Beethoven

Beethoven

 

Breed:  English Bulldog

Sex: Male

Age: 1 yr. old

Weight: 60 lbs. 

3/24/2021 Update:

Beethoven has been ADOPTED!!!!    

Divine may the best way to describe the way Beethoven joined the NBBR family. A Bulldog Guardian Angel (BGA) happen to be surfing social media and came across a post about Beethoven (not his original name). The advertisement stated he was deaf, played roughly with his siblings and would be rehomed for the best offer. The BGA was shocked, outraged and most importantly became determined to see Beethoven in the hands of a Bulldog Rescue. The BGA spent a long time talking with the poster, and wore them down. And like many rescues, Beethoven was nowhere near the BGA. The BGA activated the Bulldog Guardian Angel Network (BGAN, yes it is a real thing) and they flew into action. Schedules were rearranged, preparations were made, times were confirmed and constant interaction with the poster kept the whole operation on track. Early Saturday before the sun was up the BGA hit the road to meet up with the poster. When they arrived, the BGA knew that all the effort was worth it. The little guy stared up at the BGA and seemed to be saying ‘Thank you’.  He seemed in fairly good shape, other than being a little underweight. He had no collar, no leash, no toys or blankets, just a quick hand off. It is the BGA’s opinion that the poster fully intended to breed Beethoven to a female puppy once they were old enough. Being a first time bulldog owner they had no idea how much work two bulldog puppies would be and once they discovered Beethoven was deaf, he was too much trouble and no longer valuable to them. He was kept outside in South Texas, in a crate. Had the BGA not stepped in, young Beethoven would have started a long hard road that so many dogs travel. But now that is in the rear view!  Once the BGA secured Beethoven, they contacted NBBR and asked if we could help the special guy. We said, yes, that is what we do!
 
While Beethoven was chillin’ with his foster family, NBBR was looking for the right family for him.   We were not looking for the perfect family, but the family that was perfect for him.   Like most other deaf dogs, Beethoven’s ideal home would have another dog for him to “learn the ropes”,  an active family that could help burn off the excess energy that this Bulldog puppy has. Couple that with the need to have someone around most of the time.  Add to this all this was being attempted during a pandemic.  No easy feat for sure.
 
While there were MANY applicants, none checked all the boxes until recently.   Beethoven’s forever family actually had been following him from the very first post when he joined NBBR as a small feral Bulldog puppy.  While part of the family was immediately ready to pull the trigger, there were many changes going on with them as well.  Homeschooling, new work schedules, many things that can be stressful for everyone involved.   Having adopted previously from NBBR they new what a big commitment bringing in a new family member is AND the amount of work involved.   Also they had to prepare Kennedy (Beethoven’s potential new forever canine sister) that she wouldn’t be the only pup in the house any longer. So, after completing the approval process the Meet and Greet was scheduled to see if Beethoven would like the family and more importantly princess Kennedy and Beethoven would hit it off.   Well, you guessed it.  EVERYONE loved Beethoven and vice versa.    All the boxes were checked:   another dog (a Bulldog sister none the less),  two human brothers, a Mom, a Dad JACKPOT.   We do have to say that Beethoven’s younger human brother has already decided (during the Meet and Greet) that Mom could have Kennedy as her BFF, but Beethoven was going to be his BFF.   If all this wasn’t enough good news,   Beethoven’s foster Mom gave the thumbs up and stated that Beethoven’s forever family was EXACTLY what she had been hoping.    Congratulations to Beethoven and his entire family.  Thank you for opening your hearts and home to the most adorable, not so little (anymore) deaf Bulldog live his best life. 

3/15/2021 Update:

Hi Frens! It’s me again, Beethoven.  I got to go for a walk last night1.  I was so excited that  I was pretty much bouncing off the ground and wagging my whole body!  I saw the leash and I KNEW I was about to have a good time. It was a nice cool evening, so I lasted a good 20 minutes!  After that I was spread eagle on the tile floor happy as I could be.

And did you know we are having a NBBR party this Saturday??? I am so excited!  I get so excited that I get over heated pretty easy, so I hope I get to stay the whole time.  I will be there at 1:00 so come early so I can make sure I get to meet you! It will be at the Denton County Brewing Company in Denton.  I wonder if foster mom will let me finally taste her beer this time. 🤨. I love hanging out when there are lots of dogs and people to meet.  I love big people and little people, old people and young people so no matter what come meet me1. Just remember that I cant hear, but I know a scratch on the back and a rub on my belly means you like me.  That is the universal language that you don’t have to hear to understand. 
 
In case you were wondering, I am a great work buddy.  I am happy to just be by your side while you tap, tap, tap on the box on your desk.  If I need you, I will put my paw on your leg.  Sometimes I just need a pat on the head. Sometimes I need a kiss. Sometimes I like it when you put your face close to mine and talk to me.  I like the way that feels.  I can just tell you are telling me sweet things.  
 
Foster Mom has been very happy with me lately.  I haven’t chewed anything in quite a while.  I guess I am just getting to be such a big boy!  I also know to go sit by the door when I want to go outside.  No accidents for me!
 
So dont forget to come hang out with me and all my Bulldog friends this Saturday!
B

3/9/2021 Update: 

Hi Frens!  How woof you?  I luv food. Do you?  I mean I LIVE for food. Kibble, left overs, doggy bags from restaurant…. I luv it all.  Do you have tasty food? Can I come over?  I luv car rides. I could come over any time.   I wuv people too.  Yesterday foster mom couldn’t quit laughing because I came in from outside and one of MY POEPLE WERE HOME!!!!  I put it in high gear and LEPT into their lap.   I so happy when I see my people1!!!!!  So what are you doing March 20?   I am so excited because we are FINALLY having a NBBR party get-together!!  Watch our website for details and COME HANG OUT WITH ME!!!  I LOVE attention and people, and children and pats on the head and kisses on the nose and, and, and…. You know!!! I luv PEOPLE!!!!!  AND DOGS!!!  So not all dogs love me back which I just dont get, but I luv them anyway.  It’s ok though. I don’t let it bother me.  I am a pretty easy going guy. So what are you doin!!???? Let’s hang out!!!

3/2/2021 Update:

Hi Frens!  Beethoven here.  Dis week so much better!  All the white stuff melt and make fun watery spots for me to roll around it!  For some reason wen I do dat the people make me wash off with da hose.  It worth it. Sliding in the brown water SO fun!!!  So foster Mom no feel good dis weekend, so we spend lots of time in bed.  She cough some and no one want to be near her.  But I dont mind her being sick!  I snuggle with her anyway!  But then before sleep time I realize I no use all my energy for the day so I throw myself all over the bed, and poke at the other dogs, and chew on foster mom’s hand, and then roll on top of her, and then stick my snout in fur friend until she jump back on me!  I do dat for 20 minutes and then I do last pee pee and then I ready for bed!  Good night!

2/21/2021 Update:

Dear Beethoven’s family,

By the time you read this as Beethoven’s family, you will know all the things I tell you here are true.  Beethoven is a treasure of a dog.

Because of his deafness his other senses are like super powers.  His eyes are his connection to the world. His big beautiful brown eyes will watch you and anticipate your every move.  His nose will wake him from a dead sleep if anything at all is going on in the kitchen or on the grill. His sense of touch is a huge connection to you and he will want to have contact with you as much as possible as he gets his ‘“I love you’s” from your pats and kisses.  He is most relaxed when sleeping with his head on you so he knows you are near. He seems to like the feel of the vibration of a voice as he lays on you. And don’t you know Beethoven is a foodie!?   There is no food he doesn’t enjoy, is there?!   The taste of all things are interesting to him.  Just today he picked up an old leaf and savored the taste for a while before moving on.  He even tastes a clod of dirt from time to time. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Since he is still somewhat of a puppy at 1.5 years old, he has his silly moments too. Suddenly he will run full speed and jump into your lap. If there is a game of tug of war offered he is ready!  He will do silly things like drag his dog bed outside if given a chance. If you are missing a  shoe, you now know, it is probably in the next room or you may have to look for it tucked under the blanket.  

