Movin' Time

By Dog, Sami:

I've been seriously neglected! Each day that goes by I get more bored... no playing... no Mr. Squirrel... no affection. Mommy is buying a house with a bigger yard than the one I have now. I'm excited but I want it all to be over with. I want Mommy's full attention again.

NEW Trick!!!

By Owner, Christine:

So last night Sami and I were bored out of our minds. We had nothing to do and it was too cold outside to do anything out there. I decided to teach Sami a new trick. It's a dog favorite: roll over.

I would have Sami lie down. I would take a treat and circle it from her nose and over her shoulder. In order for her to follow it she would need to actually roll over. After about 10 minutes of trying to get her to do it (and without my aid), she finally caught on!!! She realized after I pushed her little body to roll over, she would get a treat. Suddenly she was on queue every time! Each time she did it on her own, I gave her 5-6 small treats and lavished her with praise.

Today I worked on her executing the trick as is and not having to say "DOWN" prior to its execution. She got it.... even rolling over a couple more times hoping to get lots more treats! Trick LEARNED!

The Smartest Dog in the World

By Owner, Christine:

Now I know this is probably going to come back and bite me BUT I taught Sami how to get on my desk. We play fetch quite often with Mr. Squirrel and unfortunately Mr. Squirrel often ends up on top of the desk. If his tail isn't near the edge Sami can't jump and get him. I have to get up and retrieve the Squirrel which can be annoying on days when my aim is particularly bad. Last night I showed Sami how to get up on the desk by using the chair. After showing her ONE time, she did it on her own without assistance or instruction. I was in hysterics when I saw that!!! My Sami has such a quick way of picking up on things! She's very intelligent and I suppose since we aren't involved in Rally currently... we will start working on tricks.

A New Friend

By Dog, Sami:

During the howliday, I had the pleasure of meeting my Mommy's Mom's Papillon, Nikki. She is SUCH a lady but in a somewhat prissy way. When she first visited she had just come from the dogter and they took out most of her teeth. Poor pup seemed out of it from the medication that she was on but I was more curious than ever! Mommy would hold me and I would squirm to try and go sniff out this new dog that had no interest in me or who I was! It offended me a little that she didn't notice me.

When we finally were given permission to meet things were cordial. A few sniffs here and there and we were instantly friends. I would get jealous because Nikki gets lots of belly rubs. My Mommy told me that if I stop moving so much I would get them too. So one day while we were all on the couch, my Mommy gave us both belly rubs. I followed Nikki's lead on how to do it but in my own excitable manner.

I was sad to see her go back home. It was nice to have another Pap around...

The Snowman

By Dog, Sami:

When my Mommy first came to get me in June, I was really picky about toys. I took to Mr. Squirrel quick. Baby Bear soon came after (by Dr. Noys... same brand). However in between my two favorite toys, Mommy spent a bunch of money on other toys. I would take the new toy from her and drop it, completely disinterested. These just bought toys were eventually donated to the Delaware Puppy Rescue. Mommy stopped buying toys altogether.

On Sunday, Concord Pet Foods had a MASSIVE sale. No pets allowed because of the craziness. Mommy went to go get some food and treats for me at a discount of 30% off. The lady at the register gave Mommy a free toy when she paid. Mommy brought it home. She said "another donation" and dropped it on the floor. I picked it up and shook it like a crazy dog. It was HUGE but cool cause it had so many different parts like a carrot nose and a black hat. Mommy tried to take it from me but I put it in my bed, which told her that it's MINE. This surprised Mommy greatly. It could be that I'm in a Christmas mood and want Frosty nearby... or I could have found myself a new favorite toy.

The Grandhumans New Pups

By Dog, Sami:

I visited my Mommy's Grandhumans on Thanksgiving. Usually when I visit the grandhumans I have to share attention with rescue pups because my Mommy's Grandhumans help the Delaware Puppy Rescue. This visit was no fun though. The grandhumans had the same rescue pups as last time. My Mommy said that I need to get used to them because they are adopted. I'm still not sure about these pups.

One pup is named Sophie. She is super active and won't chill out. However she is submissive and when I get mad at her she rolls over on her back and whines at me. Whenever I see her I try to hide because she always likes pulling my tail. I get Mommy to carry me around when she's near. Funny thing is that everyone says Sophie is in love with me. EWWW!!!

