This is what I saw when I arrived home for lunch today.  Courtesy of my son, the high-tech redneck.

BabyGurl says she is going to petition for custody of Natty.  I dont think BoyChild will go along with that.

My son has a pit bull - which I am now caring for while he's in the Army.  I didnt want him to get this dog.  I've heard all kinds of bad stories about pit bulls.  Just didnt trust them at all.  But he raised her from a puppy, and she is a very good dog.  She even thinks she's a lap dog sometimes trying to climb on me while I'm at the computer, but even MY lap is not big enough for her. 

So - after hundreds of "bad" pit bull stories in the news -- here's a good one.  Pit bull saves total stranger.  Go Blitz!

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=107779&catid=14

HOLLAND, Mich. (WZZM)- A Holland woman has an unlikely hero to thank after breaking up a domestic fight.

The 32-year-old's estranged husband beat her and attempted to abduct her from her safe house in Holland.

The plan was foiled thanks to a dog which usually gets a bad rap.

The fight between Steven Schumacher, 33, and his wife was very public. Witnesses say he beat and dragged his wife across the street, attempting to get her into his vehicle.

But the fact the fight was public may have helped. That's how Blitz saw the events unfolding from his window, and 'blitzed' to the rescue.

Judging by his barking through the window, we're presuming Blitz is no fan of cameras.

Blitz is a two-year-old, hundred and something pound pit bull; yes, the kind many fear.

"He'll protect us when we need it," says his owner. "But he's a great house pet, he's great with my kids, he's wonderful."

Due to the nature of this tale Blitz's owner does not want to be known.

She says close to 11:00p.m. Wednesday she heard screams for help.

"It's still surreal," she says. "I haven't even slept yet, (I'm) still kind of shaken about what could have happened to her."

She saw Schumacher beating and dragging his estranged wife.

"(I was) scared of what could have happened to her, because he was close to getting her in his car."

Blitz saw it too.

"He about knocked me out of the door to get to them. I heard her screaming, 'help me', repeatedly and I came out my front door and my dog spilled past me and went and scared him a little bit."

She says he never bit anyone, but scared Schumacher just enough that he loosened his grip on his wife, who then ran inside Blitz's home and waited for police.

"He was still in the area, I believe in the front yard of the residence," says Captain Rick Walters of the Holland Police Department. "He was taken into custody without incident."

Walters isn't sure how long the couple had been separated, but says they were living apart.

"He went to that residence, broke into that residence and then confronted her and assaulted her in that residence," says Walters.

What Schumacher's intentions were are still not known.

Police say they did find a knife in Schumacher's pocket but do not think it was used during the attack.

What is known though is the dog many fear, saw fear, and became a hero.

"It's hard to tell what may or may not have happened if not for that dog," says Walters.

"I'm very proud of him," chimed in his owner. "He would never do anything unless the situation was like that when he feels that we're in danger."

Oh my!  Yesterday I had to ground Natty.  No more letting her out at lunch.  She has to wait til her daddy gets home from work.  I usually let her out while I fix my lunch, then call her back in when I start to eat.  She usually gets about five minutes outside.  Not much, but better than nothing.  Which is what she gets now that she 'ran away' from home yesterday.  Or rather, she just didnt come back when I called her.

She was up at the neighbor's house.  I was pretty sure that was where she went since they have two dogs outside.  Usually when I call her she comes moping home - reluctantly - but she comes.  Yesterday I had to get in the Jeep and go up there after her.  I got almost there and she started back toward home.  I got out of the Jeep, scolded her, and told her to go to her room (which is also BoyChild's room).  She went in that direction, head hanging.  So I turned the Jeep around and headed home.  Then she turned around and went back up the hill to the neighbor's!  So I turned around, went back to get her and opened the back of the Jeep and told her to get in.  She got in alright - and jumped over the back of the seat into the backseat and laid down.  That was NOT what I had in mind!

So I opened the back door, dragged her sorry little butt out and put her back into the back of the Jeep.  And she stayed there.  So off we went toward home.  When I got home I let her out and told her to go to her room.  She went around the other side of the Jeep.  I had to drag her in.  I called her Daddy at work and told him she is grounded!

She is usually so good about coming when you call, and minding, and staying in her room when you tell her to.  But not yesterday.  She was a bad doggie yesterday.  And I only had five minutes left to eat my lunch.  Needless to say I had indigestion for more reasons than one!

BoyChild let her out last night and she wanted to go right back up to the neighbor's house.  He had a little talk with her, but I said I am still not letting her out.  Not for the rest of this week anyway.  A half-hour lunch break is not enough time to deal with a bad doggie!!

(This photo is from one of her well-behaved days.)

Oh the joys of parenthood.  And grandparenthood.  Of the four-legged kind that is. 

When it became apparent a couple of months ago that my son would soon be moving out of his house he began the task of adopting out his ‘children’.  He of course kept his baby Natty.  And his (ex)wife kept her baby Shelby.  He adopted out three walker dogs and I think four redbones.  Well, it turns out that two of the redbones were not adopted, they were just “fostered”.  And last night the gig was up.  He had to go get them.  So now I have two redbone hounds at my house.  It was dark when he got home with them so it will be this afternoon before I “meet” them.  Actually, I think these are (as my coworker so eloquently put it at the time of their birth) my great-grandchildren. 

The momma dog belonged to my son when these were born (she was in fact pregnant when he got her but he didn’t know that).  She had eleven, one of which was stillborn.  If you go to the topic “kids and dogs” and scroll down you can see pics of them.  So now I have two of them back at my house.  Oh joy!  At least they are outside dogs!

I’ll try to get updated pics soon.

UPDATE:  I got a pic at lunch.  I'm ashamed to say I have no idea what their names are.  I'll let ya know as soon as I know!!

UPDATE #2:  Their names are Fred and Wilma.  (Fred is the smaller one)

See all that green fluffy stuff?   Three days ago that was a brand new doggie bed!

We were down at the lake grilling burgers with Ma and Pa Thursday night and my son comes up to me and says "Mom, what would you think if I got my ear pierced and got a lizard earring?"  I said "I'd think you were a stupid boy with a lizard earring!"

This is a REAL (LIVE) lizard by the way! (Pics are with BabyGurls phone so not so clear)

I've mentioned this to a few (ok, a lot of) people, but I thought I'd add it to this new blog anyway.

Last week (one week ago today) my son's redbone had puppies.  Ten of 'em.  So, now my son and daughter-in-law have seventeen (yes, 17) doggies at their house. 

Here are some baby pics.