Hello World!

Me, Mommy, Michael and Bridget

Well... a few months ago mommy told me it would be just me and her and my dog walker Linda. That's always good. But, strangely, it didn't happen. So uncle Michael and aunt Bridget are still here. Poor Michael hasn't found a job and he and aunt Bridget stay here with Mommy to have a home and also help with stuff like walking me, fixing broken stuff and watching teevee.

Yesterday, Mommy got a haircut and brought us a new teevee. A big one. I can see it even better when sitting in my papasan. (Mommy tries to sit in the papasan occasionally but I push her out of it). She tried buying me furniture made FOR dogs but that stuff's no fun if Mommy isn't there too... so I prefer to sit next to Michael on the FOOTONN (Mommy says that isn't spelled right but I'm a dog, not a scholar) or on the papasan behind mommy if she tries to sit on it. She says one day she might be more important and have a house but as long as I'm around, she will keep the papasan since it's her baby's chair.

It's very hot in LA today with smoke and everything. Our morning walk, where I get to chase squirrels, was cut short because Mommy couldn't breathe. We've been stuck inside ever since. Poor Mommy!

Mommy is single

I am wondering where a good place to meet nice single dog daddies would be in LA. She says anyone who doesn't like doggies won't be a good match

Paws-Angeles

Mommy is wondering if there are lots of local doggies who belong to Dogster?

She is hoping we can meet fellow hoomins and doggies for some dog walks, dog parks, maybe some dog friendly shopping. She says in this economeez, it's not necessary to spend a lot of money but it's always nice spending time with friends.

Bonus points if you like dog rescue too.

She belongs to meetup, but a lot of those hoomins want to do things on weeknights and Mommy has me. Is there a Dogster meetup?

Just me and Mommy

Well Mommy and me are soon to be on our own. No Auntie Bridget, no Punkin, no Uncle Bill, nobody. It has been a while since we've lived by ourselves with no one visiting, although Mommy said Auntie Bridget would visit and that the Punkin sends his love via the telephone. As long as Mommy stays around, I'm ok. I have a nice dog walker named Linda who comes in and takes me for walks. The rest of the time I'd rather just sleep anyway, so waiting for Mommy to get home isn't much of a challenge.

She says one day maybe her brother Brian will be here, but until that point, Mommy will be happy with taking me out to visit with Auntie Sarah and Pickles or Uncle Mark or Grandma and Granddad when they are in town. And there's always Alexis. Mommy says us being alone is for the best, it is too crowded with her, me and visitors ALL the time. And if she's lonely I suppose I can give her extra smooches.

She's hoping to get a raise someday soon and then we can start thinking about actually buying a home. I ask if I can go to open houses with her and she says maybe, but only if I sit in the car. Darn Mommy. I have to approve of the home before we move in, right? This is a democracy.

Oh wait, I'm a dog, I have no vote. As long as there are treats, Mommy and a place for my papasan chair, I suppose I'll be ok with it.

Mommy's lost her mind

She has decided to stop eating chicken. And beef and pork. (she never was too big on liver, so I can't fault her for that one). A few weeks ago she was looking at me lovingly (as you do) and thought to herself, there are places on Earth where I would make a tasty meal. And how could she justify eating other things if some people just looked at me as food? I say, silly Mommy, we live in the United States of America, we don't eat puppies here. She says that it doesn't matter, she shouldn't eat any animals since she spends time wanting to help us find forever homes.

I looked at her askance (yes, I've taken some classes on vocabulary) and said, but what about me? Doggies eat chicken. Lots of chicken. Mommy says as long as it's an animal of a size I could reasonably catch in the wild, she's okay with it. Which is fine and dandy since I was never too much into beef. But I loved the ham treats she'd occasionally give me so maybe I can trick new roommate Bill, Bridget or Uncle Mark to sneak some when Mommy isn't looking. Some of mommy's friends who are vegan also force their doggies to eat veggies, but Mommy doesn't think that's fair. Something about survival of the fittest and nature and all that.

