Daily Obs

Meet the Dogs

Willy came to us via the Loudoun County Animal Shelter in Leesburg, VA. At six months old he had been surrendered due to owner relocation. We had no intention of getting another dog, but his photo was so cute on PetFinder.com that we had to go “check it out”.

During our visit, we noticed that Willy (then “Derby”) was one of the quietest Jack Russells we had ever seen. No barking – well behaved. We were shocked. So after some thought, we decided to make him a new member of the family. Little did we know what we had gotten ourselves into.

Things to note about Willy:

• The placard on his cage said “does not do well in car” and we wondered what that meant. We soon found out that Willy was a puker. He can’t go more than a mile from the house without vomiting all over the car.
• If you get too close to his face, he will snarl, growl and eventually bite you on the nose. So, don’t get too close.
• He will chew up anything – the smellier; the better.
• We call him the “Keith Richards of dogs” because his coat goes in at least 12 different directions and he always looks like he just got out of bed.
• Willy’s back legs are longer than his front legs, so he looks like he’s “jacked up” in the back.

Willy loves treats and chews up everything. He loves a challenge when it comes to chew toys!

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Katie came to us by way of a backyard breeder when she was 1 1/2 years old. Before we knew any better, we found an ad in the newspaper for Jack Russell Terrier puppies for sale. So, we went to this crazy woman’s house to see her puppies. She had one puppy who was entirely too rambunctious for us. But, my husband really liked Katie. So, we negotiated with the woman until she agreed to sell Katie to us.

Now, she is the matriarch of the family (and only female), managing her four legged brothers and sisters with a firm bark. She likes to lay on the couch with her daddy and chase the mice that she thinks are in the walls.

She does not like to share her toys or food and she does not like to leave the house. She is a daddy’s girl.

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Meet Magnolia. She’s gorgeous and she knows it. We got Magnolia as a tiny pup who made a trans-continental journey to our doorstep.  When we first saw her all spotted and cuddly in her crate we fell in love.  Then she woke up…

Magnolia’s been a ball of energy ever since!  Finding a job for her was a bit of a challenge, but eventually we settled on Flyball.  She was the 101st Dalmatian to register with the North American Flyball Association and is rising in the ranks of past Dalmatian flyball stars!

She keeps us entertained with her antics.  Magnolia’s a unilateral hearing Dal (she only hears out of her right ear) and she’s been known to turn her deaf ear to you when she’s being stubborn.  She is a fantastic “gutter” of plushie toys and will do anything for a Wubba.

Things Magnolia Loves:

• Food (any and all)
• Flyball
• Insanely long walks (we’re talking 14 miles)
• Motorcycles
• Greeting people

Things Magnolia Hates:

• Rain
• Waking up in the morning
• Manicures

The bottom line on Magnolia: She’s like a High School Cheerleader; she’s gorgeous on the outside, outgoing, and has an athletic streak that will shock and awe! Despite that glam girl exterior, she’s a hard core athlete!

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Meet Rebel. We didn’t exactly know what we were getting into when we brought a Malinois into our relatively quiet one-dog-house.  I like to describe Malinois as German Shepards on Meth.

Rebel (originally Oscar) came from the American Belgian Malinois Rescue and he basically chose us.  Yes, we did pick him out of the line-up, but when we went to go meet him he jumped into our car ready to go home with us… just like we had always been his people.

Rebel is a bit of a nervous Nelly, and is convinced that despite his size (25 inches at the shoulders, weighing in at nearly 55 pounds) he is a lap dog.  What’s worse, my husband entertains this.

Being a Belgian Malinois his herding instinct is high.  So high that he herds his three cats around the house as his daily routine.  And yes, I said his cats.  We hadn’t intended on adopting more pets, but the summer we got Rebel he adopted three kittens from our barn and insisted that we keep them.  The next summer he tried to adopt three more, but we told him that no Malinois could have six cats of his very own.  We’ve instructed him to leave the kittens alone this year; I anticipate that we’ll be finding homes for at least three more.  Anyone want cats?

Things Rebel Loves:

• His three kittens
• Tennis balls
• Dock Diving
• Shredding things (fabric namely)

Things Rebel Hates:

• Crates
• Being barked at
• People “leaving”

The bottom line on Rebel: Think David Beckham.  He’s got the looks, he’s got the athleticism, but he can also be the “tough guy” you just might not want to mess with.  Even so, on the inside he’s a lover.

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Hugo is a 130lb. ball of fluff. He came to us via the local shelter. He is a 6-year-old Cane Corso mastiff who loves to sleep, play and be the most spoiled dog in the house. He blows his coat every spring leaving our house littered with tumbleweeds of fur. He loves treats and spending time with his family (both 2-legged and 4-legged).  His absolute favorite thing is the world is riding in the car. Hugo is currently cancer free but battles MCT (mast cell tumors) from time-to-time.

He thinks that he is a little dog and loves spending the days with his “big” brother and sister, Willy and Katie. He also like to roughhouse with his Cane Corso brother, George and his foster brother, Rocky.

Being a couch potato is his thing – or lounging on the deck on warm days.