So I could've adopted a puppy yesterday...

I drove up to Anchorage yesterday to meet a puppy named Chuckie at Polar Pug Rescue. He is a Chihuahua-Pug mix. He's 11 months old. He's pretty cute, though his face is definitely Chihuahua with pug markings. He was more pug in personality from what we could tell and what they told us.

I was really excited about it going up. Getting there, though, I started having doubts that this was going to work. Vickie brought the boy in and he... ignored me. Which was fine because I already was not feeling it. All it did was make me want Yuka back. It didn't help that while talking with Vickie the conversation turned to the loss.

Chuckie loved my mom (the feeling was mutual). I'm honestly surprised she didn't snatch him up. He will have no problems finding a home. We just didn't connect.

I'm just not ready.

I cried at gpa's house afterwards... twice... I still really want a dog... I just... there's something holding me back. And I don't know what it is...

But at the same time I kinda wish I took him. He was pretty cute, he just had no real interest in me. But that isn't always a bad thing. Jordy hated me when we got him. HATED me. And became my dog several months after being dad's dog ha ha. Yuka ran and hid from me when we went to get her, and preferred her Auntie Erin... it took several sleepless nights with me cuddling her in her area before she was my girl...

I don't know. I just fear that I'm never going to get over her loss enough to allow another pup in.

These are a few of my favorite things!

Day 11 has me listing fifteen of my favorite things, so here we go...

1. Photography. Mainly portrait, sport, and travel photography, but I love being able to document life.

2.Country Music - not the stuff from my grandfather's era, but 80s-today? Oh, yeah. Love me some country music!

3. Pugs - specifically the ones I've been blessed with in my life. I miss my Yuka girl every day. She was my heart, and there will most likely never be another one quite like her. No doubt she's tearing it up at the Rainbow Bridge.

4. My "Niece" Haille Rae. She is such a beautiful young lady. I was so blessed to be added into her family (granted I am related through my aunt but minor detail). I miss her, and wish we were closer so we could hang out like we used to. She's the funniest kid I know, and super smart. I'm so proud of her.

Taken a few years ago, how quickly they (kids and dogs) grow up!

5. My "Other Niece" Delaney. She's high energy, crazy, and highly entertaining. She is her momma through and through. She's a Disney Princess and a Pirate all rolled into one. I can barely keep up with her, but one thing about her - she's never boring! I am loving watching her grow up.

6. My Best Friend in the entire world - Erin. She is the Joey to my Chandler, the Larry to my Bob, the Dale to my Chip. She's my partner in crime, the one who's always willing to go along with a crazy idea or adventure. She's my sister from another mister (and the daughter my mother never had - my mom's words there, yup, feel the love). I miss her as she's all the way away in Montana, but when we're together we make up for lost time. Here's to another 15 years of friendship! Guess at this point we're stuck together for life!

7. Sled Dogs - I could say the Iditarod, but really it's the sled dogs (and most of the mushers) that I love. Sled dogs are AWESOME.I grew up loving the Iditarod and its stars, and after working for mushers for the last 7 years, I can definitely say it's gotta be one of the most awesome lifestyles. But the dogs... oh, the dogs.

Mitch Seavey's Iditarod Champion dog Pentecost in 2013.

8. Disney Parks - comes as no surprise, right? I've been to Disney World and Disneyland - and am going to Disneyland again this September. I'd love to visit the other four Disney destinations, they're definitely on my bucket list!

9. Figure Skating - I love watching it. No, I can't skate. Don't really care to learn, either. The idea is nice, but I have trouble balancing on two feet, I don't need to add blades to them. So I will watch and admire those that can do the most amazing things on those blades.

10. TACOS!!!!! As I said on one of the other prompts - I LOVE TACOS! My mom makes the best, but really I'm not too terribly picky about my tacos. Love me some Taco Bell. Love me some Playa Azul (local Mexican food place). Yum... TACOS!!!!

11.  The TV Show Terriers from FX. It was 13 episodes before it was cancelled. It makes me sad that there aren't more (though honestly if it hadn't been cancelled, Michael Raymond-James wouldn't have gone to Once Upon A Time, I'd have never seen Terriers because I'd have not fallen in love with MRJ). It's a good show, entertaining, and MRJ is freaking adorable as Britt Pollack.

12. Broadway Musicals - they can be on stage or in movies. Either way I LOVE them. I love some I haven't even seen, just heard the music. My iPod is filled with showtunes, and I have a movie musical collection. I'm a big time nerd, so this is no surprise either, right?

13. Alone Time - I LOVE being alone. I love the quiet. I love not having to answer to people, talk to people... listen to them eat/chew/talk with their mouths open. Watch what I want to, when I want to, how I want to. Give me my pets, and that's all the interaction I really need. If I need human interaction I can go online.


14. Historical Fiction - I love novels that use real historic events as the basis of their books. Favorite era is the Civil War for that type of reading, but I've been known to read a good Revolution piece, as well. I love reading in general, but when I can put my love for history into an "entertainment" form it's even better.

15. Spielberg movies. With the talk of Spielberg being an evil dinosaur trophy hunter this week on social media, I just thought I'd throw that out there. As I said in another prompt, I LOVE Spielberg. Love his work. Even when it creeps me out (ET) or makes me bawl buckets (War Horse). Gah. Love it!

