I tried to talk myself out of the 5K but Chief is either the devil or the angel on my shoulder. I listened to him and off I went. I felt pretty crappy in the beginning but still decided to run earlier than usual. My usual rule is walk for the first 10 minutes and the last 5 minutes. Anything in the middle is fair game. Because I was rushed for time I ran after the first 5 minutes. I still try to walk the hills because of my knee and I was so happy to have an excuse to walk! When the flats came I ran again. I found myself to be very lethargic and at times it felt like I was running in place. I had to tell myself to just find the rhythm. I got to a part of the 5K that I normally run and I had some ITB pulling. Knowing I should walk I did. Obvious I put too much running in the beginning and now the middle was suffering. I was happy to turn onto our street and finish. My time was improved but I felt like crap. Sometimes bad workouts seem worthless but for me it was a lesson in pushing myself. So to the devil on my shoulder I thank you for talking me into going yesterday. I am so enjoying my "off day".

Go Cubs Go

I had not been to a Chicago Cubs game since my sister's God parents took us when I was 18 years old. So, when some tickets became available Chief and I jumped at the chance to go to Wrigley field.

Dr. Ed and his wife picked us up and we drove to Chicago with very little traffic. Parking was easy and off we go to the stadium. It was around 11:30am so we decided to grab a bite and some beer before heading to our seats. Chief had to suffer with Old Style Lite. I laughed because Old Style was my dad's beer of choice so I told him that he was having one for dad. When we were walking to our seats we did pass a beer hut with Corona, Heineken, and other good choices...poor Chief. We walked very high and guess what? Our seats are in section 516, row 9, and 101-104. What does that mean? We sat in the final and highest row in the stadium. There was nothing behind us but fence to hold us in. Us girls were cold! It was a breezy day with the wind off the lake. The actual temperature was 80 degrees and sunny but up there it was freezing and shady. I didn't think I would ever experience a wind chill in August!

The game was uneventful and I was secreting hoping for it to speed up as I was really cold. I also was getting annoyed at the people needing to exit the row for beer, food, or bathroom. You have to know that the seats are very small and our legs are cramped. I have big feet so whenever anyone had to get passed me I would have to point them sideways so not to get stepped on.

It was around the fifth inning that Dr. Ed went to get coffee for his wife. He didn't come back with any because he waited in line for 20 minutes and found out that booth was out. Shortly after that a miracle happened. He found a friend of his who happened to be in the 6th row behind home plate. With a little convincing he took me and Mrs. Ed down to the best seats in the stadium. I kid you not we sat in the sun and the seats actually burned our bums. I could see Chief all the way high and was glad when a few people left and gave us their ticket stubs so now all of us could enjoy a piece of heaven.

I love, love, love those seats! Next time I go to a game I hope I get to sit in the sun and get to stretch my legs out. These seats were awesome. Larger and more room for my big feet. I was so happy there. I didn't want the game to end but it did in the top of the 9th. We sang the winning song and headed back to the car to get some supper.

Dr. Ed decided to take us to Twin Anchor's in Chicago. He said he heard they had the best ribs in town. I had a chicken sandwich because of my diet but the guys had the ribs and they both agreed that they were pretty darn good.

We got back home around 6:30pm and visited a while with some neighbors. I still have that stupid Go Cubs Go song in my head! It was a great day.