Beethoven almost made me cry yesterday.  My husband and I had a trip planned to Florida the first part of February. Beethoven got to go stay at a friends house that he likes very much.  As the bad weather rolled in, and we knew the power was off at our house, the trip kept being extended.  We had to stay gone so long Beethoven went to stay at another friends house that he also knows and loves.  By the time we finally returned it had been 2 1/2 weeks since he saw us.  I went to pick him up. He was outside wandering through a wooded area in their back yard.  He saw us standing there and started running our way.  As he got closer he realized it was someone other than the people that had been watching him and he stopped.  He looked at me.  I could see the realization on his face that it was me!  He almost leaped into the air and started running as fast as he could to me.  He was wiggling and jumping all over me!  I have never felt so loved!  Beethoven has a heart the size of Texas. But you know that now because you are his world!

That night he was like Velcro. We had some outside time and then went to take a nap together.  Beethoven is a great nap buddy.  He curled up next to me and his snores were like a lullaby.  (That statement can only be understood by Bulldog people 😂).

Now that Beethoven is a part of your family you know he is a lover.  He is always happy to meet new people and new fur friends.  He can’t hear any growls, so if any dog isn’t as happy to meet as he is, he has no idea and doesn’t get his feelings hurt 😂.  You now know you have to help him with the social graces of leaving dogs alone that aren’t as friendly as he is.

Looking into your future with him I hope you are enjoying what a pleasure he is to take with you.  His love of the car ride and going anywhere with you is so nice isn’t it?  You can take him in any social setting and he is a complete gentleman.  Of course you also know Beethoven and heat don’t mix.  Anything hotter than 75 and he is a panting mess after about 15 minutes.  

As the future becomes the present, you will not know how you lived without Beethoven.  I am so happy you became his family and received the blessing of him as a part of your family.
Yours truly,
Beethoven’s Foster Mom.

2/14/2021 Update:

Wat da heck is goin on wit the weather! I think I just stay inside on da hooman laps til it warm outside.  I like being on a nice warm lap.  I follow da hoomans around da house because they no go outside either.  Smart hoomans.  
I take a nap and then my nose tell me hoomans in kitchen cooking! I wake up right away and go sit by feet so they know I there to help.  I so patient.   I just sit and wait for when floor clean up needed or quality control taste needed.  I keep my eyes on them and watch carefully to make sure I miss nothing.  I know da hoomans like my help cause I get some nose kisses too.  
I like nose kisses. I just squint my eyes, sit nice and still and get my kisses. Foster mom sometimes get carried away and kiss all over my head.  Dat nice too.

I big help with bath and shower time too.  Da hooman get in da bath and I stay right there to make sure they don’t miss me.  When dey take a shower sometime they might be lonely so I sit by shower door and if they lonely they open door and I go inside to sit.  Water don’t bother me none.  
I love da hoomans but I love da fur friends too.  I like nap with fur friends. I like tug of war sometimes. One of favorite games is “chase the dot” at night.  Wat you like to play?

2/1/2021 Update:

Hi frens!  I been hanging out chewin toys an playin and helping foster mom work.  I make sure she works hard by naping at her feet. 
 
Have I told you about my new favorite game? It is called “catch the light”. Foster mom comes out with us at night and has the beam of light that comes out of the rod in her hand.   It makes a beam of light across the yard and I jump and jump trying to catch it!  
 
Did you know I am also a big help in the kitchen? Yep.  I stay close to foster mom to help with any clean up she needs.  I also help taste test things to make sure it is all good.   I am sure I could help you cook too!
Xoxo 
Beethoven

1/18/2021 Update:

Hi friends!

Beethoven here letting you know what a good week I had.   

Now that it gets dark so early foster mom goes out with us and has this fun light beam so she can watch us.  She shines it around and I keep trying to catch it!  She will shine the beam across the yard and I LEAP up to try and grab it! Pretty sure I could win the bulldog vaulting contest. I haven’t caught it yet but I know I will soon.  

With the cold days I have been getting lots of good naps inside.  For play time I still like wrestling and tug of war, but I am growing up now so my play times are mostly after meal time.   I haven’t been chewing bones as much lately or chewing on dog beds which makes foster mom happy.  

I do love my snuggle time more than ever.  During the day I take my naps on my dog bed but at night I mostly like to sleep with my people.  When I go to a spend the night at another house I am perfectly happy in my dog bed as long as I can see the people.  

I am single and ready to mingle so I hope we get to have a bulldog event soon! 

1/10/2021 Update:

Hi friends!  Beethoven here.  I am all snuggled in on this cold Sunday.  
I am napping close to the kitchen because you never know when there might be left overs!  Have I ever told you how much I love food? I love people food, I love dog food, I love treats, I love crumbs on the floor.  Pretty much I just love food! If foster mom does the “sign” for treat I move so fast my legs blur!!
I also love cuddle time.  Yesterday foster mom wasn’t feeling well and did something called binge watching and I got to snuggle with her all day! Sometimes she had to poke me because I was snoring so loud she couldn’t hear the tv.  Ooops 😬 what can I say! I am a true blue bulldog!

This week foster mom decided all the dog beds needed to be washed but I wasn’t sure I could live without all of them so when she would carry it to the laundry room I would lay on it so she couldn’t have it.  She would out smart me every time by bringing another bed so I couldn’t lay on both of them at once.  I will admit it was really nice to snuggle on the nice warm bed once she gave it back to us.

I can’t wait for the next bulldog event!  I miss not getting all the attention from all the nice people and getting to sniff all the other dogs.  Just so you know I am a social bulldog and never met someone or any dog I didn’t like.  When anyone comes to visit I get sooo excited and can’t wait for them to pet me. Foster mom says I am pretty special and whomever gets me for a forever family will be so lucky. 

12/20/2020 Update:

Guess what? All kinds of dog treats and toys showed up under the new fancy tree!!! How often is that going to happen?

I got fuzzy toys, tug of war toys and yummy bones!  I shared with all my fur friends so we all had such a great day!   All the hoomans were around the tree too and there was paper and boxes going everywhere.  It was fun and everyone seemed so happy!  I made sure I was watching everything

because it was all so new to me. I wanted to sniff everything.   Then we had a great day outside and the humans made a fire and hung around outside while we played.  

Then the next day I got to go for a car ride.  We went to a house that had nice hoomans and new fur friends!   One of them was a very pretty lab that I have a crush on.  She smells woooonnnderful and we hit it off right away!  Foster mom says I get to go back and stay with them while she is out of town so I can’t wait to see my new friends!

Did you have a special tree too??Did you have nice toys show up?   

Well I am off to a nap.  All these fun days make a bulldog tired!

12/8/2020 Update:

Hi there! This is Beethoven! Guess what? I have a new dog friend!  She has the longest dog nose you have ever seen! I guess opposites attract  because I think she is beautiful ❤️ Sometimes she disappears and I don’t know where she is and then I turn around and there she is!  We play and have so much fun and then we take naps together.  

So this week I met my new friend because my foster mom left and I got to stay at a new house.  I was kind of scared at first but I know the nice lady that lives here! She comes to our house sometimes and is always so nice to me.  

So here is the strange part. There are the strangest creatures living here. They walk on two legs like the humans but they are shorter than me and they are covered in feathers like the flying creatures I have seen.  Every night they disappear into there own little house.  They scare me and fascinate me at the same time.  I sit and watch them all day. Then one strutted up to me and I ran the other way!  I decided I just need to keep my distance and watch them across the yard.  

My new lady friend cooks so many things that smell so good. I love hanging out in the kitchen with her in case something drops and I can clean it up for her.  

Do you cook good smelling things? Maybe I can come visit you?

11/25/2020 Update:

Happy Thanksgiving to all my furrriends out there!  I am in bulldog heaven these days with so much extra activity going on in the kitchen.  I make sure I am right at foster mom’s feet at all times in case she needs help with clean up (if you know what I mean). I am the best crumb catcher and plate cleaner ever!  If foster mom is cooking and walks out of the room, I stay right by the cooking to supervise.  

When the hoomans eat, I place myself right under the table.  You never know when one of them might want to slip me something.  For sure when dinner is over I show up for clean up in the kitchen because they always need help cleaning the plates! I am such a big helper!

