Dog of the Day!

Thank you Dogster for this honor! You made my day! And, thank you to all my pup pals for all of my pretty rosettes and special gifts. I feel so special!

Woof!
Sofia

I did it!

For those of you who watched my "scary steps video" you will know that I was too afraid to walk up the steps to my doggie house on my own. Mommy had to help me but today I was a big girl and did it on my own! Mommy was so proud of me!

Guess what? Mom got it on video tonight too. But she cheated a little...she put a treat on the top so that I would climb up as she had the video camera cued. That's OK, more treats for me! I still did it with no help - training wheels off!

Catch ya later,
Sof

"Westies Unite" takes NYC!

As many of you know, we belong to Dogster group, "Westies Unite". This weekend they held their 2nd Annual Meet and Greet. It was a two-day event taking place in NYC and in Westchester. There were about 30 Westies that took part in the events that made their way from Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Though our Westies Unite's friend, Caffrey, was unable to join us from England, his Mom did! Wexford and Sofia had the time of their lives!!!!!!!!!!! They were SO well behaved, I was so proud of them. Wexford walked around like he was the park security - sniffing, peeing, and relaxing in the shade. He was also fascinated by the Westie wannabees that were there (Yorkies, Malteses and Papillons). Sofia found two pups that she liked to hangout with, Maple and Maggie Mae. Though Sofia was moody at times with Maggie Mae (some growls here and there while they were on leash), they were pretty much inseparable.

On Friday night there was a Pre- Meet & Greet held at the dog park in Ossining, New York. The humans BBQ'd and some of the dogs met. The next morning started quite early catching at 6:45 am train into Grand Central Terminal with the hopes of making the today show. We were there outside but could not get in close enough but we still had a blast. Westies lining the barriers and many tourists opting to take photos of the cute LWD's. Then we headed to Fishbridge Dog Park alongside the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the perfect little, cemented, fenced area with lots of shade. The dogs got to know each other a little better here and met a couple of friendly pugs here too. Then it was off to the South Street Seaport for some shopping and lunch. We found a cute little doggie boutique called "The Salty Paw" and had lunch at an outside cafe with the dogs. After lunch we headed to the piers where we all boarded a schooner and toured NYC for two hours - it was something I will never forget. Twenty or so Westies on a cruise! What a sight. We docked at 5pm and made our way to Stone Street for dinner. This street is lined with outdoor seating for various restaurants. We all enjoyed the rest and good food. It was now time to make our way back to Grand Central to catch the train back to Westchester. Before doing so we walked around Times Sqaure with Caffrey's Mom. This is something I never pictured Sofia and Wexford in the center of - but we were there and they did great amongst the crowds and crowds of people. Their whites coats, now grey, showed that they were true New Yorkers!

Sunday morning would start our 3rd and final day of the M&G. We arrived at the Ossining Dog Park just after noon. The humans enjoyed some lunch as the dogs ran around and cooled off in the kiddie pool. Mr. Maggie Mae built beautiful wood bleachers with Westie cutouts on them! Ten bleachers in total would seat the Westies for a group photo. There was also an auction held to benefit Westie Rescue - where we raised $1,250.00! Since the Westie benches were so beautiful, we decided to auction those off at the end as well. We won one of the ten and we now have a nice momento of the weekend. We finally got home at about 4:30 pm on Sunday and the pups were pooped to say the least. I think they were happy to be back home but I know that they already missed all of their new friends, too.

We hope you enjoy the photos from our Westie M&G weekend!

xoxo
Mom, Wexford and Sofia

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Daisy, my JRT pal from the food forum!

Name Four Jobs that you have had:
1. Food Bowl Guard - Whenever Wexford gets to close I let him know to keep his distance
2. TV Patrol - Bark and jump at any dogs and cartoons that try to enter my living room
3. Bird Chaser - Run after birds that fly overhead in my yard
4. Master of the Roll Over- Whenever anyone leans over my as if they are making an attempt to run my belly, I roll over instantly!

Name Four Places that you have lived
1. Massapequa, LI
2. Brooklyn, NY
3. Dobbs Ferry, NY
4. That's it!

Name Four Places that you have been
1. Massachusetts
2. NYC soon for the Westies Unite Meet & Greet
3. The Vet's Office (yuck)
4. A shopping spree at Petco

Name Four Places You Would Rather Be
1. The NYC M&G
2. Playing with my boy Cooper
3. Napping
4. Rolling on a dead mouse

Now tag four Pups!
1. Jessie
2. Jade
3. Jelly
4. Maggie

Recognize a GOOD, REPUTABLE Breeder

I thought this was worth posting here on Dogster. I found this on Oprah.com as part of the investigation on puppy mills.

When choosing a breeder look for one who does the following:

1. Ideally, keeps his or her pets as part of the family.

2. Encourages you to meet and spend time with your puppy's parents, and allows you to see where they spend most of their time.

3. Area is clean and well maintained.

4. Insists on meeting potential adoptive families. Will not sell their dogs to just anyone.

5. Doesn't sell animals too young—sells puppies only after they are 8 to 12 weeks old, and 8 to 10 weeks old for kittens.

