Heavy Petters

06/05/2024

"Daaad, is that really you?"

06/05/2024

Coupla Brothas from anotha M***a 🖤🤎🧡

02/29/2024

Bitch Slap

01/19/2024

"🎶She Works Hard for the Money🎶"

01/18/2024

Believe it or not, these are all working breeds. 😅

12/25/2023

I sure hope Santa is rerouting. These naughty turkey's have been up all nite bein' nice. But they did eat all his cookies.
❣️🤍❣️🤍❣️🤍❣️

12/22/2023

I caught them in bed together and realized it's time for 'The Talk'.
-- Which, in my world means, 'Keep your filthy paws off my clean white sheets! For the love of all that is good and pure!!'

07/19/2023

Given I’m working with dogs, playing with dogs, riding with dogs, sleeping with dogs, .... and ‘PICKING UP’ after dogs; I am an obsessive Hand Washer. I scrub my hands at the kitchen sink with a nail brush multiple times a day like I’m prepping to do surgery.

But, I don’t often check the rest of myself out in a mirror. I may give myself a couple quick glances in passing, but I really only give myself a once over a few times a day before leaving the house. Just enough time to make sure there is no spinach in my teeth, no bats in the cave, and my eyebrows and/or breasts are not askew or untucked.

So, imagine my dismay when just before heading out for the evening to return my Dog Pack to their respective Owners, I stop by the bathroom, wash my hands, and look up to see a line of smeared Dog P**p above my upper lip. A P**p Moustache.

Yes. That’s riiiiiiight.

I had somehow managed to give myself a Dirty Sanchez.

And not only had I probably had s**t under my nose for the better part of the day, I had talked to one of my neighbors when I’d picked up my mail, and, AND, when I’d answered my front door to give hell to the door to door AT&T sales dude for blatantly ignoring the ‘No Soliciting’ sign.

I was devastated. This was what my world had come to? Really?

Tears spilled down my face. It was just all too much …. Too much Dog. Too much P**p.

I spent the hours immediately following my horrific discovery, driving all 8 Pooches home to their respective Owners. And upon my own return home, another two hours looking up an appropriate Crisis Center Hotline, researching some kind of Radiation Therapy for my face, and contemplating drowning myself in a Fishbowl of Bourbon.

I was in a fog, lost in my own mind, floundering in the debris of a thousand shattered dreams. Trying to make peace with the unthinkable.

And then, just when I’d reached the moment of acceptance, I remembered that earlier in the day, while picking up a dog at a Client’s house, I’d spotted a plateful of Shortbread Cookies and snagged one. When I had taken the first bite, the cookie had begun to crumble because it had been sitting out for a while. I had quickly caught the pieces in my hand, raised my palm up to my lips, cupped it over my mouth and tossed in the remains of the melting CHOCOLATE DIPPED!! Shortbread Cookie.

08/28/2019

"Uh, yeah, I'd like a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, hold the Onions, a Large Fry, and a Strawberry Shake. Make that two of everything. Thanks."

06/26/2019

Ever notice a dog has great difficulty backing up from a door you're trying to open, but easily cranks their head backwards to lick their own bottom?

04/11/2018

When the Hunter becomes the Hunted.

05/18/2016

What do you WANT?

02/17/2016

Goooood. Ness.

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY
We know everyone enjoys keeping tabs on certain dogs that come in needing a little more help than others to overcome their past neglect. Each week, we’ll feature one of our fosters to show you how far they’ve come along.

So far, our Transformation Tuesday series has focused on the physical transformations that are clearly visible to the eye. Sometimes, the transformations are not as obvious in photos unless you look for the nuances of body language. As a foster parent, these transformations are powerfully moving as you finally get to see your charge blossom into the dog you believed was hidden inside all along.

On arrival in rescue nearly 7 months ago, Pearl was completely frightened and her insecurity made her reactive to every dog she met. Luckily for her, she found herself in an experienced foster home with the patience and love to help her work through her fears. When she first got to her foster home, she would lunge at every dog from within her kennel and growl if any of them dared to come near. Whatever her circumstances of her prior life, she felt the need to put on a big show to try to mask how fearful she really was. Her approach was to throw out pre-emptive strikes in an attempt to be the one in control. After about a week, her foster mom was finally able to manage a successful introduction between Pearl and a resident submissive male. It took an additional month to successfully manage introductions with some of the other dogs in the home and a full 4 months for her to be fully integrated with the pack including the puppy.