I sure am liking these cool nights.  When foster mom is watching the moving pictures my favorite spot is in her lap.  It is extra special when she runs my tummy. Sometimes my fur friends get on her lap too and we have a big snuggle!   

This week a new bag showed up in foster mom’s closet.  It smells really good but she won’t let us near it. She signs to me that a big fat guy in red with a beard is bringing me something!  I think some treats are in our future!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/9/2020 Update:

Beethoven here! I want to say thank you to all the super nice people at the No Borders even this last weekend!  I am so happy with I have people ans dogs to visit!  Some of the dogs didn’t want to visit with me but all the people sure did!  I like the full grown people and the young  people too!!  
I will admit I was a tired bit in the drive home.  Foster mom kept laughing at how I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  

So this last week was a good one all around.  I had lots of play time and lots of naps.  Foster mom cooked up some special goodies for us and that made me soooo happy.  Have I mentioned I love food???

I am still looking for my forever family but I know they are out there!
I don’t have much else to update on so time to take another nap I guess!

11/1/2020 Update: 

Hello Beethoven fans! This sweet boy has been hanging out enjoying the cooler weather.  He wants to snuggle more than ever.  He is convinced he is a lap dog… all 50 or so pounds of him!  As I write he is leaning on me with his head resting on my back.  

As I have mentioned before , Beethoven is a lover and not a fighter.  He pretty much loves all dogs and humans.  The only time I have seen him come close to jumping on another dog was when one was picking a fight with his fur buddy.  

Beethoven is a pretty big “scardy-cat”.   Anytime there is something new or unknown he will back up or even run away.  The other night he was doing his business on a dark night and after he pooped he turned around and saw his poop and it scared him😂 he jumped back until he realized what it was😂😂. Another early morning when it was first getting cold he walked up to the pool and then stopped dead in his tracks.  He started backing up one paw at a time.  I ran over to see what was in the pool only to discover it was the steam coming off the pool 😂.  So no big tough guy for sure.  

To make up for his lack of hearing, Beethoven is constantly watching for visual ques.   His eye contact is amazing as he watches me to figure out if I am trying to tell him something.  He watches his environment the same way.   He will watch a bird fly over that the other dogs miss completely.  He is hyper aware of his environment at all times. Even in the middle of the night, if I move, he will look at me to see what is going on.

It amazes me how much everyone loves Beethoven.  I have had more people comment on how sweet he is than any other dog I have ever had or fostered.  There is just something so sweet and adorable about him.  

Beethoven needs a forever home.  His forever home needs humans to love him and spend time with him. His forever home needs a fur buddy to play with.  Is your home the one?

10/25/2020 Update:

This cooler weather doesn’t slow me down! I still love jumping into the shallow end of the pool! Cold? Not me!!
Cold weather just means better snuggle weather!  Yesterday foster mom hung out by the pool focused on this flat thing and I made sure she wasn’t lonely by sitting right by her.  The sun felt great since it was cool out.  I played with foster friend some but mostly just hung out by foster mom.

One of my foster friends hasn’t been feeling good lately.  Foster mom won’t let me near her because I just want to bump my nose into her and it makes her fall down. That’s makes foster mom push me away from her.  I don’t mean to be bad,  I just want to give foster friend a love tap.  At least I still get to play with my crazy foster friend.  

I love bones.  Foster mom is sharing a photo of me chomping on a bone.  It makes me so happy.  Do you have any bones for me?

10/18/2020 Update: 

Beethoven here! Boy do I love this cool weather!  My color and weather wheel is definitely winter!
I have just been hanging out with my foster family and making sure I keep them warm by sitting in their lap and laying next to them at night.  Foster Dad seems to think I am the noisiest sleeper ever but I think I am just a prime version of what a bulldog should be!

I am becoming a more mature boy now that I am a year old, but I still like some play time. I sure would like to have a fur friend in my forever home.  
Other than play time I am a super laid back fellow.  I just like hanging out with my fur friends and foster family.   I like meeting new people and fur friends too!  I am a lover, not a fighter for sure.  

I have been doing really good with my house training.  I haven’t made a mess in quite a while now.
So come see me soon!

10/6/2020 Update:

HI!

This is Beethoven1. I am 1 years old!  Did you know that? I am such a big boy now!  I don’t really feel any different.  I still like to eat.  I still like to play.  I still like rubs and scratches.  I still love my naps.  Do I look any different do you think? Foster mom has been poking at my rolls of love.  I hope she doesn’t get any bad ideas to cut back on my food. 😳

Do you have any fur friends that like to play?  I like to play.  Do you work from home or are you a stay at home person?  I am a super good friend.  I like to sleep under desks.  I like to follow you around the house. I can’t hear, so I keep my eyes alert for what’s going on.  I am always ready for whatever is going on.  
 
So, here is a fact about myself.  I am a bed hog and I like to be next to my human when I go to sleep.  I race my fur friends to try and be the first one next to foster mom as soon as she lays down.  We wrestle and jump around trying to keep the best spot.  This goes on for about 10 minutes.   I keep trying to win, but somehow every night my fur friend ends up with the closest spot.  Oh well, the rest of the bed is pretty comfy too. 
 
I hope you are coming to the NBBR event on Saturday!  I cant wait to meet you!

9/16/2020 Update:

So, foster Mom taught me about love languages.  I didn’t even know I was fluent in love languages but apparently I am. 

  1. Time together LOVE.  I want to be with my pack and my hoomans ALL the time. 
  2. Physical touch LOVE.  When I am with my pack and /or hoomans I want to be laying next to them or in their lap or next to them so they can pet me.   At night I like to lay my head on the hoomans leg or lay my head over my fur buddy.  
  3. Gift Love.  I know my hoomans love me when they bring me treats.  I give them gifts of kisses in return.  
  4. Acts of service love.  I let my hoomans know I love them by by guarding them and making them laugh with my cute play. I lay at their feet while they work to make sure they know I am there at their service. 
  5. Verbal affirmation love.  I may not be able to say words but my puppy eyes speak volumes.  I shine my big eyes on the hoomans and they know I am saying ” I Love You”!

Do you know the love languages??  

I saw some hoomans at the event last weekend that know the love languages.  Did you know there was the cutest young lady that just wanted to come see the bulldogs for her birthday?  How about that for love?  She just wanted to give us bulldogs some attention and it was HER birthday!  She showed me some great love and I hope she knows how much I appreciate it!! There were so many really nice hoomans at the event.  I feel bad that I had to leave early.  I got really over heated and foster mom said I had to go home.  

Come see me again and I will show your how good I know the love languages!

9/7/2020 Update: 

Labor Day
I like Labor Day! I was worried that labor day meant actual labor! I was so relieved to know labor meant eating, playing, napping,  and hanging out!   

I pretty much labor year round by those standards.  
I do take my play time pretty serious.  You know I am 11 months old now and have to take my responsibilities seriously.  I am so mature and have a grown up routine.  

Wake up, pee, eat, poop, play for a couple of hours with fur friends, go back out for potty break, nap for most of the afternoon, potty break, eat around 6:00pm, play for 2-3 hours, watch a little tv with the humans, last pee of the night and then off to bed!

This coming weekend I hear will be even better though! I finally get to go to a bull dog event! I can’t wait to meet you so please come!

8/24/2020 Update:

That’s not Beethoven.

Do you know those dogs that always have to win? That’s not Beethoven 

Do you know those dogs that always have to pee in a spot after another dog pees?  That’s not Beethoven

Do you know those dogs that are aggressive? That’s not Beethoven. 

Do you know those dogs that are more like cats and only come to you when they  are ready? That’s definitely not Beethoven.  He will be all over you every chance he gets and if you are working and ignore him too long he will paw at you until he gets kisses and rubs.  

Do you know dogs that don’t get along with other dogs?  Thats for sure not Beethoven.  He has never met another dog he didn’t like.  If a dog picks on him he will defend himself with snarks and wrestling but if the other dogs quits attacking them he quits defending.  

