LIFESTYLE | PETS
Photography by Sherrod Photography
LIFESTYLE | PETS
Okay, so I know this is going to sound crazy to some of you out there, but my wife Christian and I own a male Pitt Bull (Balboa) and a female Pomeranian (Ruby). But, here’s the “kicker”: they live in the same house and they get along perfectly! Okay, well maybe not perfectly, but they’re both still alive. Lol! You’re probably thinking to yourself why hasn’t Balboa eaten Ruby yet. Well, that’s actually a valid question. And, honestly, early in the game we had a few close calls. When I would feed him before feeding her, she would run into the room and whenever she would get close to him he would snap at her. She would get out by the skin of her teeth, so I learned pretty quickly to feed them completely separate. If you ask any pet owner, they would tell you that their pets are like children. Not only in the sense that they require a lot of maintenance and not to mention money. But, their behavior and interaction is amazing. If you ask any pet owner, they would also tell you that pets take on the characteristics of their owner. I’m a cool, calm and collective type of guy; and Balboa is just the same; has my exact personality. Initially, people are afraid of him because of his size and the fact that he’s a Pitt Bull. But, he’s actually the sweetest dog ever. Before he was born, Christian was actually the one
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that wanted one of my brother’s Pit Bulls. I initially told her no. But, when we went to visit him after he was born, I fell in love and had to have him. So, my brother gave him to us as a gift and we picked him up when he was 6 weeks old. He was the last one to be born and he was the fattest one too. He was so juicy and thick that there was only one appropriate name to give him: Rocky Balboa. Unfortunately, out of a litter of 4, he is the only one that is still around today. He’s been with us through thick and thin and will always be a part of our family. Now Ruby is a completely different story. And, if you’ve been around her for any amount of time, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Christian always wanted a small dog to carry around in her purse, as she would always say when she would consistently ask me. And, I would consistently tell her no. But, then one day came when she finally broke me down through a text message. She was at our local flea market and ran across a Pomeranian. She sent me a picture of the dog and she was so cute that I just had to give in and tell her yes. A couple of hours later, she came home with a dog and a bag full of goodies. At this point, reality started
to set in and I realized that I just gave her permission to bring another dog into our home. But, I want you to understand where I was coming from. I didn’t like small dogs; I always thought that they were pointless. But, I came to see how much it made her happy to have. So, that made the pill a little bit easier to swallow. However, that didn’t make me go easy on her with the rules. I set some strict house rules. First, I told her that Ruby is her dog and her responsibility. I told her that I would not feed her, let her outside, clean up after her or do anything that would involve taking care of her in any way. Eventually that changed, but the basic rules still remain. Now if you know my wife and her personality, then you know Ruby and her personality. Ruby has taken on Christian’s characteristics in full throttle. Ruby is always on Cloud 10. She always wants to play and run around the house. She’s a sweet dog, but early on she was a huge pest. And, sometimes she still is! We love Balboa and Ruby and they will always be a part of our family. This article is the first of many blogs that Christian and I will write about The Chronicles of Balboa and Ruby. Check out Balboa and Ruby’s blog: www.BalboaAndRuby.esquaredmag.com JAN/FEB 2013 | ESQUAREDMAG.COM
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