Daisy's Diary

Happy Halloween!

I had fun again this year for Halloween. We gave out candy to the kids and had to close shop early because we ran out. I watched at the door for the kids. When Mom's friend Tracy came by with her kids, they came in to pose for a picture with me. When Dawson was petting me, he mentioned that he could feel my bones. Mom had to explain that I am old and sick. We had a fun night.

Dog Sitting

This past week, I have been dog-sitting my friends Chloe and Roxy. Every morning, my good, good friend Gale brings them over, and she comes with CHICKEN and Tiny T-Bones for me. I love it! She is so cool! Unfortunately, Gale has to work, and can't stay with us. But Chloe and Roxy spend the day, and then Gale comes to get them in the evening, after she gets off of work. I have enjoyed having my friends Roxy and Chloe over, but of course, I look forward to seeing Gale the most. The girls really look forward to her return too.

Chloe spent a lot of time in her usual spot - hiding behind the loveseat. Roxy learned to enjoy the swivel chair in front of the window. And I would often lie on the floor in front of the chair, near Rox. Sometimes, mom or Gale would pick up Chloe and put her in the chair with Roxy. Chloe would stay there until they either took her out to go outside or when Gale would return. She is certainly a scaredy-cat, considering that she is a dog.

Sometimes Roxy would hang out with me and Mom as we did things around the house or in the backyard. Chloe only went out to help in the backyard when Mom carried her out and told her that she needed ALL of our help out there. Chloe did like to take walks, but I think she was looking for an escape route. The girls came in cute clothes everyday. One day, Mom said she was embarassed to take us for a walk, because the girls were in frilly dresses that all the neighbors gushed over. One day, Gale brought me bows to wear to match the girls outfits, so that I could be part of the fashion gang.

I enjoyed having the girls here last week, and waited by the door for them today, but they never came - Mom says that Gale doesn't work on Saturdays.

I'm a Roxy Girl!

My shih-tzu friend Roxy has a special song that Gale sings to her about being "Roxy Girl." Well, I think that could be my theme song too. I have picked up a Roxy habit.

If you read Roxy's dogster entries, you will know that she prefers to drink water from the bathtub faucet and from water bottles. I am kind of joining her club! About a week-and-a-half ago, I had another "incident" and had to go to the emergency clinic. Once I got better enough to come home, I didn't eat or drink for a few days. My mom was very concerned and sad about this. So, she bought a syringe and started pumping a bit of water and chicken broth into my mouth. That little syringe sure was a lot of work and didn't hold much. So, then, she filled a water bottle and has been squirting water into her cupped hand for me to lap up. This is working much better, and I drink quite a lot. Mom doesn't like that I seem to be dependent on her to get water...what if she isn't around? But, she is pleased that we are working out a system and that I can let her know when I am thirsty. It is nice to have fresh-streaming water, and to have Mom cater to me the way that she did when I was a puppy. I am not sure that I will let her know if I get better.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I am eating some foods now. I have no interest in the treats that I loved just two weeks ago, but thanks to "Treat Bag" Gale, I am eating again. She brought Roxy and Chloe over for a visit and brought Sonic burgers for all of us. We doggies were supposed to share one burger, but I snarfed down most of it myself. I did let Chloe have 1 bite. Hey, I hadn't eaten for days - I needed the nourishment. So, now, mom is feeding me the good stuff...I have had burgers and chicken ever since the Sonic burger. Thanks, Gale!

Now you see it, Now you don't...or vice versa...

I think that I am pretty sneaky.

The last couple of times that Mom has started to give me my pills, she has found a pill on the floor from the last time. Then, she picks it up and says that I still have to take it, and gives it to me again instead of a fresh, new one. She checks the floor and my mouth at the end of our pill sessions, and she thinks that I have swallowed them all. But, I am too sneaky for that...hours later, she will find one on the floor.

