Walk for Animals Minnesota 2011!

Posted on February 10, 2011 by JW

I’ll be participating in the walk for Animals on April 30th, 2011 Golden Valley MN. This will be my first time doing the walk. For those that don’t know what it is, “The Walk for Animals is your opportunity to help the 35,000 companion animals that Animal Humane Society will care for this year. Make no bones about it, these animals need your help. Begin raising pledges now and get ready for the best stand-up-on-your-hind-legs-and-bark event of the year!”

We are going to bring the three pups with us, Rocky, Cisco(unless he is adopted to his forever home by then) and Kasha. Should be fun. If you would like to help sponsor us for the walk that would be awesome. Here’s a link where you can donate Click Here to Donate

I’ll definetly post pictures of when we go.

Thank you.

-JW

Here’s some pics of our dogs we will be bringing.

Kasha our Cane Corso

Cisco He's our Foster Pitbull Still looking for his forever home.

Rocky, Pitbull Boxer Mix

Why Pitbulls?

Posted on November 2, 2010 by JW

Someone said to me the other day while petting a foster dog that I have “Why do people always say Pitbulls are mean, they seem like good dogs”. This person has seen many of the fosters dogs that I have had in the past and had a certain perception of Pitbulls just like most people before experiencing them firsthand.

I have yet to meet an aggressive “Pitbull”, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one out there. Of course there is some that are, but no more than any other breed of dog. To be honest, I have been bitten by smaller breeds and personally never have been any bigger breed dog, and I have never been bit by a Pitbull that I had in my care.

What is a Pitbull? From many searches on the Internet, you can find the answer to this. Basically a “Pitbull” by classification is a many breeds with certain characteristics that are similar, with like appearances and share similar root heritages. Most people referring to a “Pitbull” are referring to the American Pitbull Terrier, which is the only breed of dog with the reference Pitbull in its name. There are many different types of dogs that are similar to this breed and easily mistaken as a “Pitbull”.

American Staffordshire Terrier (Otherwise known as an Amstaff) is one. Amstaffs are usually stockier and have shorter legs compared to the APBT, but have wide shoulders and usually are muscular in the chest with a distinct Chest. Amstaffs are typically heavier then the American Pitbull Terrier. The APBT weighs anywhere from 35-65lbs where and Amstaff can tip the scales closer to 50-100lbs, which is probably the most defining characteristic. Most people who say they have a Pitbull and it weighs 85lbs usually mean they don’t have a Pitbull, but more than likely and Amstaff or a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers is very similar to both breeds also, but are much smaller in stature, usually tipping the scales around 25-40 lbs. So they are much smaller, they also have shorter legs and bases are closer to the ground.

What all these guys do share, is the blocky head, big jaws and muscular physique, which is why they do come off intimidating to some. But what most people do not realize is that these dogs are working dogs, loyal, eager to please whoever they are around. People tend to believe what they hear, and for pitties as of late it’s all bad press, and it’s really too bad. I have heard it all from people “Aren’t you afraid it’s going to rip your face off?” – Stupid crap like that, ignorance just speaks out so much in comments like that, it makes me upset and feel sorry for those people.

If you are looking for a mellow, low energy dog that never moves, these dogs are not for you, if you are looking for a working dog, energetic, willing to please its owner no matter what, anxious to learn, then this is the dog for you. I personally love these dogs for what they are, not what people think they are.

There’s my rant for the day. J

Here’s some pictures off of the internet of different bully breeds.

American Pitbull Terrier (APBT)

American Staffordshire Terrier (Amstaff)

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Remembering an Old Friend. RIP Brother.

Posted on October 20, 2010 by JW

The other day I was at Locke Park walking the dogs with Cas, and I started to remember things about this one tragic day there from my childhood. This is what I remember from my point of view at that time.