65 Days till Disneyland!

Yes. Yes, I am Crazy...

http://www.photographybyantonia.com

I frequent several message boards. Figure Skating - I'm a mod at one of the larger ones, Disney Travel, and until the other day pugs were all on my list. All come with their share of headaches. As a moderator those headaches are daily. The Disney board I am a member of is the easiest one, though people get heated on there about what resort is best and so forth (it's actually teh most sane MB I've ever been a part of). The pug boards I've been on are probably the most... difficult.

You see, there are dog owners and lovers that have very drastic differences in viewpoints on what their dog is and what dogs should be to all people. It's like the Michelle Kwan vs all of skating debates multiplied by a million in terms of hostility.

Rescue is the biggest deal.

Don't get me wrong not only do I support rescue, but all but one of the pugs in our family are rescues. Here in lies the problem. I do not have a dog I "rescued", I bought my dog. From a backyard breeder. Uneducated about such things.

I am to be shamed.

Or am I? I've learned a lot in the last 9 years, not only about the breed but about rescue and backyard breeders, puppy mills, etc. If and when I lose Yuka, I have no clue where I will go as the pug rescue here is rarely in need of adoptees, and I can't limit myself to a waiting list. Respectable breeders are expensive... but we'll cross that bridge when that comes. I'm hoping I still have many years with Yuka left.

But that brings me to the point that had me questioning my sanity. I've left a board in the last few days because I was just tired. I was tired of the bullying that is felt when my views on dogs weren't just questioned but were just "wrong" and therefore I am a horrible person.

Look, the fact of the matter is, I like to have a well trained dog. Yuka can do the basic sit, stay, etc, but what I really appreciate is that she goes outside to do her business 99% of the time. the 1% is only now that she's older and she doesn't always realize she's going (and thankfully someone is normally here most of the day so she can go out regularly). Pugs are trainable, but they're stubborn and set in their ways. Many of the posters that think I'm cruel have more lax of rules. They have areas in their house that they allow their dogs to mess in. This is completely unacceptable to me.

Which led to the reason that I have sworn off these boards from here on out. There was a "bash the selfish" type thread that suggested that those that want to rescue or have young dogs were crazy. I guess if I were to rescue a dog I would be in this crazy group. A younger dog is easier to retrain in the potty department. Considering that my first encounter with rescue was a four year old male pug that hadn't been potty trained and spent the next six years marking and pottying wherever he wanted in teh house. We did our best to keep it from happening but he did it. Sorry, again, I find it unacceptable. He was not a bad dog, he just was so used to not having to go outside that he didn't. He tried, he really did, but at the end of the day he found someplace discreet to go in.

I mentioned my reasons. Told I was wrong. And then got a PM from a member saying she pittied Yuka because when she got "old" I would consider her a throwaway dog and that the poor Anchorage rescue would get a sweet and loving old girl. I left, and I won't be back for this reason.

Yuka is MINE. She has been mine since the day I picked her up in Feb of 2003 when she was five weeks old. I freak if she's out of my sight, I have nightmares of losing her, and now that she's nearly nine years old it terrifies me to think she's become a senior pug and that means I only have a few years left. She's spunky, sassy, and a total brat, and I love her. There are tons of things in her training that if I'd known then what I know now I'd have done it differently. But, I wouldn't trade her for all the puppies in the world.

A dog is mine forever. It doesn't matter if I'm moving - a lot of decisions I made/make is based on if she can be with me or not. It doesn't matter if I were to get married and have kids - she's with me. She's not disposable.

What is disposable is the holier than thou attitude of uber rescues who bully their beliefs on others. I've seen them run off or even scare people from going that route (or even leaving their dogs in a rescue's care when there is no alternative for fear they will be lumped in with all the other irresponsibles... really, military families have enough crap to deal with, show some compassion).

So I'm done. I see that several folks from these boards have visited in the last few days, I'm normally not a fan of people airring their MB dirty laundry, but I don't want people to have the impression that my dog is disposable. Yuka is with me until the day one of us leaves this life for the next.

The Arctic Pug Pirate to Make Berth at home with us!

Time's up for the owners, Bubba Jack will be up for adoption as of tomorrow, and we have first rights of refusal meaning... tomorrow evening after work he's coming home!

Tonight we went to PetCo to get essentials, a crate for when we're gone during the day (with his poor eyesight we figure until he gets used to the house it's safest for him to be crate trained), a food dish (it's so cute), and a harness and leash. Cha-ching! But he's worth it (besides Judy paid for it lol).

The report from Dr. Rapp for today was extremely positive. He is not showing any signs of his one eye bothering him like originally thought. He can't see very well if at all with it (probably just shadows if he can) so he will be coming home with eye drops for us to administer (Judy will have to do that because that sort of thing creeps me out lol). He's becoming more active and responsive. Dr. Rapp was more candid with Judy today on the phone and said that they were actually afraid the dog was not going to make it on Monday. He just slept so much.

Dr. Rapp is convinced that he was not just out overnight, but that he'd been through a lot more. He's extremely excited that BJ found his way into our arms and our hearts! He wanted to have BJ a full 72 hours so Judy told him we'd pick him up tomorrow night. I will meet here there after work.

Will definitely give you an update tomorrow. I take Yuka in tomorrow morning for her rabies shots and will update her license and everything. So will get an update on BJ and will share before heading to work at noon.


In other news - I booked my RT airfare for the DisneyLAND trip next year! yay!