My First Birthday!

Thanks for the birthday greetings everyone!

Chie's been awfully busy nowadays so we don't have time to visit often. She's changing jobs and we've been spending a lot of time with a sweet man, his adventurous Stig and his snuggly Snuttan (both are cats, btw).

My first birthday was nice. I had bones to chew on, cheese for the day, and three new plushies! And then Chie and I visited Dogster and found a stack of birthday greets! Gee whiz, thanks everyone, you made my day extra special!

I'm going to share one real sweet birthday greet. Chie and I thought Rex was so sweet to write and send this to us.

FROM: Rex Mi Amor TO: Vixen

Subject: A WOOFDAY POEM ESPECIALLY FOR YOU, VIXEN!
Sent: Sat Mar 8

Message:
It's Vixen's woofday and she is a little pom...
Who loves her life and loves her mom!
She loves walking on the beach in Indonesia...
What a lucky gal who doesn't have snow...ha! ha!
She loves bananas, mangoes, and toasted bread...
She's a cutie from her paws to her head!
She loves attention and she deserves many best wishes to her, too...
So, Vixen, the gang from the PlayGround and Pawty Place say Happy Birthday to you!

I can't believe time flew by so fast! I've gone through one whole year! Whew!

My Tail of Devotion for Vixen

This is a special Tail of Devotion

See All Tails of Devotion

my beautiful butterfly sister, i celebrate today with you.

my beautiful butterfly sister, Nabi,

chie has told me so much about you. you are truly amazing.

you came to chie's life when she needed you and valiantly stayed against all odds. what would that vet in jakarta say now, eh? i guess she'd say, she's glad she was mistaken.

that vet saw you come in the hospital three years ago. you were very very sick. you didn't even react when they put that needle in you. i bet chie was crying. she was crying when she told me all about it.

how you just laid there while they put the IV line in you. how you barely moved a muscle when they examined you and moved you to your assigned compartment. how you looked at chie quietly and seemed to say, don't worry about me.

you didn't hear the vet when she told chie that you weren't going to make it. and if you did, you'd never walk straight. and you'd never be the same intelligent pup she knew. and if you ever did manage to get through all that, you'd never get your coat back. but then again, the vet said, that's the least of her worries, the vet thought you wouldn't leave that hospital alive.

chie went in to see you after the talk. and she saw you lying on your side, IV line dripping, you barely moving. and she went to you and said, if you want to fight it, nabiya, i'll fight it with you. the trust she saw in your eyes told her enough. she held your head and said, then we fight until you don't want to anymore.

she went to that hospital everyday. and chie, who we both know so well, overcame her disdain at filthy and smelly things, and found a way to bathe you from the filth you were sometimes covered in. you had difficulty controlling your tummy. she held you and sang you your song. she doesn't sing it for anyone else. it's your song, she said.

and there was a day when you were convulsing. and chie just watched you and sang to you and told you how much she loves you. she left her friend inside with you because she wanted to cry so much. the doctor said you were dying. and chie didn't know how to help you.

she went back and said she wanted to hold you. i guess the doctor thought there was no harm in anything now, so she agreed and they managed to pick you up in a moment when you weren't convulsing and chie cradled you in her arms. she sang you the song, and she asked if you wanted to stop fighting. she remembers telling you how much she loves you and would do anything to make you happy and comfortable. your eyes found hers. and she sang as she tried to listen. and your convulsions stopped.

and she kissed you. and told you again how much she loves you. and you seemed to relax in her arms. the doctor peered and said you seemed fine. after staying with you way after visiting hours, chie reluctantly placed you back and went home. she prayed long and hard that night.

when she came back the following morning, you seemed better. no convulsions after the last one she witnessed with you. you seemed more alert, too. the vet was still discouraging any hopes. but chie knew you well enough to know you were fighting for life. and she rallied with you.

slowly, you became more responsive to people and dogs around you. you'd lift your head as the days progressed. and one night, when chie was holding you in her arms, you moved as if to say yo0u wanted to try and walk. chie let you down. and chie, yes, the chie who easily gets disgusted with hospital floors, went on her knees to gently hold you as you tried to stand. and you stood that day. not too long. but that itself was a miracle on its own.

from standing to walking. yes, a bit crookedly at first. but then you got so much better after. so much better that the doc said, she thought you could now go home with chie. and you went home. and became better and better.

two weeks later, you went back for a visit with the vet. and chie now smiles when she remembers. the doctor asked how could this be? you were alert, walking - no, running, in straight lines - and your coat grew back! she said you're a miracle. and chie agrees.

a few weeks after, chie went back to the philippines and took you with her. you, the dog who was sure never to leave that hospital alive, went on an airplane ride and arrived safe and jumping with joy when chie opened your cage at the manila airport.

