My Day with Beatrix

I have been begging mom to write about my visit with my dearest friend Beatrix for weeks now, but she has been so busy with work and Christmas and all that stuff, that I almost gave up hope that she'd ever get it done. Finally, on Christmas Eve, she's getting her act together.

About three weeks ago, Mom bundled me into the car and we drove from our home in north San Diego county to Beatrix's house in Los Angeles county. Riding in the car is one of my all-time favorite activities, so I loved every minute of it. When we got close to LA, we saw that all the mountains were blanketed in snow. It was very pretty.

Beatrix and her family welcomed us into their home with open arms. They were so very friendly and warm-spirited. Beatrix's human mom even made lunch for us (well...it was really for mom, but I begged for some, of course!) which included homemade pumpkin pie which was extremely yummy!

My sweet little friend Bea is even more adorable in real life than in her stunning photos. She is not only a beauty, but she is so sweet-natured and friendly too. We got along fabulously from the moment we saw each other. We even look a bit alike (except I'm fatter and have a longer snout!), but we could pass for second cousins once removed or something like that!

Some of the highlights of the day included being seated at the dining room table (with Bea and her siblings) and being given lip-smackingly delicious cookies to eat off a plate. Food always scores major points with me. Another highlight was being dressed in a beautiful fur hat and scarf (Beatrix wore the same outfit) and then posing for photos with my dear friend. We looked like two little supermodels! Meeting Beatrix's family was simply wonderful too. Her mom, dad, human brother and sister are all the nicest humans you could possibly meet! I loved them all...and look forward to seeing them again.

Mommy....when can we go back to Beatrix's house? Huh....when? I want to go NOW!

Jingle Mutt Mingle

Last night, mom bundled me up in my red fleece jacket and my white fur collar, and we headed off to an event called Jingle Mutt Mingle at Muttropolis -- one of my favorite doggy stores on the planet!

Mom and I visit Muttropolis almost every week, so we are on their mailing list and get email invitations to all of their parties and events. Many of their events are tied in with fundraisers for local animal shelters and last night was no exception. Along with all the festivities, they were raising money for the Baja Animal Shelter.

When we arrived at Muttropolis, the first thing I heard was a band playing! The whole street (which has tons of fabulous stores) was having a holiday bash last night with wine tastings, appetizers, music and sidewalk entertainment. The band was right next to Muttropolis, so we had wonderful live entertainment the whole evening!

There were so many doggies at the store, it was amazing. Everydoggy looked so festive in their Christmas collars and outfits, and there were doggies in all shapes and sizes, from Great Danes to Chihuahuas, from Bulldogs to Yorkies! Mommy met her friend, Laura, from work and her dog named Tacoma, who is a very pretty pointer/lab mix. Mom and Laura were very interested in the free Tommy Bahama Rum cocktails that were being served, while I was very focused on the duck jerky strips and salmon treats that were being handed out to all the pups. I scored plenty!

In addition to the free drinks and snacks for the humans and the treats for the doggies, there were photographers roaming around taking pictures of everyone. I got my photo taken all night long! I got tired of smiling for the camera after awhile. Mom, Laura, Tacoma and I sat in the store's front garden, watching all the doggies and people parading by, enjoying the nippy winter night, the music, the festivities and the wonderful holiday atmosphere. We also spent time strolling through the store. I pulled a long stuffed, squeaky toy out of a basket and started thrashing it around mercilessly. After I'd dragged it around the store, mom realized that there was no way she could put it back in its basket, so she bought it for me, along with a bag of salmon treats, a new squeaky ball and some grain-free peanut butter and honey cookies.

What a fun and eventful night! I had a blast! I'll post a link once the photos from the event get posted on the Muttropolis Web site.

Turkey Tagged -- Better Late Than Never!

I was very honored to be tagged by my dear friends Max, Gizmo and Coty.

This was a Thanksgiving tag game, which means I am late, but I would like to list the things that I am thankful for anyway because I do, indeed, lead a privileged and wonderful life, and I think it's only right that I express my gratitude for my many blessings.

The rules of the game stipulate that each tagged player needs to list seven special things that they are thankful for. Tagged dogs must post the rules in their diary and their seven "thankful" items. They then choose seven pups to tag and list their names.

