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The big day couldn't come any sooner. Vince, Amanda and I were excited to pick up Leuca on the weekend of December 19 eventhough, snow was in the forecast. Besides the weather and distance, Vince was working a second job, he was also asked to work on his regular job one day that weekend. But, as determined as a bully, my husband was not deterred to get his Christmas present on time and working so many hours without sleep did not stop him. Amanda and I felt the same way. We worked it out by sharing with the long drive and letting Vince sleep. I researched on the items that we thought we'll need when we take her home and purchased them online to save a few bucks. The the play pen/ baby gates came in early that week but the crate, the lounger, food bowl, toys, treats did not. We decided to bring blankets and have her sit with one of us in the back seat instead since her crate did not come in time. We also decided that we just pick up the puppy food on our way home from the local Petco. We also discussed an alternate plan just in case her crate did not come in time. I guess it helped that Vince and I have kids of our own and learned from experience that you can never be too ready even if you think you are. Plan for the unexpected....the only thing is that we did not know what else to expect so we decided to just go with the flow.
In Derby, we waited with the family for the breeder's husband to come home with the puppies. The husband took them to the vet for their first visit. All four puppies were in a crate for the first time. It was their first car ride. When they got home, the wife cleaned them up one by one with waterless shampoo as they soiled the crate by accident. The husband reported that the puppies did great at the vet and got their first vaccination shot. Our Leuca was 7 lbs. and 11 oz. The kids played with the puppies for the last time. A lady also came to pick up Leuca's sister, the white one, whom we called NomNom during our first visit. The lady called her Libby. Libby was a Christmas present also to her parents. She was later called Sophie.
We stayed for a bit while Leuca socialized with her littermates, the breeders and their kids and with us, of course. It was a great beginning...
Such as life, you can never be too ready and then something unexpected happens. On our way home, I sat with Leuca in the back seat, while Amanda took the wheel. We stopped at a nearby Arby's for a very late lunch but didn't want to leave Leuca alone so we took turns to use the bathroom and ordered in the drive through instead. Leuca was asleep. After we were done we gave Leuca some water and took her out by a grassy area to see if she needed to potty. She didn't go and was shivering. It got nippy out and soon it started snowing.
We continued our journey home. While in the back seat, I was massaging Leuca's skin and saw a flea. We didn't quite know what to do. I called the breeder to warn her that perhaps she got it at the Vet and that the others may have it too. She said, just wash her when you get home with a dish detergent. It will be fine.
It was almost 6 pm when we got back to Jersey. The 2 hour ride became 3 and Leuca slept or sat quietly in the car the whole time. It was snowing hard and it was windy. In New Jersey, we bundled Leuca up in a blanket and took her in our local Petco to get food and some flea medication. Everyone we met there was immediately drawn to us and smitten by Leuca. Everyone had an advise to give, including which Vet to go to. Everyone just wanted to touch her. Poor Leuca was so tired we had to say no to her fans.
We made it to the register and ended up getting her the Wellness Puppy Food since they did not have the Solid Gold Puppy food we originally wanted. We also got her a natural flea spray made with rosemary. Since she was only about 8 weeks, she was not allowed any other type of flea medication. We decided to take her to the Vet on Monday to get her checked out.
As soon as we got home, we sprayed her with the flea spray, combed her and gave her a nice warm bath with her new Procare Melaleuca shampoo. We opted to use natural products to heep her healthy. I continued to comb her fur after blow drying it to make sure I could get out all the fleas. Thank God it was not that much.
Vincent's cousin, Michael, stopped by the house that night, with his 6 year old daughter, Annie. Unfortunately we were not sure if Annie should be handling a puppy with fleas so she had to watch her from a distance. Mike helped us assemble her crate. The items we purchased online including her crate were delivered and left on the porch while we were out.
Finally, Leuca was groomed. It was time for her first meal in our home. Feeding time was a breeze. She was very hungry and ate everything we gave her. That same night we decided, we start a book log to monitor and note Leuca's daily activities.
"Hello. This is Filipina. Our friend referred us to contact you about a puppy. We were wondering if we can drive up to see her this Sunday and ask you more about it. Would this work for you?" I left a message on the breeder's voicemail.
The breeder called me back and had so much information about the litters. The puppy in the picture that we wanted with a fawn mask and white body is a female. So there it goes. Gunny... Marine... Mr. Jiggs.... very masculine names that my husband wanted were out the window. There must be a reason for all this, which not much later we found out.
At this time, the heart took over.