Uncle Bill says that humans are meant to eat meat. Mommy says we are also meant to be living in trees, and we no longer do that either. Uncle Bill is from Chicago, a place Mommy says is like the meat capital of the world. It is also cold in the winters and there is snow. I asked her what snow is, she said if I don't like going outside when it's raining in a mild CA winter, I definitely wouldn't like snow. I'll take her word for it, I certainly wasn't too thrilled at the beach. If snow is anything like sand, they can have it!

So Lots of people have been coming in and out of our home recently. We do get the occasional visit from the punkin, but not so much anymore. Auntie Bridget moved out, sorta, but we still have a lot of her stuff and I like to crawl around on it and sniff it. She brings Michael (not sure if we can make him an uncle yet) who thinks I'm the best doggie ever. And Uncle Bill is now living with us and he gives me lots of treats. At the end of the day, so long as I'm getting belly rubs and treats, I don't care who's giving them. Mommy says hopefully in the winter my true Uncle Brian (he is her brother) will get to come visit. She's had enough of Chicago for one year, so she'd rather have a visit than have to go out of town. Besides, what about me? I suppose I could go to Uncle Mark's... kitties to chase and all that.

Or Auntie Bridget. Oh so many friends to choose from!

However, at the end of the day, Mommy is my mom and she's who I love best.

Ok... she just looked at this letter and said, why not so funny today, Sydney? I say maybe because I can't be funny EVERY day.

Paws out.

Uncle Bill?

So... lots of things have been going on in Mommy's life. Good things! Her friend Bridget had a crisis and had to move in with us for a while. Actually she's still here. She gives me extra lovin's when mommy is at work. (she has different hours than mommy). When Mommy comes home I'm so worn out from the long walks that when Bridget leaves for work, I just curl up under mommy's feet.

AND mommy says someone new will be moving in with us. She says his name is Bill and he is very, very sweet. He says he likes doggies. So I'm like, humph, he better! I'm the best puppy in the whole world however (mommy says if you're over two years old you can't call yourself a puppy but I say whatever mommy, you're 36 and people still card you, can't I be a puppy?) I will give Bill some smooches and let him rub my belly maybe. She hopes that Bridget will be moving out before he moves in, he might be too smothered with girlies otherwise! My mommy, auntie Bridget and me! Three girls! She says eventually we'll be just Mommy Bill and me. But maybe Bridget can visit. Her daughter Jessica likes to babysit me and mommy likes free dogsitters so it all works out.

Oh, and I've got a new collar! It's great! I'm not too big and not too small, (that makes me perfect, right Mommy?) but the collar I had was for something called medium dogs and I'm a little bit bigger than that but not so big as large. (probably because mommy won't let me eat as many treats as I want, darn mommy). So the new collar is something of a choke collar but only sort of. It's super dooper loose and I recommend it since it's only tight if I pull too hard.

Anyway, more updates as events warrant!

hello again

Super long time since I've written anything. Well I have to apologize. Mommy got a new kind of job. She is no longer footloose and fancy free as a part time massage therapist working short hours. Now she works on a TeeVee show and is gone from 7 am to maybe 6:30 pm. She was worried that I'd be upset about her being gone but now that we've been together a year, I'm like, it's okay Mommy, go to work, I'll see ya when I see ya.

We also moved. Not far, but the new home has stairs. the Punkin thought maybe I wouldn't be fond of the spiral staircase but I'm working it out. I go up there when Mommy says "I'm going to work, be back later". The later part means nap time. When she says "Be Right Back" I wait by the front door. Mommy is surprised that I can tell the difference but then I read her a story and everything is all right.

I will try to write more now that we are more settled. But now Mommy has to get back to work.

Diahhrreeah!