6. Can provide references from other families who have purchased puppies.

7. Keeps breeding dogs healthy, well fed, and well socialized.

8. Provides professional veterinary care for all their animals.

9. Performs health tests on fathers and mothers prior to breeding to ensure their puppies do not have genetic defects.

10. Has a good relationship with a local veterinarian and can show you records of visits for the puppy.

11. Bases breeding frequency on mother's health, age, condition and recuperative abilities.

12. Does not breed extremely young or old animals.

13. Discusses positive and negative aspects of particular animals and breeds with potential owners.

14. Encourages multiple visits to meet the puppy.

15. Will take back any of their animals, at any time and for any reason.


Related Resource

Find more on Main Line Animal Rescue at www.mlar.org.
Find more on the Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org.
Find more on the ASPCA at www.aspca.org.

Oprah Show on Puppy Mills!

Taken from www.aspca.org/puppymills

"On Friday, April 4, Oprah Winfrey is bringing to light the horrors of puppy mills to her millions of viewers. Oprah’s undercover investigator, Lisa Ling, went undercover into a handful of Pennsylvania’s puppy mills to expose the realities of this cruel industry. National attention to the realities of the puppy mill industry is long overdue!

Thousands of puppy mills exist all over the United States, with particularly high concentrations in Missouri and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The numbers also appear to be increasing in other areas, including upstate New York, Ohio and Oklahoma. Dogs rescued from puppy mills have been documented to exhibit a wide array of veterinary and behavioral problems, including severe malnutrition, rotting teeth and severe periodontal disease, extreme matting of fur sometimes leading to skin lesions, mange, flea, tick, and parasite infestations, and serious foot and leg injuries from living an entire life on wire mesh flooring. Female dogs in puppy mills are typically bred at every opportunity until they are physically spent and can no longer reproduce. Puppy mill dogs live out their entire lives in tiny enclosures, never having a chance to get out of their cages for exercise or socialization. Ling’s undercover investigation shows the horrors that these dogs must endure, day in and day out."
..................................................


For more info on puppy mills, please visit
www.PetShopPuppies.org

My Mommy met THE DOG WHISPERER!!!

Mommy was at the Global Pet Expo in San Diego this past weekend when she met Cesar Millan and two dogs from his pack, including his famous pit bull Daddy!!! She was so happy when she overheard at the tradeshow that he was going to be there. She was on the lookout but didn't see him. Then an hour later there he was!!! She jumped in line but was upset when she realized that she didn't have a camera or camera phone to get a picture. But a nice lady in front of her offered to take a picture for her! When it was Mom's turn and she finally met Cesar she said "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm one of your biggest fans and I belong to your group on Dogster.com!" (Mom has to give Dogster a plug because she loves Dogster so much, too) Mom got Cesar's autograph and then that nice lady took their picture! We really hope that the lady remembers to email that picture when she gets back home! Shortly after Mommy was able to borrow a digital camera and she was able to get a few more pictures of Cesar and his dog Daddy. Hopefully, we'll have those pics sent to us soon so that we can post them on Dogster!

ETA: Over the weekend Mom got the email that she was looking forward to all week! It was from the nice couple that took her pic when she met Cesar Millan! She was hoping they didnt forget or lose her email address, but they didn't. (We had ours paws crossed too!) What thoughtful people they were to offer to take Mommy's pic in the first place and then email her a copy! So, I agreed to let Mommy post her pic in my primary spot for a day or two but not more than that. That prime real estate cost her a few extra treats each day that it was up! BOL

IT'S MY BARKDAY!

Hello Everypup! Today I turn two years old. I want to also wish my sister Keely and my brother Buddy a Happy Birthday, too!

Mom is still at work now but I snuck on the computer to update my diary. We are going to celebrate my birthday tonight. I overheard something about a special dinner. I wonder if that means Wexford will get some too? Maybe I can trick him and throw his favorite ball as a distraction and then run really fast to his bowl so that I can eat his dinner too! BOL We'll see...

Last but not least I want to say THANK YOU to all of my pup pals who sent sweet birthday messages, stars, rosettes and special gifts. I love them all!

Love always,
Sofia - They say something about "Terrible Two's", don't they? =)

7 Things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving

I've been tagged by Shaki!

Let's see I will try to write these not in order of preference but that might be hard considering that I am constantly thinking about treats and belly rubs and I feel most thankful that Mommy gives them to me whenever I rollover! She completely understands....ok...here we go

1. My Mommy, Daddy and my Westie brudder Wexford who love me so much and take care of me
2. My WU family especially my fiance Cooper
3. All of my Dogster pals
4. Belly Rubs
5. Treats
6. My toys, in particular my Chickee (Fat Cat's Suspicious Chicken)
7. My spot on the couch (BOL)
8. I know there were only 7 things that I was supposed to write in this list but I figured if I added in number 8, it might convince Mom to share the trimmings this Thanksgiving....I'm thankful in advance for all the delicious food that I might get (especially the turkey) that the humans will be enjoying on November 22!

Happy Turkey Day every pup!
What are you most thankful for this thanksgiving?

I'm Engaged!

On November 13th, 2007 I received a VERY special gift - an engagement ring from Cooper! Cooper included this special message with his gift which I would like to share with all of you...

My Dearest Sofia,

Will You Marry Me? I Just Love You Soooo Much and Can't Live Without You! You Are the Most Beautiful Girl in the World! Pawlease Say Yes. I'm Down on My Paws . . . .

Love,
Cooper
xoxoxoxoxoxox"

My answer of course is YES! I love you Cooper! *muah*

Now I think I'm supposed to plan a wedding!

Talk to you soon,
Sofia....soon to be Ms Cooper =)