Because I'm way behind the eight-ball here, I won't be tagging anyone else because turkey time is officially over. I hope this won't spoil it for any one. If any pup has an objection, please let me know and I'll continue the tagging.

Okay, here goes. The seven things that I am thankful for:

1. My adoring parents who love me with all their heart and soul, and treat me like the princess that I know I am.
2. My big yard where I can chase rabbits and squirrels, tangle with raccoons and chase my ball across the lawn for HOURS every day.
3. My huge baskets of toys that are filled with a plethora of squeaky, squawky, fabulous play things!
4. The delicous, delightful, juicy, mouth-watering raw food that my mother feeds me every evening.
5. All my incredible, warm-hearted, super-special Dogster friends. I feel very lucky to know you all.
6. My daily rides in the car with mom or dad -- with the window down so I can sniff what's going on in the neighborhood!
7. My extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who love me very much!

I could go on and on and on, but the rules say seven things, so I'll stick to the rules and keep it to seven.

I'm a "World's Coolest" Finalist!

I can't believe it! Truly....I thought I was dreaming yesterday when I visited one of my favorite Dogster groups and saw a post about me being a finalist. A finalist? For what, I thought? And then, it struck me....I was a finalist in the World's Coolest Dog and Cat contest! Oh me oh my, what a wonderful surprise!

I was even more surprised when I learned that I was a finalist in the Smiles & Grins category. There were so many great entries and it was one of the most popular categories in the contest. I am beyond flattered and would like to take this opportunity to thank the kind doggies who voted for me. I wish I knew who you all were, so I could thank you personally. I scored a few extra treats last night because of my achievement! Yesss!

Dogs in Danger

Mommy read an article in the newspaper recently about a new Web site that has been launched for doggies that are on death row at shelters acorss the country and only have a short time left if they aren't adopted. The site is called DogsInDanger.com

If you know of anyone who is looking for a new family member, perhaps you could encourage them to visit this site and see some of the doggis that need a home before they reach their "expiration date". There are so many lives that need to be saved. Please spread the word.

The Apple Store Rocks!

Over the Labor Day weekend, Mom and Dad decided to take a trip to the nearest Apple store. Dad wanted to check out some computers and mom wanted to look at the latest iPods. Of course, I went along for the ride, but because it was a very toasty day, there was no way my parents were going to leave me in the car -- not even for a few minutes.

So, they worked a plan, where Mom would walk around the outdoor mall with me while Dad was in the Apple store. Then, when he was done, Dad would take me for a trot and Mom would duck inside the store. When we got to the store and Dad went inside, the nice Apple employee (or Mac Specialist...not sure what they are called) told my parents that I could come inside! Yeeaahhhh! Now that's what I call a cool store!

Mom and Dad were thrilled that I could enjoy the comfort of the high-tech store with them while they tinkered around with different electronic devices and played with all sorts of gadgets. I was particularly interested in making friends with the kids who were sitting on big black balls, playing computer games on the iMacs. I licked more than a few faces and made some of the kids laugh when I tried to climb onto their lap!

I'm not sure if all Apple stores have a dog-friendly policy, but I'm glad that the one in my neighborhood has! From now on, Mom and Dad won't think twice about taking me along for an afternoon of Apple store fun!

Wearing a Purse for Vinny

One of my dearest Dogster friends, Vinny is having a really hard time at the moment. He was diagnosed with liver and kidney failure last week and, as you can imagine, his family is devastated. To make matters worse, his brother, Ozzie has also received the same diagnoses. Vinny's mom thinks that it might be a result of the two dogs eating contaminated chicken jerky strips that were part of the recent recall.

Vinny has always been a wonderful and fun-loving friend. He is a big-time flirt and knows just what to say to make the girls fall in love with him! Hugh Hefner could learn a few tricks from playboy Vinny, that's for sure. Not only has Vinny entertained me (and many others) with his suave charisma and smooth pickup lines, but he is also quite the trend setter. Not too long ago he began the "man purse" trend and proudly displayed photos of himself strutting around with his new "man purse" for all to see. He has always been such a colorful and lovable little character, which makes it all the harder to know how sick he is.

Many of my friends in the Dog House group are now proudly posing with their "purses" in support of our dear friend, Vinny and his brother Ozzie. We hope that with all the love and healing energy that we are sending to our little friend, that he will find the strength to battle the odds and provide us with many more laughs and hollers for a long time to come. You are in our thoughts, prayers and hearts, Vinny and Ozzie.