Do you know those dogs that don’t like people in general or are scared of men in particular?  That’s not Beethoven. He LOVES everyone.   

Do you know dogs that are good guard dogs.  Sorry, not Beethoven. 

Do you know dogs that are picky eaters? You guessed it.  NOT Beethoven.  He will eat just about anything so keep the pantry door closed. ( speaking from experience as I just picked up about 50 hydration packets because for some reason only known to Beethoven that box just needed to be shredded.)

Do you know any other dog like Beethoven? I doubt it because he is one of a kind and  perfect dog all wrapped up in the cutest package of bulldog brawn you ever saw.   

8/16/2020 Update:

Do you know what the best part of summer is??? THE POOL!   I LOVE the pool!  I get so excited when I am playing in the yard that sometimes I run into it at full speed and almost go off the shallow edge! It makes foster mom come running towards me every time.  I think it is so fun, so I don’t know why she gets that worried look?   I am not afraid of water at all. I love putting my whole face under water.  I can hold my breath like a champ! Foster Dad runs his hands under the water around me and I DIVE my head under to try and catch his hand! If he doesn’t move fast enough I CHOMP his hand.  😂😂😂 Such a great game! If they put a ball on the ledge under water I dunk my head under and get that ball no problem!
 
Another fun game is getting the tennis ball away from my fur friend.  I grab it while he has it in his mouth and we wrestle, and pull!  If I get it then I hop out of the pool and go drop it in the grass.  He runs to get it and bring it back to the pool and we start all over again!
 
So, let’s see.  What else is new?   Ummm, wellllllll, ok I have to confess I haven’t been doing the best with house training.   When the humans moved to a new house with fuzzy floors it just feels so much like grass and I can’t help myself!   This week I peed right in front of foster mom and she jumped up like a bullet out of a gun! She was making the “no,no” sign to me and it scared me!! She pointed me outside and I ran right out!   No more accidents since, so I am trying!
 
 So I am not full speed ahead all the time.  I like my naps and sleep as well as any other bulldog.   I have been sleeping good at night but as soon as the sun comes up I am ready to have breakfast!  I like to play and chew bones in the morning and then I nap most of the afternoon until DINNER TIME!!! After dinner I play and chew bones until bedtime. If the humans watch the moving pictures on the wall,  I like to sit in foster mom’s lap.  Boy have I come a long way! 
 
 I hope I get to meet you soon!!

7/31/2020 Update:

Hi!  What is up with this heat??  If it wasn’t for the pool I don’t think I would go outside!  I love it when the humans get in the pool and we can all hang out.  I just hang out on the shallow part and leave the deep water to them, but boy does it feel good! Even if the humans aren’t in and we are just outside for a potty break I like to jump in and get my belly wet.  Ahhhhhhh.  
 
So last week me and my fur buddies got dropped off at the new place.  We got put in a room by ourselves and I was thinking “ummmm, I don’t know if I like the looks of this”. When foster mom stepped out of the door and left us there I knew this wasn’t good and I tried to push my head out the door to follow her.  Thank goodness it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  We had so many nice humans come get us several times a day and take us to play.  They really liked me. Of course….  I impressed them with how well I knew hand signals.  Yep, I am a smart boy!
 
So then after days and days, my humans came and got us!!! I liked my new friends but there is no place like home! I made sure I got lots of love and attention by sticking my head in their laps all the time. 
 
Also, did you know how awesome it is to sit in a human’s lap?  Who knew? Once I figured that out I want in their lap all the time. Foster mom laugh so hard when I make my flying leap into her lap (after she catches her breath). I let her pull me over backwards so she can rub my belly.  Then I  Zzzzzzzzz.  
 How are you surviving summer?

7/14/2020 Update:

Guess what? I do have a tail pocket!  Now that I am a big boy and have a “little” more weight on me I got my big boy tail pocket.  When foster mom found it she gave me a good scratch and boy oh boy did that feel good!! It felt so good I raised my head up and licked my lips for the whole scratch session!
It is so hot these days that I am not hanging outside at all.  If we are out for more than a few minutes I now have the best new trick!  I run to the pool and cool off my belly.  There is just one spot where I can go in the pool where it is just the right depth.  I really love water.  I will dunk my head in and gulp at the water.  It feels wonderful!!  If foster mom runs the fun spraying water thing I really love that too.  

I had a fun car ride this week to Dr. H’s office.  They took out my stitches (on my privates) and they also tested my pee.  I have been having some pee accidents in the house which really upsets foster mom. She wanted my pee tested to see if maybe I was sick and that was causing me to have accidents  Whatever they found resulted in me now getting yummy treats (note: antibiotics) with my food.  Foster mom wraps the treat around something (see note above 😉)  which must be pretty special because I love it!!  So far I haven’t had any accidents but I have just been getting the yummy treats for a day now.

The car ride was so fun. I love watching everything and having foster mom to myself.  I still try  to crawl into foster moms lap while she drives but she won’t let me.  I try less and less now because she just won’t give in.  
So how are you?   I hope we get to have a bulldog party soon!!

7/5/2020 Update:Beethoven facts

  1. When something new shows Beethoven hides behind me until I make sure what it is. 
  2. Beethoven ambles and rarely runs.
  3. Beethoven is last one to sleep and first one up.  Maybe because of all his naps during the day?? And he is still a puppy!
  4. Beethoven says no thank you to going out when it is hot outside. 
  5. Beethoven takes cat naps all day long but if he cracks his eyes and sees fun he is all in!
  6. Beethoven is incredibly observant. He has definitely made up for his deafness with his vision. I have never seen a dog notice every bird that flies over. He also will watch the other dogs and the humans intently watching for clues as to what is going on. 
  7. Beethoven loves all dogs and people and never forgets a face. Even people he has met once are dear friends to be treated with great enthusiasm! He meets other dogs very well and is very low key about it. 
  8. I can’t emphasize enough how much Beethoven loves food.  The only time I have ever seen him growl is if he has a treat and one of the other dogs gets their snout near. 
  9. Beethoven has turned into a big snuggle bug but when really ready to sleep he prefers to go to the utility or pantry. I think it is because he feels safer in a smaller space. 
  10. Beethoven loves water!  He loves sprinklers, hose water and laying in the shallow pool water. (**NEVER LEAVE HIM ALONE NEAR WATER!)He is 100% bulldog and hates being hot at all.  He will put on quite the show if you run a sprinkler for him!

6/14/2020 Update:

Beethoven has moved!

Guess what! We moved!  I didn’t even know that was possible.  I mean like not just I moved, I mean the whole family moved!!!

So let me tell you about how moving works. 

  1. For a couple of weeks things were weird.  All these brown boxes showed up and foster mom and dad kept putting all their things in them.  I tasted the boxes and they were interesting to chew on. Then they would take the boxes to their cars and poof! When they came back there were no more boxes.  
  2. Next they started taking their clothes out to the car and when they came back no more clothes! 
  3. But the best part was the day these huge trucks showed up and 6 people got out and they ALL loved me!!  These nice people started loading all the big stuff into the trucks.  I supervised to make sure they did a good job.  I followed them until I was exhausted. Finally I had to go hide in the laundry room to catch some shut eye.  But I didn’t sleep long because there was pats on the head and belly rubs to be had!
  4. My fur friends missed all the action, but finally foster dad brought them back and then all the humans left!  With the big trucks!  Now I was able to really get my nap.  
  5. After I had a good nap foster dad came back and got all of us. We went to this new house and all our stuff was there!! Crazy!  I had to go to all the rooms to make sure everything was there.  
  6. Then we went outside and there is this big grass yard with lots of strange smells.  But the big surprise was this huge water bowl big enough for a thousand bulldogs! Seriously do they think I will get that thirsty?  Every time I would get near it foster mom was watching me like a hawk, but it wasn’t that interesting after the first sniff so I moved on.  (Since the first day I have now seen the humans get in the water bowl! Humans are strange sometimes)
  7. That night the humans wanted to go to bed but I just didn’t know how to sleep.  Where was my usual dog room and dog bed? Even on the bed with my pack it just all felt off.  I wanted to wrestle and play but fur friends and foster humans just wanted to sleep.  Who can sleep in a new house??  I had to make sure it was clear I lived here now so I left my mark on the bed.  Boy was foster mom unhappy about that.  She took all the soft sleeping stuff off the bed and was making unhappy face.   New stuff showed up and my special Mark was gone.  Geesh.  How will everyone know this is my new place?  
  8. I didn’t mark the bed again but I just couldn’t sleep.  I kept moving to different places on the bed trying to find “the” spot.  There were glowing numbers by the bed showing 2:00 and finally the next time I opened my eyes it showed 6:15 and the sun was up!   Time to eat!!!!!
  9. The next day I had lots of time to explore and make sure I knew everything about this new house.  That night I found “the spot” much faster.  

