Three Years?

I can't believe Seppel has been with me for three years! It seems like only yesterday I was asking friends if it was a good idea and begging my parents to let me "foster him".

Most everyone knows the story but I feel as it is our three year anniversary together I will share it again. Here is the original post I wrote when I started this blog that details how this all came to be:

"In 2011 I logged onto a dog forum that I frequented only to find out a dear friend had passed away. I wondered about her three dogs, two pit bulls and an older border collie but in the beginning nothing was said about her dogs, just that they were okay. In the weeks leading up to the dogs eventually needing a home the thought had crossed my mind "If only I lived nearby..." It was only a fleeting thought, until it became a reality. Eventually it was posted that one of the Pit Bulls and the Border Collie would be needing a home. At first I jumped at the Border Collie because she was OLD - it would be a short commitment, however, when it came to be known that she was roughly 15+yrs flying her out to Oregon from North Carolina did not look like a good option. In the midst of jumping at the Border Collie posting, a posting for Seppel appeared.

I don't really remember the pm's that transpired, but it involved me messaging the forum admin and saying if we could get Seppel out here I would take him. The thing is, Seppel's owner sent me money to pay for my late dog Sofie to get an MRI and the money she sent also covered some of her chemo. It sounds super easy to take money from someone but it was something I seriously hesitated to do - did my dog deserve it? Did I deserve it? I would never be able to pay her back. The thing is, Seppel's owner wanted to help me. She helped many people and many pets in this way. It was humbling, and eye opening. And now, in Seppel's time of need, in his late owner's time of need, I knew that the way I could repay her was to promise to give her dog a good home to live out the rest of his life. I got into contact with Seppel's late owner's daughter, told her why I wanted to offer him a home, explained how appreciative I was of everything her mother had done for me. I also explained that this would be my first time ever owning a Pit Bull, that most of my experience with them is through working in a veterinary clinic and that my parents were not big fans of the breed. Fortunately for me everyone involved felt I could offer Seppel a good home.

Through the efforts of the dog forum, and Seppel's late owner's daughter, Seppel was flown out here October 22nd, 2011"

It all seems like a blur to me now. I took on a dog that I had never met before, all I had to go on was what his former owner's daughter could tell me. I knew I was taking a big risk, especially given his breed. Pit Bulls do not have a good reputation, and rightfully so because there are many out there who are jerks. I couldn't have been more lucky and would never get a dog this way again - simply because I doubt it would work out so well.

The first year I didn't do much with him. Our time was spent mostly working on training and integrating him into my household. He got along with Seth and LiLo pretty well, but there were some bumps in the road. They had to be monitored outside because he would get too rough or try to hump them and if they reprimanded him he would get nasty. The played well inside together no problem but the play was way less intense inside.
I can't wait to
I think the beginning of his second year was when we found the sport of Schutzhund. It was something I had tried with Seth but he didn't have the toy or prey drive for it. We drove up to a club in washington and that is where I discovered that he was cut out for the sport. He hit the bite sleeve like he had been doing it his whole life. He took to it so naturally and we never looked back. I did some research and found a trainer down in Salem and the rest has pretty much been history.

I know I am lucky with how well things have turned out. He has made me completely fall in love with the pit bull breed and he has given me an opportunity to participate in  a dog sport that I think is awesome. I can't picture my life without him now - simply because he is so animated and has so much personality. There is absolutely never a dull moment when he is around.

I scoured the internet for a song to make a short video/photo montage of him, I settled with some Frank Sinatra - I think the song definitely describes how I feel about him.

I can't wait to see what our future holds.