Boutique and the Beach

I had a pretty fabulous day today. Mom drove me downtown to a really cool doggy store called Tag. Mom had been there once before with a friend of hers, but I had never had the good fortune of sniffing out this doggy haven.

The minute I stepped inside this bright and breezy boutique, I knew I was going to have a good time. I was met by Cooper, the resident chihauhau who belongs to the owners, as soon as I barged my way into the store. Cooper was very friendly and we both gave each other a good sniff and how-do-you-do! I also met Carl, one of the owners and he showed mom the brand new squeaky toy watering can toys that had just arrived. I chose a pink one for myself!

I also made friends with two adorable little pomeranians that were in the store. One was just a baby, and she kept jumping up and kissing me around the mouth. I quite enjoyed it and wagged my tail happily each time she did it! Next, I met a very playful bull dog that dragged her parents into the store. She was a live wire and we had fun romping around the store while our parents laughed at us!

After fraternizing with the pups, I made myself at home by jumping up onto one of the padded seats in the store and mom took some pics of me. Mom bought some grain-free Innova treats for me and checked out some of the really stylish collars and leashes. Oh, and another cool thing that I noticed at Tag was a 46" plasma TV with images of all their doggy customers. Mom will have to send them my pic too now that I am a customer...and a very happy one at that.

After our fun time at Tag, mom drove me to the doggy beach in Coronado. It was kinda windy (remnants of Hurricane Dean), but we had a great time, nonetheless. I chased my ball up and down the sand, dug holes in the sand like a mad dog, padddled in the waves, barked at a few seagulls and even let a big fluffy hound sniff my behind. Mom put some photos on my page of me on the beach -- and here's a photo of the doggy beach on Coronado island if you want to see what it looks like on a typical summer's afternoon.

My Massage Experience

I am pleased to report that my massage yesterday was utterly heavenly! I was so relaxed....I just lay there on the massage table while the massage therapist gave me the full treatment! Mom had to practically drag me off the table when it was all done. I wanted MORE!

Before we started, the therapist tied this long stocking-type bandage around my body and made me walk around with it tied on me. That was a bit embarrassing. A few dogs came up to me and sniffed me while I was wearing this apparatus. The therapist told mom that it was to make me aware of my own body and to center my energy. She said that I had some stiffness in my left hip and left leg (from excessive chasing of the ball...umm...and rabbits and squirrels and skunks and birdies!), so she concentrated on that area a lot to loosen me up and release the tension. She also rubbed lavendar oil on me, but it wasn't too bad.... although, personally, I prefer eau de skunk!

The therapist told mom that I am extremely sensitive (feelings get hurt very easily!) and emotional, and also very smart. Mom knew that already, of course, but it's always interesting to hear it from someone who works with lots of different animals. Oh, and I even let her hold my tail and turn it around and around like a clock -- to help realign my spine. Mom was amazed, as I don't even like mommy to touch my tail! Oh, and nothing got stuck up my bum. I was a bit worried at first that this might be a ruse for some bum poking....but thank heavens nothing of the sort happened!! It was all good....very good! Mom took her camera along to snap some shots of me getting my spa treatment, and she's added them to my page if you want to take a look.

Off to the Spa!

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment at Muttropolis (one of my favorite doggy stores) with a massage therapist. Because I am a very active little terrier--always chasing after something or other--my mom thought it would be a good idea to give my overworked muscles and tendons some special TLC. After all the abuse I put my body through in pursuit of various toys, balls and fluffy little critters (squirrels & rabbits in particular), I'm not opposed to giving the bod some well-deserved pampering and "fine tuning."

I hope I won't have icky smelling massage oils rubbed all over me (I mean, who in their right mind wants to smell like lavender or sandalwood, for heaven's sake!) when skunk or dead rat is so much more appealing! I'm also hoping that the massage therapist won't have a desire to do any muscle tweaking in or around my bum region. That is an "off limits" area to just about anyone (other dogs too!)--and I will more than likely jump off the massage table in a huff of humiliation, trailing cucumber slices and terry cloth towels in my wake if she crosses the line!

I will be sure to take lots of mental notes during my little session tomorrow and will report back with a review of the procedure and my personal observations.