I think we all can agree pets bring tons of simplicity and smiles our way. They act like kids, in fact when I finally put my three children to sleep at night and think I can relax, rest assured they know EXACTLY when that time is to come over and request all kinds of things from me.

Today when I told them I wanted to do an article on them their excitement was priceless, which is probably why they decided to walk ME for the most part in this photo. They could barely contain themselves haha.

We have had our Pit Bull Lulu for 9 years. When my husband first brought her home to surprise me, I was terrified. She was a puppy and as all puppies do, she would nibble on my hand and I took that as her trying to eat me. All because of a stero-type and bad rap these dogs have gotten. Guess what? We got her a bone and she has never tried to nibble on my hand or anyone else for that matter ever again. I will say when they were both puppies, my husband and I would put our hands in their food bowls, pull their fur a little and just made sure they would not get irritated if someone, mainly thinking of our kids, happen to be near them when they are eating. Still, we always keep a watchful eye as we do with all of our family.

Lulu quickly grew to be apart of our family but it did take me some time to be comfortable and tell people we had a Pit Bull. Now, I couldn't be MORE proud to let people know what kind of breed she is despite any stereo type associated with the name or how they may react to that certain breed. I consider them very misunderstood, and I love to brag about her when people ask. I have actually grown to love the edge that comes along with owning a "Pit Bull". I am confident she wouldn't hurt a fly, although I do believe she would protect us if need be. It is good to keep people on their toes, especially because her bark is our house alarm when she sees anyone outside. The only harm this dog has ever done to anyone is snuggle her body into them wanting to hug them.
I make sure to have girl time with Lulu with just me and her, but she is also very independent and wants her space. Today she wanted to play in the sandbox like a kid, so that is where we ended up with these photos. As usual I do not care about getting dirty, and it is not very fun for anyone involved to make these dogs pose perfect for a photo, so I just let them lead today and I just joined in

Bear is our baby. He is a 165 pound one year old Mastiff that owns up to his name, his soul is like a true Teddy Bear. He is considered one of the "gentle giant"  breeds. He could definitely have another name like,"stage 5 clinger". This dog will shadow you and bully his way into forcing his love on you at all cost. When you sit, his face is RIGHT there to give endless kisses, when you're not looking, you will trip over him because he is so close to your feet. You may be thinking, "But Katie, if he's SO big, how can you trip over him?"....you would be surprised. He thinks he is like our slipper,  I mean ATTACHED to our feet. When I go to the bathroom, I have to be sure to hurry in first and close the door....it gets a bit crowded in there if I do not. He has no boundaries or need for his own personal space, ever hahaha.

This dog could hands down be a service/comfort dog. He would bring a smile and I mean a REAL smile, to anyone in need. In fact the only time this dog has ever shown his teeth is with a scrunched up face and a cheek to cheek smile, its not "Is he smiling? it is..."OMG he IS totally smiling!!!!" 

Bear is from my brother and his wife out in New Mexico where he was bread. My brother has a rather large house so his two Mastiffs didn't appear to take up too much space. The summer he brought Bear to us after 6 weeks, we had purchased a crate prior to him coming and put it together. I was wondering where in the sam hell we were going to put this thing! I kept scratching my head trying to fathom how he could get this big to fit in it. Our house is a decent size house, so there IS space, but this thing seemed rather large for any area in our house. I finally cleared out our office and kept having dreams he kept out growing his crate and the office hahah. Does anyone remember the movie Sandlot? Well, Bear looks exactly like that dog, and my visions became like that movie before we actually got him. 

Bear's head grazes our kitchen table and despite our disciplinary ways, he helps himself to whatever he wants. If he could sit and have a drink with us at the table and  hang out he most definitely would. Chocolate being his number one choice. ...yikes!!! So the holidays I have to remember to protect my fur giant and our chocolate goodies!! His eyes tell it all. When he looks at you, his eyes pour out so much love it is almost as if you can see his sweet soul. It is so hard to even get mad at this sensitive soul for any wrong doing, he really is just the sweetest. My husband tries to put up a hard front with him, and the next thing I know Bear is literally hugging him and sitting in his lap. YES! you read that right... He has NO clue he is 165 pounds. 

Why put this stress on us with three small children and having Lulu? A very common question we get asked often. Well, to be honest I was not planning on it. When we went to visit my brother one summer he just had a liter of puppies, and I fell in love. My husband always says to me, "Why do I keep saying yes to your crazy ideas!?" I made him fall in love too! Where is the smiley face emoji when you need it.

Bear and Lulu are funny, they are a joy and a pain at times, but that is what makes them truely part of our Redmond family haha. They are work. So is life. I have enjoyed venturing out of my comfort zone once again and learning how smart these dogs are. Learning what they can do and how they also like to be challenged. Before this whole pandemic started we had a pretty good Dog trainer Dennis Hill come to our house to ensure that when I took Bear for walks, he wasn't the one walking me. There is a video below showing how I work with him with a few other clips of him watching the Lion King and playing with Lulu. Before Bear was even the size he is now and before any training, I was walking him and he took off and I was air born, no joke bahahha. I didn't know if I should let go or hang on, I did get some grass burn on that one. With anything in our lives and my life, I love to put effort in. I love to get out of my comfort zone, I love to add joy and maybe continue to add a little craziness to our lives

I have to give a little shout out to my little guy Rocky. Rocky is my 5 pound poodle who is 13 (YES, he is named after Balboa!). He presently lives with my parents due to severe anxiety. He like most people, thinks our house is a little too much for himself to handle haha so my parents took him in as their own. I love Rocky, but I want him to be happy, and happy he IS! There is a photo of Rocky below.

I can not forget to mention, last but not least, our fresh water fish we have in our 220 gallon fish tank. I recently just learned through my son's science class, you can in fact teach fish tricks. So that may be my winter project hahah. Next time I take a video of them maybe they will doing summersaults and playing fetch. These fish are so soothing and memorizing to watch and believe it or not they DO know when we are there, sometimes they will follow me. I think they are waiting for me to feed them, but they mostly eat live goldfish, so that would be a negative on my part.

 I am so proud to own these two, and yes our fish as our pets. Our dogs are our protectors, our friends, and our family. They are unconditional, they bring such a level of comfort,  innocence, and welcomed responsibility to us all.  Above all else, they bring happiness. They complete our home. 

 "Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen."-Orhan Pamuk

"The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to live as unconditional as a dog."-M.K. Clinton

"When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul."

Comment and subscribe below!!!! I would love to hear from you!