Let's see, where to begin. First off, Mommy spends a disproportionate amount of time and money trying to ensure that I smell nice. She says I can smell like a dog, but not like a dirty, gross dog. I am not sure what that means. Usually the action is to take me to the groomer about once every three to four weeks and they clean my ears and fur and make me all pretty. I'm a girl dog so I can admit to being a little bit vain some of the time. And the nice groomer lady leaves the hair on my head a little longer so I can look more like Mommy. Fun!

Well I figured since mom is always trying to enhance my odor, maybe I'd treat her to a new smell all on my own! Now in the past this has included some nice strawberry gum that I found lying on the ground. (Mom says I was lucky it didn't stick to my fur. I had a nice candy smell for a few days after that one) I've also found rose petals which mom really liked, especially for her allergies. One time I found a great little rotting snail carcass that had been smooshed almost beyond recognition, but Mommy saw me get near that one and I was not allowed to try on Eau de Snail. Darn Mommy.

So Mommy takes me to the dog park fairly regularly. One day, when we were there, she was talking to another person who knows the value of a rescued dog when I found a treat of all treats! Diarrhea! It wasn't mine, some other dog's, but I thought Mommy would love what new smell I'd found and so I rolled all in it. Got it in my fur nice and good. Then I ran over to mommy, mouth open, doggy laugh, tail wagging to show her what I did. Wasn't I a good girl, Mommy?

Okay, furry friends, let me just say that your hoomin might not appreciate Eau de Watery Poop. The look on my mom's face was priceless. I think she would have thrown up but she was afraid I'd like to roll in that too. I mean come on, mommy, I do have taste. She dragged me to a fountain and tried to rinse me off but every time she rubbed me down, she got a handful of slimey diarrhea. I kept looking at her wagging my tail saying "See, I did just like you did! I changed my smell!"

Now let's not forget to mention that this is 15 minutes before Mommy has to leave for work. Lazy mommy thought I could run at the dog park and she could then leave for work and I would have had some exercise. Mommy works in the evening (this fact is integral to the story). But now I'm perfumed and Mommy is freaking out. I sleep on the bed, couch, chair, floor and everywhere else I feel like in our home. I'm the baby and that's what babies do. We are spoiled. I couldn't wait to get home and refresh Mommy's home with a nice slimy poop smell.

Mommy said that will not do. She called the groomer last minute (they also board) and said Please help us! They had room but needed my shot records and MOmmy didn't have them from the shelter yet so she had to make a bunch of frantic calls while I sat there trying to figure out what was wrong. Eventually we straightened everything out, mommy left me and it cost her $100 to board and groom me. I said, if you'd let me find more stuff to roll in, we wouldn't have had this problem.

Oh well, poor mommy. She says my dog park privileges are revoked. Darn.

I am pretty!

Oh so pretty, I am witty and pretty and gay! And I pity any girl who isn't me today.

Mom says that's enough with the show tunes. But my new groomer rocks! When I got back in the car, my hair was flowing freely and getting all over the place, just like Mommy! (she spends more on my hair than she does on her own) (I'm worth it). I am so beautiful I saw myself in the mirror and did a little prance.

Now I'm back to sleeping on the floor. One thing they did though, they shaved my feet (without cutting anything else). So before I had big furry paws and everyone thought I was younger than I am (I was waiting for someone to check my ID). Mommy said do my toes so I can walk easier but they went a little too short and now it looks like I'm walking on stilts. Or that I have cat feet.

Uncle Mark has a kitty named Toes who is called that because she has extra toes. Now my feet look just like hers! Very weird since I am a biggish dog and she is just a little cat. Harumph.

New Groomer

Okay, so mommy is obsessed with me not smelling like poop or grass or strawberry gum or snail carcasses or whatever else I find that I think might make a nice perfume. Poor mommy, she suffers from having a sniffer almost as strong as a doggie's (she says it's dog, not doggie)(hmph) (well she's still a human so how could she have a sniffer like mine? mommy is crazy). As a result, every little odor wafting through the condo gets to her nose.

Hence I need to get a bath.

Now you may have noticed (oops, I was trying to say something here but mommy got distracted and now I don't remember what I was going to say. Damn distracted Mommy!)

