Name/Age: Cowboy - approx. 7 y/o & Georgia - approx. 2 y/o
Family Members: Johnny & Erin, Miss Sippy - kitty sister & Pickles - other kitty sister
How long have Cowboy & Georgia been in the family? Cowboy- 7 years, PAWS thinks he was about 6 months old when we adopted him. Georgia - 2 years.
Professions: Erin - executive producer at Fox5 Atlanta. Johnny is full time with Georgia National Guard.
Location: Douglasville, GA.
Nicknames: Cowboy: CB, Angel Dog, Mouse Dog (he really looks like an oversized mouse), Bubby, Bub Bub, Lunch box, C-burs (likely from CB…not really sure)
Georgia: Georgie Porgie, Jo Jo, Hippo, Steve Buscemi (she has crazy eyes)
Cowboy
Georgia
5 words/phrases that best describe Cowboy & Georgia?
Cowboy:
Loyal
Empathetic (I swear he can sense our feelings and emotions. He goes to his bed if he thinks his mom and dad are arguing. He comforts you when you are sad. He licks your tears and sticks his cold nose on your face).
Gentle (we raised baby chicks around him. He used to roam free with his chicken sisters in the backyard)
Popular (The neighborhood kids all come over to play with him and Georgia. Sometimes I feel like our adult friends only come over to hang out with Cowboy)
Patient (Cowboy puts up with so much. His sister mauls him. Our nieces and nephews climb all over him. He has never shown any aggression toward children who can sometimes be a lot to handle.)
Side note—My husband picked 5 words as well. Here are his:
Amazing, vibrant, energetic, loving, intense, calculating (I guess he picked 6)
Georgia:
Cuddle Bug
Bull in a China Shop
Goofy
Jumpy
Affectionate
What makes Cowboy & Georgia unique? Cowboy tries so hard to please us. When it’s late at night and his sister barks at him to play, CB will look at me for permission because he knows his Dad is sleeping. He absolutely HATES getting in trouble and he LOVES to be praised. (He rarely gets in trouble)
His favorite thing in the world is to be “sharked” by his Dad. That’s when Johnny turns him on his back and holds him. We call it “sharking” because sharks fall asleep if you roll them on their backs. Cowboy will shark himself if you don’t pull him into your lap and flip him over.
He HATES carbs. Ever since he was little he has only liked meat. He won’t touch french fries, bread, chips, tots, etc. He will eat a piece of popcorn, but only after he tosses it in the air all over the living room first.
He loves cats. He lives with two cats, but thinks every cat in the world should love him. Several cats live at our vet’s office and he tries to love on them every time we go. Unfortunately they don’t take kindly to affection from a pit bull.
Georgia doesn’t usually lick. She just presses her little snout to your face to give kisses. She also bunny hops up and down stairs instead of running with all four legs. Her eyes are one of her most unique qualities. They are very clear and light and one eyeball seems to look off to the side—hence the Steve Buscemi reference.
Airborne Cowboy
Georgia commanding her stick!
Rescue Story - Cowboy: After a year or so of dating, my now husband and I decided we wanted to adopt a dog. I saw puppies on PAWS Atlanta’s Instagram account, so we decided to check them out one weekend. When we got there, we learned the puppies weren’t ready to be adopted. We decided to stroll through the dog facility anyway. All of the dogs were barking their heads off, but there was one dog in a single stall sitting about 2 feet back from the door. He wasn’t acting scared or shy, he was just sitting like a good boy looking at the people passing him by. I too passed him by, but my husband couldn’t take his eyes off of him. I eventually pulled Johnny away and we finished our tour through the facility. We sat on a bench out front to talk about the puppies again. I saw Johnny’s face and knew exactly what he was thinking. I asked him if he wanted to go see the “good” dog again. He said yes… and the rest was history.
We took Cowboy on a walk around PAWS and played ball in their fenced in area. We were in LOVE. We made the best decision of our lives that day. Cowboy came home with us and our world has revolved around him ever since.
As for his pre-adoption history, we don’t know a whole lot. PAWS told us they found him tied to their mailbox one morning. Apparently abandoned by his previous owners. They said he was the first pit bull their shelter accepted in years. If you look on their website now, they happily take in pit bulls every day. That’s because my Cowboy proved his breed is the most loving and gentle of all. He had two PAWS foster families before we adopted him. Both loved him and still ask for updates from time to time.
Georgia: A co-worker brought her to my job after her brother’s pit bull had a littler of puppies. They were looking for homes for all the babies and I absolutely fell in love with her. We weren’t even talking about adopting another dog, but I immediately connected with Georgia. I took her home with me that night and the rest is history. She was very skinny when we got her, but that did not last long.
Cowboy making himself comfy on the way to his forever home.
Skinny dirty little Georgia!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We love taking Cowboy swimming. We live next to Sweetwater Creek State Park. There are several creeks in our neighborhood and we let him off leash to explore and run through the water. He is obsessed with swimming in lakes and ponds. He would fetch a stick in the middle of the lake all day long if you would let him.
Cuddling! Georgia is an award-winning cuddled. She nuzzles her nose in your armpit or neck and literally won’t let you go until you give her a bear hug and kisses. She so funny because she doesn’t lick like her brother. Instead, Georgia puts her entire muzzle to your lips like she’s giving you a people kiss.
One of our favorite family activities is going on golf cart rides and rides on the side-by-side. Georgia actually loves going off-road riding.
What is life like since you rescued Cowboy & Georgia? As I mentioned, Cowboy completely changed our lives. He made our family whole. He does everything with us. We take him and his sister on vacations with us. They are our children. I probably wouldn’t have made it through my husband’s deployment to Iraq without Cowboy. That dog was glued to my side during the entire 10 months. He leaned on me and I leaned on him. He licked my tears and cuddled with me at night. He did zoomies to cheer me up and he gave me a reason to get up and get outside to hike or just go for walks. During those months he was a mama’s boy. I can’t say the same for the time before and since the deployment. He’s definitely a daddy’s dog most of the time. He acts like Johnny has been gone a month every day when he gets home from work. Those two have a very special bond.
I can’t imagine life before Georgia. We were nervous when we first adopted her because it was very spur of the moment. After the first week we knew we had made the right choice. She and Cowboy became instant besties. She doesn’t go anywhere or do anything without her big brother. She sleeps in the middle of our bed and keeps us warm or burning up at night. Georgia is a huge source of laughter in our house. Her crazy eyes and goofy personality brighten every single day.
Social Media: Cowboy @the_village_cowboy
Georgia @the_last_cowgirl
Photographers Note: Meeting these two pups was a blast. After the initial bowtie shot in their backyard, we went to a second location in their neighborhood. An area that was fenced in and had a pond. From then on it, was constant movement….there was swimming, ball fetching, stick wrangling, you name it! Whenever Cowboy went in the water Georgia waited patiently for him to come out and play with her again. After all that play and a ton of photos taken; they jumped in their truck, tongues hanging out, happily exhausted and didn’t even look back. Time for naps!
The sibling bond!