you, my sweet butterfly sister, gave birth to litters when it was your time; you, nabiya, who waits for chie patiently in the philippines; and you, who welcome her with happy licks when she goes home, you are always chie's miracle. and we are so glad you're still here with us to play with and laugh with and nap with and be with.

happy happy birthday. every day counted with you in it is a blessing in so many ways.

lots of love,

your sister, Vixen

fruit loops

it's hot here in bali nowadays. i manage to drink loads of water. and chie and i also manage to move only when absolutely necessary (vixie, tell the truth.) ok ok. chie would like to move only when necessary, i still want to play every minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay! i love to play. i bring octopus to her when i get all bored playing by myself. sometimes, she ignores my demand and cuddles me for a bit and then asks me to go play - by myself, obviously. but in the afternoons, when the weather is a bit cooler, we still play with octopus. i guess that's ok. can't do much about that. (what?!? you endlessly tap whatever part of me you can find when i ignore you!) right. i do that, too.

but with this heat comes a real good thing.

chie and i went to neighborhood store this afternoon. i don't get petted there. they admire me, they coo, they say how pretty i am, but no cuddles in that place. (ixie, i told you. their religion makes them wary of you. things happen that way, sometimes.) i know, i know. so i don't expect it, chie, ok?

but they're real nice. the old lady stopped chie as we turned to go. she said she had something for us. i hear a rustle of plastic for a while, then the refrigerator door, then plastic again as she comes out handing over a bag of something to chie. chie smiles and thanks her. effusively. it must be good stuff, this unexpected gift.

we walk home and chie puts me down. i play a bit but mostly steal glances at her. she's cutting something open at the sink. i must get nearer to her. it could be something edible. anything to do with sink and knife and chie working on something there is usually edible. she laughs when she sees me hovering by her feet. wait, vixen, she says. and i do. by her feet. i am not leaving her. whatever it is, it sure smells good.

she leaves holding a plate and i hop to where she sits. this, vixen, is a mango. oh chie... i don't really want to know what it's called right now. i want to know how it really smells up close, how it tastes, how it feels on my nose... wait, ixie, wait. and she asks me to sit. i try to. honest! but i squirm.

here, she says, try it. i lick a bit of it. sniff. it seems very sweet. and soft. i lick again. well, can't do much with these little licks and sniffs. i take it from her hands and investigate it. it tastes good. i drop it and stare. it looks good. i smell. it smells better up close like this. it also feels cold and soft against my nose. i try to bite it. oooohhhh. this is good. i savor it for a few minutes. (i gave you a large piece. sorry about that, vixen.) sorry? sorry? it was real good, chie!

and i have lots more of it. chie laughed when i hopped back in excitement and almost upset the plate of the yellow fruit in her hand. patience, sweetheart, she said as she gave me another piece. and another. and another.

it's a good afternoon, isn't it, chie? (yes, it was.) can we have more of that, please? ( i think the neighbor gave us two of those. lemme check.) goodie.

thank you for little pokes of love

I have been tagged by Zoey!

Because it’s Thanksgiving time, there is a change to the rules. Each player needs to tell seven special things they are thankful for. Tagged dogs must post the rules in their diary and their 7 things. Then choose 7 pups to tag and list their names. Let them know by pawmail or rosette that they have been tagged and to read your diary for the instructions on how to play.

1. I am thankful for the beach to run in!
2. I am thankful for times of quiet.
3. I am thankful for toys and toys and toys!
4, I am thankful for the nicest groomer. He always makes sure I feel comfortable.
5. I am thankful for the best vet! He plays with me before he checks if I'm ok.
6. I am thankful for toasted bread and bananas!
7. I am thankful for every single good day chie and I have!

I tag Vodka, Sophie, Cosmo, Maximumboy, Cadence, Jada, and Rusty!

music soothes the savage beast

and the non-savage non-beasts, too! chie comes up with titles which are too creative for me. i try and stop her but she insists. (stop it, vixen.) see what i mean?

it's time for bed where we're at. and we're both nice and snug in our bedroom. i see my upstairs bed is freshly laundered... hmmmm... this smells good.


tastes good, too. oh, the nice music's playing. chie always plays this when we turn the lights out.

can i pull the bed off this big chewy basket of mine...?




wow.
i can.

much more comfortable on the floor anyway. i like this part of the music, too. all flute and wind-chimey and soft and lu







(ixie, you were writing something?)






(vixen?)





