Pippa Turns 2.

my dog, Pippa, turned two...TODAY! (yes, i do realize she is a an animal & NOT my child...BUT she is my little shadow & my little companion) she may have four legs and drool and sniff and shed BUT i love this dog. she totally unexpectedly made me love her...like almost like it wasn't a choice. basically forced me. something i maybe didn't want...didn't want to love a dog (how pathetic are the people who love their pets...ugh)

i grew up with a mom who HATED our family dog...i mean loathed entirely.
i had the impression that they were a nuisance and a pain to have around.

i was scared of animals.
i was always scared of them scratching me or jumping on me or slobbering on my or getting "germs" on me or shedding on me or getting dirt on me or bitting me...basically anything and everything.

so to get a dog was a huge step for me.
and so glad i was talked into it by an animal lover (mr.)
i don't know if all dogs are created equal...i'm totally sold that english bulldogs are the best breed.
or maybe just the best breed for us.
i would recommend searching all breeds and narrowing it down to your top 3 then reach out to people who have those types of dogs and find out the good & the bad.
we knew the downside of bulldogs were their health.

our top dogs we wanted were:

Basset Hound.
but then found how stinky they were cause of close to the ground they are, BUT still one of the cutest. 

Shar Pei.
rolls & rolls...but get to big. 

Chow Chow
reminded us of little bears or little lions i don't know just so cute and fluffy
BUT they are known to be violent and not good around kids. 

so then we came across an english bulldog at a Duck game in the tailgate parking lot...and we were sold. it was the cutest little puppy. we then decided to look more into the breed. everything we heard we loved. we wanted a dog that wouldn't bark at people or bite. we wanted a dog that would be big but not too big. we didn't want a dog that could fit into your handbag. as andrew would say "a real dog".

i really hate dog smell. ya know when you go into someone's house and you know an animal lives there. and i also hate when dogs have nasty hair...haha maybe that's the cosmetologist in me. i like when pippa has a shiny clean soft white coat of fur. i'm a little OCD about it. i hate dirty dogs.

somethings that help (i swear by):

diffuser.  i love to diffuse orange and cinnamon essential oil...i just get the cheapest ones to diffuse because it's just for the smell. if i were drinking it i would make sure it was the highest quality essential oil. another combo that's great is lemon and lime. or lavender and tea tree. i love it! i also love a bath and body works candle too! (more scents later)

fish oil  this has lasted us 7 months and it's still going...my friend told me about fish oil. i thought it was a little intense to be giving your dog fish oil. I DON"T EVEN TAKE FISH OIL! but omg it makes the biggest difference in her coat. she is soft like a puppy because of fish oil. her coat looks healthy and shinny, unlike a lot of bulldog who have flaky and dry coats.

coconut oil. costco sells the cheapest per ounce PLUS it's organic and all that good stuff. i use to get it from trader joe's because it was the cheapest until i found the huge jug from costco. i use it for myself. for my skin. hair masks. cooking. in smoothies. in oatmeal...anyways so of course i read about the benefits it has dogs. and of course it's amazing for them too! so when i leave for work or long hours i take a spoonful & rub it all over her toys and bone...which leads me to her next one...

bones. don't get rawhide. they can't digest them very easily.

now for some more photos through out the year of miss pips.

she is super photogenic, if you didn't notice. 

happy birthday to the sweetest, laziest, friendliest pup to ever walk planet earth!!

she keeps me company and makes me laugh everyday. love her even if she hates to walk and chews things she isn't suppose too. she is just to cute not to forgive. 

she is no longer a puppy....tear drop. ha but really i wish we could go back to this photo below...the night we brought her home.  she was so scared she didn't even eat her cupcake. i'm sure we won't have that same problem tonight.