So that’s how a move works!!!  Foster mom is still taking things out of brown boxes but I am making sure she does a good job in between my naps.  

6/4/2020 Update:

Did you know?

Did you know that if you have shoes with tassels Beethoven thinks it is a toy?? He will follow at your heels trying to grab them…

Did you know “certain” bulldog puppies are obsessed with shower water.  Don’t plan on a private shower with Mr. “you know who”.  

Did you know Beethoven will sit for a treat before it is even out of the treat jar?

Did you know Beethoven will wait for the treat in front of his face until you tell him it is ok to take it?  If the treat is human food that might not apply….

Did you know Beethoven really likes other dogs?

Did you know Beethoven loves kids?

Did you know Beethoven loves to be with his family.  If you will be gone from home a lot for children’s activities and everyone works out of the home he would be a sad dog.   

Did you know Beethoven is deaf, but it really doesn’t affect him greatly day to day.  You can’t call him, but since he will pretty much follow you anywhere it doesn’t matter.  He knows the sign for “good boy” (a thumbs up), “food/treat” (finger tips to your mouth, “no” (closing your fingers together like a puppet talking) and this sign multiple times means “no,no, no!” And the universal sign for “I love you and you are the best dog in the world” is shown with face kisses, belly rubs and back scratches.

Did you know Beethoven can eat at speeds greater than the speed of light?

Did you know Beethoven has learned to love being with his family and loves sleeping in bed with you?  He likes his dog bed during the day, but has started clawing at the side of the bed and whining until I pick him up onto the bed. 

Did you know Beethoven will sometimes sit looking at you in the middle of the night and blow breaths on you until you tell him to settle down?

Did you know Beethoven still has puppy moments and eats remotes controls?

Did you know Beethoven will make you feel like the best person in the world when he looks at you with total adoration?

Did you know Beethoven needs the perfect forever home?  

5/27/2020 Update:

Beethoven wants to know why.

  1. Why does fur friend keep bringing the ball back?  Foster mom throws it and he keeps running after it and bringing it back to foster mom.  Why does he run after it and bring it back?  She is just going to throw it across the yard again.  Pretty sure foster mom hates that ball and keeps trying to get it away from her and he just keeps bringing it back.  He would be better off just sitting by foster mom like me where I get head scratches in between throws. Why does he do that?
  2. Why doesn’t foster mom let me in the shower right away when I stand at the clear wall?  She knows I like the falling water. I ask nicely with my sweet eyes and folded back ears, but nothing. So I scratch at the clear wall. Nothing.   I jump up on the glass and she shows me “no,no” hand sign. I throw myself against the clear wall and she makes scared face and slides open clear wall!   Ahhhh, that’s more like it.  Why didn’t she just open right away?
  3. Why can’t I have more food?  I LOVE FOOD!  So why can’t I have 2 bowls, or 3, every morning and night? Why?
  4. Speaking of food, why do humans eat with the metal things?  And why do they eat sooooooo slowly? It is so much faster to just bury your head in the food and suck it in as fast as you can.  They really need to eat faster so I can have my bites of their food when they’re done.  I sit there so patiently (but in my head I am tapping my paws), but they take FOREVER to eat! Why?
  5. Why do humans tap on flat metal things and look at a lit screen over the tapping metal?  Every day for hours on end……seriously, it seems so boring and I just don’t understand why they do that.   Sometimes when fur friends take a nap and I get tired of toys, I go up to foster mom to make sure she is ok and not tired of the constant tapping. I try to jump up in her lap, but when she is tapping, her lap seems smaller and I just can’t fit.  So I grab, grab with my paws at her lap until she stops to love on me.  I sit, then lay down, then show my tummy and she rubs me so softly.  Now isn’t that better than tappy tap tapping?
  6. Why can’t the humans just pet and scratch me all day?  I mean I am here and available 24/7!
  7. Or why can’t we take car rides every day?  I am pretty sure I have made it clear I like car rides, so what is the problem?
  8. Why can’t young people come play with me every day?  They get down at my level and I like that.   They roll around on the floor with me and sit next to me and pet me.  I love them and they like me…..sooooooo… once again what is the problem?  
  9. What is it with the moving pictures on the wall?   It is a black box and then BAM! There are moving pictures!  Sometimes it is people and sometimes there are animals and sometimes I have no clue what it is. I watch sometimes and it is interesting and sometimes it is boring.  No matter what, the humans like it.  Why?
  10. Final question.  Where is my forever family? Is it you?? Do you have lots of time for me? Are you home during the day and night for me?  Do you have fur friends for me?  I also like children, so if you have those that would be nice too.  I am just a baby still, so I hope you can be a forever family that is ready for a young guy!  Are you?

5/19/2020 Update:

Beethoven : The Bulldog King Series

     Hey all you crazy pups and puppies, Beethoven here.   Yep, I think I could be the star of a Netflix documentary. Mine would be WAY better.   We would have bulldogs everywhere, but the only puppy would be….you guessed it….ME!  Everyone could come take their picture with me.   I would be the BULLDOG KING!  I may not be crazy, but I make up for that by being adorable!  Instead of shooting things we will just play tug of war.  Then for a little variety we will wrestle.  What do you think? Brilliant right?

     

So this week in the life of this BULLDOG KING, life was great.   I got to eat lots of yummy things.  Recently, foster Mom and Dad leave for a little while and then when they come home they have this delicious smelling white box.  They stir it up and put it in all our bowls and HEAVEN in a bowl happens.  Who knew?  I LOVE white boxes now.  

Yesterday, foster mom took me for a ride.  Lots of water was falling from the sky and the craziest thing happened.  These black sticks kept waving right in front of me.  I tried to watched them but my head couldn’t go back and forth fast enough.  It kind of worried me.  Was it something that was going to trick me? Waving back and forth and then swat at me??? I kept trying to catch a whif of a smell to see what they were, but there was no smell.  Weird.  After a while I was kind of over it.  They just kept waving back and forth.  Kind of boring.  Hmmm, so now I want to be in foster moms lap, but she won’t let me when she has the round bar in her hands in the car.  I snuggle in as close as she will let me with my head on her side.  Ahhhh, much better. 

Later that day, foster Mom and Dad loaded me and my fur friends up and we went to play in this huge yard.  There was so much to see and smell, but for the most part I just wanted to be near the humans.  I am not much for wandering off on my own. Fur friends were running all over the place but I didn’t even try to keep up.  I sat by foster mom so she could pet me.  

Last night I was so tired after going on 2 field trips.  Everyone else stayed up too late for me so I headed for my special bed and the next thing I knew foster mom was waking me up and the sun was high in the sky.  Foster mom looked kind of worried because I am usually up once the sky gets bright, but I am a growing boy and I needed some sleep! I bet I grew another inch last night!

That’s it for now!  I need to go check on my fur friends and see what they are doing.  I hope you get to star on my documentary soon!

5/12/2020 Update:

 Hi! Beethoven here! Did you know it is really fun to ride in a car?  I have been getting a lot of car rides lately and it is so interesting!  I love watching out the window, but sometimes I just lay my head on foster mom’s arm and watch her face.  Oh yea, by the way, it is only fun if I am in the front seat.  I dont like not being able to see foster mom’s face.      I also love to play with my fur friends.  We wrestle and have a ball!  I always want to have a fur friend!      I am now officially a “bed dog”.  I sleep with my human and fur pack every night.  I mostly sleep by their feet.  When I wake up, I walk on foster mom and that wakes her up pretty quick!  I used to wake up the minute the sun was up, but now I am sleeping a little longer.  The other night I even took a nap on foster mom.  I never used to be able to relax with the family, but now I figured out it is really nice1. I still like my special bed for day time naps, but I have decided I like being with the whole family at night. 