Pearl is a classic example of a dog who does not want the responsibility of being in charge but in the absence of leadership she’d had to assume that role in order to be safe. Discovering that she had a foster mom who could be relied on to protect her and who would be the one in charge of the pack took a tremendous burden off of Pearl’s mind, freeing her to finally allow herself to be calm and happy in the midst of the pack. She is finally getting to make up for lost play time with her newfound friends and it is beyond a joy to see!

Pearl, like so many of our dogs, is thriving under the guidance of strong, consistent leadership. Instead of lashing out on her own in new introductions, she now waits behind foster mom for assurance that she is protected and safe. Though she will likely never be a dog park dog or one to socialize in unpredictable situations, with love and patience (and leadership and protection) she can now be successful around other dogs. Her foster mom says watching this transformation from a scared and reactive dog to being calm, happy and relaxed around other dogs is the most rewarding experience and one of the reasons she continues to foster. We have so many dogs like Pearl whose prior circumstances have put them through so much. It’s tremendously gratifying to help give them the tools they need to cope successfully and see them finally become ready to succeed in their forever homes. Look at Pearl’s body language from beginning to now – from cowering posture with a dull expression to a full-on blur of play – and it’s clear what love and patience can do. Fostering saves lives!

If you’re interested in learning more about Pearl, check out her bio:
http://austinboxerrescue.com/boxers/pearl/

01/19/2016

Woah!! That's a lot more than 6 inches! ;-)

These guys are only available in Large , Extra Large , and XXL.

12/03/2015

" Ok, Reggie, say Awwwwwww .... "

10/08/2015

This is sooo much like our day at Heavy Petters, minus one cat, and of course the beautiful Australian Coastline. But at least our water is shark free. ;-)

Over 11 MILLION VIEWS! Inspired by Pharrell William's International "Happy" Hit! Lot's of dogs playing at the beach. Special appearance from "DIDGA" aka 'Wor...

10/07/2015

FACT.

08/16/2015

This is a good idea.

07/02/2015

The Love of My Life; She Challenges Me EVERY G'damn DAY!!

“”

06/15/2015

Yeah, I've come close to losing my pants and/or being arrested.

05/12/2015

"What? Me? Chew your slipper? I'd never. I'm just gonna cuddle it."

04/15/2015

Once we KNOW better, we must DO better.

Pet store owners and their employees will typically say they don't get their puppies from puppy mills - they only get their puppies from 'USDA Licensed Breeders'. Well ... that just means their supply sources are big enough breeding operations to fall under USDA jurisdiction. Here's the requirement: Breeders who have more than three breeding female dogs and who sell puppies to pet stores or puppy brokers are required to be licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

03/22/2015

Help where you can.

03/21/2015

Make the Change.

One fall while rescuing nearly 80 dogs from a southern Iowa facility, the rescue team came upon a small, filthy pen. The shelter was a quarter sheet of plywood lying at an angle against the fence. The water was unrecognizable, a bucket full of black, algae ridden sludge. With the exception of a few pieces of stale bread scattered in the dirt, there was no food in sight. As the team began to walk away, one rescuer noticed the very tip of a tail sticking out from under the board. She climbed into the pen and fearing the worst, slowly moved the board away from the fence, revealing the lifeless body of a little Corgi. She stood staring at her face for a moment, saddened that they hadn’t arrived sooner. As she knelt down to touch the dog, she blinked. The rescue team member remembers feeling the greatest conflicting senses of joy and desperation. “She is just barely alive…”

Back home as we shared her story, you, our Facebook fans, christened her, Lyric – the dog with one last song to sing.

Today, Lyric is a beloved, happy, healthy, family member who forever changed the lives of the handful of people who saved her.

03/19/2015

Attention Texas Animal Lovers: Legislation has been introduced to end the killing of animals out of convenience. SB 1781 would make it illegal for shelters in the cities of Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Ft. Worth, El Paso, and Austin to kill animals when there are empty cages or animals can safely share kennels or cages (although this is already standard operating procedure in Austin).

The bill is here: http://bit.ly/1xnvoqy

If you live in Texas, please contact your State Senator and ask him/her to cosponsor SB 1781. You can find out who that person is here: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

If you do not live in Texas, please share with those who do.

If you want to bring shelter reform legislation to your city, county, or state, here are free step by step guides: http://bit.ly/RB7B5a

02/21/2015

Muttley Crew

10/30/2014

Some vewy, vewy Bad Apples!
-- Happy Hollows Eve, my Pretties !!

10/25/2014

Ok, which one of you little buggers ordered 8 Meat Lovers Pizzas ?!

10/04/2014

Sometimes the Truth.is ugly.

09/17/2014