(oh.)

best things come in strange packages

the best package (- chie)

vixen's been going on and on about all the packages i've been sending her way, i thought i should say something about the package i got. *smiles*

ixie arrived in my life at a very opportune time. i was beset with depression and migraines. i was struggling to go through everyday, wanting to think of something good and upbeat. my students were beautifully pitching in and filling that void, but at the end of the day, i still went home to an empty house. i know those who go through depression can understand the full extent of the phrase "the nights are worse."

i went out that afternoon thinking i wanted to just look into the possibility of getting a dog. i visited two breeders and three pet shops. my mother is a breeder in the philippines, though now her operations are on hold as she isn't there to personally supervise the breeding. through her, i've become aware of what i need to look at and what questions i should ask when getting a dog. i've been mulling over this the week before and researched online about the breed i wanted to have. we breed shih-tzus, and i wanted one because of familiarity, but i had seen a beautiful pomeranian at the beach and so i read up on poms as well.

the last stop was a pet shop recommended to me by a friend who owns siberian huskies. he reassured me that the pet shop was getting it from a pool of breeders from bandung. apparently, dogs from bandung meant quality dogs from great breeders. and in this pet shop, i saw this beautiful orange pomeranian.

i sat there and looked at her. and i knew i wasn't leaving without her. it happens that way sometimes, doesn't it? here i was, seen about ten pups on that day - some of which were absolute charmers - but i knew she was the one meant for me.

i took her home that night. got the whole shibang: bed, playpen, toys, grooming equipment... and overnight, my house filled with life.

as i write this, i'm counting all the times i felt i was leaning towards a depression since ixie entered this house and my heart. the fingers of one hand are more than enough to fit them all in. before vixen, i went through days of utter despair and heaviness. uncountable moments of desolation and darkness.

she fills my thoughts, my life, my world, with her care, her playtime, her love. i feel better now she's with me. she calms me enough to live a life i'm comfortable in.

she is, by far, the best gift i've had this year. and she is definitely a soul sister to chili and nabi. all of them are angels sent to me to guide me from deep dark wells into the flower-filled meadows on the other end.

i sleep better now. in fact, i sleep, which is a remarkable achievement in itself.

best things come in strange packages

package # 3

i'm a hairy dog. all pomeranians are. and i'm a pom. so there.

hair is spose to make sure we get insulated. against cold. against heat. esp against cold. Bali is a tropical island. we get real hot heavy humid days here. on the other hand, we get chilly nights. and you think i'm safe with just a fan to cool me down during those hot hot days? wrong.

a long time ago, when chie and i first met and i came to live in her house, i never needed to wear sleepers. then i got me a tummy flu. and i would throw up. happened for a whole day. chie came home in the middle of the day just to check in on me. that night, i still couldn't keep my food down. i'd be ok for an hour or so. then i'd throw up. chie did everything she could to help me stop. she called my vet, she called her mom (chie's mom is a dog breeder), she called her friend (a dog breeder here in Bali), she gave me less food, some black powder thing which tasted real good, if i might say so myself) and she gave me tummy rubs and loads of hugs. i couldn't keep it in.

that was a bad day. i didn't even want to play. all i wanted to do was sleep and lie down.

the night wasn't so good, too. chie and i went up and she gave me extra hugs before i went to bed. an hour later, i was throwing up. chie stood and came to me and checked me. (wait, vixen.) and she went down the stairs. i watched her go. i couldn't even bark to call her back even if i wanted to. chie, where are you going? why are you leaving me?

i needn't have worried, she came back very soon after. she had this bundle in her hands. she took me and we snuggled in the bed a bit.

chie, don't distract me, what was in your hand? i kept on searching the bed. nada. she must have pushed it under pillows while she hugged me. sometimes she uses these underhanded tactics...

(now, bixie,) uh-oh, anything that starts with 'now, bixie' sets alarm bells inside me. i cock my head to wait.

(let's see if this will make you feel better.) she takes out the bundle from somewhere. and picks me up onto her lap. what's this? she leads my head into it. nnnnoooooo...... chie, ic an't see anything! this is upsetting my tummy more!!!!! i struggle. try to push it away, bite it, growl, anything but be led into utter darkness. and then, in a moment, my head was through! i could see light! i breathed in to calm myself. chie didn't seem to be done yet.

(your legs, bix.) she pulls my front paws through other holes in this soft plushy thing. soft plushy thing!!!!! is this a toy? i try to bite it. (stop it, bix.) and then chie pulls it along my body and gives me a hug while rubbing the thing on me.

