As you may, or may not know, we have two fabulous bull terriers that are a major part of our household…                                                                                                                 Macy, on the right, is a solid brindle. She just turned 6 years old on February 11th. We adopted her from a reputable breeder in Olive Branch, Mississippi just a few months after we got married. She had just turned 1 when she came to our home.

Rossi, on the left, is a dark traditional brindle. He will turn 4 years old in April and is a rescue dog that we found the summer of 2012.                                                                        One thing about a rescue dog… you never know what kind of puppy-hood the canine endured. Rossi is such a sweet bully, but he definitely has his issues. We’ll never know for sure how he was treated before we got him, but there are quite a few un-explained scars, weird habits and scary freak-outs that make us wonder about his previous life and the unfortunate possibility of abuse. In turn, I have a few scars to remind me to not disturb him when he’s sound asleep or touch his back legs.                                                                                               I say all that to say this… Rossi most certainly was not taught manners during his upbringing. Don’t get me wrong, he is super friendly to people, maybe too friendly. He has a very bad habit of jumping up on people and “kissing” them on the chin with his teeth. He has even brought blood on a few unsuspecting strangers.                                       

When we take Macy and Rossi for walks in populated areas such as OKC’s Bricktown or into Bass Pro Shop, they are very popular. Bull terriers are such an unusual breed and people are just curious about them and want to stop, ask questions and pet them. Hubs and I are always quick to warn of his almost certain reaction to meeting new people, but it never ceases to amaze me when those people still kneel down to pet him! If we’re not holding him back, he will jump and nip. We can’t seem to break him of this habit either. (Macy, on the other hand, is so shy and skittish… she typically stands behind me while Rossi is basking in all the attention!)                                                                                                           I follow a great dog training blog entitled “Paws Abilities”. This morning’s post was just what I needed… click HERE to go to “Why does my dog jump on people?”. It offers some great advice, including why puppies instinctually learn the action and how to prevent it from happening, even telling how to “teach an old dog new tricks” by stopping the habit and re-training your pooch. If you are a dog owner, this entire blog is a must read for you!                                                                                                                                                          We will be putting their tips into practice the next time we take our rock stars out for a stroll downtown! If you see us out in public, just remember, our Rossi may try to jump up and “kiss” you, but he’s doing it out of friendliness and we’re trying to teach him better manners!                                                  

Quiz question… can you name 4 famous bull terriers in American history? For the answer, click HERE to be taken to a post I wrote way back in 2011…

Until next time…Happy Blogging!

P.S. Most of these pictures are from my Instagram feed… follow me by clicking HERE to see more of our rambunctious bullies!