I am a sucker for puppies -- which is why we have four dogs. At no point was I able to "put my foot down" and "just say no." I remember being extremely annoyed that Joe wanted a third dog-- a large dog, and a Doberman at that. I was easily convinced by You Tube videos of Dobermans with pugs and Dobermans with babies.
The videos only convinced me that I was willing to go look at a litter of puppies. Of course, once I saw them, my puppy fever was raging and I had to have one! Max had a lot of litter mates-- he was one of only two red's though, both males. Joe wanted a black Doberman, but because I didn't want the dog to begin with, so he let me be the one to pick the dog.
I chose Max because he was continuosly playful with us. Unlike his litter mates, who would come out for a second and then creep back to sleep, Max would stay out with us. We saw him twice the afternoon we chose him and he was like that both times. I also loved the color-- Red Dobermans are not as common as the Black ones.
Max has been a constant joy interspliced with moments of being a constant pain in the ass (haha). At only one year old, he has already surpassed the high end of the average size of a male Doberman. The max is typically 90 pounds and 28 inches. Max has maxed out and is still growing! In fact, this weekend we have noticed that his chest is beginning to drop.
It's difficult to explain to people just how much I love my Dobermans. They have amazing personalities, are sweet, sensitive and protective dogs. They love us in such a huge way, it makes not loving them back impossible.
Sadie, for example, is the sweetest dog. She is lovable and gentle. While writing this at our dining table, Sadie came up to me and rested her head on my arm. She left after some petting and kisses to her nose. Not a single person has met Sadie and not immediately commented on how sweet she is.
Max, looks terrifying. I'll admit it- I nearly cried at a Vet visit awhile back because the Vet put a muzzle on him. The Vet assistant kept saying "look at his eyes, look at his eyes" and they didn't want to risk him losing it and attacking them. Clearly, the Vet had not worked a lot with Dobermans, which is a common problem for Doberman owners. By contrast, one of our neighbors is a dog trainer (personal and police) and as such, has worked with Dobermans. He talked about how people will be afraid of Max but said "look at his eyes, you can tell he is a puppy."
I understand the fear-- they are used in movies a lot to show a "scary" dog. We saw one on a preview for Sons of Anarchy the other day. Just yesterday, Joe and I were watching America's Sweethearts and Catherine Zeta-Jones character has a Doberman. We laughed a lot at the end because the Doberman at the very end (you see a close up the face) is supposedly growling. The Doberman is actually not growling, it must have been spliced in after. The Doberman then jumps at Billy Crystal's character and "attack" barks. The bark is actually a play bark, and the jump is play too-- our Dobes do it to us if we ask them to jump up onto our chests.
We've heard that the reason they are used in movies is because they look ferocious but actors are not afraid to work with them because of how sweet they are.
The point is simply that when it comes to Dobermans, you definitely cannot judge a book by it's cover. I would recommend one to anyone, with the only stipulation being that they are not dogs that can be left alone alot, require a lot of personal love and affection, and are athletic and need someone who can work out with them. Beyond that, they are priceless and I am constantly marveling at how much I love them and how much happiness they have brought into my life.
Here are some great videos that showcase just how sweet they are (Sidenote: Joe and I do not children, but when we do, we will now allow our Dobermans to be around the baby alone. Nor, would we allow our baby to bathed by a Doberman like one of the videos, unless we were absolutely sure they would not react to anything the baby could do. Dobermans are wonderful, but like all dogs, extra care must be taken around small children to ensure that nothing bad happens. We will work tireless with all four of our dogs, to make sure they are good and safe around children)
Doberman bathing baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixvim4OlPfg
Doberman guards baby from other dog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXCrmrcQnU4
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Weekend is Almost Here
I don't consider myself a weekend fiend. I look forward to them, of course. But I can usually get through my week without waiting impatiently for the end of the work week to come. The summers this year have been so mild, I've been extremely impatient during the week.
In any case, I'm just thankful it is Friday and am looking forward to a very relaxing weekend. Trying to be come proactive when it comes to the pugs. Need to get better about brushing them (you'd be amazed at how much fur Otis has) and entertaining them. A lively pug makes a long living pug. Luckily, they seem to run and play at Sydney speed which is pretty chill.
Here's a pic from a recent trip Joe, myself and our friend Vivek took to San Diego. San Diego is one of Joe and my favorite Sydney. We'd love to take the dogs, but the cost to have pets in a hotel room is monstrous. Not happening :)
Happy Friday!!!
In any case, I'm just thankful it is Friday and am looking forward to a very relaxing weekend. Trying to be come proactive when it comes to the pugs. Need to get better about brushing them (you'd be amazed at how much fur Otis has) and entertaining them. A lively pug makes a long living pug. Luckily, they seem to run and play at Sydney speed which is pretty chill.
