I'm This Many!

Wow, I can't believe I'm a whole year older! I'm 4 now! Actually, that's a pretty good age to be for a dog because I have 4 toes. That way, when people ask how old I am, I can just hold up my paw and say, "This many!" BOL! Mommy and I are celebrating my birthday today by first going to a pappy meetup and going straight from there to a Christmas party for humans. I'll probably be gone most of the day, so I'm excited to be spending it with Mommy without the kitties eating into our cuddle time!

20/20 Houndsight!

I went to (yet) another doggie doctor last week so he could check my eye. He says I'm all better and as good as new now! Phew! As much as it sucked having my cornea snagged, I gotta admit it could've been a lot worse. I heard one of our neighbors telling Mommy some stories about some dogs who weren't so lucky. I'm so glad my little eyeball is all back to normal-ness! Now, I can look forward to my upcoming holiday weekend in Ohio with my grandpawrents and former furblings! (Sit tight, Ohio! Kirby's comin'!) :D

A Sight for Sore Eyes

I spent 2 hours last night in the emergency vet clinic with Mommy. I was just mosey-ing along, minding my own furry business, when a big blurry streak of grey fur lunged out at me from under the couch and snagged my left eye. It was Kia, being her usual defensive self. Mommy heard me yelp and then bark a few times before I ran and hid under the bed. (That's how she knew I was hurt, because I usually scream at her for several minutes after she swats at me, rather than running and hiding.) My eye was all bloody and red. Kia's snagged my eye before, but it was always in the area just outside of it. This time, she actually got my eye on the cornea. Mommy called the number to the nearest 24-hour emergency vet clinic and they told her to bring me in right away. It was probably the longest 15-minute ride of my life! Once there, they took me away from Mommy so they could check me and do tests on my eye. Mommy wanted to come back with me, but they told her no. They first gave me a shot for pain, then they waited for about 30 mins for it to kick in so they could stain my eye and do a pressure test. They found I had a large corneal ulcer on the outer corner of my left eye. (It took them 2 hours to figure that out when Mommy could tell that just from looking at me?)
The good news is it's just a superficial ulcer, so it should heal in 3-5 days. But, I have to wear a stupid Elizabethan coller and get 2 different drops in the meantime.
It's really been a bad week for the animals in my family. Besides my eye, Kisses got attacked last Monday and had to get 6 staples in her side to close the wound. Plus, I got swatted by Lily yesterday afternoon, right after Kia swatted Piston. Aria's the only one who didn't swat at anyone...and we all know why! :) I think Mommy should do something about Kia's claws now, too. I can't keep getting my eyes snagged! I only got 2, you know!

Good Morning, Deer!

I got into a staring contest the other day with these large cow-like creatures my mom called deer. (I thought I was the only one who got called that.) We were out walking in the woods for my usual wee-wee and all of a sudden there was a rustle in the trees next to us. Mommy looked over and there were 2 of those so-called "deer" staring straight at us, just about 20 feet away. I wanted to chase them, but Mommy picked me up and told me I could watch them, but not chase. We all stood there staring at each other for a long time. Eventually, the one started licking and grooming the other, so they must be friends. They came back the next morning and I watched them with great interest out the side window. Now that I know what they're called, Mommy has to spell yet another word in front of me so I don't go crazy. Maybe one day I'll get close enough to one to smell its butt! BOL! Although, that might not be the best idea since Mommy told me they're notorious for spreading ticks. (Speaking of which, mommy found one on me the other day, but it wasn't attached to me yet, it was just crawling around on my fur. She picked it off and killed it without any problems. Thank Dog for Frontline!)

Foxy Woxy Woggy!

I've had quite an action-packed last couple of weeks! Last week sometime, my mommy took me out to potty and let go of my leash so I could explore, because I'm very good about staying nearby and not running off without her. Sometimes I chase the occasional squirrel up a tree, but I never catch them and I'll continue to stay at the base of the tree and bark until Mommy catches up to me. But, I spotted something other than a squirrel that day: I saw a fox! It looked kinda like me, but yellower and with smaller ears (and not nearly as cute). Well, I took off after it like a bolt of lightning. My mommy yelled at me to stop/stay as I chased it through the opening in the fence all the way back into the woods and on up to the creek. Mommy had hurt her back so she was having trouble running after me, but she eventually caught me because I couldn't get past that stupid creek. She was so afraid the fox would turn around and attack me or something. But, I just wanted to play...sorta.
This past weekend, my grandpawrents came down with Kisses to visit us. I was very happy to see them! I milked their attention for every penny I could. I went for rides on Grandpaw's lap with my head out the window. Then on Saturday, we all went to the Pet Fiesta, where I saw all kinds of other animals. We also visited the dog park, but I was being all shy so we didn't stay really long.
As it turned out, I was to ride back to Ohio this week with them to visit all my furblings. Oh, and Mommy had made an appointment for me to have my teeth cleaned, too. Sneaky, Mom. Real sneaky. I had that done today, so now I have fresh clean breffers, and I'm all caught up on shots and heartworm meds, too. I've been giving everyone the sad puppy eyes ever since I came home. I've also been drinking a lot and Grandma thought I felt very warm, so she called the vet to see if maybe she should give me a doggy aspirin or something. Mommy told her she thinks I'll be fine, and I must agree--but mainly for the sake of not getting a pill shoved down my throat. Plus, I'm just a hardy dog in general!
I miss my mommy lots and I can't wait to see her again on Saturday. I love playing with Koivu, Abby, Maddy, and all my other furiends. But, I need my mommy's love and she obviously needs mine. Plus, I got a Dingo hidden in her laundry basket that's not gonna chew itself!