You know what? Pantry’s are awesome!  I sniff around in there and find all kinds of good stuff. One day I found a package that had a white haired man in a black hat on it and it.  It had the letters O.A.T.M.E.A.L on it.   It was at my level and  was easy to get into and I ate a bunch!  It was great until a little later I kind of had….you know….. diarrhea.  Yea, a little embarrassing.  Foster mom has moved everything up now, but I keep sniffing  just to make sure!  So I would be pretty handy to have around because I will sniff out all treats and clean them up for you!  Sometimes the hard black things with buttons on them smell good to me too.  Maybe it’s because foster dad always has it in his hand and points it at the moving pictures thing. Yesterday, I sniffed it and couldn’t resist a little “chomp”!  Before I knew it, I had it outside for a good chew session.  Foster Dad wasn’t too happy when he found it and it looked like he took a big breath before he walked off.  Hmmmm maybe he wasn’t too happy?

I hope to see you soon and bring me something to chew on!  Ropes and bones are my favorite in case you were wondering. 

5/7/2020 Update:

Mom, mom, mom, mom.  Whatcha doin mom??   Let’s play!  Grrrrrr, attack the toy!  What’s next mom??  Grrr I am going to eat your foot!  Oooooo what’s that?? Pounce!! Oh just a piece of paper…..

Fur friend, whatcha doin? Huh,huh,huh? Come on let’s play tug of war! Grrrrr …..POUNCE!    LETS PLAY WRESTLE!!  

Outside! Great idea!   Zoomie time!!  Ok well maybe I will just watch fur friend run zoomies…..

Mom, mom, mom pay attention to me!  (insert sad eyes here with ears laid back for ultimate cute effect) how about a tummy rub?   Oooooo that’s nice.  

Potty time!  I head for my special door to do my business out side then right back to my people and fur friends.  

Bone? Yes! I thought you would never ask!  Oh? Fur friend didn’t ask? Well, that never stopped me.  I like sharing. I will just chew on it with him!  Ops. Fur friend said he’s “not that kind of dog”, so I will go dig in the toy basket and find my own. 

(Fast forward 2 hours). Ok, I guess it’s nap time.   

Another great week and I am a happy pup.  I sleep with the humans pretty much every night.  I had no idea you could hang with humans and a fur pack and they want me with them!!  

This week I got to go in the car!  I love car rides, but it has to be front seat for me.  I don’t like when I only see back of humans head.  I have to see their faces or I bark, bark bark! How else will I know what they are thinking?  And what if they forgot I was back there?  I make sure nobody forgets Beethoven!

Ops, I just knocked something off a table and I see fur mom headed my way! Gotta go!

4/27/2020 Update:

Amazing things are happening! Since my world began , it has been cold and brown and now everything is warm and green.  It keeps getting warmer all the time.   Now I like laying on the green grass and feeling all warm and cozy. Sometimes Foster mom is looking for me and I see her all smiling and surprised when she finds me laying on the grass.  There are all these new colorful things growing. The world is so beautiful.

Another thing I like is hanging out with the people and fur friends. W have such great play times. I like playing the most when my tummy is full of food. It gives me so much energy like a SUPER DOG.

I am such a big boy now, I know how to leap onto all the sitting places.  I also told you how I know how to get on to the people sleeping bed, so I sleep with them more and more now.  Sometimes, if I am tired before they go to bed I go sleep on my special bed, but the  I wake up in the middle of the night and go join them.  Foster Mom always lets me go out to pee first and then I snuggle in.  I never  knew how much I would love snuggling with my people and my pack!

Ohhh, Foster mom is tapping away on the flat thing again.  I need to be on her lap NOW!.  I LEAP!  Oooops.  That was a miss. Bulldog legs and foster moms hot drink go everywhere. Oooops.  Here, I will help.  I stick my big bulldog head in there and try to help as she wipes it up.  She sits back down. so I claw at her leg and she pulls me up.  I love being a lap dog.  ❤️ 

Foster mom is tapping on the flat thing AGAIN, so I make she knows I am still on her lap by looking hard at her and gently licking her face until she stops to kiss me back.

4/20/20 Update:

Beethoven here!  Did you know Frogs are SO MUCH FUN?!!!  I had no idea such a thing existing!  They hop, hop, hop and I shake my head at them trying to get them to PLAY!  Then they hop, hop, hop under the fence. Bye new friend!  I also shake my head around at the girl fur friend and sometimes she will play with me too.  She smells sooooooo good!  She smells better to me every day. I wonder why……?OH!  Guess what I figured out this morning??? If I get on the bench by the people bed then I can hop up onto the bed! Sweet!  I can crawl up and get kisses any time I want now. So thats what I did.  I crawled up next to foster mom and rolled all over her, and licked her, and bit (softly) at her hand, then laid on top of her, then looked at her in the eyes trying to give her the hint that I AM HUNGRY AND ITS TIME FOR BREAKFAST!!  I can also jump up real good on other things.  I can get up on the couch with foster mom when they watch the moving pictures on the wall.  I can also jump up on the big swinging bed on the back porch.  I want to be wherever the people and fur friends are.  The boy fur friends plays with me the most. We do tug of war and steal toys from each other.  He is kind of bossy and always takes the bones I pick, but it’s ok because I can get another one. Sometimes we wrestle and he gets too rough and I growl and “fight” back, but we never really hurt each other.  It is just to show me he is the boss.  

Foster mom seems really happy with me these days. I am pretty sure it is because I don’t do my business in the house at all any more. I get so many back scratches and kisses so I am really happy I figured that out!  We have been having such a good time in the yard. Foster Mom lets me out to walk around the front yard with her because I never run off.  I like following her wherever she goes.  She pulls up some small plants and then some really nice men came and planted some new green stuff.  It is so interesting to smell!  I especially like green things that have color on the end.  I smell, lick and sometimes take a chomp, but mostly I just like to smell them.  Foster mom shows me she really loves me because she looks me in the eyes and gives me little kisses all over my face.  I love that.  I give her little kisses back. 

Well, I have to go play now because I need to get in lots of play time every day!  Hope I see you soon!

4/13/2020 Update:

Beethoven here! Thanks for all the nice comments last week.  This week was another fun one!  Lots of play time and walks.  I finally get this walk thing.  It was so confusing at first, as I just couldn’t figure out where we were going or why.  Now I know it is just for the fun of exploring.  I am doing a better job of keeping up with my fur friends at first, but after a while I walk slower and slower and they get way ahead of me.  I still have a good time.  I like the color things we see along the way.  I have to go up and sniff them and some times I try to taste, but fur mom won’t let me.  She seems to like how I walk right next to her and never pull on the leash.  Most of the time I walk right behind her and sometimes bump into her feet. She always turns around to check on me and gives me the “good boy” thumbs up.We also had some nice time in the back yard this week. I like it when the humans sit on the back porch and watch us play.  I can show off pretty good playing with my fur friends.  I always check their faces to make sure they are happy and watching me.  I trip and fall a lot when playing because I just can’t keep up with where my body or feet are.  It seems like my body changes every day and I just can’t keep up with where all my parts are. I am getting bigger than my fur friends now, but we still play really good together. 

I have been enjoying the sun this week have you?  I like laying on the grass and letting the sun warm my body while I chew on a bone or take a nap.  It is like it recharges my batteries!

Foster mom has let me get on the bed some, but I think it is more fun to play and pounce there so she puts me down when she is ready to shut her eyes. I like my own bed anyway so I am a happy boy. 

So, I figured out this week that if I sit quietly under the table while the humans eat that I will get a treat when they get up.  This week they cooked on a smoky thing out on the porch and then ate something that smelled sooooooo good and when I got a taste after they ate I was in heaven! 
I hope I get to meet all you nice people soon!