I was so excited as if I was about to win a prize. We found out that our breeder were breeding this the Olde English Bulldog for a good cause, which is to continue a legacy for their late daughter who did not give up in battling a rare cancer, Neuroblastoma, while loving life with her bullies. The entire family love bulldogs. In fact they have 6 of them, each member has one to call his/her own. I am so happy as I check off my list of How to Find a Good Dog Breeder from the Human Society website that I kept handy.
It was the last Sunday of November, the 29th, less than 4 weeks before Christmas. Vince took on a second job for the holiday season. He was not about to give up Christmas, his favorite time of the year, just because funds are a bit tight this year. He really wanted a dog and I didn't want him to miss out. I could have live without any gifts as long as my family is together, happy and well fed for the holidays. After a few discussions, we decided that the puppy will be our Christmas present for each other. We were thrilled and we felt right about it.
Without wasting time, we took the a 2-hour drive from Sayreville, New Jersey to Derby, Connecticut to see "the pup" and get acquainted that Sunday right after Vince got home from work, about 7 a.m.
In Derby, we were welcomed with open arms by the breeder's family and introduced us to the pack. They have 6 dogs, 4 purebred Olde English Bulldogges (OEB) and 2 modern English Bulldogs. There were 4 purebred OEB litters, 3 females and 1 male: a white female with a fawn spot on her tail (Amanda called her NomNom since she loved to eat), a white female with fawn mask and tail (our number one pick, Leuca), a small white male with brindle markings and the smallest white female with brindle markings. They are a great combination of their mom and dad. Their mom, Mona is a purebred OEB, white with brindle markings. She has great hips and can jump a baby gate without moving back to see her pups. Their dad, Odysseus, also a purebred OEB is all white and can jump very high on command. Their grandma Tatula (Mona's mom), is also a purebred OEB, mostly brindle and a little white. She has the calmest energy. We were happy to see that Mona has the same disposition and we were sure that Leuca would be too.
The chemistry with Leuca was almost immediate. It helped that her siblings and her mom liked us too (or in Cesar Millan's language, matched out energy) and that the breeders were very accommodating and answered our questions. NomNom was the first to approach. She went directly to Amanda to play and cuddle. Leuca got up and walked towards us. Vince picked her up while I observed and talked to Sheryl. I was amazed that my Type A personality signed off completely. I felt like a different person, so calmed and just so into the moment. I have never handled dogs before let alone be in the midst of a pack of dogs. It was the defining moment for me. It was also the first for my daughter. She was a natural handler. My husband had a pitbull named Rocky but he had to give up him when he moved.
The breeders encouraged us to visit when we can. We went to see Leuca one more time on December 6th before taking her home on the 19th. The best part is that their dogs were very sociable. They were trained to respect each other and were very good with the kids as well.
(A visit with Leuca and her siblings)
We were so happy, we finally found a pup to call our own. On December, 19, 2010, we brought Leuca home...
On a spur of the moment one evening in November, we decided to eat at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. Vince, my husband, started another conversation about getting a dog, but not just a dog, a bulldog. He even had a name for it already. Marine. Mr. Jiggs. Yeah, just like the USMC mascot, a bulldog named Sergeant Jiggs. I started opening up to the idea. And of course, my daughter, Amanda quickly chimed in. She's been singing this tune of getting a dog since she could speak. Lo! And behold! Someone else heard the tune.
"You want a bulldog? I have one." A man distinctively added while eating his Pho. He's a regular customer, whom we've seen eat there several times. It turned out that he breeds bulldogs and bull terriers.
"Bulldogs are good. If you want you can come to my place and meet him." He insisted.
"How much do you want for him man?" Vince asked
"They usually go for $1,500 to $2,500." The man replied
"Oh that's too much." I said
"Just come by and see him first. I'll make you a good deal. Just remind me what I said. Okay?" He said.
My husband looked at me with such an excitement on his face and then looked at Amanda. Amanda was thrilled and I was just surprised and speechless, as if it was meant to be. With just our look, Vince responded: "Yes! I'll call you next week to set up the date and time. By the way, I'm Vince. This is my wife, Filipina and my daughter, Amanda. What's your name again man?"
"John." The man replied "I'll give you the directions when you call." John added.
With not much information about English bulldogs, except that they are great mascots, that they are adorable and docile and that my husband wanted one since he was in the USMC; we agreed to see the man's only bulldog. "Oh no." I thought. Deep inside I knew there was no turning back.
