Was going to talk more about Paris but...

My friend shared a picture on Facebook yesterday that I found comment worthy.  ---->


Now I know there are people out there that love the pit bull breed and I've got nothing against the pit bull.  One of our friends owns a pit bull and he comes over to play with our big 2.  He also is allowed around my 14 month old but I'll talk more about Diesel more later.

Now the pit bull is a very powerful breed...there no way around it.  Anyone that has been around a pit bull knows that they have very large heads and their head is covered with a very large muscle that controls the jaw.  They also have a large mouth and large teeth.  When it comes to training they are very stubborn and not all that bright so training is long and hard.  All the pit bulls that I have met almost all of them want to be dominate.  So the person that owns a pit bull needs to have a strong will and let it be known that the person rules the house and controls all aspects of life for the dog.  I do that with all 3 of my dogs (miniature poodle, doberman and boxer).  Not all people who own dogs are responsible.  There are people out there that get pit bulls because they have a bad rap and the people want a mean dog to add fear to the people around them...not meaning friends or family although they could be afraid of the dog(s) too.

Now for the other dogs mentioned in the image - Doberman, German Shepard and Rottweiler.  Now owning a doberman might make me bias but she is one of the best dogs that I have ever had.  We adopted Gretchen from the pound when she was about 7 months old and she turned our lives upside down.  She was kinda trained when we got her so she caught on quick with the simple commands like sit and down.  Gretchen does have a few screws loose and a few quirks but all in all she is super smart and learns really fast.  Now for a bit of history on the doberman.  They were breed by a tax collector who wanted a personal protection dog while traveling through the slums to collect taxes.  Hitler bred them to aggressive war dogs and I imagine that during the 70's doberman breeders decided to start breeding the doberman to be less aggressive.  The selective breeding must have worked because all the dobermans that I have known are really nice.  Now I haven't owned a German Shepard or a Rottweiler so I don't know that much about them but here's what I do know.  The German Shepard is one of the most trainable dogs out there today and the rotties can be great pets if trained right from the beginning.  The German Shepard have been used as service dogs for years and years.  The rotties were breed originally to pull small carts and hold money sacks around their necks for butchers.  Now all 3 dogs are large and intimidating, which is ideal for guarding which all 3 breeds have done in the past and still do today, but if not properly trained and socialized they can become fearful and aggressive.  This also goes for all breeds from the Great Dane all the way down to the Chihuahua. 

So my point is that any dog can attack and bite if not properly trained and socialized.  I have been bitten by 3 different dogs in my lifetime and 2 of them were Cocker Spaniels.  This also brings me back to Diesel the pit bull friend.  Diesel has been trained and socialized since puppyhood and he is truly a great dog.  We dog sat Diesel and his "sister" Daphne the Weimaraner over a weekend a month ago.  Diesel was a perfect gentleman and after I made it clear that the baby didn't need to be licked in the face every time he saw her, he left her alone for the most part.  Daphne on the other hand worried me just a bit because she out weighs the baby by about 80 pounds and has a hunting instinct that has me just a tad worried when it comes to my kid.  Zoe stayed the weekend over at her grandma's with our small dog, Bitsie, because there is no way, even with the help of my husband, that I could watch 5 dogs and an active toddler, who is fascinated by all the doggies.

If people who own dogs take the time to train and socialize their dogs, we wouldn't have all these dog related attacks.  That's all I have to say...feel free to comment or disagree...Cheers!!

Paris

So we went to Paris for a whole week for hubby's 30th birthday.  We went with his dad and step mom.  Paris was great, I loved going but the Parisians seem to have no concept of being baby-friendly. 

Here in America, parents don't think twice about taking our children anywhere.  We know there will be a high chair for us to use in most if not all restaurants and we also know that if a diaper change is needed there will be a changing table in most of the places we go.  So when we got to Paris, I was shocked and amazed that most places didn't have changing tables and high chairs to use.  I think I found 1 changing tables while in Paris and one was nothing more than a converted broom closet with barely enough room to lay the kid down to change her.  Everywhere else only had a WC, where I would stand Zoe up on the toilet and change her diaper (so glad she can stand by herself).  As for high chairs, I only saw them in McDonald's...go figure. 

As anyone who has been to Paris knows, Paris is a walking city.  Meaning that everything is accessible by walking.  You can rent bikes near some metro stations, ride the metro, or take the ferries down the river but essentially you walk everywhere...only Parisians should drive around the city!!!  Most of the places we walked to were stroller friendly but there were times when I thought our little umbrella stroller would not survive the trip.  Also there are a lot of stairs.  Stairs to get to the metro, stairs to get down to the river, stairs to get on the ferry, stairs to go in to buildings...you get the picture.  There are some elevators but they are the size of closest.  The one elevator that we used on a regular basis could fit 3 adults and the baby in her stroller comfortably.  As the mother of a very active 14 month old, I can honestly say that walking around all day with a 14 month old strapped in her stroller makes a very unhappy toddler.  There are parks in Paris to run around in but they are nothing like the grass filled parks that we have here.  They actually remind me of the very prim and proper English gardens where one should stroll along the gravel path and take in the beauty of the manicured gardens.  Grassy areas are fenced off and children play on gravel paths...lovely.  The Luxembourg Gardens are know for being "children friendly" but only if your child is I would say school age.  

My advice for anyone wanting to go to Paris and maybe any other European country, would be to go with your significant other and leave the children at home.  Or if you like me and don't want to leave the children at home wait until they are potty trained and have the ability to understand that hands must be held while walking near busy streets.

All in all, I truly enjoyed my trip to Paris.  Going with Zoe was definitely an adventure that made us happy, frustrated, sad and mad but if I had to do it again I would definitely go with Zoe again.   Will write more about traveling with my little munchkin later...Cheers!!

So my first post...

So this is my first blog...yay!!  So I start with a little about me and why I choose to blog...

My name is Brittany and I'm a 25 yr old stay at home mom (SAHM) to my adorable lil Zoe, who is 14 months, and 3 dogs, Bitsie, Gretchen, and Rocky.  Also currently I am an incubator to baby Ian, who will arrive in January.  I like to read books and don't really care for e-readers although I have one.  I research my family history and when in the mood my husband's family too.  I thought I liked cooking but then discovered I don't once I had to cook everyday.

I decided to start a blog while on vacation in Paris with my husband, father-in-law, step-mother-in-law and my daughter.  When we found out we were going to Paris, I started looking for tips and things to do with a small child in Paris and while I found a great blog that helped, I don't recall seeing much about the status of things that I am used to like changing tables in public places and high chairs.  Also, I couldn't find out how it would be flying standby with a small child, although I probably didn't look that hard cause life around my house gets kinda crazy with 3 dogs and a toddler.

Will post more about the dogs, the kid and the trip to Paris...Cheers!