Vacation!

Hi all and thanks so much for the birthday wishes and presents!

We were in a dog hotel for about a week while mom & dad were on vacation. We were somewhat bored but Tallulah and I kept each other company. I really wanted to go out and play; when mom & dad picked us up I started running around like crazy. Tallulah was a bit quieter, and mom says the stay at the hotel helped her with her back and joint problems, since she got a lot of rest and short walks; we're used to pretty long walks which she likes but she does get a bit tired.

We're now ready for winter! I like playing in the snow, hopefully we'll get a lot of it this season.

Cheers!

Scabs and itches!

Hello! So I had to go to the vet last week! Here's what happened, fortunately it wasn't too bad!

A few weeks ago I started getting some scabs which itched; so I'd go licking and scratching them. At first mom & dad thought I was just scratching myself when playing in the park, as there are a lot of twigs and branches. However these things kept appearing, and I'd been mostly playing in grassy, open areas, so no chance I'd get scratches there.

So they decided to send me to the vet; I walked there with mom, and the vet gave me a good check. She said it was not a parasite, rather it was some sort of bacterial infection that was causing my skin to scab. She gave me some antibiotics, and prescribed some fish oil to improve my coat, because she saw my coat was dull and my skin was quite dry. I have pretty coarse fur, so mom & dad thought it was just how I was, but the vet said it wasn't normal.

So now I'm taking all these medicines and I'm already a lot less itchy! hopefully the oil will also help me have a nice and shiny coat, to match Tallulah's, now that she had a bath she's all soft and shiny!

Well, off to take some more fish oil! See you!

Losing weight!

Hello! I've been very busy doing lots and lots of excercise! Yes, even in the crazy summer heat.

in April we went for our annual health check, booster shots and flea prevention refill. As part of the process we get weighed, and usually the vet gives an assessment on whether we need to lose some weight.

This time my humans didn't need to wait for the vet; the moment they saw my weight (57 pounds) they said "PIG!". Maybe they thought I didn't understand! but I did. It's not my fault! I do a lot of exercise so if I'm overweight it's because I'm being overfed. Remember we doggies just eat what's available.

Anyway, mom & dad decided to put me on a diet. I started eating less and kept exercising. However they were sneaky about it so I didn't really feel like they were starving me to death.

A few weeks later we went back to the vet because Tallulah had hurt her paw (it was all infected and swollen), and I got weighed again. I'd lost 4 pounds already! So the diet is working! And it even helped with some digestive problems I'd been having.

Being lighter is great, I can run faster and jump higher, which really helps when I'm playing fetch. Plus it's better for my joints and tummy. So it's a win for everyone!

See ya'll soon!

Ticks!

Hey all! So fall is here, and I'm kinda glad summer is over. Even if fall hit with a cold spell and lots of rain! I was cold inside the house so mom put my sweater on. I don't like wearing clothes! but after a while I realized it was warm and cozy so I now tolerate it just fine :)

So the reason I'm happy summer is over, is because we won't get as many parasites now! see, during summer we get fleas, both Tallulah and I got ticks, and mosquitoes which eat both Tallulah (short haired) and our humans alive! argh! Not to mention nasties like snakes and spiders.

But now that it's getting colder all those critters will just go away. But I did get one last nasty surprise!

I had a white bump on my nose, and I kept staring at it. Luckily dad saw it too, for it was a tick! a really tiny one, but it was really attached to my nose.

So dad took it out with tweezers, but it was so burrowed in that I have a small bump on my nose now :( Mom & dad said they'd be monitoring it and if it doesn't get smaller I'll have to go see the vet. I'd rather avoid that! but anyway, hopefully it will be the last tick I'll get in a long time!

Stay warm everybody, see you around!

Ode to Spring

beauty, warmth, exuberance
Come make my heart pound
with lovely flowers, new life
and love all 'round

I run, I jump, I roll over
green, tall grass &
look a the bright blue sky.

I feel the whispers of Spring:
wake up from long dreams,
be alive, enjoy life!

Spring is here!

Hey all! so yes, winter is over and it's given way to a green and flowery, if very wet, spring!

After all the snow melted, the grass and tress started blooming like crazy! All the bare spots are now covered with crazy herbs that grew out of nowhere, and almost overnight, the trees sprouted leaves! there were also many pretty flowers, some that grew with all the rain and thaw water, and some that people planted so their gardens would look nice!

