Meet the Slagle Fam Fluffybutts

I've done a few fun things this Summer... A couple trips to Table Rock State Park, toured Furman University, partnered with Carly and multiple brands to put together "Christmas in July", built up a photography portfolio, raised money for beach wheelchairs with my family's non profit organization, but also photographed dogs for a local animal rescue in Columbia, and even adopted some! 

So 1.6 is the average number of dogs owned per household... But since when have I been average... I own five dogs, three of which are new additions this Summer! Yes, I have five dogs. It sounds quite insane, but believe me I absolutely love it! In the Summertime, because of my older brother Isaac's autism, cabin fever is something that everyone in my family experiences. Isaac tends to have some aggressive behaviors, so going out can be hard. These new additions to the family have made life a lot easier this Summer. I just realized that I've never actually really introduced you to 2/3 of the new additions! I made this video earlier this Summer, but we had only had Tygee for days after I made it so I didn't know enough about her at the time. Now we have another, Momma Jewel and I can't wait to introduce y'all to this pretty ol' girl as well as share a little more fun facts about my other fluffybutts! 

Sparky-

I've had Spark since I was 3 or 4. Basically ever since I can remember. When we were in process of fixing up the house before we moved in, Sparky smelled our dinner and came running. We didn't know what to do when we had a young puppy lurking around the house whining for food before we had even moved in. Sparky sure wasn't going anywhere so I named him and skip ahead 13 years and he's still alive and kicking it! He has been blind for the past couple years - by blind I mean like REALLY blind - and he is always crashing into absolutely everything. 

Merry - 

Originally a twin (her sister passed away last year after a struggle with lymphoma), we welcomed Merry and her sister into our family when they were months old. They were ridiculously filled with energy and were always playing with each other. When Minnie passed away, we knew we needed some new friends for Merry - this is where SQ enters the scene -. Speaking of Merry, when we decided to get twin puppies, we wanted to give the girls' cute pair names. My mom suggested "Minnie" and "Mouse" or "Merry" and "Christmas". We later decided to just go with Minnie and Merry. Merry is 5 years old now, and she is still insanely energetic. Her tennis ball is her best friend and being a Australian shepherd, she lives to "keep the other dogs in line" by nipping them in the butt, side, neck, really wherever. We shave her in the Summertime because her coat gets really long and warm, and when we shave her we call her a sheep. Shredded sharp cheddar cheese is her favorite to lick off the floor. 

Snoop Snoop -

Snoop Snoop was previously named Boone. We adopted him from SQ Rescue - SBT (Susan Bennett's division of the rescue). Snoop was rescued by Mary Escue, the founder of the rescue. He had been at the rescue for a few months, and was adored by children that would visit the team's animals at their Saturday events. However, none of Snoop's visitors would take him home. My family and I saw Snoop Snoop, and showed his picture to my dad. Father's Day was in a few weeks, and we wanted to get him a really good present this year. We met Susan Bennett at a local Petsmart store, signed the papers, and took our new dog home. (see some video footage/pictures here). Snoop loves his new home! He's a 5 year old hound dog and loves to lay out across the tile floor, come upstairs and wake us up in the morning, beg for rawhide bones, and tummy rubs. He's the funniest dog... He has this regal esque look about him sometimes like his posture and how he holds his head. He's the type of dog that places his paw on your knee or hand immediately after you stop petting him. A messy eater, but always cleans up after himself, and honestly such an obstinate horse when you want him to do something. He's not the brightest bulb, but he sure is photogenic!

Tygee-

Tygee, originally named Tyee was at the top of a shelter's kill list. Susan Bennett was contacted by this particular shelter about Tygee and her story. The shelter was upset at the previous owners of Tygee. They had surrendered her to a kill shelter when they realized she was 8 years old. She was a family dog and her owners didn't want to see her die. Susan rushed to the shelter and rescued our Tygee. She is a golden retriever/chow chow mix and absolutely adorable. She's super quiet and well behaved and even enjoys bath time! Her hobbies include watching Merry run back and forth across the yard after a tennis ball and eating a whole bunch of those Beggin' Strips dog treats! Tygee is named for Daniel Tiger (Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood)'s toy tiger! She also loves rolling through tall grass and going for walks.

Momma Jewel - 

Momma Jewel is our newest edition to the family. She is a 9 year old hound dog that prior to coming to our house, was in a foster home going to adoption events every weekend for two years. When the rescue first found her she was extremely underweight and had just given birth to a litter of puppies. We chose to adopt Jewel because we want to provide her with the best home possible for the rest of her life. She's just recently stolen the couch from Merry, our Australian shepherd and enjoys grabbing bread bags off of the table and taking them into her bed. She scarfs down any food that you put in front of her and is excellent at cleaning up after dinner! OH and when she pulls together enough energy to run with Snoop Snoop through the yard, it's THE cutest thing! 

So yes, we have a lot of dogs as well as six people in the family. Meaning that there is never a dull moment. Ever. Now that I've shared this post, you all will be able to know which dogs I've just photographed from SQ Rescue and which ones I actually own when I share on social media! Is being a dog blogger a thing? I might need to print new business cards that say "lifestyle + doggy blogger". But seriously, these five furballs are as many as we're ever going to have. Know your limits, right? My dad would say five is more than enough, but it's just right! These guys definitely keep me going throughout the day and they are truly wonderful companions... I'm SO GLAD everyone's all been formally introduced!