Well the new groomer I didn't whine at, so Mommy feels that's a good sign. I'll sign on later and let you know if I like my haircut.

The Today Show

Me and Mommy got interviewed for the Today Show!!! We will be speaking about the awful dog food recall on Friday, March 30th. Isn't that exciting? For my part I said whatever Mommy feeds me is fine but I prefer the chicken her and Auntie Sarah gave me at the restaurant. Second best would be the Natural Balance Lamb and Rice log. (Mommy says it's kind of expensive and a bit "rich" for my tummy, that's why she mixes it in with the kibble. I said, the kibble is expensive too Mommy. She says I'm worth it. She also says that expensive kibble isn't really expensive since you only have to feed me half as much. That's too much math, Mommy).

The Today Show wanted to know what Mommy thought about the pet food scare and about organic food and food quality for dogs. I think she did a fairly good job of explaining that it's like feeding your children fast food. Fine for the occasional treat but not good as a staple.

Look for Mommy, her real name is Angie and she's a brown woman with brown curly hair and big brown eyes just like me. Oh, and I spent a lot of my time either running away from or to Mommy so that the camera guy could get Bee roll.

It should be cool. I'm a star!

Saving Mommy!

okay, so Mommy is a massage therapist and she goes to client's homes. Today I decided I should go with her (I'm a very good car rider) and her regular client was excited to meet me. I gave him some smooches and wagged my tail and was generally a good girl. (so says Mommy, I say what's this "generally" stuff? I'm always a perfect baby girl) (hummmph)

Well Mommy has this thing about lottery tickets. If she's someplace where she didn't expect to be (her regular contacted her late in the evening) she likes to buy a lottery ticket since who knows what could happen. I ask if it would make it easier for her to buy a home with a big yard that includes squirrels. She says possibly, or she could rent some squirrels for me to chase.

Anyway, she went to a Lick Or store (I'm like Lick Or what? I'm a pooch, I need options -- do I have to lick the scary guy there?) And since Mommy is a former model, someone says something lewd to her. (she had to explain to me what Lewd was, gross). So I growl at that person. AND the two scary semi-drug addict lookin' folks that approach me and Mommy's car.

Mommy was trying to be polite. She said that we can't judge because we don't know what situation these people are in. I say if they look like they can hurt Mommy, I"m growlin'! Mommy says she adopted me to be a COMPANION animal, not a watch dog, but the Punkin says all dogs who have loving Mommys naturally are watch dogs. Mommy's not so sure.

In my opinion, the only folks who should be near Mommy are people I know and recognize. Like Moose, Alexis, Christine, Janine and the Punkin. Maybe when I meet Grandma and Grandpa I'll be nice too. Mommy says we might have a temporary roommate named Jill and I think I'll allow her to stay. But anyone else, beware! I'm going to keep you from Mommy if it kills me. Mommy responds by correcting me and sometimes giving me smooches (which is a mixed message I must say, smooches means yes, correcting means no) Punkin says to just leave me alone so Mommy is going to practice that.

TTFN

Mommy did it too!

Okay, well Mommy broke down and gave me some chicken at a restaurant today. We went for a long walk this morning and after the walk I didn't have much of an appetite. Then Mommy and her friend Janine decided to go shopping and walking and I got to go with. I was a good girl and looked at the furniture and gave my opinion about its various odors as we went from store to store. Now Mommy is a diabetic (insulin dependent type 1) and as such, when she needs to eat, it's really time to eat. I'm glad I don't have to take four ouchies a day, ewww.

And Janine didn't want to leave me in the car. (Mommy said it would be okay since she found a covered garage and I wouldn't be hot and she knows I don't mind sitting in the car if it's not a long time) But Janine said that I didn't have any books to read and I'd be bored so Mommy relented. (she thought I might have wanted to take a nap) Me, I'm easy, I just want to be with my mommy even if I'm kind of sleepy. So off we went to the restaurant.

