Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

WARNING: THIS IS A LOOOOONG POST..

It's obvious quite some time has passed between the moment I got Hogan and now...I only wish I had started this blog from the beginning of his coming home. But since I didn't, I thought I will catch you up until December of 2011, when my other little love came into my life..there will be lots of cute pictures in this post I can assure you.

A lot has happened..I moved back to my hometown of Columbia, SC in March of 2011 after living in Atlanta for 17 years. After that move Hogan started to suffer from severe separation anxiety...to the point that I came home to my loveseat no longer being a loveseat.  Yes, you read that right..kind of like this picture, only worse:

I would also come home to my nice kitchen knives all over the floor. He enjoyed taking them out of the cutlery block and spreading them out on the floor. How he never cut himself I will never know. If there was an ounce of paper anywhere, he would find it and rip it to shreds. I guess he knew Momma liked to entertain so he made confetti for my parties. So after the loveseat and knife incidents I decided to crate him..well that was another experience sure to frustrate any dog owner. I went through three crates before I broke down and bought the biggest, strongest crate I could find, and Hogan even gave that one a run for it's money (and mine). If you are a giant breed dog owner in need of a crate, I really suggest not opting for a cheaper option. Go ahead and get one made by Midwest Pet Metals. This was the strongest, biggest and most durable I could find. It was well worth the money. Was Hogan happy about it? Nope, but Momma sure was. I knew he would be safe and sound, and so would my kitchen knives.

It was obvious to me that obedience training was a must..but finding the right trainer was the issue. I wanted to find someone that knew the breed. You see, Great Pyrenees are bred to think independently, unlike a lot of other breeds. You tell them to "Come", they think about it first..So when I found Dawn O'Cain of Woof University, LLC I was elated to find out that she had actually bred Great Pyrenees and was very knowledgeable about them. Hogan did surprisingly well, and of course, I was one proud Momma..now, we may need a refresher course from time to time but overall, he really has become quite the good boy.

Once it got warm, I started taking Hogan to the lake..the lake is my second  home it seems. I live ten minutes from Lake Murray and my parents have a place at Lake Wateree so it's a given that he would have to try to enjoy it and come with.  Well, once I got him in the water, there was no stopping him. If there's water, he's in it..unless it's bath time..that is a different story..He loves the pool, the lake, rivers and streams. His all time favorite though? Boating. He loves to stand at the front of the boat with the wind in his face and white hair just flying. One thing I learned though..don't jump off the boat into the water...Hogan will dive in right after you and then you have to struggle to get him back onto the boat in the middle of the lake..

The dog park is where Hogan tries to make friends..emphasis on tries..poor baby is so big that hardly anyone will play with him. That makes me so sad because he's the sweetest thing and all he wants to do is play..He's just too damn big. The little ones are terrified of him, and the medium to large ones want to be as big if not bigger than him so they just boss him around. He does give it a good try though, and when all else fails, he heads to the sand pit to dig, or the doggie pool to wade. 

At home Hogan is 100% Pyr..protective, lazy and aloof. He comes to me when he wants loving. And if I want to give him loving I have to get down on the floor with him to rub his big belly or scratch his chest. At night he gets on the bed for some cuddle time, and will give me the "Pyr Paw" if I stop..and so I start again. Once I doze off, he slides off the bed and finds himself a cool spot on the bathroom floor to lie down for bed. He likes to sit on the back of the couch (the one that used to match the above mentioned loveseat), and look out the big picture window to see what all is going on in the neighborhood. And don't you worry, he certainly lets me know when there's a cat in our yard or 2 miles away. In his mind, this is something I should drop everything to come see. 

As he grows and grows so does my love for him. He's goofy, sweet and challenging. Here are some pictures from the last couple years to kind of catch you up..

And His Name Is...

Ok, so you all know I got this cute, fluffy, white puppy. That was the easy part right? Just picking up the cutest thing ever and taking it home...how hard could that really be? Piece of cake..the hard part? Picking a name! What on earth was I going to name this wonderful bundle of joy? I didn't want standard name like "Bandit" or "Jake"..not that anything is wrong with that mind you, I just wanted something more original. So after a long debate with friends and loved ones at the house one night, I just couldn't think of something..Then, as the TV was turned to USA, there was an advertisement..and that advertisement was for WWE...yes folks, you read that right the damn WWE..and who was on the commercial?? Hulk Hogan...At first someone suggested I name him Hulk..after all, he was big like the Hulkster and had white hair..so it did seem like it would fit, the only problem was, I didn't like that..the next suggestion was Hogan..and Hogan it was..it just fit him. He looked like a Hogan. Since then his nicknames have become Ho Ho, Hulkamania, Hulkster, Hos and Hoagie. I just love my little monster.

How It All Started

So, call me crazy..I love big dogs. Now a big dog to some people might be 50 pounds, maybe 80 pounds. Not me. I like them 100+ pounds. It's ok..go ahead and call me crazy. Two days before Thanksgiving 2010, I decided Chance, my 13 year old Flat Coat Retriever needed a buddy. He had been without one for a couple of years so it was time for a new face.  I really, really, really wanted a Newfoundland..did I say how much I really wanted one? The only issue was I couldn't find a breeder that didn't want gobs of money for one. I certainly couldn't justify spending $1,500+ on a dog! Did I let that deter me? Nope, I just changed course. So I googled "Giant Breed Dogs"...low and behold the majestic Great Pyrenees popped up. I was hooked..I kept looking and looking at all the pictures and websites. I had to have one.  HAD TO.  So I found a breeder who had eight week old pups and only one was left. A boy..I told her to not let him go anywhere, I was coming the next night to see him. The excitement the next day was more than I could stand. I drove an hour and a half to go see him and was a giddy girl the whole time and I am sure I had a ridiculous grin on my face the entire time looking like a fool but who cares? I was about to go see a big ball of white fluffy cuteness that no one could resist..So I pull up this long dark driveway to be greeted by Ken and Polar Bear. Polar Bear was the dad of the puppies, and he was a beast..a big, beautiful beast. Ken led me to the barn where I laid eyes on the most precious puppies ever. There were two left with Grace the mom, one was waiting be picked up by his new parents..the other, was the one waiting to find a home of his own. And that home, was going to be mine. I knew from the moment I laid my eyes on him I was his new Momma...And so, the "little" guy became mine. I didn't have a name yet, but that didn't matter, that would come in a day or so. I had to take him by Nanna and Bobby's house so they could have a peek. No, it couldn't wait until tomorrow. It had to be done that night..So here we are:

Once that introduction was done I knew I had to face Chance. I knew the look I was going to get...it would go something like this "REALLY Mom, another one"..it's the same look I got when I brought home Chelsea Mae, my golden retriever from years ago..but I knew my boy would warm up to the new guy soon..and he did, as you can see in this picture:

So that is where it all began folks and the journey has been never ending ever since!

Here We Are..

Hi, I'm Liz...and I love dogs, especially my dogs..if you haven't guessed that yet.

I am an early thirties Southern gal who wants to share my love for my boys, as well as the crazy stories that come with them.

Currently living in Columbia, South Carolina with my two Great Pyr's Hogan and Hurley, where every day is an adventure...literally...you never know what I might come home to. One thing is for sure, I am always welcomed with big Pyr smiles, hugs and wagging tails.

One might wonder why I have two beasts for dogs. Simply put, I have no idea how I got myself into this, but I am loving every minute of it..won't you come and enjoy the ride with us?