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

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

ZZ Gram

Hey, Girl Girl and everydog out there! So many of you have been asking about my foster brother, the notorious Aireboy, ZZ. I told him that pups are missing him and wondering how he was, so he had his secretary (his new mom) write to tell us what he's been doing up at his new furrever home in Mushy Graham (that's Michigan for those of you who don't speak Goober).

ZZ, the Mushy Graham Aireboy

Here's the scoop on ZZ's new life (as dictated to his new mom).

My new family is absolutely perfect for me! I am loving it here! They let me take them out for walks twice a day for 2 - 3 miles in the morning and again in the evening. All five of the hooman pups in my family vie for my attention and cuddling-rights with me.

These hoomans here in Mushy Graham (Michigan) are amazing! They gave me my own parade a week ago. I walked with all these horses and a wagon load of hooman pups from the 4H group.

At first I was wondering about the horses (I literally glued myself to my mom's leg, and just stood there shaking). I got a big surprise from behind from a very gentle horse named Rusty, who just happens to LOVE dogs, and can't stand to see one without touching it with his nose. He was very gentle, and I warmed up to him pretty quickly. We're buddies now, and he even introduced me to his big Clydesdale pal.

The funny thing is that all along the parade route I was the main attraction! Everyone would say, "Here come the horses, ooooh, look at the doggie! What kind of dog is that?" I made sure to wave my paw the way Stanley showed me - like royalty.

Lately I've been trying to meet one of the barn cats, but she wasn't having any of it. Once Bobby (that's her name) gets used to me, though, I'm sure I'll have a buddy. She can only resist for so long.

One more thing. My fam is thinking about this blog thing. It might happen, but the jury is still out. I'll make sure Stanley points you all in my direction if I ever start one.

Airelove to all my buddies!
Missing GooberStan,
ZZ

Glass Asta

By the time you read this my foster brother, ZZ, will already be with his new family in Michigan! (Sigh...) Don't get me wrong. It's definitely cool with me that he now has a furrever home and all. I... just... really miss him. You could say on the emotional scale I've been somewhere between bummed and depressed.

ZZ in all his Goober Glory.

To bring me out of my slump my hooman girl had to get creative, and pronto! She decided she would surround me with things that remind me of someone else I love... someone who has been a breath of fresh aire in my life... someone who loves me and whispers wise words of encouragement to me in my times of need. That someone is my sweetpup, Asta (from NY).

Isn't she sweet as candy??

Asta always gives smoochie kisses to those she loves. My girl knows how much I cherish those smoochies, so she got me this banana (that's bandana, for those of you who are confused) so I will remember the sweet love of my fuzzy-faced girlie pup.

My smoochie kisses banana. It's not Asta Girl, but it reminds me of her smoochies.

The other thing she did was so unexpected I almost peed myself. She sat this object down in front of me.

It's an old ceramic Wire Fox Terrier who is chewing on a hat... a glass Asta!!!

It doesn't look exactly like her, but it sure did remind me of her. I was mesmerized.

I decided to make my first move. I pretended to be stretching my leg & let my paw fall around her booty region.

Then I checked to see if anyone was watching.






I went in for my first sniff. I sniffed her front end and nuzzled her ear.






Then I sniffed her back end.

Time for a goober kiss.

Then a little goober nibble.

Then I just mawled her. (mmwahh. mmwahh. She doesn't [mmwahh] smell like a [mmwahh] puppy).

Maybe if I can get her all the way into my mouth I can taste if she is a puppy.

(Pant, pant, pant, pant, pant). Now (pant), I'm a little embarrassed with myself.

She's just a glass Asta, right?

No matter. She makes me smile cuz she makes me think of the REAL THING! (And that has cheered me up considerably!)

The REAL PUPGIRL!

I'm not doing my happy dance just yet (I feel it coming on, though), but I am sending out all my goober love to ASTA, and to ZZ, and to all you dogs out there who have been so good to me as my ZZ left for his new home. His new family may be willing to start a blog for him. I'll keep you posted.

Love,
Stanley