Cosmo Dog Park

Yesterday momma took us to Cosmo Dog Park in Gilbert, AZ.

I guess it was awarded "Best Dog Park" in US last year.

Well, you know me. Very shy. So I didn't really enjoy it that
much. Too many big dogs running around like . . . well, dare
I say it . . . WILD ANIMALS!!!!! heehee

So I stayed at mom's feet . . . like I normally do on these
outings she takes us on.

Can you believe she actually took us over to the "beach" in
the park and stood there, playing in the water, saying stuff
like "look Popo, look at the water! Wanna go in and play?"

Yeah, right!!!!!! Take me back to the "timid dogs" section!

Better yet, take me home!

Doggie Class

Hi doggies!
Well, I have to tell you about my class at Petsmart last Sunday.

. . .ok let me give you a little history about me. I am a shy doggie.
And I am protective of myself. See, there use to be a collie in a
previous dog class that use to invade my space all the time and
step on me. Also, there was a doggie in my dog scout troop that
use to nip at me all the time!

Then mom took me to the vet the other day to get my ears checked
out because I kept shaking my head. I hate going to the vet because
every time I go there, they stick a thermometer . . . well, you know
where! I hate that! My ears were bothering me, Doc, not my butt!
Anyway, the doc kept messing with my ears and I didn't like that
at all and I started showing my teeth so they had to put a muzzle on
me! MOM WAS SO EMBARRASSED!
. . .

So at my class mom told my teacher, Stuart, that she wished there
was something she could do so I would not be so protective of myself!
So Stuart started to work with me a bit He grabbed me and held me
and my momma was way over on the other side of the room!!!!
I was nervous!!!! But after a few seconds I started to relax and
took the little treat that Stuart had for me.

He then told mom to stand up in front of him and I did my usually
trick of running behind mom so she could protect me from him!!!!
Mom kept stepping out of the way but Stuart told her to stop and stay
still (oh - oh, see Stuart realized that I thought mom was trying to
proctect me from Stuart. Mom didn't realize that! Now she knows
better; DARN!) I didn't know what to do!!!! So I went and sat back
down by mom's purse.

Stuart says mom needs to get me around more people; have people
pet me and hold me. Mom's not sure how to do that , though, since
she doesn't have any family here in AZ.
We do have some friends we started going to the dog park with but
the temps. here in AZ are now in the '90s and soon it will be too
hot to do anything!!!

Hey, not being held by another human is just FINE by me!!!!
But watch mom let Stuart pick me up again next week - I just bet he
will!!!!!

(Nothing against Stuart - he's a nice teacher and mom has learned
some things about me that she didn't understand.
But Stuart is NOT my MOMMA and I love MOMMA only!!!!!

Yes, I AM A "MOMMA'S BOY" and very proud of it!!!!!!!!


I will let you know what happens next week in dog class!

Going back to school!

Mom entered me in another class at Petsmart!
Her and I haven't been working together at
all the last since last Nov. (MOM'S FAULT!)
(She was a little depressed because of
our 2 orange tabbies, Jack and Jill, being
killed by a *neighbor*)
Anyway, I am going to go back into the
*Advanced* class!
My old teacher, Susan, doesn't teach
there anymore, but my new teacher's
name is Stuart!
I know him a little because he helped
Susan teach some of my previous
classes!
He's a very nice, young guy. He's
going to school and hopes to become
a veterinarian someday!
Mom says going back to class will
also give us some *alone* time
together! (I'm really jealous of
Kima! Unlike Joey who sleeps most
of the time, Kima is more like me!
And she is always wanting to be
held or petted by Mom.
And that upsets me a little!)
I can't wait to go back to class!
It starts on April 12th!
Woohoo!!!!!!

Dog Park

Yesterday mom loaded all 3 of us into the car and we went on a
long ride.
We went to this place called Chapparal Dog Park in Scottsdale.
Mom called out to some people there and seemed to know them
AND THEIR DOGS! HOW CAN THAT BE??!!!

Anyway, we went into the Small Dog side and there were all these other
doggies running all over the place!
Sometimes some of them would run by us and stop and give us a
sniff; some actually tried to play with me!

But I am a Papillon, after all, and do no play with those that are
mearly peasants! And there wasn't a blue-blood in sight so I stayed
close to my mom through the entire ordeal, even though she
kept telling me to go play.

I was happy when we got home and I was able to take a nap!

Met Chica in pawson today!

Hi doggies!
First let me tell you that mom has been looking for a doggie to adopt. She says the house is too lonely now that Poni has gone.
Now mom just adores us Papis but she has been thinking about getting
a rescue pup this time around - and there aren't very many Paps available for
rescue in AZ.
So mom came here on Dogster and looked at AZ pups for adoption.
That is where she first saw Chica

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/635998

Chica is a lethal white Austrailian Shepard. Well we didn't know anything
about lethal whites or Aussies so mom checked out the rescue group,
Amazing Aussies, that have Chica.

www.amazingaussies.com

Oh so many special-needs pups; mom couldn't believe it!

Well, we drove up to Petco today and I got to meet Chica in pawson!
What a surprise! See, Chica is deaf and blind. But, except for her special
jacket that Chica was wearing, that said "I am blind and deaf" on the sides
of it, you never would have guessed that Chica was either!
She acted just like any other normal almost-one-year-old pup would!
She was so friendly; and wanted to check out everything! (Her foster
mom had her out of the kennel and on-leash.)

