this post has {gone to the dogs}

It is no secret that I LOVE my dogs, Sophie and Bella. So I thought I would do a post on how we became pit-bull owners and some of the  "durable" toys that they love to play with (they are all linked in this post and also to the right in my Amazon link).  

 How we ended up being pit-tie owners:

 I would have NEVER (ever) imagined that I would be a Pit-bull owner.  Growing up I was afraid of dogs.  Josh rescued Kodi 4 years ago and well, I fell in love with him and found my love for dogs!!  I remember one of my bosses telling me of his love of pit-bulls and I could never wrap my head around it (those were dangerous!!).  Well one night Mike and I were walking Kodi, and one of our neighbors was outside with her new pitbull/mastiff puppy, Zeus.  I asked lots of questions and found out that she had 3 grown pitbulls too, her sister owned one, and that they were the best dogs ever.  We then found out that there were more puppies available in the litter.  So Mike went the next day and picked out Sophie (I was home sick with a nasty stomach bug).  I was surprised at how smart and lovable she was.  She definitely proved me wrong.  She is very friendly and a big scaredy-cat (especially of our cat Pete), she is our 80 pound lap dog.

So when Josh was getting ready to move out with Kodi, we decided to look for another dog so Soph wouldn't be lonely while we were at work.  Mike found Bella on Craig's list.  We ended up falling in love with her and Sophie did great at the initial meeting, so we took her home.  I am not sure why they didn't want her, but she was definitely under fed.  In no time she was at a healthy weight and fit right into our family.  Bella has a very different personality than Sophie.  She is very social and super affectionate.  We always say that she can't control her "licker" because she will lick you to death.  She especially loves hanging out with her "pittie peeps" at the bark park.  Oh yeah, and she steals all the balls when she is there too.  Crazy pup!!

Mike and I have really come to LOVE pitties and I love to show people how great our pups really are!!  I always tell people to give pits a chance, most pit-bulls don't fit the stereotype. 

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I have come to find out that they (pitties) are very hard on doggie toys (they love to play).  I have bought toys that have only lasted 5 minutes, so when I find something that they like and is durable, I get pretty excited about it!  

Sophie and Bella's Picks

1.  Kong Classic and Extreme - my dogs love this toy, especially when I fill it with doggie treats and peanut butter.  Mike is the last one to leave in the morning, so he usually fixes the Kong's for Sophie and Bella.  We have the red ones (which have held up pretty well), but when they finally wear out we will replace with the black Extreme version.
2.  Kong Goodie Bone - Sophie and Bella LOVE to play tug-o-war, and they use the Kong Goodie Bone solely for that purpose.  We started off with the red version, and it lasted for about 7 months (which is long for our pups).  I just replaced it with the Extreme version. 
3.  Chuckit -  Everyone at the Bark Park has one of these (well, not everyone, but a LOT of doggie parents), so of course we HAD to get one for Soph and Bella.  They LOVED it so much, we ended up getting another one, so we can each "chuck" a ball to them at the same time (and since we usually get 2 of everything so they don't fight, LOL!!).  Since they are extreme chewers and have BIG jaws.  I recommend  THIS ball (the tennis-like one that comes with it, bit the dust immediately).
4.  Goughnuts - I found these toys one day while I was searching the internet for durable toys for pitbulls.  The are not very fancy (and my kids make jokes about one of them), but they are built to take a beating (we have had ours for 8 months and they still look brand new).  They are specially made with a red center.  If you dog gets to the red, you send it back and Goughnuts sends you another one for FREE!!  They are a little pricey, but considering all the toys our dogs have destroyed, it was worth the $$ (*note: the black ones are for extreme chewers, green is for moderate chewers)
5. Nylabone -These are OK.  I thought I would still add them to the list, since they are a somewhat durable toy.  Sophie and Bella Chew these like crazy, to the point that they end up spitting out pieces of it.  They usually last about 3-4 months.

So there you have it, Lots of doggie info on the blog today!!

Enjoy Today!