Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Happy Birthday Wilbur...

                   
              ... oh, and to my mom too!

When we took Wilbur in we knew from his vet records that he had originally been adopted out at approximately 11 weeks of age.  His previous owners (back yard breeders) only had him for one day when one of their pregnant female pit bulls nearly mauled him to death. After his owners relinquished custody of the little guy to the clinic and he landed in our life we calculated his age, went back in time, and figured he had most likely been born in mid January.  My mother's birthday is January 16th so we thought, what the heck, she won't care.
And as an animal lover she certainly didn't.

Fractured scull, punctured throat, torn ear, damaged eye, and many contusions.

A very handsome little man on the mend.

From poster boy to calender boy (Wilbur was the June, Hunk of the Month,  in last years Pit Bull Frog Calendar).
This dog has been nothing but a joy to us ever since the day he walked (and grunted like a pig) into our lives.  He's been a wonderful boat dog, a heating pad on cold nights (and hot nights whether we like it or not), a fantastic pre-dish-washer-plate-cleaner, and a very patient listener while I yak and yak and yak at him all day long.

He's put up with horrendous heat (2 months of nearly 100 degree temps during our Chesapeake Bay debacle back in 2010), rough overnight passages, and choppy seas, yet he continues to give us unconditional love.

So, today he got to spend his special day at Doggy Day Care where he played all day long with his doggy friends and came home with a little birthday bag full of treats. And even though he's usually stuck to us like glue, he was so tired tonight he went down below to our berth a couple of hours ago and has been snoring away ever since.

The only spoiler here will be attempting to move the little stinker into a more favorable position when we try to get into bed as Wilbur has apparently acquired a pretty handy dandy no fail anchor.

But it's his birthday and we'll just have to live with it.


10 comments:

  1. I remember when you first got Wilbur. How far he has come...and I will always love the photo of him sunning his tush on the boat!

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  2. Happy Birthday to Wilbur! He's so lucky to have so much love, and he seems so sweet .. like most pits I've come across.

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  3. That picture made me laugh so loud! Wilbur has turned into quite the handsome pup. One of our dogs had a pretty rough start as well and she also lounges out in a similar fashion.

    You both have a wonderful birthday!

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  4. Thank you, thank you!! Wilbur is still exhausted after his big day yesterday and has snoozed nearly all day long.

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  5. Happy Birthday Wilbur, hope you have the best day ever!

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  6. Hey Laura! Sorry this is a day late...just how my life is right now! :o( But I wanted to wish the W-Man a big 'ol Happy Birthday! Gees, time flies. I, too, remember when you first got him...I was so worried about the little guy. But he's a real trooper and a lover bug and he was meant to be with you and Hans. Please give him a big 'ol smooch for me!

    XOXO,

    Cyndi

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  7. Hi Laura! Just stopped in to say HI since I haven't talked to you in a while. It's always good to hear your voice. It makes me smile. We're temporarily in NYC (sans boat) and will be flying back to the boat in Florida next month to hop to the Bahamas. What are you up to next?

    Cheers!
    Tammy
    ploddingINparadise.com

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    1. Hey Tammy,
      Good to hear from you. We're still on the gulf coast here in FL while Hans continues to work. We decided since he has a decent job we'd stick it out here another year. At least we're on our boat so we can't complain. If all goes according to plan we may leave next January and cruise the eastern coast. No big plans to take on the world, we just love being on the water.

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