(ok. let's see if this shirt works. i want to make sure your tummy's all warm.) it is sort of working. i feel nice and warm already. funny, you'd think i would have felt warm enough without this thing on. with my own God-given coat and all that. this is making me feel better.

after extra long hugs, chie sets me down. (now try and go sleep.) she turns off the light. i find myself a nice space under her bed. and lie down. and think about this thing i have on and how nice and snuggly it is. and then...






it is morning.

ps
i wear a shirt every night now. what other bundle does she have in her secret stash, i wonder? she's good at giving me surprises.

best things come in strange packages

package #2

i was minding my own business (of looking for chie's slippers which i noticed weren't on her. yes, yes, the pink one with tiny butterflies. soon to be the pink one which used to have tiny butterflies) when i happened to glance up at my dresser (now, do take note i was searching for something. chie can find the most creative places to hide her stuff!). and on top... lo and behold.... (universe music pleeeeaaasssseeee....) was Something Colored Tan Which I Have Never Seen Before! i looked, peered, stood up to sniff. nope. never seen or smelled this one before. OH! oh no! my nose touched a nose!!!!!!

gggrrrr..... who is this?

i move back to get a better look. oh no. it appears to be another dog!

i bark. look at chie. she appears unfazed. she often has this look when i bark. like she's intentionally ignoring me. i bark again. chie. this is serious. there's another dog in the house! and it ain't yanyan or chili or nabi or daity. and it's sitting on top of my dresser! i bark at it again. and again. and again. stop, chie says. she's not even looking at me! i bark louder. and louder. and on and on. chie finally looks. thank God! chie! there's another dog. she laughs. i am embarassed. this is NOT a threat???????

she stands up and says, so you've found your new friend, have you?

uhm, chie... i guess so? she sometimes states the obvious.

she walks over and takes the strange dog into her arms. i back away and bark. i don't know about you, chie, but this is a stranger. who knows where it's been? and it was sitting on my dresser! you sure this is safe? i'm not betting my life on it.

she holds it out to me. i bark at it again. who knows where it's been, chie? think. c'mon. think.

she calls out to me. bixie, c'mere. this is a toy. yours, in fact.

that gets my attention. a dog? my toy? whoa. lemme see it then. i hesitantly step forward. wondering if it will bite me. it doesn't do a thing.

chie shrugs and says, it's yours. and she throws it TO MY BED!!!!!!!!!! i quickly run and check. all my toys are there. granted, octopus is in the wash and hence not in danger, all else is there. no other dog can have it. i arrive in a breathless second which felt like forever, and the dog HAS NOT MOVED. at all. i sniff. not moving. i prod it with my nose. not moving. i nip. not moving. i bite. nothing. nothing at all. except.

except plushiness. oooooohhhhhhhh.... it is a toy!!!! my toy!!!! and can i pretend, chie? since the rest of the brood isn't here with us? can i pretend it's my brother? and can i sleep with it? and eat with it? and share octopus with it? it seems friendly enough. can i? may i? pleeeeaaaassseeee?

you seem to like him, bixie, chie says as she walks towards us. yours then. and she smiles and goes back to work.

i lie down beside my brother and play with him some more. this is fun! when octopus comes back from his bath, i'll introduce them to each other! ooohhhh... i wonder what else will appear on top of my dresser? i'll check everyday just to make sure i'm not missing anything.

best things come in strange packages

package #1

i'm playing with octopus. kinda smelly now but i love her allthesame. and i'm showing her lots of love through tons of kisses (and chews and snaps and saliva). chie is working (again). then she stands up.

my ears perk. when chie stops working it can only mean (a) she needs to go somewhere else and get more work (wait, vixen.); (b) she's hungry (no, vixen, this is not for you.); (c) she's planning to get a treat for me for being so nice and quiet (c'mere, bix!); (d) she's planning to go outside with me (let's go, bixie!); (e) she's leaving without me (bixie, you stay, ok?)

this time it's e. i follow her to the door, real close to her heels. please change your mind, please change your mind. she doesn't. she gets the keys (wait, vixen.) heads out the door and locks it. i notice she wasn't wearing her helmet. good sign. she's going very very near the house and hence won't be long. i sit and wait by the door. i get tired and lie down. i can't help it, i fall asleep.

locks clicks. my ears perk. door opens. i look at her sleepily. (ey bixie, you waited for me at the door all this time?) she's holding a black bag which smells good. i quickly stand up and hop towards her. please let me have a goodie! please let me have a goodie! chie laughs and goes to the dining table.

she takes out this tan-nish looking thing from the bag and bites into it. please let me have a taste! she looks at it. then looks at me. (you wanna try, bix?) she looks into the magic box she always keeps on. and then she looks at me and smiles. (says here, bananas seem ok for you. c'mere, bix!)

goodie goooooddddiiiiieeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i lick. hm. i lick again. i'm in heaven. i have as much as chie gives me. goodness me, i gobble it all up!!!!! i love this, chie. please, can we have some more???????

(all gone, bixie.) i don't understand what she's saying. all gone? there's none left???? nnnnooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

she stands up and does an f (anything other than a to e of choices above): throw the bag away.

i wonder when the next black bag comes in?