Tonight, when she found one of the yucky capsules on the floor, she held it out and said "Is this your pill, Daisy? Is this yours?" I indulged her and went over to sniff it (feigning interest) and quickly shook my head "no." She laughed at me, because I have never shook my head in denial before. She thought that I looked like a little kid. So, she asked me again "Is this your pill, Daisy?" Again, I vehemently shook my head. I don't know what she expects with the double interrogation, but I was not cracking!

Mom thinks we should have a video of our new act of her asking and me responding. She thought it was funny.

Back to the Vet!

I am becoming a regular at my veternarian's office. It had been 6 weeks since I had "the incident" and Mom rushed me to the vet where they drained fluid from my stomach and treated my heart and made me feel so much better. Well, last week, my tummy was getting filled up again and Mom took me back in to get more drained. Actually, I went twice! Monday night, she couldn't sleep until she got up at 3:00 am and took me to the emergency clinic. It wasn't really an emergency - I was feeling ok, but she wasn't sleeping worrying that I wouldn't be able to wait until Wednesday (my vet is off on Tuesdays). So, at 3:00 a.m. she packed me in the car and away we went. The emergency clinic had a funny little dog with a full leg green cast that came to greet us and kept hobbling around to see what was going on. He got around good with that cast - he was so small that it probably weighed as much as he does!

Anyway, the emergency clinic vet had the philosophy that you should only drain 1/2 of the fluid, so that is what he did. He still took 750 ml. So, Thursday, we kept my appointment with my regular vet to let him see how I was doing, and he thought that we should drain more. He said that he drained more than 2 liters! I felt better, but not as miraculously better as I did after "the incident" in June.

So, that brings us to this week...this morning I started getting sick again. I was vomitting and shaking and couldn't get up. It was like "the incident" in June, but not nearly as severe. So, Mom got me into the vet and I had to see a different vet today. My regular one was off. Anyway, the new vet thought that they should drain more fluid from my stomach and up my lasix dosage. So, they drained another liter (I think) from my tummy. Mom is going to call and check with Dr. Entriken tomorrow to see if he agrees about upping the lasix. I feel much better this evening!

I did get a free bath out of the deal at the vet's. They had to clean up my messes!

I still got it

Mom keeps worrying about me and my age and my heart condition, but I keep-a-goin'. The last few days I have surprised her with my agility for a frail, senior gal. Yesterday, I beat her down the stairs. That used to be routine, but the last 6 months or so, I have had to take the steps slower. I am not sure that it is much to brag about though, because Mom has slowed down too (and she is not even a senior)!

Also, three times in the last week, I have gotten up on the rec room sofa. Again, I used to do this all the time - Mom would sit on her side, and I would lay on my side. But, for quite some time, I haven't been able to jump up on things. Sometimes, Mom would help me up or lift me up. The first time I did this recently, I surprised her, because she came downstairs and I was already laying on the chair. The next time, a day or two later, she saw me climb up. Okay, I admit, I can't jump up anymore, but I climbed with no problems. Tonight when she came back into the rec room, I was up on the sofa shredding a paper napkin. I so enjoy shredding tissue!

Then, tonight while I was supervising Mom's mowing, I tracked my arch-rival Morris the Cat. (Ok, I confess, I have no arch-rival - I am far too friendly for that, but I like to let Morris think so for sport.) Anyway, I stopped and pointed as I could smell him behind the bush. Then, I slooowwly inched my way around the bush to him and he took off around the other side of the bush. But I outsmarted him by looping back around. I would have had him had I not been on a leash...I am just sure I would have. He'd better watch his back!

It's my 1/2 Birthday!

Today I celebrate my 14-1/2 birthday. To tell you the truth, Mom wasn't so sure that I would make it this far, but I continue to knock down milestones. It is too hot here to celebrate much. We would like to take a nice walk, but with 110-degree heat index, I am enjoying the air conditioning instead.