We use to go drifting down Rice Creek at Locke Park as Kids, it seems harmless enough, but sometimes the currents can get pretty strong and you may get pulled under without any real notice. I and 3 others decided to go to the creek one day and drift downstream like we have so many times in the past. There was even one point where I myself almost got taken by the current under a log and my friend Jonny that was with us instinctively grabbed my arm and pulled me up and remember feeling freaked out by it. It was definitely a strong current that day, even with those shallow waters.

After we left, we stopped by my other friend’s mom’s work at the Fridley Medical Center, which was on our way home. When we arrived and went to go talk with her, she had this look of relief on her face and you could see in her eyes she was glad to see us as my friend had previously told his mom that we were heading down to the creek that day. She was telling us about how some kid drowned 20 minutes prior to us coming to her work and was worried it was one of us. We had no idea who was there that day since we didn’t see anyone else, the area that she was explaining was south of where we were actually at. So we headed home and I couldn’t help to think to myself who it could’ve been, but didn’t think that I would actually know the person.

Later on that day, the word spread to who it was and I was just shocked that it was one of my friends from school, a friend that I played baseball with as well. Some of our other friends went to the creek that day as well without us knowing. They were on the south end of the creek that day down by University Avenue. Jeff Dullnig, drowned in 2 feet of water, his foot got caught on some rope and the current was able to hold his head under water. I know some of the guys there that tried to help and some actually were able to pull his head up while he was gasping for air, but the current pulling them away and they were not able to sustain his head above water.

It was a sad day for sure, I still get choked up thinking about it today, how this lively kid, could be gone just like that. I googled his name as I was thinking about this today and this is what I found. I have a picture with him somewhere too, once I find it, I will scan it and post it up here.

Although I wasn’t with him that day, I still feel like I was right there, still missing my friend to this day. RIP brother.

-JW

Rock Star turned 2 years old :)

Posted on October 5, 2010 by JW

I got Rock Star (AKA Rocky), my Boxer Pitbull Mix about a year and half ago now. He was about 6-7 months old when we got him. I fostered him for about a month or two before just saying screw and adopted him outright. He was an awesome dog right off the bat, and I felt like he just belonged in the house with me and my son. I am not sure the exact birthdate, but Riley and I decided we would just make it Ocotber, since it was close to what we figured it would be. So my little howling mutt is now 2 years old, an adult pitbull boxer mix, nothing but good things from him and couldn’t have asked for a better companion, friend, and family member then this guy. Happy Birthday Rocky.

Here’s his Birthday Present. Looks gross, but he loved every minute of it.

Cisco – Awesome Male Pitbull needs a good home :)

Posted on October 1, 2010 by JW

I just picked up this little guy the other day for Wags and Whiskers of Minnesota. I am a temp foster for Wags and Whiskers, i basically only foster pitbulls because I think they need the most attention right now with all the bad publicity these guys get. I am not going to get into all the hoopla about it on this post, you can search the internet all you want and find all the good and bad information you want on pitbulls. Pitbulls are like any other dog, they have their tendancies just as any other breed does, but from my experience that these very active dogs need positive environments and training. Their aptitude to please their owners and people in general is amazing to me, and with a little training, they make awesome family dogs.

Cisco is a great dog, he’s a 1+ year old Brindle American Pitbull Terrier well socialized with other dogs and does well with cats and children. I am almost tempted to keep him myself to be honest, but I’ll have to keep myself in check. He is very playful, if you love playing ball with a dog, this dog is definetly for you. He constantly wants a ball or toy in his mouth and is always happy all the time it seems. He’s not a big dog, he’s probably right around 40 lbs and not going to get much bigger than that. If you are interested in adopting Cisco, please contact Wags and Whiskers at wagsmn@gmail.com or fill out an adoption form here Click Here to Fill out Adoption Form.

Visit Wags and Whiskers website: wagsmn.com

Here’s some pics. I’ll post some more when I get a chance to take some

Weekend wrap up.. bikes, dog and car

Posted on September 28, 2010 by JW

Had an awesome weekend, went to a photoshoot at Toxic Cycle in Savage, MN for ZeroGravity’s 2011 Calendar for Sportbikes (more info at www.teamzg.com) with the awesome and sexy Cassidy posing with her 2008 ZX6R

Also got a couple of awesome random pics of Rocky from the Professional Photographer onsite(Sam Irwin).