They had an outdoor section and Mommy knows I'm a good girl, so she asked the server lady if I could have a bowl of water. Then, joy of joys, Mommy ordered me a plain grilled chicken breast! She chopped it up and put it in a small dish for me to eat on the floor. She says she thinks I'll be okay since she did put it on the floor, not feeding from her plate. And to Mommy's credit (and my superior manners) when we got home and she had more food, I didn't ask her for any at the table. So Mommy thinks she might be good with feeding me plain chicken or rice if we go to another restaurant. Yay me!

Oh, and I learned something of a new trick! Mommy is always showing me balls and then throwing them. Usually I'm like, why are you doing that, Mommy? But the other day it was like a light went off in my head! She threw the ball at the dog park, and I ran after it! Now I didn't realize that she wanted that exact same ball back, so I ran after the first one, then found a second one to bring back to mommy. I figure all tennis balls look the same, right? Mommy clapped and clapped and gave me kisses so she was happy enough. Maybe I'll be good and treat her with some smooches before bed.

Doggy Beach!

Me and Mommy went to Pickles', (the chihuahauahaha) (who knows how to spell that?) birthday party at the doggy beach. She and the other chiwbaccas liked being in the sand, but mommy says I am black and so is she and we are tan enough so we don't do beaches. As soon as Sarah (Pickles' Mommy) put down a blanket under the table, me and Mommy plopped down so we could avoid icky sand in our toes and shoes and fur.

Mommy did snap a cute photo of me, which is what we are choosing to show you there. It was a lot of fun. I saw some other doggies going into a big blue ocean (Mom says on the other side of that is Japan but I can't swim that far) but I was having none of that. I wanted to stay right by mommy and get some of the special liver treats that Sarah had bought for Pickles.

THEN we went to a dog friendly mall called Fashion Island. Plenty of doggies and I was able to go into every store. I say it's because I'm a good girl, Mommy says being good doesn't matter if someone doesn't want a doggie to come in. Harumph, Mommy. We did go into one store called Pottery Barn and they had something smelled called Incense and Room freshener or something like that. (Mommy says those products help cover up the smell of toots) She prefers to simply open a window and turn on the fan since when we were at the store, both of us were allergic and we sneezed a lot.

Sarah did something fun. At lunch in the food court, she gave me chicken under the table BEFORE asking Mommy if it was okay. Then she asks "Is it okay for her to have chicken?" instead of the key "is it okay for her to be FED from the TABLE?". Mommy was very mad because she says Sarah has managed to undo her training of the past three weeks. To me I just didn't realize when Mommy sat down at the dinner table, the food there was something I could eat. As a result, I now sit right under Mommy when she's trying to eat food at the table. She says she will beat up Sarah but I want to give Sarah smooches.

Oh, btw, I'm still tooting, but not so much now that I have been eating a mix of Wellness and Natural Balance. Mommy is switching back to fully lamb and rice and we hope that helps. I don't want to have to toot ALL the time.

Okay, the PUnkin is coming so time for a nap!

Hehehehe -- I got a new mommy!

Okay, it's official, Anj is now my real true mommy, not just a foster mommy! I knew batting my eyelashes and giving her smooches would work out in the end. Today the rescue called and said there was a family interested in meeting me. Anj said "But Sydney already has a family" and by that she meant her. Yay!

Now of course I want to encourage anyone who thinks I'm beautiful to first bow down to the gorgeousness that is me, and second, remember I was just a dog that was found at the pound. A shy, sweet girl who hadn't done anything to anybody but I was stuck there anyway. Don't forget there are others there like me, all wanting good homes and snuggles and high quality treats like Mommy gives me. When thinking of adopting your next furbaby, remember the pound, mix breed rescue or pure breed rescue. (if you have a love of a particular breed, I ain't hating on ya, just know that the Breeder Club for your local area should also have lists of rescues for your favorite and you can still save a life).

Spay and neutor please!