Hoppy Easter, Bunnies!

I officially moved last Saturday and I can't even tell you how excited I was to see Mommy after 2 weeks apart from her! I've been doing very well since then. We spent the day together Sunday at a pappy meetup group, but I was very shy and nervous because it was at a doggy daycare facility so there were about 100 other doggies there and they were all barking very loudly. So, I never fully came out of my shell. Well, except for when a member of the pug meetup group crashed our party. I was all over him, sniffing and attempting to get him to play.
Oh, and the next day I went to work with Mommy and had to hang out at a v*t's office all day. To my surprise, it wasn't that bad. They didn't poke me with anything or try to take my temperature. Instead, I pretty much spent the day playing with other doggies who were boarding there. Mommy and I even got to run an errand to another v*t clinic, so I got to take a ride! Fun! The rest of the week, I've been getting to know my new housemates and adjusting to the new house. I think I'm doing well so far!
This weekend, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit with Kisses and Madison. I was so excited to see them! I spent Friday night at their hotel so they could all get to enjoy having me, since they miss me so much. Then yesterday, we all took a drive to the city and got to walk all over Washington, DC! I saw the Whitehouse, the US Capitol, plus all kinds of other buildings humans say are important. I even got to meet some presidential squirrels! They came right up to me when we were standing outside the Whitehouse lawn. I tried to chase them up their trees, but Mommy wouldn't let me. Killjoy! :)
It was a long day and a long walk, so I pretty much slept it off the rest of the night. So far, I really like this area and I think Mommy and I are happy here, even though I do miss my other furblings and furiends. But, I'll visit them soon.

Mommy's on the Way!

My mommy is coming to get me on Friday and bringing me back to my new home on Saturday! It's been 2 weeks since we've seen each other! :( I don't think I could possibly stand it one more week without her! She says she practically cries into her pillow every night wishing I was there with her.
I hear the drive there is quite lengthy...like 56 hours in dog time! BOL! Nah, it's actually about 8 hours. I have no real concept of time, but I know it's longer than it would take for me to walk around the block once. But it's ok because we can use the time to get all caught up. We spoke briefly on the phone last night. She told me she missed me and loves me and I kissed the phone. :) Aren't I cute?? She told my grandma that she already made plans for us on Sunday. My first full day in my new residence will include a meetup with a bunch of other area papillons. I just love other pappies! I love all animals, but pappies are just so darn cute! I'll also get to meet my other roommate that day. I hear he's about the size of Koivu but much smarter. Hehehe! Then on Monday I just might go to work with Mommy, depending on if she feels comfortable leaving me at home or not. Most likely, I'll end up going because she'll still be recovering from Me Withdrawl.
Wow, it sounds like I have a lot going on over the next few days. I hope I can remember it all to write about it later. I'm so excited!!

I've been "Valen-tagged!"

I was Valentine tagged by my pal MacKenzie (dogster ID# 563800)
Here's the scoop on the Valentine Tag----
List your 5 Valentine wishes, and then tag 5 friends with a p-mail or rosette.
They will then write a diary entry and tag 5 friends with a p-mail or rosette, and so on and so on ;}

My 5 Valentine Wishes are....

1. That I get lots of Dingos and Valentine treats

2. That Mommy finds a job so she can afford to buy me Dingos and treats

3. Warm weather so I can play in my doggie pool

4. That the Patriots win the Superbowl!!

5. That all of my family and furblings stay healthy this year (because I have to include one non-selfish wish, even though it's against my nature)


So, I am Tagging my 5 pup pals who share my name:
1. Kirby
2. Kirby
3. Kirby
4. Kirby
5. Kirby Ridgeway

My Turd Barfday!!!

Today is my turd barfday! (That's "third birthday" for those who don't speak Kirbles. BOL!) I had a very fun and special day. I got to go for a ride to pick up dinner, then I opened up my presents and ate my "cake." My cake was a large double-layer doggie cookie with frosting and sprinkles and a pastic "happy birthday" sign stuck into the top. For my presents, I opened up a card made entirely out of rawhide (yummy-ness!), a fluffy hide-a-squirrel game where I fish squeaky squirrels out of a fuzzy tree stump (I love challenges!), and a beautiful red velvet Christmas dress! I plan to wear my dress to church this year. I wore it a little tonight but I took it off before I had cake so I wouldn't get it dirty. My other furblings all partook in the cookie-cake, too. Koivu especially loved it. I think he would've eaten it all if my mommy hadn't taken it from his mouth and broke it up into little pieces for us. I'm glad to know my birfday was fun for everyone!

Diagnosis: Chubby

I had to go to the v*t's yesterday. I have a bubble on the bottom of my left eyelid and it got bigger over the weekend, so Mommy thought it would be good to have it checked out. She figured it was either a stye or a battle scar, but wanted to be sure. He inspected it and confirmed that it's just a stye (a plugged oil gland) and should get better on its own. He also commented about my weight again. I've gained another .2 lbs since the last time I was in. Mommy told him how frustrated she is with every other person in the family because they all give me treats whenever I ask, just because I'm so darn cute and irresistible. Nobody listens to her when she asks them not to feed me junk and table scraps, so she asked for a "no people food" prescription, figuring maybe they'll listen to the v*t better than they do to her. So far, there's been little difference. But, she did take me for a nice long walk last night, so at least I'm getting some exercize.