For me, the bad thing about spring is that I have allergies :( it's something that didn't happen in Mexico because the spring there is very different. In here, all the plants want to grow so they start launching pollen and stuff. So I started sneezing about 4 weeks ago. Mom & dad thought it was a transient thing, but as my sneezing worsened, they worried and took me to the vet. The vet prescribed some benadryl, which is something humans use to control allergies. It seems to have worked as I no longer feel the tingling in my nose that makes me sneeze.

I recovered enough from the sneezing to be left in a kennel for a week, while mom & dad went away on a trip. I was very worried that they'd leave us there forever, but I took it as my responsibility to reassure Tallulah, who was very sad about the whole kennel thing. Eventually, after a week, mom & dad came to get us, and I gave them a lot of licks and kisses!

Now we are all together, and ready to begin enjoying the spring (yeah, as soon as this devilish rain clears up, it's been raining for 4 days). So now I'm going because I need to put on my doggie raincoat to go for a walk!

See ya!

The Sled

Hey all! I've been quite busy with winter sports which are soo fun!

I've tried ice skating, snowshoeing, some hockey with rubber balls and a puck, and chasing my ball in the snow.

But my greatest adventure was when I went sledding!

Mom & dad got a sled to try sliding down the snowy slopes of Mount Royal. So one night we went out to try the new sled. Mom would slide down while dad took care of us doggies.

I was scared and worried because sledding looks dangerous! so I'd bark and jump around trying to go after mom & seeing if she was ok.

So they decided to invite me to show me it wasn't that dangerous. Dad got on the sled, put me there with him, and off we went, down the slope!

I got off the sled and was nervous and excited. Still, dad saw I wasn't outright scared so we tried again, and again, and several times we went down the slope on the sled.

It was a lot of fun! I eventually realised it wasn't too scary. But since it was very cold we had to go back home. Still, that's one more winter sport I've tried!

See ya in the slopes!

Christmas!

Hi! so Mom & Dad have been busy preparing for Christmas! So much has happened in their lives this past year (including adopting me), that they almost hadn't realised it's my first Christmas! well, last year it was Christmas too, but I was just an abandoned puppy and didn't know such a thing existed.

Tallulah has told me all about it, and how there are presents and lots of yummy food to be expected! She told me about some nice sneak-under-the-table tactics she saw Bela use some times, which I can do easily because I'm smaller. Still I'm thrilled to see what will happen!

Tallulah also told me that they used to get together with the entire family for Christmas; since the family is in Mexico, this time it looks like it's just mom, dad and us doggies. But we'll do our best to keep them happy and cheerful!

So best wishes to you all and hope you enjoy all your Christmases as much as I'll enjoy my first with this family!

Remembering Aullido

Ever since I was a puppy and mom & dad rescued me, they've been telling me stories about Aullido. He was their first rescued dog and died quite unexpectedly one year ago.

I never had a chance to meet him, because he died a few weeks before I was rescued. Still, when I came to live with my new family, I could see, everywhere, the voids left by Aullido's passing. His presence was so loving and strong, and his death so deeply felt, that even now, one year and four thousand kilometers away, I can tell mom, dad & Tallulah still miss him.

Mom & dad have been a bit nostalgic all day long, thinking about Aullido, and how they changed his life by adopting him when he was lost, abandoned and without will to live. He soon improved and became a vital part of the pack. He, in turn, changed their lives with his love, protection and gratitude.

As painful and unexpected as his death was, I prefer to think of how mom & dad gave him a chance to be himself and love a family again. He seized that chance and had countless great adventures with his family. It's a reminder that, no matter how sudden or painful his passing was, what remains the deepest inside his family's hearts are the great adventures and love they had together. That is a legacy any doggie would like to leave. The stuff of legend!

Winter Sports!

Hey all! So winter is fully upon us here in Montreal. It's already quite cold and mom & dad say it'll get a lot colder. Luckily we're all equipped for the weather. There's also winter sports for us doggies to enjoy!

As the landscape changes, mom & dad have taken time to acclimate us to new stuff. First we went play in the snow, after a bit of fetch I was all covered in snow and ice, it's kinda fun but my paws get chunks of ice which hurt. Luckily mom & dad got some oil to protect my paws, and a set of boots for me to wear, this way my paws don't even get wet.

Later mom & dad took us to a frozen pond, to get us acquainted with ice. It was thick enough for me to do some ice skating, mom & dad threw my ball on the ice and I went fetch it, before I knew I was gliding over the ice! it was fun and let me know what to expect on icy surfaces.

I've also been snow-running with mom, and jumping around in the snow, it's all been really fun!

Sadly us doggies are not allowed on the actual ice skating rinks, they look quite dangerous because there are humans with sharp blades and stuff!

I'll let you know about more adventures, right now we're off for a nice evening walk in the snow. See ya!