4/6/2020 Update:

Journal from a foster mom:

7 AM

I wake to the sound of the “tap,tap, tap” of Beethoven walking across the house to come let me know it is time to wake up.  He still likes to sleep in his bed in the laundry room. I turn my head to see him start to wag his whole body as he sees me.

“Well, good morning, big boy” I say even though I know he can’t hear me.  I know there is no rolling over to ignore this wake up alarm, so it’s up to start the day. 

We head to the door to let him out for his morning pee.  Every morning we have the same routine, so next we head to the kitchen to put hot water on to boil for my tea and then on to the utility room to serve up the fur babies breakfast.  It requires great speed and agility to get the food to the floor before Beethoven forcefully shoves his head into his food.  If you aren’t fast enough the bowl will go flying as he knocks his head into it!  He has learned to not mess with the other dogs bowls, but he makes his bowl clang around as he makes sure he has licked every last morsel.  Beethoven has no food aggression, but does have a cute way of pushing his head in the way if you try to put a stray piece into his bowl.  He wants to make sure NO ONE gets any of his kibble!

After breakfast you can count on HOURS of play.  We head outside to makes sure morning business is fully taken care of.  Then, Beethoven will work through the full repertoire of wrestling, tug of war, chase, digging through toys, chewing on a chair (no, no sign), Chewing on clothes in the closet (no, no sign),  stalking like a lion and POUCE on fur sibling, trying to climb into your lap and get some scratches, wrestle some more……and so on and so forth for hours.  You should know Beethoven and his fur brother wrestle and play fight pretty rough.  They grab at each other’s jowls, pouce, pin each other down, snarl and swing their bodies around in general.  For the most part it is all in fun but occasionally they get too rough and they get a loud “Hey” and I separate them.  It doesn’t take much more than the verbal and eye contact with Beethoven.  They immediately  revert to less rough play.  No hard feelings. 

1:00 pm

One of his hilarious new play time activities is panting with his metal food bowl.  The first we knew of it was when we heard this loud clanging in the back yard.  We went to investigate and found Beethoven tossing his food bowl, pushing it across the yard, picking it up and swinging it around!  Lol! It was hilarious!  After the first time he now repeats it several times a day. 

Nap time. He will take some naps through the afternoon, but is always open for an adventure!  He will nap for 30 minutes to an hour at a time and then come looking for us and his fur siblings.  He plays off and on all afternoon. We can’t let him sleep too much or he won’t sleep good at night so we make sure we go out with him several times a day.  An afternoon walk also helps a lot. 

Beethoven is incredibly smart and observant.  He is always watching and learning.  You can see the wheels turning in his head as he watches his environment.  He knows all the signs that I have taught him.  He has a sign for “doing his business”, sit, come, good boy and of course no,no.  I am sure he could learn so much more but that has gotten us to a good place in managing him.  

Beethoven likes coming up to the home office, but can’t always stay as he wants to chew on everything in sight.  If left along too long, there have been a few casualties of baseboards, chair arm, pillow, table corners.  Beethoven has so much energy it would be a bad idea to try and kennel him for more than a hour at a time. 

6:00 pm

Now it’s dinner time!  Beethoven loves food so we get the same excitement as we did for the morning meal.  (First I have to find his bowl from his morning bowl play time. ) With a fast move his food is on the floor with all the food still in the bowl. Whew!

After dinner the babies get a treat.  Beethoven learned sit after 2 quick lessons, so now we are working on him not jumping for the treat.  He has to keep his back end on the floor and wait for me to offer it before he can take it.  He is so young now that I don’t extend the time very long , but slowly I am working him up to getting the treat closer to him and pausing a little longer.  

6:15

Food prep for the humans begin and Beethoven is there for every second.   He is my buddy as I cook and does clean up if anything hits the floor.  

7:00

We have dinner.  Beethoven loves food so much it has been a longer process for him to learn that he doesn’t eat while we eat at the table.  Every night I ignored him and pushed him back down each time he clawed at my lap.  Eating was a challenge for sure! As of this week we are finally making headway and he will lay under the table while we eat and not claw at us.  

7:30

Kitchen clean up and each dog gets a small bite of left overs once plates are at the sink. 

7:45

Evening play time!  At first Beethoven didn’t know how to hang out with the family.  His default was to head to the laundry room. Slowly but surely Beethoven has figured out he can hang out with us!  It is so rewarding to have him stay in the living room with us as he plays.   All the toys that were scattered that morning have been put back in the toy basket so he can pull them all out again!  The same repertoire of wrestling, chewing on bones, tug of war, and jumping onto the couches to get some love continues for seven hours.  Beethoven will be ready for be between 9-11 depending on how much activity he had during the day.  Once we get ready for bed, Beethoven takes himself off to his bed in the utility room.  I have put a bed in our bedroom for him but he still seems to prefer his bed isn’t he utility.  Maybe over time he will change to sleeping in the room with his people.  That is the last remaining loner behavior that remains.  

It has been such a joy to see this sweet boy learn how to live with a family.   He sits at my feet now watching as I type.  Maybe he is growing up some as he isn’t chewing on my foot.

3/29/2020 Update:

What a big week I had!  I got to see these HUGE dogs that had long horns.  They were eating grass which is so gross!  

Then I got to meet some other huge dogs, but they weren’t as huge as the ones with the horns. They had lots of fuzzy fur and really log legs! They were eating green stuff too.  What the heck! Meat is so much better!

There are so many amazing dogs to see on our walks!  There are lots of humans too.  I really like meeting new dogs and people but the walking thing is just ok.  I am more of a stroller.  When I can’t figure out why foster mom is STILL walking I will just sit down.  Then she makes all kinds of faces and motions to me so I get back up and walk some more.  

Oh, guess what else?  I got to sleep in bed with foster mom and dad and foster fur fiends.  I was so excited I had a hard time settling in one place.  After a while I decided I needed to pee so foster mom let me down and opened the door.  After that I went back to my special room and bed.

I think I am wearing out my foster friends.  I just want to play all the time and they want to take naps.  So BORING!  I want to PLAY!   I really hope my forever family likes to play all the time!   I just don’t want to nap that much.  I have so much puppy energy to burn off!!  Maybe my forever family will have a dog that will want to play with me?  I sure hope so.  The more the merrier!

3/22/2020 Update:

Corona virus is THE BEST thing ever!! (For a Bulldog puppy anyway) Everyone stays home all the time! I get more scratches and ear rubs than ever.  Even though it would be nice if we could have our bulldog events because then I get to meet so many awesome bulldogs and people!  

So what did you do this week?  I ate breakfast, played, pooped, and then played some more, and then chewed on a table, played some more, chewed on a blanket, took a quick nap, peed, played some more, ate dinner, pooped, played some more, slept the night, and the next day repeat all over again! I love playing with my foster friends.  We wrestle and play chase. We all go some yummy bones this week too.  They were delicious!  It was a full week!
Have you seen my cute front teeth.  Foster mom smiles so big when I show them to her.  They are still my baby teeth but I am growing up fast so I bet they are my big boy teeth soon.

I made foster mom so happy because I slept on her lap for the first time. It is so hard to sleep on her lap because I love chewing on her arm, shirt, chair arm, her hair……

I did pretty good going potty outside this week.  I only had 2 poops inside and one pee.  It was raining when I got up and who wants to pee in the rain? I hid one poop in the shower but she still found it and I got the snap, snap fingers in front of my face.  Bummer.  I hid the other poop at the end of the couch and darn it if she didn’t find that one right away too.  Ugh.  It is so much better going potty outside because I get a yummy treat!  It is also nice because I get the thumbs up “good boy” sign which is always followed by back scratches!  

My favorite place to sleep is in the room where the food is and my special door is that I can go in and out of.  Foster mom showed me a comfy bed by her bed, but I just really like sleeping by the food.  Foster mom looks kind of hurt that I don’t want to sleep near her, but I just like my room.  I come out and check on everyone when I am awake.  I don’t miss any one because I am sleeping, duh.  

Well I hope you are enjoying social distancing as much as I am!  

