Turning 5

Every year of my life has brought many wonderful adventures. This year is going to be no different. Mommy keeps saying how her schedule is not letting her do the things for me that she really wants to, but I can tell she makes it happen anyway. For example, we still go to therapy swim every week! Wednesdays are totally devoted to the dogs. We leave first thing in the morning and don't get back till late.

And guess what? Mommy threw me a birthday party at Lexi Dog Boutique! All my friends were there. Mommy even made it a formal party. Everyone was dressed up. For party favors the boys got bow ties and the girls got pearl necklaces. Elke and I both had gowns hand made for us. Mine was periwinkle of course!

The area was decorated in flowers and balloons. The dogs had their own cake made by Bone Jour bakery, and the humans had spice cake and chai tea. And the games were just lovely too! We had paw painting, and peanut butter on a spoon. We also had an area set up for glamor photographs with a photographer.

I never wanted it to end, but everyone was tired after 2 hours. I got into an argument with one of my guests and broke my necklace. That landed me in time out. But you know, I bet most kid's parties end up in time outs toward the end too.

The other big thing that has happened since I've turned 5 was that I grew 2 lumps. Mommy had them removed. She said they found that the lumps are both not a danger to me. I have lots of teeny tiny sutures to make sure I don't scar. Mommy doesn't want scars on me, since I model and because pit bulls with scars look like they have been in fights. I'm so glad Mommy keeps me beautiful. I can't do it all by myself, you know.

Boutiques Unleashed

Here it is! My début into my modeling career! Oh my goodness! I can't sleep! I'm so excited! See all the exclamation points?
I will be modeling next month in Boutiques Unleashed. Fashion on both ends of the leash. It’s a runway model show for charity during Portland’s second annual Pet Fashion Week. http://www.boutiquesunleashed.com/
I so hope the boutique I am assigned to will fit me with something glamorous. I don’t want to be stuck doing sporty just because I’m a big dog. After all, I am far too gorgeous to be stereo typed. But perhaps I am stereo typing myself. A model is supposed to be the perfect chameleon, looking beautiful and complementing any garment or accessory. So I’ll try to not worry. There are just so many butterflies in my stomach. I’d take up yoga, but running circles around the living room like a crazy dog ends up calming my nerves just fine. Be back later.

Shopping

Ever heard the phrase "All dressed up with no where to go"? Well, that is certianly not the case for me. Mommy says it's a shame more people don't dress up their big dogs.

Wanna know what I have to dress up with? Ok. I have: snow booties, a winter coat, rain jacket, reindeer antlers, pink bunny slippers, sunglasses, a tiara, Easter Bunny ears, several colars and leashes, a necklace, and anklet, butterfly wings, and a tutu! More to come!

I am now at least a local celebrity. Mommy takes me shopping at lot. So I get to dress up and show off the whole time. The sales ladies can't help themselves. They all come over and tell me how beautiful I am. I love it! We go to dog boutiques, clothing stores, furniture stores, and galleries. Everywhere I am welcome. I can charm anyone.

To prove that, let me tell you about a lady. She saw me in my sequin collar that looks like flowers around my neck made of sequins. I was also wearing lots of bows on my halti. This lady was very nervous, but cam up to us and asked to pet me. She said she was usually afraid of pit bulls, but she was sure that a dog in sequins and bows had to be nice. I gave her my best bootie wiggle and wag, to tell her I was so happy she said hello.

Swimming

At last! Mommy's been searching for places to take me swimming since we knew I had hip dysplasia. There are plently of places when it's warm, but no where when it's cold. Until now! A facility opened in Vancouver called Unsinkable Dogs. It's a bit of a drive, but Mommy says it's worth it. And now, at 3 years old, I can swim every week!

Can you tell I'm excited! It's an indoor, heated pool that I get all to myself. There are no other dogs trying to take my toys. It's just me and Mommy. What an awesome life!

Someday Mommy said we will move to a warm place and have our very own pool that I can swim in every day if I want. That must be like heaven.

Canine Good Citizen

I went with Mommy yesterday downtown. She walked me all over the place. She said it was practice. She made me mind my manners the whole time! It wasn't too bad, but then my trainer showed up. I love my trainer!!! I wanted to say hi so bad, but Mommy wouldn't let me dance or run up to her. Then my trainer watched me practive all my manners all over again without even saying hello first. She dropped a bowl at one point, which was really loud. Maybe she was just sleepy, and the bowl dropping woke her up. Because then she came over and petted me.

Mommy seemed very happy about something. The trainer gave her a piece of paper and then left. Mommy took me to play in the fountain which was a lot of fun. Then we went home.

Mommy's phone kept ringing all afternoon. Then Mommy would hold the phone to my head, and someone would say, "Congradulations!" It was kinda strange. They all seem very excited about some Canine Good Citizen. I think they are talking about me. Oh, well. I was too tired after such a busy morning to give it much thought. Being good for such a long time really wears a dog out!

Want to meet the best trainers ever? http://behavetraining.com

ILD

I went on my first vacation last weekend! We went to a business conference for Mommy and Daddy. Some friends that I already knew were there too. The driving there and back wasn't the best, because we were all squished. But I did get to bark at some cars who were waving things at me in the rain.

We got to stay in a hotel room with a huge bed. Elke and I wore our best halti's and collars. We also had our nails painted. Everyone who saw us said how cute we were. That is the attention any dog should get. But one night after a meeting, Mommy and Daddy came back to get us to take us outside. On the way back in, the lobby was packed with people from the conference. We were stopped by one couple. I could tell that they were pretty important people, because lots of other people were waiting to talk to them. They took turns petting us and talking about their dogs at home. I had a really hard time, because I just wanted to jump up and kiss everyone. But Mommy insisted I practice my manners.

