A Small Tribute to a Big Dog Doing Big Things

Meet Mr. Biggz!  This sweet and loving BIG boy is dedicated to educate people about the true nature of pit bull type dogs and other so-called "bully breeds". 

Mr. Biggz on his first WalkABulls trek

Mr. Biggz aims to show the world that pit bulls and pit bull mixes are just dogs and deserve to be treated as such!  Like so many other dogs, a few of Mr. Biggz's favorite things include, tennis balls, a Kong filled with peanut butter, and to sit on the lap belonging to his 11 year old, human-sister.  This burly bully also seeks to enlighten the community with his public presence at Seattle parks and on Seattle trails, as well as by reaching the masses with his own social media page.  Do you want to know more about Mr. Biggz and what he has to say regarding the truth about pit bulls?  Go here to find out!

Thank you to Mr. Biggz and all of the other wonderful dogs and their humans that joined us on our WalkABulls walk this past Sunday.

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Sunday, 03/25/12 - Chief Sealth Trail, south Seattle

Pack order of the day: Shiloh, GG, Mr. Biggz, Klaus, Isabelle, Moo Cow, and 5ive

Water break time

Klaus takes a turn in the lead

Mr. Biggz and his family

Klaus gets kisses!

Shiloh's high value treat = peanut butter and salmon oil

GG and her person's new, shiny boots

Shiloh and views of Lake Washington

From Foster Care to Forever Homes - Old Friends Meet Again

The last time Shiloh saw his foster sister was over a year ago.  He was just turning two years old and in foster care with a two month old pittie-puppy named Goose (both came from the Seattle Animal Shelter before being placed in foster care).  Although Shiloh had already been in foster care for about four months, Goose found her forever home right away, and on March 11, 2011 was adopted!  It would be four more months before Shiloh would finally find his new home, but who would have thought that these two foster-siblings would see each other again?

Goose and Shiloh, February 2011

Several of us wondered how these two would react to one another once we realized that they would soon be gathering in the same place at the same time.  Would they even remember each other?  No one really knew how tight their bond was being that they were together for what seemed like a short period of time.  I am told that Shiloh really helped to raise Goose and got her through some very critical periods, but what does that mean long term?  None of us were completely sure.  

Although Goose was small, she made the perfect big-spoon

During Shiloh and Goose's one month together, they developed a 'fast and hard' play style.  Given their size differences, one may worry that this rough-housing may be a bit much for a puppy Goose's age.  As it turned out, Goose was very much able to hold her own.  

A little freestyle wresting between friends

In fact, perhaps it was Shiloh, the full-grown, adult dog that we should have been worried about here.  

Shiloh seems to be pinned down... again

...and again

Not only did they play together and sleep cuddled up on a regular basis,  but they also spent time having meaningful conversation with one another.

Shiloh: "Hey Goose, do I have any food stuck in my teeth?"  Goose: "Ewww, gross!  Ha!  Just kidding, you're good!"

It was during the WalkABulls hike this last Saturday, March 24, 2012, that these two saw each other again for the first time since Goose was adopted last year. Due to our no-contact and spacing guidelines in the beginning of each walk, Shiloh and Goose did not have a chance to get a good look, or sniff, at one another... at least not yet.  

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Saturday, 3/24/12 -  Carkeek Park

The walk started off with Shiloh in the lead, and Goose towards the back with several dogs and humans in front of her.  About 15 minutes into our walk, we were notified by one of our roving dog-less walkers that Goose may do better closer to the front of the pack.  The group as a whole then moved over, just enough to give Goose the appropriate room to maneuver her way forward.  We always want to set our dogs (and their people) up for success!

Shiloh is in the lead, while Goose is way in the back

Goose makes her way to the lead

Goose is right behind Shiloh but they have not yet recognized each other

All was quiet and calm until Shiloh and Goose had the opportunity for a very short and quick glimpse into each others eyes.  They were about eight feet apart but obviously close enough to recognize that an old friend was nearby - the connection had been made.

Both Shiloh and Goose have the potential to be dog-reactive, but in a very friendly way.  They have the ability to make a lot of noise when they want to befriend another dog, but... no one could have prepared for the large demonstration put forth by these two dogs on this day, especially from Shiloh!  It was made quite clear that they both wanted very badly to catch up on lost time.  

Goose did great and kept moving forward, increasing her distance from Shiloh, which enabled her to regain her focus.  Shiloh had gotten pretty worked up over Goose and he took more time and attention to find his focus.  Everyone in the group did a fantastic job throughout this situation by remaining calm, staying focused on their dog, and keeping their dog focused on them. 

Our walk ended successfully, despite the challenges early on - but I think we are all learning that this group is about overcoming our various challenges.  Thank you to everyone who was able to attend this walk and be a part of the Shiloh-Goose reunion!

Klaus

Bailey

Sirius Black

Sam

Louie

Goose

A very special thank you to Mace Burke for joining us on this walk as our dog-less leader, as well as for taking all the great photos on this day!  Also thank you to Goose's forever mom, as well as Goose's and Shiloh's foster mom, for sharing photos of these two in foster care together. 

Mace and Shiloh lead the group

The Inaugeral Walk - A Leash and a Latte

Sunday, 2/19/12

We had a beautiful, partly sunny, cold winter day with a group consisting of eight dogs and ten humans.  As per the Seattle standard, many arrived with a latte in one hand and their dog's leash in the other.  Of course the key is to finish your coffee before you need to carry that first poo-bag; if you can do that then your walk is sure to go much more smoothly.  Luckily all who arrived were obvious experts when it came to juggling leash, coffee and poo-bag.

Coat pockets aren't just for keeping hands warm!

I was so happy to see such a great mix of dogs, from large to small and calm to hyper.  All played an important role in the group as we moved through South Seattle. 

I must admit that I was a little nervous with not knowing exactly what to expect as each dog-and-human pulled up in their cars to our meeting location.  For several days before our first walk, I visualized how those first few moments would go, over and over in my head.  I saw a lot of lunging, barking, and growling... not from any one specific dog or dogs, but just as an overall ambiance.  On the other hand, I also had a very good feeling about how the pre-walk time would play out and imagined that all the humans were doing their jobs to keep themselves and their dogs spaced out well.  Some of this came from the fact that I already knew some of the dogs and people that were to be a part of the first walk, and the rest came from information gathered from the other groups in Chicago and New York.  These groups were honest in saying that things can be difficult and sometimes seemingly chaotic in the beginning, but I was also very inspired as I heard about some of the success stories regarding shy dogs gaining confidence and reactive dogs learning to be calm.  I did know that however the first several minutes went, that it would be worth it for everyone.

Lovely Lilac is an adoptable Pit Bull Terrier in Seattle.  Look for her on Petfinder!

Now all I had to do was convince the new members, as well as those questioning their ability to be part of this type of group, that it will be worth it whether your dog is shy, fearful, reactive or has no social skills whatsoever... this WILL benefit ALL of us!  ...and I truly believe this to be possible.

Dozer was the perfect dog to lead our group!

What really happened in those first few minutes, the few minutes I spent many, many hours worrying about?  Nothing.  No reacting.  No lunging.  No barking.  The only noise outside of us humans introducing ourselves and our dogs to one another came from our black lab Dozer as he whined with excitement to let us know that it was time to get walking!