Upon getting home, I immediately looked up the breed online. I didn't realize how many dog breeds there are, let alone bulldog breeds and an English bulldog is just one of them. Although my husband was adamant about getting an English Bulldog (a.k.a. British Bulldog), I couldn't help but check out the other breeds. Little did my husband and daughter knew, I always like the big and/or furry dogs like Lassie, a Collie, or like the Golden Retriever in the 90's sitcom, Full House, or a Saint Bernard like Beethoven, or a German Sheperd like Charlie or a Siberian Husky like Balto. But I knew this was just wishful thinking, besides having an allergic reaction to furry dogs, I also knew that these breed of dogs are no match to our personalities and lifestyle. My husband got it all figured, a less hairy dog could mean no allergies and a docile breed like a bulldog will be more compatible to our not so active lifestyle. So as determined as the English bulldog, we followed my husband's eye for this bully.
Vince and I went to see the only English Bulldog named Rocco that John from the Vietnamese restaurant talked about. My husband was so sure Rocco will be his Marine. I opened my heart to embrace Rocco but for some reason, my gut tells me not to adopt him. I felt bad about the big rash on his upper back, reasoned out why he's not as sociable as we anticipated. "Oh he is just shy." "But Rocco is almost 2 years old and John had other dogs, why did he look scared?" We really never got a straight answer.
"Here, I will give you these 2 books about English Bulldogs with your purchase so you can learn more about them." John reassuringly said. Somehow we got into agreeing to adopt Rocco by mid-December after saving up for it.
Keeping an open mind, we continued to get acquainted with Rocco. Vince and I visited him another time and then even took Amanda and her boyfriend to see him the week before Thanksgiving. We were enthusiastic but something just did not seem right. Vince did not want to back out.
"Honey I gave the man my word." He explained passionately.
"But the rash is not getting better. Can we really take care of him? Can we afford it?" I said while thinking something seems fishy and I can't put my finger on it.
I continued my research. It took hours, days, even weeks for us to get a better understanding of what to do, after all, it took me years to warm up to the idea of adopting a dog. I fully immersed myself to anything that will teach me about dogs and bulldogs. It realized it will not just be about getting a pet, it is a huge commitment for us to keep throughout the life of the dog. We wanted to do it right, right from the start. We also had so much fun along the way; it was definitely another family activity we can do together.
We also solicited some advise from our friends and family in Facebook. Everyone seem to have their own opinion, some are just funny and some more helpful than most. We heard from a Veterinarian that English Bulldogs are a pain with their health problems. Too costly! She even suggested to get the best pet insurance. She also said that she gets allergic reactions when she come in contact with them during treatment.
Our friend, Heather responded: "Dozer is an Olde English Bulldogge (OEB) and we got him at the age of 2 for $500 with his shots updated and all. How much are you being asked for? Be careful too if you get a puppy some come from puppy mills and those tend to have even more health problems..."
"We have been asked to pay more than doubled that amount!!!" My husband replied
"English bulldogs are expensive, I would keep looking, but if you are in love, well you are in love! hehe we found dozer on petfinder.com check it out!" Heather added
"Thanks Heather:-) I have been looking on petfinder and all over. English bulldogs pups are so expensive. The others are too old. We are looking for a specific personality. We were starting to get attached to the one Vince is talking about. He is almost 2 in Jan but he has skin problems and too expensive. You are right...when you are in love you are just in love:-) We shall see. We appreciate your input. Thanks again." I responded
An old coworker and friend, Mandy, suggested the same breed. She said:
"Hey Filipina....10 years ago Todd & I also were interested in an English Bulldog pup, but then they were $2,000+ and after we looked into the breed found that they have so many health problems (i.e. cherry eye, breathing and skin problems, etc.). We did more research & talked to some people and found out about the Olde English Bulldogge. Not an AKC breed yet - but are registered with the CKC. We got our Ziggy from a breeder in Mississippi for $800. He turned 10 yrs. old in Sept. Here's more info if you're interested. :) http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/oldeenglishbulldogge.htm"
We got good advise. Most say it' is like raising a kid. My husband's friend, Ed, warned him: "Don't do it! Don't do it, man! You are empty-nesters now! Why would you want to start over?" This is an advise coming from a married man with 2 almost teenage kids and 2 dogs. That's what we thought too in the beginning, but somehow, something changed our minds. My brother told me to check out The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan in National Geographic. And I did just that and got addicted to it. Nat Geo became my favorite channel and watched anything and everything about dogs.