Mommy says she is so happy we got to meet those people. We had our pictures taken too. I'm always happy to meet anyone. But most of those people were different in a way. They seemed really happy and kind. I hope we get to see them again soon.

Hip Dysplasia

I am now 7 months old and 55 pounds. I'm a crazy race car, a super modle, and I've got springs in my back legs every time I meet someone. I'm not supposed to jump up, but it's the easiest way to give people kisses. From the way I bounce through every day at top speed, you'd never know anything was wrong.

But my Mommy had a dream when I was still tiny that something was wrong with my joints. So every time she brought me in for a puppy visit (just about every week until my spay), she asked the vet to check all my joints, especially the hips and knees. And everytime the vet checked. And every time that vet said seemed normal for a growing girl like me.

Lately, Mommy had been more worried than ever. My wrists wobble sometimes. And sometimes something in back makes popping sounds when I walk. So Mommy put her hands on me while I was walking and kept saying she could feel somthing moving in there that just didn't seem right. Now if I could speak English, I could have told her long ago that something didn't feel right. But I'm still a baby, and communicating something like that just didn't seem a big deal right now.

Mommy takes me to a different vet now. She's very upset with the last one. So they took x-rays of me yesterday. I heard them saythat x-rays were taking my picture. I love having my picture taken! But somehow I slept through the whole thing. It's not fair. I hope they got my good side.

Anyway, I have something called hip dysplasia really bad on both sides. (That is by the way why my wrists wobble. I don't feel comfortable all the time in my hips, so I shift my weight foward. Well, that just makes my arms tired after a while.) Even though I was still feeling sleepy, I heard them say something about a TPO surgery for young dogs that would help me a lot. That's great! But surgery means scars, and I'm supposed to be a model. I don't know what to do about this scar thing. I scar so easily. I don't want scars.

One thing made me feel so good. When they told my Mommy the news, she didn't say anything about how sad it was like the others were saying. She said how glad she was that she bought me, because probably any other owner would not have caught this problem before I was middle-aged and had horrible, painful arthritis. She told me not to worry, and that I was going to do great.

11/01/2005
We just found out that I am not a good candidate for the TPO surgery. I guess that's okay with me. I'm actually feeling better than I did a few weeks ago. From what the doctor said, that's common. He said that I may feel good for months, even years (being on my joint supplements) until I feel uncomfortable at all. Mommy is really good at noticing if I'm not 100%. She gives me massages if I have a sore muscle. But anyway, as soon as I don't feel good, I can get a total hip replacement anytime. Or Mommy said we may try STEM cell therapy instead. It sounds simple and complicated at the same time. But at least it's not happening now. Mommy says she's thankful she doesn't have to treat me like a china doll anymore. I guess that means that I can go back to bouncing and running now.

Anytime I get myself feeling stiff, Mommy takes me in for one of the doctors to make my back move properly again. I don't much care for the way it's done. The doctor makes clicking sounds down my back. I can't stand clicking, popping, or snipping sounds! If they would stop holding me still, I'd give that clicking thing a good nip!

Beach Trip

I went to the beach again the other day. It was a lot more fun than my first trip. The first time I went to water was too cold. And Elke for some reason thought it was funny to run me over. I had to stand right next to Mommy, so she wouldn't run me down. But something good actually came from digging up Mommy's plants at home. I was a super star digger in the sand!

This time we went with my Uncle Sebastian and Thor. We dug big holes everywhere and then tried to steal each other's holes. I am a pretty good digger even though I'm still smaller than everyone else. We also went swimming. I was nervous, but it was really a lot of fun. Mommy and her friends got sunburned, but I didn't. I was wearing my sunscreen. Instead, I got a rash from my Halti getting wet. This sensitive skin stuff is no fun.

Then the car got stuck in the sand when we were trying to leave. They got it out finally. I don't see why we had to leave, anyway. I wasn't ready to leave yet. Afterwards we went back to Sebastian's house and ate ice cubes. What a great day! I need to figure out how to tell Mommy and Daddy that we need to hang out with those dogs more often.

Already Famous

I think my modeling carreer is off to a good start. I now have 3 places on the web were others can see how gorgeous I am. The other two are:

http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/americanstaffordshirete rrier/photos.html

http://www.dogsindepth.com/terrier_dog_ breeds/american_staffordshire_terrier.html

I love the attention. Bring on the cameras! Well, actually, no cameras right now, please. Somehow I got a rash from having to wear my e-collar after the spay surgery. I wouldn't want any pictures of me without a perfect complection. It could damage my reputation. It just goes to show that the most beautiful dogs can have their off days. :) I also believe that most dogs who don't look as beautiful as they hoped, could be stunning with just a quick trip to the spa or dermatologist.

I think I'll use my spare time to chew on Elke, rase around the living room, sass the cats, and steal that sock the someone forgot about. It frustrates Mommy, but it's so much fun!

Crazies

Something comes over me every day. Without warning, I'm all of a sudden super excited. Mommy calls it my "crazies." Suddenly, I have so much energy I just don't know what to do. Running is the best way to use up energy, so I just run. It doesn't matter where I am. The living room, the hallway, the back seat of the car... all of those will do fine. I do laps at top speed over and over until I get tired. It's so much fun that I don't pay attention to anything but running. I always bump into lot of things with my head and yesterday I ran right over my sister. I'd try to be more careful, but I'm having too much fun to bother with technicalities.