The other pup is named Ceily. I actually kind of like this pup. She is really relaxed and doesn't pay me any mind. However she is super sensitive. When I get mad at her she yipes and runs away. Poor thing!

My Mommy's Grandhumans think I'm mean because I get mad at the pups when they do the wrong thing. My Mommy tried to explain that I'm not doing anything bad and sooner or later we'll all be friends. I think Sophie needs some etiquette training first and then I'll consider that possibility.

The Sticky Thing

By Dog, Sami:

I was watching Mommy clean out the closet. She was putting a lot of things on the floor and I needed to hop over them just to move around. One moment I was manuevering through this maze of stuff when something caught on my pretty tail. I jumped and turned around to see what it was. It was round and white with a black stick coming out the end. The white stuff was the sticky part cause I could see some of my gorgeous fur stuck to it. I crouched down to investigate it. It didn't move or make noise no matter how much I concentrated on it. Mommy laughed, picked it up and teased me for a bit before showing me that it was just another inanimate object (a lint roller) that caused me to freak out.

SUPER DOG!!!

By Owner, Christine:

Sami has since recovered from my vacation leave. It took her a full week to return to normal and realize I'm not going anywhere for a while. Poor girl! I spent most of my waking hours thinking of her soft cuddly body. I think I mentioned at least five times "I miss Sami" while in Miami!

Recently we've played a lot of fetch with Mr. Squirrel. I never really noticed before... my uncle has commented on it... but Sami has become SUPER SAMI!!! She is a fighter when it comes to Mr. Squirrel, always has been. However I don't know where she got all that super strength from! She's still only 7 pounds and she puts up a fight like she's 10 times that size! When I try to take Mr. Squirrel (without saying 'drop it') her jaw locks on the toy and she weighs herself to the floor even using her legs to do it!!! It's incredible to see it. No arm is too lazy to pet her now!!!

Between her thick fluffy coat and her newfound super power her old owners might be amazed at how different she has become!

Oh My... My... My...

By Dog, Sami:

I have bucco apologies to all pups out there who used to read my entries with great enthusiasm... wondering how my day went. My Mommy and I have been so busy. You could say that October was MY MONTH! However MY MONTH ends with Mommy's birthday so I have to make room for that too. Some MAJOR events occured that kept me busy biting my nails.

First Mommy was kind enough to drive me all the way to Medford, NJ on the first weekend of October. It was a gorgeous weekend. Though Mommy strongly dislikes NJ (circles mostly but also the East-West confusion.... DE SHOULD be the eastern-most state!) she braved the driving at my request. I really wanted to see all the pups that make up Dogster. It was quite an event. I honestly think that it was all that driving that made me extra grumpy because even when we went to Philly I was all snappy to my best bud Jada. I slept and was fine in the morning.

Next Mommy was in charge of the Pup-toberfest. Unfortunately this event was not attended with ME in mind. I hung out with my Mommy's Uncle while she directed traffic (as best she could!) and directed the games and contests (which were a hit). I could not compete due to the fact that my Mommy was the judge. So I sat back and looked pretty in the French Maid outfit that Mommy got especially for the Costume Parade. The event was successful and brought in much needed money to save more pups from shelters and puppy mills.

In between all this Mommy has been looking for a new house for just me and her (her Uncle lives with us now). We also have been attending our regular PAWS Pet Therapy visits and even began the process of getting in at Christiana Care's Cancer Center.

Soon Mommy is going away though. It's very sad but I can deal. It's only for 4 days that she'll be in Miami. For what.... she won't tell me. All I can do since I found out is talk her ear off. She keeps paying special attention to this big black box. She puts her clothes in it as well as other stuff. I hope she brings me back a big bone. Mommy's Uncle will care for me while she's gone. He's my second favorite person in the world... so fun to play with... so it won't be that bad. But oh how I worry...

Light the Night

By Owner, Christine:

Yesterday Sami and I participated in Light the Night, an event that benefited AI DuPont Children's Hospital and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We went on the behalf of PAWS. It was a beautiful night! When the sun went down we turned on the lights inside our balloons. We then walked around the campus. We got to meet new people, help out a wonderful cause and assisted in spreading the word about pet therapy. Saturday was an altogether "feel good day". Sami and I both crashed when we got home. TIRED!