My Pack
I'm happy to introduce the newest member of our pack:

Bugsy

A Chihuahua/Terrier Mix



We adopted Bugsy in March 09 from A Few Steps From Home: an awesome local rescue group. Please click on their name to learn more about them. He is a 6 year old Chi/Terrier mix and weighs a whopping 8.5 lbs. He's our first truly little dog. Like many little dogs he has no idea how small he is and fits right in with our big dogs. Everyone in the pack likes him even though Tippers won't admit it openly but when I'm not looking he initiates play and does a very nice job taking it easy on the little guy. I'm learning quickly why little dogs can develop bad habits and am trying very hard to not let him get away with stuff that I don't let the others get away with ie. jumping up on people. He's a bit of a barker and is very cautious with new people. We are working hard to expose him to lots of new people and places so that he can show everyone the love and affection he shows us. He's very intelligent and food motivated so training has been fun. Once he masters "stay" I'm looking forward to getting lots of wonderful pictures of him. Right now he's always on the move.
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Zowie

Our oldest is Zowie, a 15 year old Husky/German Shepherd mix.



We adopted Zowie from the Bay County Animal Shelter 13 years ago. We assume she was abused because she was so skittish around men and if your hand went above your shoulder she immediately crouched and cried as if she expected you to hit her. Needless to say she came with lots of issues. Over the 12 years we have had her she has come such a long way. She is a loving and gregarious dog. She loves people and plays great with other dogs. So far (knock on wood) she is in great health for a dog her age.
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Karma

Karma is also a Husky mix and is 9 years old. She wandered up our driveway on a Saturday afternoon with no tags and all skin and bones.



At the time we had 2 big dogs and we were living in an 800 square ft house. When we couldn't find her owners we decided to keep her and named her Karma, because its good "karma" to take in a big eared, crazy looking dog when you live in 800 square feet. Karma is the most people loving dog I have ever met. While we were taking obedience class the instructor commented that she could be a therapy dog. I had her tested and she passed with flying colors. Today she is certified through Delta Society Pet Partners and we do regular visits to nursing homes, hospitals and schools.
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Tippers

Tippers is our youngest dog. He is 4 years old and we adopted him from Bay City Orphan Animals 3 years ago. We had a wonderful 11 year old Black Lab mix, Dakota who had died from cancer and we wanted to honor her memory by saving another dog. Tippers is that dog.



He is our first "little" dog. He is only 20 lbs, but he has the attitude of a 65 pounder. He is a Basenji/Fox Terrier mix. I wanted a dog with the body type of a Jack Russell but with a mellower personality. Tippers has all the energy of a classic terrier but he also has the ability to lay around all day and snuggle in your lap. He is also a "dog's dog". He has not met a dog he doesn't like and he's a joy to take to the dog park. We recently got back from a week long road trip to North Carolina. He is a wonderful traveling companion. He'll go anywhere we ask him and loves being with his people.
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Dakota 1995 - 2006

Dakota passed away Memorial Day Weekend 2006. She was the only dog we've ever had that we raised from a puppy. We got her free from the classifieds and surely saved her a trip to the animal shelter. Dakota was very special to us. She is the dog we made all of our mistakes on and she still loved us anyway. She grew up with Zowie and I assumed that she would love all dogs because of that. I couldn't have been more wrong. Because I didn't socialize her she was very dog aggressive. She would put up with our friends dogs......if we asked her to but she wasn't happy about it.



Like most labs her favorite words were "ball", "walk", and "water". My parents live on the Saginaw Bay and she would spend hours fetching a ball and playing in the water. She is also the first dog that we had to lose. I knew that it would not be easy but was not prepared for how hard it is to lose a beloved companion. She taught us so much and because of her we are better guardians and companions to our current pack. Thank you Dakota! You are sorely missed.