Autumn Walk

We went for a long walk with the dog today. 
The weather was magnificent! The perfect autumn walk.
I really enjoyed being out. We have been sitting inside all week, unpacking.

I Can't Do 'Nothing'

Yesterday I told you we would be doing absolutely nothing today, but I wasn't telling the whole truth. Around 4 we went for a drink with some friends. I drank a sangria, a tea and a Licor 43 and I have to say that I was a little tipsy. Afterwards we went for a walk with the dog. Again, huge improvement, because half of our walk we didn't have to hold the leash. We also trained on coming to us on demand.

I ended my day with grabbing a road kill from the street on our way home. A little kittycat, maybe 6 months old and still warm. 
You can read about the second 'roadkill save' I did. I'm still convinced it's better to remove them to the side of the road to avoid shocked kids and/or owners. I don't have a problem with doing that. I just worry that people who see me will think I ran the animal over :-)!
I'm a good person! Pat on the back!

Don't Hold the Leash

My boyfriend watching Cesar Milan finally pays off.
Fré could walk right next to us without us holding the leash. He obviously thought we were still holding it, but he did great! This is truly a huge improvement when you know how he behaved when we went for a walk in the past (Fré that is). 
I'm proud of my boys! They're the best of friends :)

Pin Up Pup

An Lemmens, a damn sexy Belgian television show host, has a heart for animals!

Just like me, she shares the opinion that too much animals wind up at a shelter.

These poor animals were abused, unwanted and/or not chipped so the owner couldn't be traced. 

Many people who get a pet still don't choose a shelter animal and I wonder why. Why pay hundreds (sometimes thousands) of euros when you can give a wonderful dog or cat from the shelter a second life for less money? 

Ann came up with the idea to draw the attention to these animals by posing with them in retro style. Her initiative is called 'Pin Up Pup' and the publicity is really working, because the animals and the shelters she poses with get a lot of adoption attention. 

We had a Boxer 'Delphy' when I grew up and still have some great memories left of her. My parents told me she helped me to learn how to walk by pushing her nose under my butt when I tried to stand up and walk. Funny story. She was my best friend. Unfortunately she got cancer (typically for this breed) and we had to put her down. I will never forget the day my parents dropped me off at my grandparents to drive to the vet. My mom came back to get us and was crying. 

I always thought our family wasn't complete without a dog, but my dad didn't want one anymore. I eventually gave up trying to convince him. 

About 3 years ago I had to take a 2 day internship at a shelter. On my second (and last day) at the shelter I met 'Boy'. He was found close to the freeway the day I began to work there. He was such a cute and happy dog and he totally stole my heart. He was looking kind of funny too. We think he's a mix between a Dachshund and a Rottweiler. 

I immediately informed my family about my new boyfriend and I convinced my mom and sister to come and take a look. I knew they couldn't resist. My mom was a little skeptic at first, but she said I could have him if my dad said yes. Challenge accepted!

Surprisingly my dad came to the shelter without nagging and he said: "Ok, I give up, he's yours!". I started to cry, because I was finally getting a dog! I still don't believe he said yes!

We had to wait for 2 weeks before we could take him home with us, because the rightful owner should be given the time to claim the dog. I went to the shelter every day to walk him and counted the days we could take him home. 

We changed his name to 'Fré' and I think he's really happy with us. My mom really spoils him (too much sometimes, because he has a hard time listening to our commands).

So, you see, shelter dogs deserve a second chance!

If you think about getting a dog, I suppose you have good intentions. Choose a shelter dog, don't you think they will be better off with you than in a small cage?

So Far So Good

Fré's first night at a hotel is coming up. So far so good! He's been a good boy for the whole day. He's been walking fine and during dining he was quiet. Every time we got our food (heavenly btw!) the waitress gave him a cookie. The last course she didn't, so he barked at her to let her know he wanted his share too. Super funny!
We're now ready to go to bed. Fingers crossed for Fré's night!
Nightnight!
L.

Fré Got High

Fré had to go to the vet for his yearly checkup.
Because he hates the vet and we had to give him some sort of anesthetic the last time because he was so agressive, Nick went jogging with him and afterwards we gave him Acepe to calm him down. We gave him 6 tablets but nothing was happening. So we went to the vet and put on his muzzle for safety. He was a very good boy!
His vaccins were given and then the Acepe started to work. Fré has been high all evening! Super funny. We could do everything we want with him! So we played dressup :-) !

Alien Invasion

I was scanning through some pictures on my boyfriend's cell and found this one...