Okay, off my doggie soapbox for the time being. Gotta take a nap.

Tooting

Well apparently I've got the Dewie disease. Mom wrinkles her nose and says "whew, what's that?" as my little butt toots out some good stinkers. I am not too proud of them and I try to hold my head down, but I can't help it! Mommy thinks maybe my new food is too rich. Does any other doggie have a toot problem? She put me on better food and my poop is firmer but apparently it comes with toots. Please, doggie friends, let me know how to help Mommy stop the toots!

Oh, and today Mommy got some red tennis ball thing and threw it. I ran after it but it was yucky and I didn't pick it up, I just ran directly back to Mommy. She ran after the ball and threw it again and I ran after again and didn't pick it up. See! I'm a good exercise partner for Mommy.

I gave mommy a doggy smile today

And a lot of tail wagging. I think I'm finally getting used to the idea of having a new mommy after spending so much time in the pound and at the vet's office. I have only been with her for a week so I was taking my time to see if I like her. But today, I snuck a doggy grin and she saw me! I also wagged my tail when she called me Sydney. It's been such a long time since I had a nice mommy call my name that I don't remember what my other name was.

So we went to Three Dog Bakery today. Mommy got some nice doggie treats with icing on them (dog friendly, sweetened with honey). She tasted the icing, she said it was kind of bland for humans. When I saw her make that face, I wasn't sure I wanted to try them either. She tries to give me nice treats, but so far I think I like the chicken sausage snack from Trader Joes best. Lucky for mommy, it's inexpensive so she won't have to buy pricey treats any more. Whew for mommy. She says she wants to try giving me part of an apple to see if I'd like that. For some reason Mommy is obsessed with giving me tasty food. If she finds something I like, I guess I'll eat it.

She reads my blog sometimes and says I should be funnier. But so far I haven't really seen Mommy do anything funny so I can't write about her. And I'm still adjusting to my new home with a mommy who spoils me, so no need to make fun of her, all I need are belly rubs and kisses and I'm happy.

Time for my mid-mid lunch nap. (different from the mid morning, late morning, early lunch, late lunch, mid lunch or early afternoon nap)

whew, long day

well Mommy is still tricking me with my medicine. I don't know what she's doing but I'm taking it. I guess it's better than ouchies. Between the medicine and the three mile walk we had today, I'm just pooped. I can barely dictate to mommy to type my blog. She might embellish on my behalf but I guess since she's the one that gives me hugs and treats, she has the right to do that.

We didn't go to the dog park today, she's worried that some other doggies made me sick. It's possible but I think I got sick when we took a tour of a new boarding facility. There were some doggies there and although I didn't stay long, I might have breathed in some dog germs that are yucky.

The simplest explanation of course is that I have had too much excitement after getting out of the pound and it's just a lingering cough. That's what we both hope it is. I like my new mommy, sort of, she's at least tail-wag worthy until I get to know her better. I don't want to have to go back to the vet.

Sneaky mommy!

I haven't been feeling too well. Coughing, sneezing, getting goobers all over mommy's couch and her bed. Ick she says. I say, not my fault I'm sick, you're the mommy, do something!

Well, she did, off we went to the vetranarean (I think that's how you spell it). A place where they give ouchies. ICK I say! I hadn't had any appetite and just felt yucky so I wasn't able to fully register my complaint at sitting there in the office. Mommy held me and told me I was a good girl. (of course I am a good girl, what, did she think she had Dewie again?) I was calm until the man in the white coat came. He stuck a thermometer up my butt (eww!) looked up my nose (how rude!) and told Mommy I didn't have a fever. Then he said "well she's probably going to be fine but I'm giving her a shot anyway". I looked to Mommy but all she could do was sit there and look worried, some help! Then to add insult to injury, she held my head while the man gave me an ouchie. Not good Mommy!

