Tito Take Two

The sequel everyone has been asking for since episode one.  Here is your chance to hear how things are going with the most interesting DOG in the world, Tito!    Tito and I were matched by Pawadise Pet Rescue, after a couple of rejects in the adoption process in 2020. I'll share stories and lessons I'm learning from him  that you can all appreciate.

This is also the season 2 opener.  Thanks for returning listeners and welcome to anyone tuning in for the first time.

It will be time well spent.  I promise you that!

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Transcript

Thanks for tuning in.

This podcast is all about bringing joy through storytelling and conversation

I’ll  hit you with some wellness, inspiration and splash in a little laughter

It’ll be time well spent I promise you that

So sit back and relax - Let’s do this thing!

Yo how’s Tito?  Where’s Tito.  I get that pretty much everywhere I go.  Tito is my dog and how they know because he was the inspiration behind my first episode - How I got my heart broke by a dog I never met.  That’s still the most listened to episode and gets weekly downloads even though it was first released in April 2020 

Now for those listeners who haven’t heard episode one - hit pause and go listen.  I’ll be here when you get back. But if you insist on staying I’ll catch you up with the cliff notes version.

I stumbled on an article that over 670 thousand dogs are euthanized every year, so I decided I would adopt a shelter or rescue dog in 2020.   I’ve loved lots of dogs - but never had one of my own - they were always someone else's.  I figured the new year would be a good time to start the search. I filled out applications and waited for the call.

I experienced a couple of rejections before a serendipitous twist matched me with the perfect dog - Tito!  I share the lessons I learned along the way - another reason to go back and listen to the premiere episode.  

Many listeners said they wanted to hear more about Tito.  If they follow me on social media they get a little taste.  He is so photogenic he makes it to the wall at least once a week.  He makes me laugh every day - real laugh - you know the original LOL.  And that’s a good place to start this episode.

He farts a lot  - and farts are funny - I don’t care who you are.  not just silent ones either. Then he looks at me like - did you hear that - I’m like yeah and I smell it too.  And Every morning it’s the same thing, he stands nose to the door waiting to go out - but  he won’t step into his harness - no matter what i try he just tenses up- and goes all stiff legged on me - I have to lift his front legs to pull on the harness - it makes me laugh - I’m like dude really can you help me here - it’s the same thing every day - - this harness is your ticket out of here. 

Yep I have full conversations with him - and I know he understands me - and speaking of understanding ----he’s bilingual - I mean his name is Tito - and Tito is a spanish nickname --- so I speak to him in spanish tambien-  Ay mi Amore’.  Te quiero mucho me vida. Tienen hombre’  

Google Translate!

I suppose his name  could come from the popular Tito’s Vodka - but my sister even notices how he sits all regal like he’s guarding a princess in a spanish castle.  

 We’re coming up on a year since we were matched.  There was no doubt from the minute we saw each other we were gonna be together but he took his time warming up and the lessons I’d be learning from Tito started right there.

He’d hide under the porch and wouldn’t come out - until he wanted to come out.  Then one night it was getting really late, and he wouldn’t come out for anything - pa nada - I was losing my patience but knew that kind of energy wasn’t going to help.  

So I decided to crawl under there and get him..  

He was surprised to see me - and *like a scene from a sappy movie he kissed my cheek and laid his head on my knee…..Not really I added that for dramatic effects--

Tito’s not much for sap though he can be dramatic. he just crawled out from under the porch and turned back to see if I was coming - by the time made it out he was waiting at the front door, I caught up to him, opened the door and HE lead the way - that’s when I knew he trusted me - cause that was the first time he went in first.

Every now and then he still finds his way under porch but not cause he’s hiding - cause it’s shady and it’s the best seat in the house to watch the sidewalk activity - it’s pretty quiet round the hood - but there are chickens, stray cats and the neighbor dogs to keep him amused between naps.

 BringJoy listeners know we live in Key West - and if you know anything about Key West you know the chickens and iguanas run free- he hasn’t had an encounter with the nasty reptilian yet and he mostly ignores the chickens ---unless he’s running in the Pack with Charlie and Chaplin.  Those are two of his K9 cuzzies.  

When they are together he excerpts his most energy and his wild side comes out.  They run and  play and chase balls until their exhausted.  

Charlie is the leader of the pack - he’s a mix of  chow, lab and anatolian shepherd -that mix makes him the fastest and most athletic - I call him the Olympian - cause he could win the gold in sprints and high jumps.  Tito doesn’t lag far behind and is the strongest of the pack.  His legs are thick and strong - not sure where he comes from but seems like generations before might have climbed some mountains and dredged through the snow.  