Put a clutch in my car also, but that was not fun at all, took almost two days to complete that project, which shouldn’t have taken that long except we were having issues with rusty parts and things just not cooperating.

Anyways, here’s some pics. The only Professional ones are of my Dog Rocky the Boxer Pitbull Mix, and those were just random between shoots from Sam, he snapped them quick, but he does awesome work, if you get a chance check out his website at www.srephoto.com Enjoy.

Boxer Pitbull Mix Car Ride Pics!

Posted on September 22, 2010 by JW

I was just driving the other day to my son’s football game and had the dog with and started just taking Random pics of Rocky in the car. It’s funny because sometimes he looks so goofy in pictures and other times he looks awesome.

Here’s some pics from the other day.

Boxer Pitbull Mix car ride

Dog Park

Posted on September 20, 2010 by JW

So a friend convinced me to take Rocky to a dog park. If you go back to a previous blog I wrote (http://insolublevitality.com/2010/02/23/scared-to-take-my-dog-to-a-dog-park/), you can read why I was hesitant to do so in the first place.

He had a blast going to Minnehaha off Leash Park in MPLS. I was a little nervous at first since it was our first visit to any dog park, let alone one this big with a lot of dogs present. We couldn’t have had a more pleasant time there, he got to go on trails, hit the water on the river and do a little climbing on trees which I had no idea he would like so much. His recall and obedience really showed me how far a long he has come. I would just say his name, and no matter what was there distracting him he would come by my side, it was definitely awesome.

Here’s some pictures from that day, although my phone camera didn’t do such a good job this time.

Completely Random Thoughts

Posted on September 9, 2010 by JW

Random thought #1

It’s been a busy few weeks, Riley started his football season, and work has been crazy busy with projects and deadlines, also I started training this week for a possible MMA fight in the future. I have been thinking about doing a full contact fight for some time now, and figure it’s now or never. I have no aspirations of trying to be a career UFC fighter; I would just like to take my shot at some real fights and see where I stand. I am not jumping into this blind of course, I have committed to working out with some people who will help me train in their respected specialties. I do have over 10 years of Martial Arts experience, plus some other training I had when I was younger, golden gloves boxing for a little bit and of course high school wrestling. I’ll probably post more once I get into it more. J

Random thought #2

My brain feels like its on cruise control lately. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with things I get sort of spacey and just go through the motions without and any real emotion. Maybe it’s the weather change, it’s been cold here lately and kind of depressing as fall approaches. Maybe it’s because I am stuck in MN and there are very few things that excite me anymore here. If I could move to another state or even country I more than likely would.

Random thought #3

So with Riley’s football consuming 4 out 7 days, it’s pretty hard to do much else. And yes, that’s 4 days of time when I am not working, meaning my days fill up with work and his activities and usually not home till about 8:30 at night or later. My house is a disaster area lately; I have neither the time nor the energy to even do my laundry on a regular basis let alone clean the rest of the house. It ends up being whatever I need that day is what will go in the wash. It’s crazy.

Random thought #4

Boxer Pitbull mix riding in the car I did get to hangout with Rocky all day last Sunday, which I haven’t had much time to do. I took him to with me everywhere I went, and he even got to jump on a trampoline that day, he seems to like those a lot.

He is seriously the best dog, not even joking around. He’s not perfect by any means, he will chew shit up in a minute given the opportunity, but as far as just being an awesome dog, he’s it. He listens well, never whines about anything, quiet, obedient(for the most part anyways), anyone who meets him usually loves him, and keeps me company when I want it most.

If you ever have the time to take care of dog, understand how to take care of a dog, I will strongly recommend adopting one. Make sure you pick the right one for you and yours, but it can be one of the most rewarding things for you and the dog. I am obviously more particular on pitbull breeds, but i also know what it’s like to misjudged, descriminated against, and just plain casted aside. I picked Rocky because of his calm demeanor, and the fact he’s just like me, he’s a mixed mut who just needed a chance to show how awesome he was.