As we continued to learn more about the breed and about the dog, we also got learn about selecting the right breeder. The more we learned the skeptical we got about John's dog, Rocco. We checked out the Humane Society Organization's web page and read up on how to find a good dog breeder. We learned that the best way to obtain a dog is from a reputable breeder or from the animal shelters or Breed Rescue organizations and not from pet shops. Our friend suggested that we also check out the Petfinder website but we were very careful in what we saw online. We responded to some adoption ads but turned out to be a scam, asking for $500 in advance and that the puppies were sold to a priest in Nicaragua but he will be delighted to sell them to us since he can;t tend to them while doing his mission. We also went to local pet shops and pet supply stores to check out the dog supplies and see if they have any puppies for adoption. We found that Petco and PetSmart do not sell puppies or kittens. They usually have adoption days where a local shelter comes in to showcase the pets open for adoption. They do not support puppy mills and only sell dog supplies. We learned however that a small pet shop in East Brunswick called Puppies and a big shop in Edison called Animals and Things had cages of puppies for sale. We did not know that pet shops get their dogs from puppy mills until we read up on it. Puppy mills produce so many litters in a year just for the profit. Operators of puppy mills do not pay interest in the quality of life and breeding the their litters have especially the parents. The parent dogs usually stay in the cages for most of their life and they do is produce while the litters stay in the same cages moved to another cage in a pet store until they are adopted. These dogs are not well socialized and they live a very unnatural and unbalanced life. (For more information about puppy mills, check out the videos and links below.)
Finally we knew we had to make another decision. Quick! Although John maybe a good breeder in his own right, and the English Bulldog is what we originally wanted, we came to realize that Rocco may not be the dog we needed after all. Vince was heart broken about not getting Rocco. I admit I have gotten attached to him as well but then I deep in my heart I knew it would not be fair to Rocco if we just took pity on him and later couldn't take good care of him.
And so we released the idea and moved forward.
On to our search again... Vince still wanted a male adolescent bulldog to call Mr. Jiggs for Sergeant Jiggs. Or Gunny like Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs from the show NCIS. Or just call him "Marine". This was his way of remembering his service as a USMC.
I was convinced we will find "the dog" meant for us. Just before Thanksgiving, I heard back from Heather, through Facebook. She knew of a reputable breeder of Olde English Bulldogges in Connecticut who had 3 available litters and attached the link to a picture (below) of an almost 4-week old pup, with white body and fawn mask, minimal bully skin folds but adorable face.
My heart melted immediately. I looked at my husband as I read the message and told him: "Honey, this is the one!" I showed Vince the picture, with a slight hesitation, he took a deep breath and said: "He is cute! That's my Gunny! Call the breeder and see if we can come on Sunday to see him."
I've always wanted to write a journal, a book or a blog. I have started a few on different subjects about some aspects of my life like health, love and family but for some reasons I cannot really keep up with "it". My daughter, Amanda, suggested I should start a real blog, here on Blogger. You know, just like the movie Julie and Julia only not about cooking.
"Ah, hmm...how about our dog?" Amanda suggested.
"Leuca?" I asked with ten million thoughts of Eureka! going through my head
"Yeah, why not? Like how our life is before and after Leuca came along. Perhaps eventually write a book like Marley and Me" Amanda added.
"...but calm and submissive dog." I added smiling.
"Thanks Cesar Millan." Amanda playfully continued.
It sounded like a great idea but for some reason I couldn't get myself to doing it. Perhaps too much pressure to do it, to make it big, maybe too much expectation, too much commitment, too much thinking, too much excuses. Ahhh! That's it! I got this. This blog is about a little puppy who won my heart and mind after 18 years of saying no to adopting dogs of any age, shapes and sizes. It is a story of a dog, who has enhanced my life by inspiring me each day to be a better human being, to be present each moment and live happy and balance in harmony with others.
So today, I am home alone again with our pup, Leuca, and I found myself video blogging again with my cell phone and posting them on Facebook. (For those who are not familiar, Facebook is a social media where you can create a profile and reach out to old and new friends and share your thoughts by posting a short update, photos, videos and links.) It began as a short status update, a link here and there, some pics, then one or two 30-second video uploads from my cell phone. Now I have accumulated about 32 videos of Leuca and probably over 600 photos of her posted on Facebook in less than 2 months since we got her. Life will never be the same. I can't even count the links I posted about dogs when we started thinking about getting one or about the Dog Whisperer to learn more about the right way to adopt and own the responsibility of puppy parenting. Now I cannot stop thinking about it and posting about it. "It" is the story. I realized "it" has started and I must Blogger "it".
