What Is In A Name?

Much thought and time went into the choice of my Store Name.

How to portray myself to the Art World? Not only who am I but what do I stand for? What do I create?

I especially love the portion of my business that allows me to create animal portraits out of felt for people who adore their pets. So, I wanted a name that had something to do with animals.

I also wanted a name that would positively portray my breed of dog in a good light and allowed me educational opportunities. I was tentative about what type of reception my Store Name would receive, but positives of this name far outweighed the negatives.

Doing Dog Safety Programs for children in my community had given me the name I've decided to wear with pride. I'm known as the "Pit Bull Lady" to the under 5' crowd, because Ready, one of our loved rescues helps me with education and entertainment during these programs.

I'm many things to many people (and animals). First, I am a child of Christ. A Wife. A Mother. A Step-Mother. A Grandmother. An Artist. An Educator (not a teacher) but an educator to my children, my 4-H kids, the community about causes that mean a lot to me. An Animal Trainer. A Pit Bull Lover. A Dog Rescuer. A 4-H Leader. A Fighter of Breed Specific Legislation. A Church Volunteer. . . . . . .

My family and I have a long history with this mis-understood breed of dog that has lived with us since the 1980s. I trained and showed American Pit Bull Terriers in UKC , selecting and continuing a special Old Family Red Nosed line. This is the same Breed that I now educate about, fight for, rescue, foster, and my kids show in 4-H.

Ready decorated like a speed horse

Ready decorated like a speed horse
Originally uploaded by PitBullLadyDesigns

Running agility at 4-H dog show fair, painted like a speed horse just for laughs. . . won Intermediate B

playing in the rain

playing in the rain
Originally uploaded by PitBullLadyDesigns

y playing with his 4-H dog in the rain soaked yard. Thanks IKE for making it all the way to Michigan! Well, the boys and dogs had fun and the horses love eating the new growth of grass. . . me, I sobbed for the missed craft show. . .

craft show - Middleville left table top

craft show - m'v left table top
Originally uploaded by PitBullLadyDesigns

Ready doing her normal for a craft show. . . laying around until someone interesting wants to pet her. I'm wondering if I should have put up atleast one side curtain to create a blank wall behind the hanging purses. . . well considering that this is my first stand alone (not farmer's market table) booth, I'm pretty happy.

Husband's dog agility jump on the left side of the booth and daughter's barbed wire wreath hanging on the tent post on the right. . . didn't have either of the little boys along, so I didn't have to design room for their sculpty clay creations.

Artists for Animals at FSAM booth

My middle son and I are featured in this picture from FSAM blog. Aprons, purses, barbed wire art, needle felt jewelry, and needle felt sculpture. My son is working on his Twisted View Sculpty Shop items, which was next to me and I set up a Am. Pit Bull Informational Booth on the other side of that.

We have even been thanked by people for having Ready attend these event with us and giving the APBT breed some much needed positive exposure. Not that having her along is a hardship, she is very well trained and a joy to show off.

LOL, she is better than candy for drawing people's interest, whither they like dogs or the breed or not.

Getting In Gear!!!

How do we as artist, force ourselves to continue working on projects, even when we don't feel like it or have issues that pull our attention away? I have so many things started right now that can't seem to settle on one and just plain finish it. . .

On the Upside:
First Dog Training 4-H meeting of the year and with fewer than our (in past years) 30 teams, we progressed faster and accomplished more with about 15 teams. Maybe limiting new members was the answer to some of our club's stress issues. . . My 7 yo is dancing in excitement to train his Cruiser dog!!! The 9yo said he doesn't want to train dogs but wishes that his Guinea Pig could be obedience trained like the dogs. . . LOL how these kid's minds work!

Horse Judging Team is doing well and the teens are pushing themselves to succeed which is better than the leaders pushing the kids. . . Pray for these kids that they excell at the upcoming competition on April 19. . .

Dressing Up Dogs. . .

Well, really we played dress up with the dogs. . .The rednose Cruiser seemed to enjoy dressing up but Ready (Blue & White) was all confused about what happened to Cruiser's dog parts. . .

Ready was really worried by the pants on this costume that Cruiser is wearing and he couldn't walk very well with her huge head between his legs looking for his missing parts. . . LOL no more costume pants for Cruiser. . . Poor boy, he loves pants.

My 7 year old, so loves his 4-H dog and can't wait to attend training classes this spring. Already practicing obedience in the house. Really cute when a pit bull takes commands and direction from a little one.

Isn't it cute that some dogs enjoy dressing up and others look totally put out. My daughter's Ready always looks put out and the

new male Cruiser acts like he is cool!!!

THERAPY DOG VISITS WITH PIT BULLS, of course

dogs from our 4-H club doing a short demo before visiting...

stop talking. . .there is people to be licked over there

First home petting time (there were kids there), dogs had a hard time demoing anything with kids so close! Harley, TDI, gets petted first, Ready (in training) waits in line.

Ready is being urged to greet a very fragile acting lady, and the next picture shows how it went.

Ready was very hesitant with the fragile older ladies, but after their hands were placed on the top of her head, she gently and happily licked everywhere she could reach .

These girls w/Harley & Ready do a large amount of PR for our favorite breed and who can resist pretty, young girls with well trained, beautiful dogs. I have seen even people who wouldn't give the breed a chance if handled by an adult, listen nicely and love on the pits handled by knowledgable young people.

Harley, TDI, doesn't care what else is there (Little One the toy poodlish thing) or going on if only he can get petted. He almost pouted because the kids did a short demo before each visiting session. Ready says thanks for the petting, but that Little One doesn't like me. . .Ohhh, empty hands over there. Why do I get the girl that takes time to talk with each patient. . .there are empty laps calling my head and hands to stroke me.

Oh La La, more petting for the love starved pit bull and Ready is finding out that shaking, fragile hand can handle petting a big dog. . .she is really careful about her approach to the more fragile of the patients. But her favorite patient of the day was a gentleman, who's mind was fading, but his health was still robust. The shine in his eyes to hold a big dog said it all.

I love the stable temperment on pits. . .this was Ready's second visit and we are so proud of how she handles it all. Many of our 4-H dogs have reactions to the equipment in nursing homes, wheel chairs, canes, walkers, etc. for the first time, but I have never noticed our pits even glancing at these items. Pits seem to take it all in stride, like people just come with thoses items attached to them.

My first puppy (back in the early 80's) off of Panda's Gallant Finale at 4 months of age, on lead leaped into the lap on a young man in a wheel chair and embarrassed me (we were walking thru a art festival). He laughed delightedly and wanted to keep her (as she is cleaning his face), because he said all the dogs he knew no longer liked him because of the chair. I don't think she even saw the wheel chair as anything other than a way to reach his face easier. Needless to say, I have gotten much better at keeping an eye on ANYTHING my fearless love sponges can get into.

My daughter is sooo much better at this than me, and she does the TDI visits. The first visit, my daughter only wanted to go and do the demo portion (obedience, agility, tricks). But one of the residents was blind and wanted to see Ready with her hands and have Steph give her a more indepth discription on her tricks. What pit puppy can resist an all over body rub without washing a face in thanks?