A couple of weeks ago, Miss Sandra and her husband Butch came to spend the weekend with us. I really enjoyed that. I always like company, especially nice folks like them. Mom was impressed with how I stayed up late helping her clean the house before they came, and then stayed up again the next night waiting for them to get here. They didn't get here until 2 a.m.! Things have slowed down since they left, and so I rest a lot more. Mom was worried that all the commotion would wear me out, but now she thinks that it was good for me. She has a theory that when I am less active, the fluid builds up faster in my stomach.

I am feeling pretty good overall though. I don't cough as much, nor do I have as many leaking accidents as I have had awhile back. Maybe we can have friends over again soon. That is fun!

Scary Times

Yesterday, I made an emergency visit to the doctor. My stomach has been filling with fluids and it looked like I had a balloon in my tummy. It was so big that I struggled to get up, I would just roll back. Then, I started shaking and threw up so my mom took me in to the doctor. He looked very concerned.

They made me stay for several hours as they drained the fluid and then monitored me. When they called my mom to come get me, they said that I was doing much better. And I was! As the doctor said "I was half the dog I used to be...when Mom came to get me, she said that I now look anorexic! I am just all bones. But I was feeling better and wagging my tail and greeting the other dogs in the waiting room. Mom had be get on the scale, and I am down to 26.6 pounds.

When we got home, I was feeling good enough to go on an evening walk. I was back to following Mom around the house. That makes her feel good that I want to be with her. She tried to limit me on the stair climbing, but sometimes she didn't catch me in time.

I am feeling better, but we don't know how long it will take for fluid to build up in me again.

It's my Gotcha Day!

Today is my Gotcha Day. 14 years ago today, my mom and Aunt Jan came to get me. We are very thankful for the 14 years that Mom and I have had together. She says that I am a best and most loyal friend. We had Miss Gale come by in a fancy new car to take our anniversary picture. I didn't really feel like posing, but I sure enjoyed seeing my friend Miss Gale. She spoils me, as any diva should be.

Last weekend, we dogsat Matty AND Duke. We had a houseful! I liked having them, but I have sure enjoyed catching up on my rest after they left.

Snow is Delicious!

We haven't had snow in awhile. This morning we got about 5 inches. I do so enjoy the snow! It tastes SO good. I just stand outside and eat and eat and eat.

My mom was a little concerned about me last night. I slept the whole night in the rec room rather than coming upstairs to bed with her. I always at least start out in the bedroom with her. Sometimes I get bored and move to the hallway or the living room, but I have only stayed downstairs one other time. That time was just in the past few months while I was not feeling good.

Mom also noticed that my eyes looked especially glazey today. However, I haven't acted like I have any vision problems. She is more concerned about me starting to loss my hearing. She used to think that I was just tired or using selective hearing, but lately she has noticed that I just plain don't hear as well.

Believe it or not, I have actually had some good days lately. It may not sound like it with this report, but I have been playful most days this week. Mom and I have been having more quality time together.

We are also eagerly awaiting the visit of my friend Matty in a few weeks. She will stay with us when her family goes on vacation. We both really like Matty. She is a golden retriever.

My Birthday!

Yesterday was my 14th birthday. I got my traditional pupcake from Three Dog Bakery. My mom tried to take some birthday pictures, but I didn't want to take time to pose - not when there are treats to be eaten.

I had to share my birthday with my new foster brother. His name is Floyd and he is a black chow-chow mix. He is okay, but I would rather he didn't butt in on my day. He has been with us a week.

Last night, I slept the whole night in the rec room in the basement. Mom was worried about me since I usually sleep in the bedroom with her. I have been moving slow, and the laminate floor in the kitchen is getting hard for me to manuever. She was still worried about me this morning because I was dragging around so much. But once I finally showed up upstairs around 11:00, she was relieved. She left a little later for the family Christmas gathering. When she returned many hours later, I came upstairs to greet her, wagging my tail and acting like my old self. So, she is much less worried. I do have an appointment next week with my doctor though, just to let him see where I am at.

Merry Christmas to all of my canine and human friends!

