Princess Bean Bean

Two years ago today my girl took crazy to a whole new level by flying down to Orlando, Florida to pick up a sissy for me. She was described as a little "bratty" pup who had a LOT of attitude. (Just what my girl thought I needed in a sissy.) At first sight my girl fell in love, dubbed her Stella Bean Latifah, and my crazy world became even crazier!

We asked Stella what she wanted for her gotcha day this year, and she thought it was time she had a throne. ("I'm a PRINCESS after all!")

Stella fell in love with this ugly old chair and claimed it as hers.

As you can see from the expression on her face even SHE gets bored holding court.

And... when Stella Bean gets bored her inner exhibitionist comes out.

Nothing like a little attitude for the camera person.

My girl often calls Stella by the name Stella Bean, which eventually morphed into Bean Bean.





Now Stella insists that we call her Princess Bean Bean!

She practically had a fit when we told her we'd think about it.

However, once we agreed to her request she announced that the audience with her public was over. (She had squeakies to mangle at a Merv cat to stalk.)

All I could think was, "Thank doG!" I was more than a little bored with her princess schtick, and decided I would start the celebration festivities out in my favorite position.

Despite her diva antics, I've got to say I love the little fuzz ball and I'm glad she's my sissy! So, Happy Gotcha Day, Princess Bean Bean! GooberStan would definitely not be the same without you!

Goober Love,

Stanley, the hooman girl, and Merv

GooberVersary #2

Not only is today St. Patrick's Day, it is also my Gotcha Day!!! It's been 2 years now since my girl & I mutually decided to adopt one another, and we are celebrating like crazy here in GooberStan! Some of you have heard this story before, but I want to share a little about how my girl and I came to be together.

About 6 weeks before I adopted my girl, her heartpup Rosie went to the Rainbow Bridge. She was my girl's first rescue Dale, and she was completely depressed without her. She thought she wouldn't be able to love another dog again like that for a VERY long time... until she stumbled across the blog of one, Bogart Handsome Devil. He and some of his blogging buddies cracked her up, made her cry, and made her fall in love with them. She realized she really did want to open her heart again to a pup, and when she went to the Airedale Rescue site, this is the first photo that caught her eye.

Who wouldn't be enamored with a face like that?

The only question she had was, "Does he like cats?" She had inherited Merv right after Rosie died, and was committed to keeping him, and told Merv she would get him his own dog. The rescue coordinator in Illinois (I am from the Chicago area) emailed her right back and told her I was cat friendly and that I was hers if she wanted me.

Here's what I looked like the first day I met her. The groomer for Airedale Rescue had some sort of emergency come up right after she had shaved down my head and couldn't finish grooming me. So, I had sort of a turtleneck thing going on. My girl was already in love with me, though, so it didn't matter.

My girl very quickly got me involved in helping other homeless pups. That's me on the right, and on the left is my first Airebud I met here. His name is Seger, and we were representing Airedale Rescue at a big Pet Expo in Kansas City. Everyone thought we were giant teddy bears.

My girl also let me have some foster brothers and sisters too. This is my first foster bro, Max. He stayed with me for 2 weeks on his way to his furrever home in Michigan. He only had 3 legs, but he was one heck of a wrassler! (Disregard the big wet spot on the rug... had nothing to do with us. Max is on the left, I'm on the right.)

Max and I got along so well (that's me on the left, Max on the right), that my girl arranged for us to foster my bud, ZZ, and some other pups too!

It became very apparent to her very quickly that I was a big GOOBER! Hence, my nickname GooberStan.

She loves me no matter how crazy or gooberesque I am. The feeling is completely mutual.

My girl realized that I needed a brother or sister of my own, so we started combing through all of the rescue sites to see who might be a good fit. I ended up with this crazy diva of a sissy, Stella! I'm so glad she's here with us! I can't imagine life without her!

Here are some photos of my Gotcha Day so far!

And here is the card my lovepup, Asta, sent to me. It makes me all wiggly inside just thinking about her!

We've got too much going on here today to write any more, but if you want to read my back story or see some of my puppy photos, you can find that here. Right now I've got a big juicy beef bone with my name on it! Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!!!