He’ll muscle his way between the two brothers when they go at each other.  

See Chappy is his boy - Chappy is everybody boys actually - that’s why I call him the Mayor.   Chappy has some chihuahua and jack mix but hard to say - 

but’s it’s the perfect blend of cute and charism. 

He has so much charism - he greets the humans first and then dogs at the park like they are all there to see him.  

Maybe that’s what Tito likes so much about Chappy - that’s he’s not shy.  

See Tito he’s a little shy.  Kinda like -----me - until he get’s to know you - then he is the life of the party.

His girl cousin Maybel is fancy -is a Tiebetan Spaniel  she’s luxurious looking -and doesn’t pay much attention to him - She  doesn’t mind much if he comes over and will even share her toys - but she isn’t going to make a fuss over him.  Good for him to know and a reminder for me - not everybody gonna be crazy about you.

He has two girl cousins named Bella.  He loves lil B a lot. She is a blue tick beagle that knows how to climb over and under things - usually to escape to see what’s beyond the borders - which intrigues Tito - 

He hasn’t met Bella from the country.  She is a huggable mix of collie and pointer.  

His cuz Dakota the chocolate lab/pitt mix lives in the country too.  They’d all get along great - taking loooong naps in the sun.  

He’s heard the legendary stories of Maddie the Maddog how she fell in the cistern and was missing for days - how she was small and mighty, true to the Jack Russell bread.  I told him there was a dog named Quincy that looked just like him.  He’s heard all about King -the min pin chihuahua mix - though they never met , he knows King was a gentle soul who made way for Princessa Lola Bell Falona Wells - Nulisch aka shorty!

Tito met Lola a while back.  See Lola is the apple of my eye - a 10lb chihuahua weiner dog mix.  I got her name is tattooed on my leg with a Blue heart to seal the deal.   See Lola was my dog from a previous relationship - for 9 years we were foot to foot .  The human relationship didn’t work out - and it was best for Lola to stay with her mom.  It took time for the dust to settle - but now when things line up - we will run into each other and be nice.  I get to spend time hugging and kissing on Lola and Tito follows my lead.  It’s quite chill really - letting go of the past and having a different kind of relationship

Then there’s the neighbor dogs too, Harley is the humongous American Bull Dog that lives next door.  when Tito first came around - he had a chip on his shoulder and would growl at Harly just for looking at him.  Wouldn’t phase Harely --he’s just a playful pup in that massive body.  

And Butter is the champagne colored pit that lives on the corner - he is intimidating by look and sound - he knows it too - that’s part of his thing - but what I can’t make Tito understand - is Butter and Harely used to get the extra bacon on Sunday - now they haven’t got a piece since he showed up - Matter fact maybe we should get an extra pack next time and meet in the courtyard for snack time on Tito! Little play date for the D O G s 

Reminder - send invite to Rascal Lee and Ty Castellanos, Lucky, Prairie, Barbie, and Honcho too!  We gonna need a bigger place and lots of bacon--- gotta have his running partners from Pawadise Pet Sitting - there too.

In true Cayo Hueso fashion, little play date turning into a epic block party,people be talking bout for years.  

Everybody likes a good party and it’s all good as long as you take care of yourself  in between.  Tito has 4 simple rules for good health.  sleep, hydrate, stretch, and breath

He gets plenty sleeps, I’m talking stacking naps - And stretches after each one - his downward dog is better than Adrienn’s 

Can I get an  OMs and a namaste to Benji the yoga zen master - 

(you either with me or not)He drinks water like it taste good - he never passes a water bowl he isn’t getting his face in.

He breaths hard too - long after we get back from a walk - he still breathing hard.  

I thought maybe something is wrong with him - but no he just likes to get good breaths - 

so i do it too - You know what they say breathe work is the new mediation.  

Tito stays grounded too.  He’s  loves to roll around in the grass. Really rolling into it - belly to the sun - chin all the way back -

When at all possible I join him - no belly to the sun - 

though that is a good way to absorb some vitamin E.  

No I just kick off the slides and wiggle my toes on the earth - 

Tito eases into moments.  He loves car rides a lot.  When I retire we gonna go on a long one and meet his country cousins.  Until then we do the Key West crawl several times a week- you know around the beach,  up and down Duval.  He sticks his head out the window - but not all at once,  it’s a process - he doesn’t rush into things - he goes slow.  He approaches the window,  edges closer and closer until finally his whole head is out.  His beard flies in the wind and he squints his eyes like he is high.  He soaks up the breeze nice and easy.  