I'm in trouble

Well, Mom has been giving me pills for my heart condition for quite awhile now. She initially tried giving them to me by hand, but since I have become stubborn as I have aged, she started hiding them in Pill Pockets. One was in the chicken-flavored pocket, and the second in the beef-flavored pocket. Of course, the pockets taste yummy so I initally gulped them down without noticing the pills. This worked for quite awhile.

Awhile back, I grew suspicious of the pill pockets and would hesitate, but they taste so good that I would go ahead and eat them. Well, I have recently had two new pills added to my regime, and it is getting ridiculous. Ok, one is a beef-flavored chewable tablet that she just gives me plain. But the fourth pill is now a new, bigger-sized chicken-flavored pill pocket. It is the tastiest to me - the bigger the better, you know.

Anyway, the last couple of days, I have been rebelling against my pill pocket treats, leaving them on the floor. Often, Mom eventually has to pick them up and cram them into my mouth. It has been taking a half-hour or more to get me all loaded up. Mom is getting impatient with my lack of cooperation. She does wonder if they bother me a bit, but she says that they seem to be helping me quite a bit, so she keeps cramming them down as directed by the doctor. I feel a battle coming soon...

Visiting the Canine Cardiologist

Again, Mom has been negligent in typing my diary entries for me. There is so much to catch up on that I know I won't remember 1/2 of it.

Well, first off, my foster sister Shelby was adopted last week. She got a great new family and will get to have a senior Brittany brother to take care of her as I did. Shelby was so sweet, we miss her around here, but we know that she will be having fun with her new family.

I started coughing from my heart condition a bunch after Shelby left us. Mom thinks that the car ride to the adoption location may have triggered some of it. I don't take car rides very well nowadays, but I wanted to go with them to say goodbye to Shelby and meet her new family. They were very nice and even gave me some attention. I came out of the deal with a whole bunch of Greenies! I may have lost my foster sister, but I gained a huge supply Greenies, and treats are what life is all about anyway, isn't it?

Well, back to the coughing story...I continued to cough excessively for the next two days and nights, and Mom decided it was time to take me back to the doctor. So, away we went. This time, at the vet's office, they asked me to come into the kitty side. I infiltrated and learned all the secrets of kitty medicine...or at least got to see what their rooms were like and smell the kitty smells. The vet decided it was time for me to try Vetmedin and gave me a week's worth to see how I do with it. They are beef-flavored chewables and actually pretty tasty. I haven't given my mom any problems about taking them yet.

One other thing that Mom talked to the vet about was seeing a canine cardiologist. That brings us up to today. I went to see the cardiologist this morning. The car ride there bothered me a bit because it seemed so long. The office was really nice and I met a nice older couple that was waiting on their lab in surgery. The man was super nice and kept petting me. I think the clinic should hire him to be a greeter like a Wal-Mart greeter, because he has a soothing pet and is very nice to dogs.

The cardiologist was nice, and his assistance were nice. The assistant bragged to Mom about how good I was for them. The cardiologist did an ultrasound and ECG. He liked what my regular vet had been doing, but he also wants to add a new drug to my regime. Now, I will be taking 4 different drugs every 4 hours. It seems like a lot, but I do think that they have been helping me to feel better. The cardiologist also gave Mom a new assignment to do at home. She is supposed to monitor my heart rate so that she will know when she needs to notify the vet of changes.

That is enough of an update for today. I am sure that I have failed to include some fun adventures, but I'll try to catch you up on those later.

Busy, Busy

I have been so busy lately taking care of foster sisters. Sally, my affenpincher/brussels griffon foster sister was adopted last Tuesday and moved to Clinton with her new family. I didn't have time to miss her, because the next evening, Mom came home with another foster sister for me...a Brittany! My new sister is nice and mature like me (but not as old). We get along pretty good. She isn't as clingy to mom as Sally was, so I don't mind her. (I liked Sally quite a bit, but I didn't like the way she tried to cut in on my mom!)