Loving life as a goober,

Stanley

Goobette Gotcha Day

One year ago today, my hooman girl winged her way down to Orlando, Florida to pick up this:

It all started when my girl fell in LOVE with Lacie when she & Scruffy started their blog. My girl is pretty committed to adopting rescue dogs, and never thought she'd see a female Lakeland Terrier she could adopt to be my sissy, until Stella and her four brothers were discovered at a hog farm in central Florida that doubled as a puppy mill. They were in pretty bad shape when Florida Terrier Rescue picked them up, but all of them recovered well after getting some good medical treatment. When my girl saw Stella described as "bratty" she thought that might just be the sissy for me.

GooberStan has NEVER been the same since! Here's my sissy, Stella, Goobette ExtraordinAire, today (photo taken just moments ago).







We started our celebration this morning with some serious stick work in the back yard.

After some lively stick maneuvers, we waited patiently for the presentation of the ceremonial nanner (banana).

Knowing this was a solemn occasion, Stella was abnormally subdued...

... until she got her second bite. She couldn't hold back on that one!

After the initial excitement settled in, Merv said it was time for Stella's official portrait with our hoogirl. She rarely shows her face on our blog, but she's exceptionally vain about her hair. (That's why it features so prominently in the official portraits.) Merv couldn't decide between this one...

... and this one.

Now, everybody say "Awwwwww."

Stella was also surprised by some early cards of congratulations she received from our Frenchie bud, Balboa,

and from my Sweetpea, Asta!

You guys are all such good friends to Stella, and we LOVE YOU for it!

My girl, Merv, and I are so stinkin' happy to have Stella in our lives. She has definitely spiced things up here in GooberStan, and we can't imagine life without her.

The pawty's just getting started,

Stanley

GooberVersary: 1 Year Later

One year ago today the Republic of GooberStan was established when my hooman girl and I met for the first time. We decided on a mutual adoption ~ I needed a home and my girl needed a good goober in her life. Plus, once she saw this kind of gooberocity, she couldn't resist. Could you?

Would you like to take a peek at the little goober I was BEFORE my girl met me?

Get closer.

A little closer...

Ok. Here are a few of my puppy photos from my first home (which my first family made available to my girl).

That last puppy photo pretty much sums up my feelings about life with my first sister. She was an Airedale who was about 5 years older than I am, and she was NOT happy when I came into the house. In fact, she dogged me, literally, everyday of my life and tried to beat me up. I took it all in stride until I was bigger than she was. When my family realized I was no longer going to put up with it, they decided to put me up for adoption (after much agonizing). Their loss was my girl's gain.

This is me, GooberStan, as my girl first saw me. (The groomer for Airedale Rescue had a personal emergency come up right after she groomed my head, and couldn't finish my Airecut. So, I looked like I was wearing a thick turtle neck sweater.) We had our historic first meeting in the parking lot of a Marriott Hotel in Galesburg, Illinois when I was still a wee pup of 11 months.

My original name is not Stanley. I had a different name that didn't really fit my personality, and my girl knew that she would have to discover my true name. She came to get me armed with a list of old fart names to try out on me, but was partial to Stanley after hearing my bio. She thought that underneath all that fur beat the heart of a Stanley, and within the first minute of meeting me knew it was true.

As soon as I got home, I ran into this guy, Merv. My girl told me that I not only belonged to her, but that I belonged to him too. (She said she promised Merv he could have a pet dog once he got settled into the house).

Little did I know then just how much trouble we'd get into together. He's also a very talented artist & photographer. Here's a few of his fave shots he took of me.

A lot has happened in the last year. I've grown very protective of all of my balls, after losing 2 of which I had been particularly fond.

I found love (Asta, Ruby, and Suki, my lovepups, have been very patient with me) and made a ton of new friends on & offline...

Lady Bug

ZZ

Pink Flamingo

and Hercules.

I did a LOT of ROACHIN'...

and WRASSLIN'!

I learned about loss when friends I love like Dovah Doo and Oscar went to the Rainbow Bridge. (Miss you guys!)

I even learned to swim.

But, my biggest challenge by far, was becoming a big brother to my sissy, Stella. (You see, I had never seen what a good older sibling should be like, and I wanted to be the best big brother I could be.) It's hard to imagine life in GooberStan without her.

This goober has MANY faces, and here are just 2 of mine from this morning as my Gooberversary began!

Let the celebration BEGIN!!!!

Running like the wind and loving life in GooberStan,
Stanley