Here's a pic from a recent trip Joe, myself and our friend Vivek took to San Diego. San Diego is one of Joe and my favorite Sydney. We'd love to take the dogs, but the cost to have pets in a hotel room is monstrous. Not happening :)
Happy Friday!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Final Bathroom
The guest bathroom renovation has been done for awhile, but I finally have gotten around taking and posting the final pictures.
Before:
After:
The sink that started it all - Thanks Chuck and Allison!
New medicine cabinet/mirror and paint
New light fixture and swith covers/faceplates
New flooring-- ceramic tile w/ glass inserts
Lastly, new bathroom textiles.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Such a shame..
Costco Home is closing. I understand we are in recession, but it's ONE store. Even Razmataz can stay open.
To mourn the loss of our beloved Costco home, Joe and I decided to go and see if we could find any good deals on furniture. We did!
Good find # 1 : Book Shelf
The shelves are glass, the bottom cabinets are mirrored and the sides have an intricate wood carved detail (see second photo). We'll be moving the books to a bookshelf that we are going to go purchase off Craigslist after I'm done with this blog.
Good find #2 : Golf Art
This piece is rather large. This makes it a perfect fit for the wall above our sofa which you can see in photo number two. The subject of the photo are golf clubs and golf balls. We love golf in this house!
Good find # 3: Jazz Art
I'll tell you right now this piece was $20.00. It's a fun pop of color on a wall that previously had nothing on it.
Below is a view from the front door walking in. Like I said, the Jazz piece takes up a lot of space.
Great find #4: Flower Art
You can see the framed print in the photo above, and here is a view looking down from the loft. I like that when you walk in to the house your eye catches the red from the Jazz photo and the red from the flower print at the same time. It visually connects the two spaces.
If you frequent this blog then you know that we also painted this weekend, because the turquoise wall was a color called "Toasty Gray" before. I despise all walls that have Toast Gray in our house, so I decided it was time to change at least one of them. I wanted something that would POP and something that was FUN. The color is Riverway by Sherwin Williams. Both Joe and I love it. Thank God because when I got the first coat on there yesterday he said he loved the color but wasn't sure about it being on such a main wall. I think it came together great in the end.
Great find #5: Bookshelf/wine shelf
Joe and I had been talking about building a modular shelving system to fit underneath the stair case. It's an empty little niche that we thought would be convenient for some extra storage. We saw this at Costco and added it to our growing list of items to purchase. It's perfect for the space and holds wine, alcohol and whatever else we need it to.
Miscellaneous:::
Joe has been busy updating the loft to be more conducive for business because he is going to be doing a lot more work from home in the near future. First, he had his CPA certificate, AICPA certificate, and ASCPA certificate framed. He also did some rearranging so he can use the space to work and to relax when he needs a break. The chair is a new find--- recently purchased off Craigslist.
To mourn the loss of our beloved Costco home, Joe and I decided to go and see if we could find any good deals on furniture. We did!
Good find # 1 : Book Shelf
The shelves are glass, the bottom cabinets are mirrored and the sides have an intricate wood carved detail (see second photo). We'll be moving the books to a bookshelf that we are going to go purchase off Craigslist after I'm done with this blog.
Good find #2 : Golf Art
This piece is rather large. This makes it a perfect fit for the wall above our sofa which you can see in photo number two. The subject of the photo are golf clubs and golf balls. We love golf in this house!
Good find # 3: Jazz Art
I'll tell you right now this piece was $20.00. It's a fun pop of color on a wall that previously had nothing on it.
Below is a view from the front door walking in. Like I said, the Jazz piece takes up a lot of space.
Great find #4: Flower Art
You can see the framed print in the photo above, and here is a view looking down from the loft. I like that when you walk in to the house your eye catches the red from the Jazz photo and the red from the flower print at the same time. It visually connects the two spaces.
If you frequent this blog then you know that we also painted this weekend, because the turquoise wall was a color called "Toasty Gray" before. I despise all walls that have Toast Gray in our house, so I decided it was time to change at least one of them. I wanted something that would POP and something that was FUN. The color is Riverway by Sherwin Williams. Both Joe and I love it. Thank God because when I got the first coat on there yesterday he said he loved the color but wasn't sure about it being on such a main wall. I think it came together great in the end.
Great find #5: Bookshelf/wine shelf
Joe and I had been talking about building a modular shelving system to fit underneath the stair case. It's an empty little niche that we thought would be convenient for some extra storage. We saw this at Costco and added it to our growing list of items to purchase. It's perfect for the space and holds wine, alcohol and whatever else we need it to.
Miscellaneous:::
Joe has been busy updating the loft to be more conducive for business because he is going to be doing a lot more work from home in the near future. First, he had his CPA certificate, AICPA certificate, and ASCPA certificate framed. He also did some rearranging so he can use the space to work and to relax when he needs a break. The chair is a new find--- recently purchased off Craigslist.