In fact, she was a little too friendly for me! I put on my SHY and timid act
and hid behind mom's legs most of the time because Chica kept sniffing
me out and trying to come say "hi" to me in the way that PUPS do!
(Having been stepped on by larger, friendly dogs in my obedence classes,
I really worry and stress about getting stepped on!)
Every once in a while, when Chica had her back to me, I would go in for
the old butt sniff - but Chica would turn right around with a big ole
grin on her face as if to say "oh, you can't fool me!" Then I would high-tail
it (more like "tucked-between-the-legs tail it! BOL) back behind mom!

Chica even barked a couple of times!!!! I was thinking deaf dogs don't
bark but foster mom said yes they do - if they are around other dogs
they will certainly pick it up and learn to do it themselves!

She also said that Chica "sniffed out" her foster mom's house quickly and
is able to navigate it by herself with no problems! In fact, she knows
where the doggie door is and how to work it and goes in and out as she
pleases! Chica is also being clicker trained! YES, CLICKER! She may not
be able to hear the sound but she feels the "click" when the clicker is held
against her! Wow!

Chica even found the little pink stuffed hippo that's on mom's key
chain and gave it a little tug as if to say "TOY!"

Mom was totally amazed by Chica! She says we may not get to
adopt Chica, but there are many, many more doggies with special
needs; just with Amazing Aussies. She has her heart set on adopting
one.

Hopefully, one of these days we will get to!

Chica - you are totally PAWSOME, little girl!!!!!!!!

Woof!

A Story about my CGC

First, before I begin, keep in mind that I am trying real hard to also become a Dog Scout! And, according to the Dog Scout Way, the human is suppose to be the "thinking" end of the leash!

Ok, with that in mind, let me tell you this little story.

To get your CGC one of the things we have to be able to do is "walk through a crowd"

Now, thank goodness we doggies realize that our humans are always making mistakes and most of the time it's us, and not the humans, who are REALLY the smart end of the leash! For example, my mom always gets her words (commands) and/or hand signals messed up when we are "working" (heehee, mom is not the only humans who messes up like this. During one of my classes my friend's daddy told him to "drown" instead of "down" but dear Cabo realized his daddy's mistake and did a "down" anyway!)

Well, while mom and me were "walking through the crowd" mom stepped on her shoe lace; which untied it, and then she kept tripping and stepping on it during our "walk"!!!! (Poor mommie is such a klutz!)

And of course, during all this, I made sure to look like the "pretty boy" that I am and kept my chest poofed out and my dainty feet and legs prancing away!
I did not loose my composure at all while mom stumbled her way through the "course" of people!!!!

Oh our dear humans! Can't live with them - can't bury them in the backyard!

But I still very much love mommie - and mommie, as always, loves me!

Woof!

I passed!

Hah, hah, mom, I passed my CGC test !! (ppsssstttt!!!!!!!) Nanner-nanner! I showed you!

I also graduated from my advanced class today! I was very busy today!

Next week I am going to start another class; it's called "Tricks" class and
Susan said we can work on anything we would like to (within reason of course)

My tricks class is going to be my last class with Susan! I will miss her classes very much! She is going to be moving over to another store, which is located much closer to where she lives. It will be a good thing for her; she won't have to drive the dangerous highway to and from work any more.
But, I sure am going to miss her! (Mom say's we MIGHT try and take a class now and then at her new store. Plus, Susan will still be a member of our
Dog Scout Troop - so I will get to see her now and then.)

Well, gotta go! Mom says she is going to buy me a hamburger as a special treat for all the great work I did today!

Woof!

CGC

Oh, mommie was really surprised by my teacher, Susan, last week.

Susan as mommie if she would like to see if I can get my Canine Good Citizian award. That took momma completely by surprise!

Mom said I would propably not get it, but she would give it a try. So this coming Sunday I am going to go take the test!

You know, it kinda hurts my feelings that mom has little faith in me! Thinking I won't pass the test and all! (sometimes I get a little over friendly and want to jump up on people. See, I want to make that eye contact with the humans when I greet them! And being such a small guy, well, how else am I gonna get WAY UP THERE except by extending myself vertically!!!!!!

I'm gonna work real hard and try to make momma EAT HER WORDS this Sunday, and pass the CGC test! I hope I show her!!!!

Keep your paws crossed!

Woof!

News of our DS training video!

Oh, me so happy! Today I got back news from DSA that our first training
video pasted DSA criteria! Now we can make our 2nd training video!

Once the 2nd training video passes, then Susan (she's my Petsmart teacher
too - I just wuf her!) will become our CERTIFIED Scoutmaster and we can
start working towards earning our badges!!!!

Me so happy!!!!!!

When I first started the Dog Scouts (my mommie is the troop leader! woof!)
I was really kinda scared of the other troop members! See, I am the smallest
doggie in the troop! All the other doggies are huge! (Well, not Avalanche - he is a King Charles Caviler - and he actually came from England! But he still outweighs me by about 15 lbs.)
Anyway, we got 4 GSDs, 1 Great Pyrenees (who's daddy is funny to watch! See - Maverick's mommy acts as his handler and his daddy just walks around with a hankie in his hand - wipping up Maverick's "floggies" (as my dear friend, Glory, calls them!) It's really quite a sight to behold!
Anyway, we also have a couple of Great Danes, a Golden, a Collie (who has the handsome coat, known as Blue Merle) a standard Poodle, a couple of Rhodesian Ridge Backs, and Susan's dog, Maggie, an Irish Terrier, and some mixes (but we just love the mixes - they are such special breeds - and wonderful, loving doggies) but they are all BIG!

But I am not so scared anymore! I am getting use to those big guys and gals! As long as they don't step on me! (I'm finding out that the people, including MY MOM, are the real ones you have to watch out for stepping on you! - not so much the doggies!)

Anyway, I am very happy that my troop is starting to take shape! I just love
going to the meetings cause alot of times we get to do some "work" And I enjoy that!

Woof yah later!