I had something called codeine so I've been feeling a little drunk today. Mommy tried to sneak some medicine in some food but I found it after my appetite came back. When Sneaky Mommy got home from work, I had eaten all my food and carefully got that yucky medicine away from me. Not to be undaunted, Mommy put it in a small ball of food that she knew I would just gobble up now that I'm hungry and I ate it anyway. Drat! Can't trust that Anj.

But I had so much energy when she got home from work that she was very very happy. The drugs must be working :).

I'm getting more energy

The Punkin was concerned because he sees me sleeping all the time. However, last time I wanted to run a mile and I made Anj run too! Anj says I'm her little personal trainer. I follow her into the kitchen most of the time. (although if she looks like she's just doing dishes, I leave again, I don't want to have to help dry them) If she's getting a snack, I put my little paws up on her leg and say, hey, where's my treat? I see you're eating.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to get her to feed me when she's sitting down though. I might have to concede. I look up with my trademark sad face, wag my tail and look cute but she's a tough nut. I think I understand why Dewie gave up. Besides, Anj thinks I'm a little skinny so I do get high calorie treats like cheese and scrambled eggs pretty often, so I can't really complain. She is going to take me to the Three Dog Bakery in Sherman Oaks sometime this week and see if I would like some doggie cookies. (they use all natural products and make bakery treats just for doggies. Humans can taste them too though, and the chocklit cookies are made from carob so I can eat them and not get sick) I'm not always food motivated (unlike Dewie, my predecessor) but I do like a nice treat if I've been a good girl and sit like she asked me to.

Oh, and I did something that originally Anj was worried about but the Punkin said was normal. When he walked in the other day and I didn't expect him, I barked and gave him a little growl. I was basically trying to say "who the heck are you?" (when he came over before, Anj took me outside so he could meet me in neutral territory). Anj was going to console me or correct me (she didn't look too sure about which to do) but the Punkin is an even more advanced Dog human and he said just give me a little time. As soon as I could see that he was allowed to be there (I looked at mom a few times to be sure) I wagged my tail and licked his face. I got my smooch in before Mommy did! We're both princesses extraordinaire but I'm the one whose name spelled backwards is God, so I should get first dibs on lovins, smooches and stuff like that.

I like that Punkin, he plays with my ears, makes me dance and rubs my tummy. Anj is a bit more gentle, softly scratching my belly or smooching me on the head. She smooches the Punkin on the head too, she must have something about heads. I like it though, I know she loves me so I can handle the smooches. Most of the time her breath doesn't smell too bad, so it's okay. I am not quite as fond of her breath in the morning though, talk about dog breath! I want to give her one of my dentabones, maybe that'll help.

Well I'm off to the adoption fair today. Anj hopes I don't get adopted right away, since she likes having me around. But if I get a nice family she'll be happy for me. I'll write more later.

Woof!

I was a good girl

Mom went to work today. (if my tail wags when I see her, I get to call her Mom) I was a good girl, no messes whatsoever! She is so very proud of me. I pretty much stayed on the futon and watched teevee. Sneaky mommy, by taking me to the dog park she tired me out. But that's okay. She came home, I got to go on another walk and am now waiting for her to get off the computer so we can go to bed. (she had to watch some show named Ugly Betty first).

I'm glad I made Mom happy. She has to work tomorrow too, and she feels calm knowing I'll be a good girl.

Dog park

Okay, Anj and I went to this dog park that she was raving about. I at first wanted to reserve judgement. I mean she always wants me to stay right by her side, so now she takes my leash off and I get to run? Sounds fishy to me.

There were many dogs there. I said hello to quite a few while Anj kept guard to make sure I wasn't attacked. I am a refined, gentle dog and she thought maybe the 5 month old great dane was a bit boisterous. Also, why was he in the little dog dog park? I am sure he was probably bigger than Anj. But he was nice, friendly and I was able to play a bit with him. Then the guy with the boston terriers showed up and that's when I really let loose! He threw some toys at them and they ran and I ran too. I'm not sure what we were all running for, since when Anj tried to throw me a toy, I totally ignored it. She might have wanted me to notice it but I was like, look Anj, those doggies are running, I want to be just like them. What do you mean they're bringing something back? What is that furry round green thing you're showing me?