All in all, the art, furniture and paint make a huge difference. The house looks more filled in, the walls less bare which makes everything more cozy. Off to get another bookshelf! Since Costco Home has failed us, good thing we still have Craigslist.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Update
I originally started this blog so that our friends and family would be able to keep up-to-date with our new home renovations. This would save on us having to send constant emails with new photos of all our projects.
We have been in the house for 8 months and the major overhaul of projects is over, ending with the hardscaping of the backyard. It has been the biggest transformation to date, only to be later out done by our hopeful, future plants of renovating our kitchen and master bathroom.
Since things are calming down, and I don't want this blog to be without purpose, I think I'll just blog about the random happenings in our lives.
Starting this weekend.
Saturday was a great day. Joe and I took all of the dogs to the park at the end of our street. We have a large, gated park at the end of the our cul-de-sac and since we happen to live at the end of the cul-de-sac, we our very close to the park. The Doberman's are high-energy dogs, so Joe spends many an evening after work playing with them there.
We watched the dogs run up and down the park, chasing the ball and the frisbee. Joe is trying to teach Max how to jump and catch a frisbee. He has shown a real knack for doggy athleticism.
Someone in the area was nice enough to put a small doggy pool next to the water hose. Bless whoever put it there because it is wonderful for the dogs. Brady, espicially.
Brady is our smallest dog, but he might as well be a Whippet for as fast as he can run. He easily keeps up with the Dobermans and loves the game "Chase Max." He can really book it! Unfortunately, the poor boy is a PUG and his respitory system is not really meant for speed racing. I took him to the water hose to cool him off and get him some water, and found the pool there! I dropped him in and Joe and I moved our play up the hill so all the dogs could enjoy the water.
Sadie, who is not a good swimmer (or rather, not a swimmer at all) rather enjoyed simply standing in the pool of water.
After the park, Joe had a craving for Gelato and he found this amazing place called Arlecchino Gelataria. We took the Mini + Jake and had a nice brunch (I had crepes w/ honey and fruit, YUM) and some Gelato before heading home.
The rest of Saturday was pretty lazy. We spent Sunday doing mostly outdoor work which included spraying weed killer in the front planter beds (weeding sucks) and finally painting the fire pit. The weekend concluded with a nice dinner while watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith on TV and then some reading before bed.
Now it's Monday and I'm looking forward to Friday already!
Everybody getting ready to chase the ball. Or, in Brady's case, chase Max.
Sadie won!
We have been in the house for 8 months and the major overhaul of projects is over, ending with the hardscaping of the backyard. It has been the biggest transformation to date, only to be later out done by our hopeful, future plants of renovating our kitchen and master bathroom.
Since things are calming down, and I don't want this blog to be without purpose, I think I'll just blog about the random happenings in our lives.
Starting this weekend.
Saturday was a great day. Joe and I took all of the dogs to the park at the end of our street. We have a large, gated park at the end of the our cul-de-sac and since we happen to live at the end of the cul-de-sac, we our very close to the park. The Doberman's are high-energy dogs, so Joe spends many an evening after work playing with them there.
We watched the dogs run up and down the park, chasing the ball and the frisbee. Joe is trying to teach Max how to jump and catch a frisbee. He has shown a real knack for doggy athleticism.
Someone in the area was nice enough to put a small doggy pool next to the water hose. Bless whoever put it there because it is wonderful for the dogs. Brady, espicially.
Brady is our smallest dog, but he might as well be a Whippet for as fast as he can run. He easily keeps up with the Dobermans and loves the game "Chase Max." He can really book it! Unfortunately, the poor boy is a PUG and his respitory system is not really meant for speed racing. I took him to the water hose to cool him off and get him some water, and found the pool there! I dropped him in and Joe and I moved our play up the hill so all the dogs could enjoy the water.
Sadie, who is not a good swimmer (or rather, not a swimmer at all) rather enjoyed simply standing in the pool of water.
After the park, Joe had a craving for Gelato and he found this amazing place called Arlecchino Gelataria. We took the Mini + Jake and had a nice brunch (I had crepes w/ honey and fruit, YUM) and some Gelato before heading home.
The rest of Saturday was pretty lazy. We spent Sunday doing mostly outdoor work which included spraying weed killer in the front planter beds (weeding sucks) and finally painting the fire pit. The weekend concluded with a nice dinner while watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith on TV and then some reading before bed.
Now it's Monday and I'm looking forward to Friday already!
Everybody getting ready to chase the ball. Or, in Brady's case, chase Max.
Sadie won!
Sadie thought it was great fun to be able to stand in a giant water bowl. How convenient!
Happy!
Ah, relaxation! I love how they are all facing the same direction :)
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