Tito has his Comfort Zone: He doesn’t have a crate but likes cozy places best- the top landing on the stairs where the light stays dim - or under the desk in my create space - under the bamboo trees at Maybel’s  or behind the urika palms at the Charlie and Chappies place. 
Timing is everything ---Tito and I were matched right before the pandemic hit the states.  We’d only been together a few weeks when The lock down was issued and most of my co-workers headed home to work remotely.

My friend Brian and I have our own offices so we kept going in.  We had the building to ourselves for months. And since everybody else was away and we were both dog people we  I brought our bffs to work.  That extra time Tito and i got to spend together was priceless,  to got to know each other.  He’d lay under my desk while I worked.  Union breaks were spent walking the campus - and learning how to brave stairs and elevators.  I am grateful for that time to be to bond with Tito.  

Tito took a liking to Brian.  But Ava, Uncle B;s baby - not so much.  Ava was Siberian Husky and German Sheppard mix - straight up girl boss- She scared the big guy -her good looks and strength were intimidating so they stayed in their respective corners - to  provide some much needed comfort to their humans during the most odd times.

I was happy to welcome my co-workers back to the office ------but was sad I couldn’t bring Tito anymore. I’d like to get a law passed that dogs in the workplace - are highly encouraged!  can i get an amen - or better yet a signature on the petition?       

When I leave Tito home I promise him, I’ll be back soon,  and we’ll  go for a walk so he could p on all the spots.  And Primo he Takes a pee on everything!  I can’t get mad  though cause he looks up at me with those Shaman brown eyes like well you take pictures of everything and I P on everything - I guess nows there’s proof we were both there.

When I leave he finds his spot on the couch.  Yep he has a spot on the couch.   Took him a couple months to even relax in the house now he holds it down like he owns the place.  He still likes to chill outside - he can hound dog it for hours on the porch.  He loves evening visits at grandmas - she’s got bags of treats everywhere.  He’s learned from Charlie to chase balls instead of run from them, he even has his own ChunkIt Stick.  He’s learned from Chappy that humans are mostly awesome. He especially loves the days he gets to go to doggy day care,  Pawadise Pet Sitting is where all the cool pups hang. 

He keeps caution close though, He doesn’t like mops or brooms.  The vacuum cleaner, or any loud noises send him looking for cover.  Makes me curious about what happened to him before he came to the rescue.  I don’t know his story - where he came from, how he was treated, how he got the name Tito, But it doesn’t really matter -I just gave him time - and follow his lead to what he needs and help him create a new story.

Everyone who sees him ask  -”wow what kind of dog is he?” I dont’ really know.  He appears to be wolfhound and schnauzer mix - vet said he might have some English Sheppard too- suggested I do a DNA test to see what breed he is.  That will never happen  because I don’t want the government to track him - just in case he is on the run - I don’t want the bad guys to come after him.  And be clear if they did- it’d go down  Queen and Slim style - cause T and I are ride or die. Believe that.

Feb 26th  2021, will make it a year since Tito and I were matched - and I’m grateful every day.  He really is the perfect DOG for me.  

This episode may be coming to a close but the stories and lessons between Tito and I are gonna keep coming.  But one thing at a time ----let’s absorb this list first. 

1. Surround yourself with a variety of beings that bring out all our sides - 
   1. Like Tito with K9 cuzzies
2. Take care of yourself - 
   1. sleep, drink water like it’s delicious, stretch,  and breath.
3. Stay grounded - 
   1. you can even go belly to the sun like Tito 
4. Slow down a little - - 
   1. ease into the breeze and respect the moment
5. Expand your Comfort zone - It’s ok to have place that makes you feel safe 
   1. but don’t miss your spot on the couch.
6. Remember stories can be rewritten every day, 
   1. the past is just how you got here.
7. If you thinking of getting a DOG.  
   1. Do it.  Just remember adopt don’t shop
   2. And mixes are supreme 

I’ll end this episode the same way I ended the first.  Shout out to the all the Pet Rescues around the world  Especially mine and Tito’s favorite - PAWADISE PET rescue for being angels on earth to dogs in need.  We appreciate the work you do to match the right dogs with the right people.   If this story inspired you to #BringJoy how about doing it via a donation or volunteering your time to a reputable shelter in your area. 

This episode is dedicated to Ava Doe, who passed away while we were working on this piece.  Ava we know you’re running point at the rainbow bridge, and BIG boss move sending Honcho to take care of your humans.  Looks like everything is gonna be alright.

I am Joy Nulisch and I appreciate you tuning in to my podcast.  My purpose is to #BringJoy into my life and the lives of others.  If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share and subscribe because there’s lot’s  good stuff on tap You can also follow BringJoy on YouTube or check my website at joynulisch.com.  Now go #BringJoy to the people in your world- until next time…..MuchLove