Who the HECK is this intruder!??!?

Mom and Dad became something called "fosters" for something called the "OK Yorkie Rescue". I figured it would be something cool, but something happened that does NOT make me happy.

The other day, some lady came by and brought in this THING. Mom and Dad call it "Pepper", and they say his our foster dog. Ok first, he smelled REALLY bad when he first got here. Mom got him bathed, and he smells ok now, but wait ... there's more.

He runs around and keeps bumping into me. He snarls at me and makes me ruff back, which I'm not too fond of. He also seems like he's going to take my bully stick, which is simply NOT cool.

On top of everything else, he takes up an enormous amount of space in the bed. Ugh.

Could someone PLEASE take this thing away from us? I'm sure he would be just fine in your house, just not mine. You can contact my Mom or Dad, or take a look at the OK Yorkie Rescue site (http://www.okyorkierescue.org/).

I passed the test!

I passed my temperament evaluation this afternoon with flying colors and am now officially a Pet-Assisted Therapy dog in training! Well, first Mom has to pass her Dept of Justice background check and I have to get a health exam tomorrow (yuck) but after that we'll be assigned toa mentor team and get to start visiting folks in a nursing home not too far away. Mom was soooo excited and I got extra pieces of my favorite treats for being an extra good boy today! Yaaaayyyyyy!!!!!

Flexi-lead recall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2008
Release #08-387

Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 296-3807
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Worldwise Inc. Recalls Retractable Dog Leashes; Metal Clasp Can Break
and Cause
Facial and Body Injuries to Dog Owners

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation
with the firm named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the
following
consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products
immediately
unless otherwise instructed.

Products: SlyDog Retractable Dog Leashes

Units: About 223,000

Importer: Worldwise Inc., of San Rafael, Calif.

Hazard: The metal clasp connecting the leash to a dog's collar can bend
or break
while in use, causing the leash to recoil back unexpectedly. This poses
a
serious risk of injury to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Worldwise has received five reports of injuries,
including
facial cuts, a broken tooth, displaced eye lens, and a bruised collar
bone.

Description: This recall involves the SlyDog Retractable Dog Leash with
a metal
clasp. The leash has a handle composed of a blue plastic case with a
black
plastic grip. The leash is made of a black woven strap and measures
approximately one-half inch wide. The end of the leash has a metal clasp
which
connects to the dog's collar. The SlyDog retractable leashes with a
plastic
clasp are not included in this recall.

Sold by: Dollar General Stores nationwide from September 2007 through
August
2008 for about $5.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using these leashes immediately and return
them to
Worldwise Inc. for a full refund, including shipping costs.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Worldwise toll-free at
(888)
296-3807 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit
the firm's
Web site at www.squareonesystem .com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including a picture of the
recalled
product, please go to: http://www.cpsc. gov/cpscpub/ prerel/prhtml08/
08387.

I did it!!! I passed the test!!! It was tough but I did- it!!!!

Okay so I been going to these classes to tune up my already spectacular behavior. Okay so maybe it's not THAT spectacular but I AM a pretty awesome guy. Just ask anyone.

Anyways, so I went to these classes and then two weeks ago we had a big test. I did the first nine things perfectly. The test I'm talking about is the Canine Good Citizen test and I took the class with mom so we can be a Pet-Assisted-Therapy team and go visit people in nursing homes and hospitals and such.

I passed everything until the very last test item came up ... meeting a strange dog. I had done this so well throughout the class training and on the other nine test items that the evaluator had already checked off that I was good with the stranger dog.

Then it happened. While I was waiting to take my turn, I saw the other eight dogs in my class getting to meet this new dog and I let out a little grrrrr to remind them not to forget me. Mom said shhhh and I could feel her getting nervous and that made me nervous so I let out a bigger gggggrrrrrr because now I was sure mom was worried they would forget me too.

Well, by the time it was my turn to meet the new dog, I was so frustrated that I was making really loud and long gggggggrrrrrrrrs. When I went up to meet the stranger dog, I was worried he would be mad at me for grrring at him and I guess I looked really nervous. The evaluator gave us lots of chances but I really just wanted to go back to my seat and forget all about meeting anybody else that night.

This meant I could not pass the test. Everyone in the class came by and said they were so surprised and how sorry they were because I had been so good in our training classes. Mom got tears in her eyes because she knows I am a wonderful boy and she felt like she let me down. She hugged me and hugged me and told me I have it in me to pass the test so she was not upset with me. That was two weeks ago.

Last night mom took me for a retest. This time it was only me and one other dog and we both passed! Hooray for us!! My next step is to have a temperment test and then mom gets her volunteer t-shirt and I get my official PAT bandana (which, by the way, is almost as big as I am)!! I am so excited!

Today was strange

Okay so first our mom took off for almost a week and today when she came home and took her clothes out to put in the wash, everything smelled like a bunch of other dogs. Her jacket smelled really good - we think it was some kind of beef or something.

Anyways, after she came home, the doorbell rings and in walks their friends with the Havanese puppy named Kosmo the Million Dollar Dog (KtMDD). Then the doorbell rang again and in walks the lady with the funny table and scissors, clippers, and hair dryer. Oh, and that baby child thing she brings too.

Well her baby is 9 months old now and sits on the floor and lets us sniff at her and give her kisses. We like this. Then the lady with the table (mom calls the groomer) started giving all us fur-children a bath and then she proceeded to cut our hair and make us bee-yooo-teee-fullll.

