On May 21st, 2009 my good friend Linda W. and I packed up her van with two adult Bullies and two puppies and headed to Illinois for the Illiana dog shows. The puppies were from a litter that she co-bred and we were delivering one to a family in Wisconsin and another at the dog show. They were so cute. Linda was also going to be showing a dog - Hooty for the family that owns him. He is also from a litter that she had about 3 years ago.
I had planned to go on this trip just to get out of the house after Rupert passed but it soon turned in to a puppy pick up for our family as well. There was a new all white puppy dog with our name on it in Pennsylvania. We were fortunate enough to be able to pick him up at the shows. He is a half brother to Rupert. They share the same father - "Manny" Ch.Apprentice Man In Action. Manny is a beautiful brindle and white dog who caught my attention early in my quest to find a Bull Terrier. It cracked me up when we received Rupert as he was all white with wonderful red ears and red eye patch. He didn't look too much like Manny but we loved him so much.
Now, another Manny pup was to be ours and Franne was going to pick the best one for us. I was hopeful as I knew the litter of seven had four boys, three of which were colored. I believed my chances of getting a Manny look alike were high. When Franne sent the photos of the pup she picked for us, I laughed out loud. Not because he was funny looking but because he was the only all white puppy in the whole litter. What are the chances. We trust Franne and knew that she picked the right one for us.
On Friday, May 22nd Cindy P. drove all the way from Pennsylvania with her bitch Tansy (who just had 10 puppies of her own at the end of June!) and our new boy. She was so tired from the long trip that she handed him off quickly with a packet of papers and some food and was off to bed. There I was, standing in a dark parking lot of the motel with my all white boy, looking at him and wondering who he was. Linda and her friend Robin had gone off for a walk with the older dogs as we weren't expecting the delivery to happen so early. I walked back to our room wondering what I had gotten myself into. He was very cute but I kept looking for the red ears of Rupert. For an instant I wondered if I had jumped into this too soon. I did't want to compare them, it wouldn't be fair to the new little guy. Rupert left a huge hole in my heart and I really wondered if this new bundle of white and very sharp teeth would be able to fill it. The name I had chosen all of a sudden didn't seem to fit. So for the next four days I called him puppy while Linda, Robin, her husband Cliff and I all tried to come up with something fitting. We got pretty silly at times but nothing seemed to stick. Here are a few photos of his arrival in Illinois.
Puppy came home to Minnesota with all engines in overdrive. He had so much energy he exhausted me. He was in to everything and anything and those teeth! He caught me by the finger my first day with him and it bled so much I thought I might faint. I reached for a toy just as he was going for it and he sliced my index finger top and bottom with those sharp canines. I called him a few choice names when that happened and am now glad that none of those stuck.
Like Rupert, he wormed his way into our hearts and lives. He soon became known as Emmett which is the name I had chosen originally. Once we got home it seemed to fit. His Aussie brother Fizzbo was none too pleased to see this new little land shark. Soon the tufts of Fizzbo hair were flying although this time around Fizzbo learned that he can say no and mean it. They get along very well and also know when to leave each other alone. Here are a couple of them together.
We only had to tape Emmett's ears for two days before they stood on their own. Here he is with his new look. It was a little sad for me as he seemed to grow up overnight. Love the floppy look but am so glad they went up and stayed up!
Emmett's nose hasn't filled in completely and for a short time I thought about calling him Mickey.....take a look at the photo and see if you can figure out why..
Emmett is such a smart boy. He has learned at the age of about 10 weeks to sit and wait for the OK to get his food. He will sit about 20 feet away and not move until he hears the word. The funniest part is that when I prepare his food he will go out and sit in the dining room in his spot without me having to ask. He also remembers every house on our walks where people have come out to pet him. Now, when we walk, he has to stop at each place and see if his friends are coming out. Makes for a very long walk when we have to stop so often.
As with Rupert, my most favorite photos are of him sleeping. He looks like such an angel when his eyes are closed.
That's it for now. I have more to post of his puppy play date with Reno and his time at Camp Woodruff while we were away at a wedding. Will have to wait for another day.
