We're here! We've been here since Thursday and the bullies are back to loving their lives in the woods. They are exuberant- absolutely joy-filled. I want to follow them around and take their pictures all day every day. Bulldogs aren't really known for being outdoorsy or active, but these two love being at camp.
Here are a few shots from the past few days.
At the gas station, ready to head to camp
We got stuck in a traffic jam for the first 10 minutes.
Within 5 minutes of arriving at camp!
Soaking in the sun and snuggles.
Playing....
Playing...
SO happy to be at camp!
This is how Griffin spends a lot of his time while Olivia plays on the field.
Sleepy baby is satisfied after a long day of playing, relaxing in the sun and exploring the woods.
Scene- me with a heavy (overfilled) box precariously balanced in my arms.
step, step, *crash* step, step, *crash* "Olivia!"
This dog won't let me out of her sight and is following me closely wherever I walk but she's not actually paying attention to where I am because every time I stop, she crashes into the back of my legs. Although it might also be that she wants me to know that she is there (annoying either way).
Once she gets yelled at to go lay down, a few minutes later I hear,
*thunk* "woof" which is the sound of Olivia jumping on Griffin and knocking him to the ground while she humps him in the head out of boredom.
"Olivia!"
As I get near the gate with the heavy box still in my arms, the sound of the running of the bulls thuds through the backyard, followed by *crash* *crunch* *slam* as we all fight to be the first one out of the gate, them pushing and shoving as if they are going to miss their ride. Olivia barks and jumps (forgetting she is a bulldog!) and Grif looks excited, confused, a little nervous and desperate not to miss out on anything.
I get the box in the car and usher two bulldogs back inside the fence, telling Olivia to go lay down and relax.
*Glare* as in actual side eye from said bulldog (if looks could kill). I swear I saw her lift her little paw and give me a puppy middle finger.
5 minutes later, I'm carrying the next overfilled heavy box...
step, step, *crash* step, step, *crash* "Olivia!"
*thunk* "woof"
"Olivia!"
So we're on warning number 5. I'd like to think if she was a real child I would have followed through with my threats, but she's a dog, so we are just on repeat.
Right now we're taking a break and I am gulping down wine, which is clearly going to make the moving boxes thing go way better as the night goes on. Olivia isn't thrilled with the sitting or the wine, and maybe I've already had too much to drink, but I swear she just lifted up her wrist as if to look at her watch and gave me a dirty look about the speed at which I am moving.
She's might lose her mind when I leave her at home to go to my office in the morning. I'm hoping to sneak out really early before she notices.
Our house is a mess with suitcases, boxes and piles all over- clearly communicating we are heading to camp, and yet, we are NOT at camp.
Olivia doesn't get "second dinner" anymore.
Olivia hates the tv show "Chopped".
Olivia is sick of getting yelled at for picking on Grif (because **deep breath** if she tackles and knocks him down again, I am going to go to the store and buy a kennel for her to live in for the next few days).
Olivia hates my computer.
Olivia is annoyed.
Olivia is miserable.
Olivia is taking out her misery on Grif and I (Nate is on a business trip or he would be a target as well).
This little bulldog is driving me insane. The feeling is mutual, which means that the three of us are having a rough night.
48 hours until we are at camp.... Deep breaths for all of us in the meantime...
I love these two dogs more than anything in the world. I want to go on record as saying that the abuse they suffer is not intentional...
So, "take one" at the wedding outfits didn't go super well. XL wasn't quite big enough and apparently Olivia and Griffin don't love getting dressed up.
So, we'll have to keep brainstorming.... otherwise I might get bit in the face... and no one would blame them.
Olivia, Griffin and I spend Thursday-Sunday at camp.
Olivia knew something was up on Wednesday night. She can always sense it. And she responds by letting me KNOW she knows something is happening.
I told her "tomorrow", which is a word she knows.... unfortunately. At 7am on Thursday, I heard, *crash* (fat little body hitting the door) followed by screeching. And then for the rest of the morning, she made terrible, awful, obnoxious noises to let me know she was impatient with me.
FINALLY (11am) we left for camp and made it up north by 2pm. We got out of the car and immediately headed to the field to play with the ball. We played until Olivia refused to chase it any more. We had some water, snacks, and then hung out with Abby, Megan, Ben and Tom (all of the bullies' favorite people). We walked all around, to one of camp and the other.
Ben was busy working on some projects to improve our internet connection and was crouching down by an electrical box. Grif ran over to him and stuck his big head right in there (I wish I had video of a little bulldog taking such interest in an electrical project). And then all of a sudden, he came running back towards me (looking so satisfied). It turns out, he had stolen Ben's screwdriver. Have I mentioned how much Griffin loves tools?!
Work Weekend was AMAZING. We had 60 people working HARD, getting camp ready. They remodeled our rec hall bathrooms, built a wall in the laundry room, updated lights in several places, raked, cleaned, dragged brush... basically an amazing tornado of fabulousness sweeping through camp, transforming it. For 7 years, I have spent this weekend feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, near tears (of amazement) and wanting to literally shout with excitement and joy over the change.
Meanwhile, two little dogs spent the day convincing people to stop and take a break to pet them, coo over them, and generally be distracted by them (...my bulldogs being the only thing I would really let interrupt this weekend).