Then mom drops the bomb. She starts talking about a fur-boy named Arnie that she met when she was gone and how he's going to be our foster brother. Then mom & dad loaded us up in the car and took us for a ride to one of our favorite places -- the pet store!! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!

They bought all kinds of stuff today. They got lots of food for the kitty, and some new kind of food for this fur-boy named Arnie, and some other new things like a couple of big metal fencing thingies they called xpens. When we got home, Dad went out to the yard and set them up. We suddenly have a lot less room to run in our yard but it looks kind of cool! Clementine and I ran around and around to show Mom & Dad how much we like it this way.

Tomorrow Mom & Dad will pick up this Arnie kid and I guess we get to meet him. Until then, good night everyone!

PS...Mom says you can read about Arnie and others like him at http://unitedanimalnations.blogspot.com/

First beach walk since oil spill

It was great to finally go back to the beach today but also kinda sad. For some reason there was all kinds of broken pieces of wood and trash on the beach. Usually it's very clean so this was a shock. We found a tampon applicator ... ewwwww! We also found a jellyfish but mom was a killjoy and told us to 'leave it' and called us over to her. Like any well-behaved pups, we came and sat in front of her and waited for our treat. Mom says she saw a bird at the high tide water line that looked like it died from the oil. We didn't see it cuz I surely would have sniffed at it if we did!

I hope our pup-friends are all doing well and staying warm and dry during this cold and wet winter. A special bark-out to my cousins Zoe & Carson in Kansas City. Love ya lots, cuzs!

ps...mom took some video that she'll try to figure out how to put on here maybe in the next couple of weeks. she has a job starting tomorrow that will keep her very busy for the next for work weeks. that means we pups will be missing her attention during the day :o(

A Dog's Purpose

Mom wanted me to share a story that she received in her email this morning:

A Dog's Purpose
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old
Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa,
and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and
they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family
we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the
euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would
be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as
though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's
family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for
the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.

Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away..

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any
difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's
death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are
shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly,
piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next
stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good
life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"
The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that,
so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply..
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be
pure ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle
them gently.
Being always grateful for each new day and for the blessing you have.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
That's what dogs teach us...

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Today it's my birthday and I'm one year old! One year ago today I was born and my doggie-mom & doggie-daddy are expecting to have some brothers and sisters any day now. Wouldn't it be cool if they were born on my birthday? My human mom is watching and waiting....she says I'm such a cool pup that my brothers and sisters will be spoken for very quickly. Not that mom is planning on adopting one of them because she says although she has lots of room in her heart for another one, she doesn't have enough room in the bed, BOL!!

Happy to all the other pups out there also born on December 28th!! We are a very special group!!!

I'm a smart boy!

Today mom decided to teach me and Clemmie how to do a moving down for Rally-O. She decided to call this maneuver a "splat". A moving down is different from a normal down because you have to do it while heeling.

Mom started by sitting on the floor and teaching us to lie down from a standing position. Then she stood up and had us do the same move. Then we took turns sitting in our crate while mom walked with a heel and asked for a splat. After about 4 tries we both had it perfect! Mom is SO proud!!

Of course this is just the beginning. Any good mom knows that a splat in the living room does not translate to a splat anywhere else. Later this afternoon or tomorrow we'll try a splat in the front room and on turkey day mom and dad will practice splats outside on our walk down the hill to Starbucks.
*YAWN*
All this hard work made me sleepy so I think I'll take a well-deserved nap now!

PS....at the doggie doctor on Saturday I weighed in at a hefty 17.5 pounds! Mom and Dad where like, "what!!" ... he's not even a year old yet! Heehee, little did they know they got themselves a giant zuchon!

Hrrrmmppphhhh!!!

Still not liking that vet place Mom takes me to once in awhile. How would they like it if I stuck glass thermometers up their behinds and pointy instruments into THEIR ears? Hmmpphhh, the indignity of it all.

Here's what happened - Mom and Dad got concerned because sometimes I have coughing fits sometimes when I get excited or when I bark, and almost always when I pull against my collar and even on my harness. So they took me to the vet with Clemmie (she was getting her bordatella) and had the vet take a look to make sure everything was okay.

Well, the vet heard a faint heart murmur and said it wasn't something that she felt was critical but we could get a x-ray to make sure my heart sounds didn't have anything to do with my cough. Two hours and a few hundred dollars later the vet said my heart and the rest of my insides all look fine, nothing to worry about. She said what's probably happening is my trachea is collapsing on itself and making it hard for me to breathe so I cough to get more air. She gave us a cough suppressant to help me relax if I get into any coughing fits that are alarming. Mom and Dad also went to the pet store and bought me a Gentle Leader harness to use on our walks and vowed they are going to teach me to walk nicely on a loose leash so at least that won't be causing any more coughing. Not sure there's much they can do about my barking cuz sometimes I just like to bark.

Oh yeah...the beach walks are suspended indefinitely because some bad container boat pilot ran into the bay bridge last week and caused 58,000 gallons of bunker oil to spill into the bay and so the beaches are all closed until they can clean up most of the oil because it is toxic. The whole thing is very sad.

This is from the vetmed.ucdavis.edu site. As of 9:30 pm Friday, November 16:

Number of birds collected alive: 970
Number that died or were euthanized subsequently: 268
Number of birds washed: 496
Number of birds released: 38
Number of birds collected dead: 1,113