Lady

I’ve gotten a few requests about Miss Daisy. She’s still sassy as ever. She turned 8 a couple months ago so she is moving into her elderly years. She hasn’t really slowed much so far. A little less here and there but she’s herself.

She’s taken to barking a lot more recently. Not sure what spurred it but we’re having to introduce some isolation time when she gets out of hand. (Bullies hate being separated from their owners at home. It is often a very effective behavior modifier. Otherwise, she is still a joy.

She did surprisingly well when we went away on our honeymoon. We’d never been away from her so long before. Lucikly, we had friends too spend time with her at home. We didn’t need to kennel her. She, like Cooper was left at a shelter and she still clearly fears being abandoned. She isn’t quite as bas as Cooper was in the beginning, but leaving her at home in her safe space is always our plan.

Her days are filled with nagging Shawn and I for treats. She had to go on a diet recently and she was not amused. Lol She is down to an acceptable weight zone again so we are slowly adding more treats into her diet again. She’s falling in love with one of our elderly neighbors across the street. And he for her. He always carries treats no matter when he is out just in case he runs into her. She goes nuts anytime he is outside and she sees him from the window.

She’s had a couple health issues but both minor so far. Like any bulldog we finally had to put her on allergy meds. She tolerates them well and they do help. Beyond that she is healthy and happy. She spends her days basking in the sunshine at home w/Pappa Shawn and her evenings curled up between my legs lounging on the sofa.

And as always, I ask you how could anyone could abandon that face? It is beyond me to understand.

Year 1

Miss Daisy Mae has been with us just over a year now. She is settled into her life at the Moby-shack. She is healthy and doing well. She loves her Daddy & Pappa and spends a big chunk of her free time trying to get cuddles or snacks from us. Her cute little smile will just melt your heart. I mean look at that face. lol

She is still a chewer with a slightly decreased inclination to swallow everything she chews on. She has determined toy stuffing is not to be eaten. We broke her habit of chewing on furniture and shoes. We can safely leave shoes out without fear of her destroying them. It is funny watching her work thru it in her head though. When she plays tug of war or ‘chase the toy‘, she gets so excited. She works up into an almost fit. At this point, anything that falls in front of her face is a potential chew toy. Occasionally, a toy will land close to one of our shoes and she’ll inadvertently grab the shoe. Right about the time we are about to scold her, you can see in her face/eyes she realizes the item is a no-no and drops it in favor of the toy. She is such a little stinker!

She will still try to hoover up any random berries or tree droppings she finds while on her walks. Acorns, bush berries, random squashed lemons, [1]Several neighbors have lemon trees. it is all fair game to her. I’m quite sure they’ve given her an upset tummy on more than one occasion. We still have to keep a close eye on here during walks. Speaking of walks, she tolerates walks to do her business, but in very typical bulldog fashion, as soon as the business is done she is ready to return home.

Home life is good otherwise. Her and Toby have gotten better at rough-housing without Daisy getting frustrated. Toby is forever trying to get her to play tug of war and chase. She likes to play but only until she actually gets the toy. Then she just wants to settle and chew on it. Meanwhile, Toby will continue trying to swap chew toys or bait her to play. At some point, she gets frustrated and snaps at him. He in turn will run up to the closest adult with this look on his face like, “Daisy won’t share the toy!” Daisy has realized the routine and gets less annoyed with him. Toby adores her and will actively seek her out for play. She is content with her humans, but happily engages with him.

Shawn kept pushing me to let her sleep with us, so she is now a bed dog as well. I’m not against it too much since she doesn’t shed anywhere near as much as Cooper. Even on allergy meds, Cooper was constantly shedding. If she isn’t already passed out snoring, Daisy will routinely hop up in the bed and face the bedroom door when she realizes I’m getting ready for bed. Of course, Shawn is still learning to deal with her snuggles that turn into hogging the bed. I don’t have the problem because she has figured out when I push my legs up under her, she needs to move. lolol  I’ll routinely wake up for work and find Shawn half off the bed as he contorts himself around her.

Speaking of Cooper, I still think of him almost daily. I miss ‘the precious‘ as I liked to call him. I’ll randomly slip up and call Daisy by his name. The dull pain of his passing is still with me. I’m not sure it will ever go away.

So there ya have it. The princess is doing well. You can see from the pic, she clearly isn’t missing any meals.

References

References
1 Several neighbors have lemon trees.

Daisy Mae

Daisy Mae Rescue

Please welcome my new baby girl Daisy Mae Rescue to the family! She is a 2 year old bully who was surrendered by her previous elderly owners as they couldn’t take care of her. As you can see, she is beautiful. And just the sweetest thing. Bullies have so many similar traits but they always have their own unique personalities and quirks. Unlike Cooper‘s more forthright energy and eagerness for attention, she is a little more subtle and gentle.

I found her thru the same site I found Cooper, the NCBR [1]Northern California Bulldog Rescue. The primary contact actually remembered me and Cooper. We had a wonderful chat and even the intern remembered him. I was so touched.

When Cooper passed away I knew I’d eventually rescue another one. I just needed time to heal. Of course, I didn’t expect the big whammy they hit me with. While the site contact and I were texting, she sent me Daisy’s date of birth. Are you ready for this? Daisy was born the same month/day as Cooper. She was two weeks older than when I picked up Cooper. It was eerie and exhilarating at the same time. Of course, when I got the text I just burst into tears. I think Shawn knew I was sold on her at that point but I really did keep an open mind. Cooper came along before I met Shawn and I wanted this dog to be ours, not just mine. I wanted to make sure he was sold as much as I was.

We’d originally planned to go see two other dogs but the site contact emailed me about Daisy just coming into their care. She wasn’t even on the website yet. They sent me pics of her so I knew what she looked like. Anyway, we stopped in Vacaville to see the first bully. Shawn had sort of been leaning toward this one but he turned out not to be a good fit. He was a bit of a brute, but more worryingly, he’d been in foster for months and he already felt at home. He was with about 6 other dogs as well. He definitely would have felt like he was being separated again. I think he was older than the 3 years they estimated him at. He was also overly possessive about toys. This presented a red flag for us with Toby. Overall, he just wasn’t the best fit.

After nightmare traffic, we finally made it up to Folsom. We were now scheduled to see two dogs, Summer and Daisy. Summer was super sweet and hyper. Her energy reminded me so much of Cooper, as he was a little dynamo when I first met him. She was recovering from a severe Demodex infestation but it didn’t diminish her energy at all, which made her even more adorable. She was tiny for a bulldog. She was barely larger than Toby, my roomie’s Frenchie. Her energy would have been a challenge for sure but she was adorable and friendly. Truth be told if I had room, I would have brought them both home. But, I could only pick one.

Daisy was brought out and right away I knew I wanted her. And she charmed us both. She went right up to Shawn and asked to be petted. It was so adorable. She gently hopped up and put her paws in his lap requesting attention. She was so sweet and eager for us to love on her. Shawn was sold and I knew we were going to get her. We decided she was the best fit and brought her home!

She is adjusting very well and has only a few bad manners. Being barely an adult, she needs some structure. She is a chewer and we’ve already have some episodes of her chewing on stuff she shouldn’t; namely the furniture. lolol I took the week off to help her bond to her new home and day three really saw her blossom. She came out of her shell and really showed off her personality. Even better, her and Toby are like best friends. They play so well together and just really get a long great.

She is just now beginning to realize her life as a princess is beginning. We’re working on her manners and expect her to be a pure joy for years to come. So far, no health problems at all. She is young, vibrant, and very lovable.

References

References
1 Northern California Bulldog Rescue