After a wonderful life full of sweetness our Pistol Pete was given the final gift of love yesterday when we let him rest.....
On April 1st 2001, the day we met.....
This one was taken the week before Thanksgiving in 2013:
Our good boy came to us through a rescue organization here in Tulsa = Small Paws Rescue Inc. Typically they only rescue Bichons but at one puppy mill auction of breeder dogs they went in to (undercover), they came across a really pitiful Lhasa Apso that their "buyer" couldn't leave behind. We found about Petey through an AOL message board for people who love Lhasas. At that time, we lived in Texas but once I heard the story I decided we would "foster" him until a suitable home was found. We drove to Tulsa, had a nice visit with my mom and picked him up at the founder of Small Paw's home. That was on April 1st in 2001. It was love at first sight for me and on the way home I knew he would be staying with us. He was a survivor and I could tell he needed someone who would understand him. Our first Lhasa, Loppy liked him well enough to try and bond with him on the long drive home but the new guy would just lay low and not move. Little did I know this was his way of coping with life. He just shut down.... but there was a light in his eyes and I had high hopes. When we stopped one time for a potty break I said to my husband "he's a little pistol, this boy" and with his bowed legs.... the name came to me = Pistol Pete.
For those of you who may not know what a puppy mill is, I will give you quick explanation. It is a where those puppies come from that are found in the pet stores, most newspaper ads, and some online sites. The so called "breeders" hold dogs hostage and breed them until they are no longer "viable". These breeder stock are kept in small wire cages stacked upon each other. The dogs are covered in filth from the dogs above them and never know what it's like to be loved. They are fed just barely enough food to keep them existing and typically they are flea infested, dirty, matted, neglected and often times abused messes. Our Petey had feet badly splayed from the wired cage, his feet actually flopped when he walked. He had very little muscle tone in his legs from never being out of his prison. He had been bathed almost a dozen times, even AFTER shaving his filthy hair just to get the gunk out of his skin. He had spent almost 18 months in that hell hole, I will forever be grateful to Small Paws for liberating him.
I will tell you this.... watching him transform from abused livestock to a much loved pet was life changing. Lessons of life were taught by this little guy. Recalling how our female dog Gabby became his mentor and helped him brings tears to my eyes. She was sweet and patient while letting him know life was OK out of the cage. He related to her on a level he couldn't relate to humans and she helped us teach him to be a dog. I remember when he first started spending time in our backyard on grass, it was a foreign substance to him and he was overwhelmed. One day I watched him as he began to roll around in it with joyful abandon. He was actually acting like a dog! He would lay in the grass and just sniff around, he would duck his head when a bird flew over, he was slowly learning to go up the two steps into our house without having to be carried due to the lack of muscle tone. He would do the cutest four legged hop and still did all these years later when he went up a step. He changed our lives as much as his was changed. It was an honor to help him become a beloved pet.
Our Sweet Petey traveled with us in our pop up camper, our travel trailer and our motorhome. He visited nine states in the time he spent RVing with us. He shared a home with five other dogs at some point or another during his life and never once was mean to any of them. He also shared a home with several cats and was quite fond of a few of them. He rarely met an animal he didn't like, well.... except for the armadillo incident but that is a LONG story. He had a huge heart! We also called him Bubba Dog because he was a good bubba to our other pets.
I can recall many stories but most of all today, I am trying to celebrate a life well lived, a life enjoyed by everyone who met him. The wonderful memories we shared, the many years of his sweetness and the place in our hearts that will always be his, are his legacy. It truly was an honor to share those years with our Pistol Pete.
If you made it this far, thank you for taking time to read while I shared more about a dog, who wasn't "just a dog" he was a wonderful, sweetheart companion. Rest in peace Bubba Dog, stay sweet, someday I will sing in your ear again.
On April 1st 2001, the day we met.....
This one was taken the week before Thanksgiving in 2013:
Our good boy came to us through a rescue organization here in Tulsa = Small Paws Rescue Inc. Typically they only rescue Bichons but at one puppy mill auction of breeder dogs they went in to (undercover), they came across a really pitiful Lhasa Apso that their "buyer" couldn't leave behind. We found about Petey through an AOL message board for people who love Lhasas. At that time, we lived in Texas but once I heard the story I decided we would "foster" him until a suitable home was found. We drove to Tulsa, had a nice visit with my mom and picked him up at the founder of Small Paw's home. That was on April 1st in 2001. It was love at first sight for me and on the way home I knew he would be staying with us. He was a survivor and I could tell he needed someone who would understand him. Our first Lhasa, Loppy liked him well enough to try and bond with him on the long drive home but the new guy would just lay low and not move. Little did I know this was his way of coping with life. He just shut down.... but there was a light in his eyes and I had high hopes. When we stopped one time for a potty break I said to my husband "he's a little pistol, this boy" and with his bowed legs.... the name came to me = Pistol Pete.
For those of you who may not know what a puppy mill is, I will give you quick explanation. It is a where those puppies come from that are found in the pet stores, most newspaper ads, and some online sites. The so called "breeders" hold dogs hostage and breed them until they are no longer "viable". These breeder stock are kept in small wire cages stacked upon each other. The dogs are covered in filth from the dogs above them and never know what it's like to be loved. They are fed just barely enough food to keep them existing and typically they are flea infested, dirty, matted, neglected and often times abused messes. Our Petey had feet badly splayed from the wired cage, his feet actually flopped when he walked. He had very little muscle tone in his legs from never being out of his prison. He had been bathed almost a dozen times, even AFTER shaving his filthy hair just to get the gunk out of his skin. He had spent almost 18 months in that hell hole, I will forever be grateful to Small Paws for liberating him.
I will tell you this.... watching him transform from abused livestock to a much loved pet was life changing. Lessons of life were taught by this little guy. Recalling how our female dog Gabby became his mentor and helped him brings tears to my eyes. She was sweet and patient while letting him know life was OK out of the cage. He related to her on a level he couldn't relate to humans and she helped us teach him to be a dog. I remember when he first started spending time in our backyard on grass, it was a foreign substance to him and he was overwhelmed. One day I watched him as he began to roll around in it with joyful abandon. He was actually acting like a dog! He would lay in the grass and just sniff around, he would duck his head when a bird flew over, he was slowly learning to go up the two steps into our house without having to be carried due to the lack of muscle tone. He would do the cutest four legged hop and still did all these years later when he went up a step. He changed our lives as much as his was changed. It was an honor to help him become a beloved pet.
Our Sweet Petey traveled with us in our pop up camper, our travel trailer and our motorhome. He visited nine states in the time he spent RVing with us. He shared a home with five other dogs at some point or another during his life and never once was mean to any of them. He also shared a home with several cats and was quite fond of a few of them. He rarely met an animal he didn't like, well.... except for the armadillo incident but that is a LONG story. He had a huge heart! We also called him Bubba Dog because he was a good bubba to our other pets.
I can recall many stories but most of all today, I am trying to celebrate a life well lived, a life enjoyed by everyone who met him. The wonderful memories we shared, the many years of his sweetness and the place in our hearts that will always be his, are his legacy. It truly was an honor to share those years with our Pistol Pete.
If you made it this far, thank you for taking time to read while I shared more about a dog, who wasn't "just a dog" he was a wonderful, sweetheart companion. Rest in peace Bubba Dog, stay sweet, someday I will sing in your ear again.