Random thought #5

Well, with the summer wrapping to quick end, I am going to try and get some bike time in before it gets to cold out. I headed out to Wisconsin last Saturday to meet up with some other riders. We hit some twisty’s that whole day and got home to then headed back on the road again, I racked up around 500 miles of just messing time. By Sunday I was completely exhausted and soar, but definitely worth it. Coming on the 18^th I am heading to Rockfalls Raceway in Wisconsin for the Sport Compact Race day with the Bike to see what it does in the quarter mile drag. I have some friends going that day too, so it should be a lot of fun.

Random thought #6

So I was told this week that i have time commitment issues. I’ll have to agree with that and disagree. I think I over commit my time to many things. I just never tell people why I can not do something or why I can’t be somewhere. I tend to commit to many things at once. I think my issue is not with commitment, but time management. I do forget things on a regular basis. I have a tendancy to take a lot in and naturallly somethings will get lost. I say yes to things that I want to do, or that sound good at that point in time. and if it’s not at that moment, then I’ll probably forget the whole conversation took place until someone or something reminds me what an ass I am for not going or doing something.

So yes, i have time management issues, not commitment issues. Now if it’s relationships? That’s a whole nother blog at a whole nother time

Last Random thought of the day

Anyways, just completely random thoughts today, with me being spacey and all, I’ll have to find something this winter to peak my need for doing fun things I guess. Maybe Snowboarding? Or Snowmobiles? I hate the winter, so we’ll see. Hope everyone reading this blog isn’t as messed up as me. Or maybe your are..hrmm.. think about it.

-JW

Man’s Best Friend

Posted on August 5, 2010 by JW

I was completely bored out of mind last night, absolutely nothing to do. I don’t do bored very well at all. Luckily my awesome dog Rocky was there to keep me entertained. We took a long walk last night, which I have neglected him on lately and I feel bad about it.

It’s amazing how something like a dog can instantly put someone in a good mood. Keep us happy when we are down, keep us entertained when we are bored, and always willing to keep us happy no matter what we do, no matter how we treat them, they just want to please their owner. Unless you have an ankle biter, then you have to keep them entertained… J just kidding, but not really.

So during my crazy bore fest last night, we walked for a few miles, it was gorgeous night out too. He does this crazy thing when he gets into an open patch of grass, which is just hilarious to me. He’ll sit there sniffing around, then stop quick, look at you kind of crouching almost, and as soon as you move towards him he bolts. He seriously runs like crazy, either in circles or back and forth. I not talking about a normal dog running back and forth either, he is doing this so fast, and cuts on a dime, and all the while only going the length of the leash. It’s not a short leash either; it’s one of those retractable ones that extend out to about 15 ft I believe. It always makes me laugh when he does it. When I bring him to my sister’s place he loves it, she has a pretty big yard and I just let him do his laps there. Unfortunately I live in a town home and don’t really have the means to let him off the leash at my place. So I either take him to my sisters place, otherwise we walk up to this park with an ice rink, and I just shut the gate and let him do his thing. It seriously is soothing to me to watch him run around free like that. I know he loves it so much and probably could do it for hours.

He also loves to play with my cat, although the cat doesn’t seem to like him too much, but they do play. It’s hilarious to watch. The cat is pretty big for a cat, roughly about 20 lbs I suppose. The cat will purposely walk in front of him sticking his butt in the air, and the Rock thinks the cat wants to play, so he chases him. The cat will usually win though, he’ll jump on a higher surface like the counter or something and start whacking the dog in the face. Haha, it even makes me smile while writing this.

I just wanted to share how my dog keeps me entertained, even on the most boring of nights. Truly Man’s Best Friend.
If anyone wants to share how their pet makes them smile, how they are entertained, loved, or whatever it may be, feel free to comment below.

Here’s a quick vid of Rocky Chilling out with Big Fat Cat..

Insoluble Vitality

Random thoughts about everything and anything.

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