Dogs don't play tennis so I was a bit confused.

I think Anj is finding out that I'm really just a sweet little girl who needs love and attention. I'd love to be in a household with another dog since I might need a four legged friend to keep me company and show me the ropes of being a beloved companion. Anj says she'll try to help me with the tennis balls again, but I'm not sure how successful she'll be. Maybe if the tennis ball had peanut butter on it?

Okay, well tonight is my first major test. I have to be alone while Anj is at work. She will be gone for 6 hours. I passed the earlier test where she went to the grocery store and left me alone. I slept the whole time. She says she'll leave on HGTV so I can learn how to remodel her bathroom while she's gone. She needs it so I think I'll try taking puppy notes.

In the meantime, it's time for a nap. Did I mention? I'm part couch potato.

Ciao.

New home!

Hi there. My name is Sydney. I'm Anj's new foster doggie and I know I have big shoes to fill. The Punkin says I'm sweeter than Dewie was but I'm also shy and not sure of my surroundings yet. Mom has a bird too (not really a rescue bird but one of her friends got evicted and she needed to watch the bird) and I've decided the bird would make a nice tasty snack. The rescue people say that I'm a cocker spaniel, but Anj says that between my intelligence and pointer abilities, she feels I'm probably some kind of a retriever or pointer mix. And my coat is wavy and irish setter like (other than the fact that I'm black) so who knows.

I just got here yesterday afternoon. Before that I was stuck in the Bakersfield shelter for two months and then in a vet's office for a week after my rescue from the big bad shelter. The rescue people tried to keep me in their home, but they have kitties and I thought, mmm, more snacks for me, so they put a notice on Craigslist for a new foster home. Anj apparently spends a lot of time on the computer, and Craigslist in general. she says she's trolling for Backyard Breeders but I don't know what that means. She wants to yell at anyone who does that. I want a belly rub. I guess we all want things. Unfortunately it's easier for me to get my belly rubbed than it is for BYBers to stop.

So I was dropped at the shelter because my former hoomins had to move and didn't want me any more. This surprises Anj since I am very well behaved and haven't had any accidents (just like Dewie). I even have a nice brushed coat. Maybe something more sad happened, like my main mommy or daddy passed away and the heirs didn't want me. I have a sad look on my face that pains Anj and she can't figure out why but she surmises that maybe that happened.

You may have noticed that my vocabulary is better than Dewie's was. Well since I haven't met him, I can't tell if we are really that much different, but I think if I'd been stuck running around New Orleans with a pack of pitbulls after Hurricane Katrina, maybe I'd lose some of my ability to talk as well. Anj has a big painting she's working on of him and I want to know when do I get my painting?

Apparently I am going to be up for adoption on Sunday. When she lets me know where the adoption fair is, I'll let you know so that you can come visit me if you're a good dog mommy or daddy. That might mean I only get to be with Anj for the week but I'm happy I'm able to spend time with such a loving dog mommy.

In the meantime I'm willing to train her to obey all dogs so that her forever dog doesn't have to go through the trouble. I'm still working on getting her to feed me from the table, she doesn't seem prone to doing that, but maybe another sad face and tail wagging combination will help. She says Dewie tried that too and when she said no, he'd go lie in his basket. I say Dewie should have been tougher. I only get sneaked treats when she is in the kitchen. I'll have to work harder.

Ta ta for now.

If you're interested in adoption, please visit

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA1155.html

Pryor's Planet is the name of my rescue. You must live in So Cal and be available for a home check. Anj will visit and see if I get to have a nice life. I'm not a good choice for a home for kitties (unless you want me to eat them for you), birds or even probably rabbits. I do like other dogs though and I have no problem with men. I am a little unsure of men with moustaches though... but I'm sure if I get used to you, I'll warm up.

Hope to talk to you soon!