3/15/2020 Update:

Want to play? Huh? Huh? Huh?  Tug of war! Wrestle! Oooooooo!There’s a bone!  Yum,yum,yum….oh a waggy tail!  I have to get it! Back, forth,back, forth,back, CHOMP!  Uh oh! The dog attached to that tail is not happy. Oh well, let’s play!

I can do this for hours!  I am a puppy after all.  Don’t let’s my sad eyes fool you.  I am a happy little fellow.  The only thing I like more than play time is DINNER TIME! I am pretty sure foster mom is impressed with how much I can eat.

Guess what? I learned how to let myself inside and outside! It is the best trick ever!  I paw at a special place on a door and it moves so I can push myself through.  Then, when I am outside I can push it and TAAAA DAAAA!…I am back inside!  It is so much fun that when I first figured it out that I went out, in,out, in,out, in, out, in, chew on the door, out, in, out, chomp on the door again! Whew! That’s awesome!

Guess what else? I figured out what foster mom was doing with her hands! It means she wants me to pee and poop!  If I do business outside I get a treat!  If I do business inside I get mean face and snapping fingers soooooo, I now do my business outside!  How easy is that?  I can tell by foster mom’s face how proud of me she is.   I get nice head rubs, back scratch and a kiss on my snout too.   I ❤️ kisses soooo much!  

This week I have been getting lots of showers which I kind of like.  The water is fun and it feels good with I get rubbed with the shampoo.  The towel rub afterwards is really nice too.  Why so many showers? Apparently foster mom has a thing about mud in the house.  Who knew?  It doesn’t bother me how much gets on me while I play and roll and wrestle on the wet ground, but a shower is always going to follow and that’s ok with me.
Oh! I learned one more thing this week! Stairs!  I am really good at them! I bound up and then race down!  It’s no big deal for a big boy like me!
Ok, gotta go play now! I hope we get to play soon

3/8/2020 Update:

Hi!  I’m Beethoven. Did I tell you I am a 5 month old puppy?   I am a very special one because I can’t hear and I am learning hand signals. Also this week I am learning to be such a big boy to do potty out side.  Foster mom keeps making this hand signal when we are outside and I am just not sure what it means.  Then she makes the same signal when I do business.  Hmmmmm.  I wonder if that sign means potty???   I am just not sure.  I do know when she puts up the big finger that I get a treat. When I do business outside she always makes that finger right before she gives me the treat.   So when I see that sign I know something good is headed my way.   The tricky part is when she does that and I am still peeing or pooping.  I have to stop mid- business to go get that treat!  Now foster mom has figured out to not give me the sign until I am done so I can finish up. What a big week I have had!  ………Oh! What is that green thing?  I need to taste it. Chew it.  Uh oh.  Foster mom just gave me fingers snapping and mean face.  Oh! A bone? Yes, I like that.  So, you want to know about my week? It was kind of scary as I didn’t know my foster family was nice.   I played some with my fur friends, but I slept a lot too and kind of stayed to myself.  I just didn’t know if this was a safe place. ……….Oh! This chair is delicious. Ops here comes snapping fingers and mean face again!  So where was I….oh yes, foster mom can give me mean face but I pretty much know she is a push over now.

Is it time to eat yet? I am just so hungry all the time.  I LOVE food and treats!  Foster mom feeds me three times a day but if she is late at all I let her know I am HUNGRY when I claw at the magic food bin.   She opens the lid and reaches in and out comes FOOD!!!  …….. hold on I need to pounce on my fur sibling.   I am a ferocious lion/bulldog!   I crouch and then……wait for it…….I pounce!!!!  Ahhhhhhaaaaa!!!got him!

Oh!  Hold on!   That table looks delicious.    Crunch, crunch…. ops! Here she comes.  Snap, snap fingers!  Ok, yes I like the bone just as much…….Here come fur friends with a toy!  I must have it!!!  I chase and grab…..tug of war!!!        

Ooooooo, yesssssss, I love scratches and head rubs.   Mmmmmm, foster mom is soooo sweet.  But her hand looks so delicious!  I need to taste it…… ops! She did snap fingers.   

I watch foster mom and fur friends all the time to figure out what is going on.  Foster mom is always facing her eyes to me.  That helps so I know what is going on. When we ride in the car and the back of her head is my way I have to bark, bark, bark!!  I want to see her face.   If fur siblings are with me in the car I don’t mind being in the back but I need faces!!

I love people and fur friends.  I love playing and getting pats and scratches.  It was great getting to go to my first event at Trinity River distillery.  Everyone was so nice.   I liked all the new fur friends too!

Yawwwwwnnnnn.  Time for a puppy nap now. Hope to see you soon.

3/2/2020 Update:

Please welcome Beethoven to No Borders Bulldog Rescue. Beethoven is a 5 month old male deaf English Bulldog that weighs 30 lbs.  
 
Divine may the best way to describe the way Beethoven joined the NBBR family. A Bulldog Guardian Angel (BGA) happen to be surfing social media and came across a post about Beethoven (not his original name). The advertisement stated he was deaf, played roughly with his siblings and would be rehomed for the best offer. The BGA was shocked, outraged and most importantly became determined to see Beethoven in the hands of a Bulldog Rescue. The BGA spent a long time talking with the poster, and wore them down. And like many rescues, Beethoven was nowhere near the BGA. The BGA activated the Bulldog Guardian Angel Network (BGAN, yes it is a real thing) and they flew into action. Schedules were rearranged, preparations were made, times were confirmed and constant interaction with the poster kept the whole operation on track. Early Saturday before the sun was up the BGA hit the road to meet up with the poster. When they arrived, the BGA knew that all the effort was worth it. The little guy stared up at the BGA and seemed to be saying ‘Thank you’.  He seemed in fairly good shape, other than being a little underweight. He had no collar, no leash, no toys or blankets, just a quick hand off. It is the BGA’s opinion that the poster fully intended to breed Beethoven to a female puppy once they were old enough. Being a first time bulldog owner they had no idea how much work two bulldog puppies would be and once they discovered Beethoven was deaf, he was too much trouble and no longer valuable to them. He was kept outside in South Texas, in a crate. Had the BGA not stepped in, young Beethoven would have started a long hard road that so many dogs travel. But now that is in the rear view!
 
Once the BGA secured Beethoven, they contacted NBBR and asked if we could help the special guy. We said, yes, that is what we do! Saturday evening Beethoven arrived to his new foster home. After allowing him to shake off the road trip, the group introduced Beethoven to his new dog siblings in the front yard. This went flawlessly and the canine residents were happy to play with the puppy. Walking Beethoven into the house was anything but carefree. This young guy had shown nothing but confidence up until this point. When it came time to step INSIDE the home, he backed up. While we cannot say he has never been in a home, we can say that entering in a home, was something to be avoided. This is where the resident dogs helped a great deal. As humans, we want to console with words, and that does nothing for Beethoven. The dogs helped show him inside was a wonderful thing especially where the food is kept. After introducing young Beethoven to his new foster siblings and showing him around, the NBBR family and the BGAN knew that this guy will be just fine. He is deaf, and that will take careful methodical training and interactions. He makes incredible eye contact and is constantly looking to people for direction. He plays wonderful with the resident dogs. He is a lovable, confident, and amiable. Beethoven will get to compose a bright future of his very own! And, In case you were wondering, deaf dogs do bark! 
 
Generally speaking a new NBBR intake’s first stop is the clinic, but rescue demands flexibility and no two are the same. So, because the clinic was closed for the weekend, Beethoven hung out at his foster home until first thing Monday morning.  When Beethoven arrived at the clinic it was all good news.   It was confirmed that he is completely deaf (we kinda diagnosed that over the weekend).  Other than that, Beethoven is a strong, healthy, stubborn Bulldog puppy.   Since Beethoven has spent much of his early time outside, his first order of business is to work on his inside manners, with potty training being at the top of the list.  In addition to the challenges of potty training a Bulldog puppy, his foster family is working on the necessary hand signals/signs to get him trained and be able to integrate into “normal” life.   He will also need to be neutered, but that can not be safely completed until he is a little older.   Stay tuned for the  adventures of Beethoven the deaf Bulldog Puppy as he blossoms into the Bulldog he was meant to be

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