English Mastiff

More Love, Less Hate!

This is the story from last Friday, Basil’s favorite BlogPaws day.

Friday was the day of new friends, famous and otherwise. We got to met Tillman, the skateboarding English bulldog as well as Manny the frenchie, of Instagram stardom. This day was only made better by the meeting of a new (“average joe”) friend, Jake. Basil and Jake Blogpaws 2014

We met Jake, a 10 month old pit bull terrier/mastiff mix at a social networking event at BlogPaws. The event was full of people, dogs, food, and drinks. The whole thing was centered around a off leash dog park. The dogs could “mingle” while the people could also mingle.

We got our snacks and starting searching the area for a shady space with friends and chairs. Basil, Nate, and I rounded a corner and found what we were in search of. A few people had also found this little oasis and were grouped together on the lawn. I spotted a set of chairs free next to a women and her dog, Jake. We quickly move to meet them and have a seat.

Basil and Jake hit it off almost instantly! They shared the same high level of energy and love of laying in the cool grass. Jake’s mom and I chatted while these two “wild bucks” ran circles around us and each other. I learned that they were at the conference working for the sponsored PetSmart booth and was giving out information about their pet adoption program.

We talked and they played and I started to notice something. Some people (This was not everybody! Just a few!) were making an extra large arch when passing the two hooligans. I found that strange because usually no one can avoid Basil cuteness/charm. I mentioned this to Jakes mom and she told me that she has come a crossed a few people in her short time with Jake that said they didn’t want their dog around Jake because he is a ” big, scary pit bull.” Now I can understand being worried for your dogs safety and looking out for warning signs, that is just being a good pet parent, but just to make a judgement solely based on the dogs breed is not cool.

This is breed discrimination and unfortunately it is a big problem. The idea that some dogs are just “born bad” is wrong. All dogs are born good and can be taught to be a good dog or a bad dog. Any dog, not just pit bulls, can be aggressive and can attack. I found a great website called BadRap.org. Check out all the information that can be found over there. It really did open up my eyes to how bad this problem really is.

So, next time you see a pit bull walking down the road, on a leash of course, with that goofy smile and not a care in the world, maybe stop and talk to the owner. Ask if you can say hello and give the pup some love. I can tell you that Jake was just a love-bug. His smile was  contagious and he was as sweet as can be with Basil.

We had a blast at BlogPaws and we wanted to thank everyone that we met while we were there! I’ll be posting a lot more photos soon so make sure to check back.

Travel well, nap well, live well!

-Abbey & Basil

 

Jackalope Jack’s – Charlotte, NC

This last Saturday we decided to go out and find a good old fashion hipster brunch. Being true hipsters we know that a hipster brunch has to check off certain boxes to qualify, and traveling in North Carolina I wasn’t sure we would find it… but we did! Jackalope Jack’s in the neighborhood of Elisabeth was just what we were searching for. Hip neighborhood, high marks for brunch on Yelp, beer specials, and a large outdoor dog friendly patio. The only thing lacking was no artisan craft coffee when I sat down. But I can over look that as there was a Starbucks right across the street. No one is perfect!

 

Once we found a seat on the long, narrow covered patio Basil was happy right away. The waitress brought him a fresh bowl of water and offered him a Milk-bone biscuit. With Basil currently overjoyed we ordered a few $2 beers off the special and went to look over the brunch menu. Jackalope Jack’s offers plenty of lunch and breakfast options and it was a little hard to decide. I picked the garbage plate and was told by our waitress that is one of the house favorites. Nate had the three meat omelet and both were just what we wanted. 

We finished our meal, watched a little college football on their outdoor TVs and sparked up a conversation with a fellow dog owner and his English mastiff, Duke. Overall, our experience was nice and perfect for a early Saturday afternoon. We will definitely be back for dinner and drinks another night and probably for brunch another morning. Check out Jackalope Jack’s if you are in the area and you will not be disappointed.

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil

 

Meet our new HUGE friend! Duke!

Yesterday we were having lunch and the coolest dog and his owner sat down next to us. Introducing Duke, the 250 LB English mastiff. He is such a sweetie and obviously draws a lot of attention. Basil loved him and wanted play the whole time. So, say hello to Duke! 

Travel well, Nap well, Live well!

-Abbey & Basil