They made everyone think they were starved for attention with their wiggles and cuteness. And while I was thrilled with the hard work transforming camp, I think I was even more thrilled with the love being heaped on my babies.
Olivia and Griffin spent the weekend riding around on the golf cart like they were in a parade, playing on the field with the ball, being petted, hanging out, eating marshmallows in front of a fire and rolling in the dirt. They were in absolute puppy heaven.
At the end of the day on Saturday, I took Liv and Grif out to play (for the 4th time that day). Shortly after we got out there, a group of kids headed our way. I wasn't quick enough to video how wiggly and excited Grif got, but this was the video I got of him running around with a group of boys. Grif LOVES being one of the boys.
The bulldogs LOVE camp. They LOVE attention. They revel in the activity around camp. So when I pulled my bags back out, loaded the car and got ready to leave, they looked miserable. I basically dragged them into the car to leave. And then we got home and Olivia looked at me like, "are you kidding?" She refused to come inside, instead, sitting outside and pouting for an hour. Then I made her come inside and eat dinner. Afterwards, she went right back outside (taking Grif, who didn't really know what to do) and both of them pouted for another hour.
We'll head back to bulldog paradise in 10 days, so I refuse to feel guilty. But as of this minute, I have two UNHAPPY, very tired, bulldogs. Countdown to camp has begun!!
I had a meeting this morning, so Grif couldn't come to the office with me. I felt terrible- the separation anxiety is mutual. Olivia went to daycare and all day, I worried about Grif. He was totally fine when I got home and clearly I need therapy, but that's another post...
My car was being detailed today, which sounds uppity, but when you have two slobbering bulldogs that went to the muddy park every day for the past month, professionally car cleaning is not a luxury, it is a necessity. The detail place is only 2.5 miles from my house and since I am training for a half marathon and ran more than that yesterday, I decided to combine my run and picking up the car.
But Grif and I had been apart all day and I couldn't leave him again, so I got out the wagon and brought him with me.
"I refuse to look at the camera"
Griffin walked approximately 1 block before he started limping. He wasn't limping before the walk and he wasn't limping afterwards, but after about 5 minutes of walking, he'd had enough. I was satisfied with his accomplishment ad so was he.
The first mile was pretty easy. Grif got used to the wagon right away and we stopped several times to greet dogs and kids in the neighborhood. Other than refusing to pose for a cute photo, he was very cooperative.
"Why are you taking my picture?"
The second mile was entirely uphill- vertical, thought-I-was- going-to-die vertical. I huffed and puffed while I lunged forward, putting my head down, and concentrated on dragging 60 pounds of dog (and a wagon that is a lot heavier than it looks), while sweating and gasping for breath. Griffin had already drank about half of our water (you'd be surprised at how thirsty you get riding in a wagon in the shade on a nice day), so I only took a sip or two (yes, we were sharing a water bottle). Luckily the last half mile was mostly downhill. Our journey took a few minutes short of an hour and Griffin snored loudly the entire drive to daycare to pick up Olivia.
I was honked at multiple times, laughed at audibly by more than one person and at one point, I felt like I was in a parade because people kept stopping to wave at us. I don't think it will be a daily occurrence, but it was a great adventure for today.
Last weekend I returned from a work trip and Griffin, who had vomited each day I'd been gone, was cured as soon as I walked in the door. I blogged about my poor anxious baby boy. He and I were inseparable on Sunday, spent the day together in my office on Monday and both days, he was perfectly healthy. My sweet anxious baby just needed me...
But on Tuesday night, once again, Griffin vomited. I wasn't sure why- I thought he was better! On Wednesday night, he ate dinner and almost immediately, projectile vomited all over. It was 5:45 (the vet closes at 6) and I was sick with worry! I debated whether he could make it through the night or if I should rush him to the emergency vet.
I felt like the WORST bulldog mom that ever lived. How self centered could I be? How could I be so dumb and think my immune-compromised, special needs dog (who has a history of eating things he shouldn't) was just being dramatic, when he was clearly he was actually sick all along?! The guilt was eating me alive.
Thursday morning, we rushed to the vet to get his stomach x-rayed and a few blood tests to check his liver and kidney function. I tried to emotionally prepare for another surgery. Nate and my mom were standing by their phones, ready to support me through whatever bad news was coming.
$400 worth of x-rays and tests later, the vet was pretty confident that he had, in fact, been anxious when I was gone and that his little stomach was probably still a bit upset. Tuesday and Wednesday had been "at home days" for the dogs. Olivia didn't go to daycare and I had things going on outside the office, so Grif couldn't go with me.
Is there a clinical term for "mama's boy"?? Because that's what I have.
I am very thankful Griffin is healthy. However, the super extravagant honeymoon I was planning for 8-10 days?? It's going to be more expensive than we'd planned if we have to add in the vet bills that are going to result in Griffin and I being apart.
Are there any tropical resorts or Mediterranean cruises that are bulldog friendly? Never mind long, romantic walks on the beach- Nate and I holding hands and staring into each others eyes... Wagons don't roll in the sand and bulldogs would overheat quickly if they had to walk while wearing their lifejackets.... Ugh. I have created a needy little monster.
Anyway, Grif is fine. We've only been apart an hour or two since Thursday and there hasn't been any more vomit. I am FULLY aware that I created this problem. I'm just not sure what to do to fix it now...