My new foster sister is pretty self-sufficient, but I have to set an example for her. She doesn't know how to "sit" or "shake", so Mom asks me to demonstrate to her. She hasn't caught on yet, but we haven't practiced much. Not every dog can learn as quickly as me.

I have one of the Top 100 Moms!

That's right, with Gale's help as a scribe, I nominated my mom in a Mother's Day contest to find the Top 100 Moms in Kansas City. Gale helped me fill out the entry form with a short essay on why my mom should be one of the top moms. This past week, mom received an email that she is indeed one of the Top 100 in the whole metro area! As a prize, she got to go to a shopping center Saturday and pick up a gift bag. She wanted to take me with her, but I was being held hostage at the groomer and didn't get done in time to go (that's a whole other story!).

I love and appreciate my mom very much, and I am glad that Gale helped me complete the entry so that I could show mom and others how much I love her.

My Big Week

This past week was full of change. First, I spent last Wednesday through Friday at Grandma and Grandpa's. I always like to visit them. I haven't got to see them so much lately.

Then, today (Sunday) Mom left for a bit, and when she came back, she brought a new foster sister to me. My little foster sister's name is Sally. She is a Brussels Griffon. She seems pretty nice. I kind of like her, as long as she doesn't try to cut in on my stuff or my mom! So far, she has been a good foster sister. Please click on her page so that you can see her and maybe you will want her to be your very own dog.

I'm Bi-lingual!

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Mom is taking a conversational German class. So, she decided that she would teach me a bit of German too. The other day, she taught the German command for "sit" ("Sitz") and I got it immediately. She is so proud of me!

Then, this weekend, she found that I am not the only bi-lingual canine on Dogster. She found a Dogster group called " Cats and Dogs learning German (Deutsche Katzen und Hunde)". Cool! She signed me up so that I could have a group to practice with. It looks like a fun group! Who knew that there would be such a group of talented dogs and cats out there?

Auf Wiedersehen!

Mom has lost her Mind

Well, my mom realized today that she has been telling me and everyone else stories! She has been saying that our anniversary as a family was Easter Sunday, March 23. She realized today that she was off this year...our anniversary was instead Tuesday, March 25. The anniversary of my spay is March 23. She gets so confused in her old age. So, I guess we got to celebrate early with the cake, rather than late.

Aunt Jan, won't you please keep Mom straightened out on such important events?

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Easter Sunday was Mom and my 13th anniversary of being a family. Since our anniversary fell on Easter Sunday this year, Mom spent most of the day at Grandma and Grandpa's with the rest of the family. I would have loved to have been with them, but the house would have been pretty crowded for me and, most importantly, it would have involved a car ride. As much as I have fond memories of enjoying car rides with Mom, they bother me nowadays and I would just as soon stay home. So, we celebrated our anniversary more on Monday.

Thanks to Chloe, I got to have a wonderful cake for the anniversary. You can see how yummy it was in the pictures. Chloe gave me the cake. If I were her, I would have eaten it myself! It was delicious! Thanks, Chloe and Gale!

Emmy's Visit

Monday, my mom didn't have to go to work since it was President's Day. However, Miss Gale did have to go to work. So, Mom asked Gale if we could keep her new foster dog Emmy for the day. Mom thought that we might hit it off and wanted to give us a chance to be together. Emmy is a very beautiful Papillon mix.

Miss Gale dropped Emmy off on her way to work and Emmy got to spend the day with us until Miss Gale picked her up on her way home. I liked Emmy. She is cute and well-behaved and she isn't one of those hyper puppies - she is 7. I tried to play with her, but she wasn't very interested. She did enjoy exploring our back yard. Mom got scared when Emmy started to explore the pool. Emmy stepped toward it and Mom yelled "No" and Emmy backed away. She is very smart and knows several commands. Miss Gale says that she even knows "heel" - that is one that me and Mom never got worked out very well.

Inside the house, Emmy mainly followed Mom around and didn't pay much attention to me. She was working on charming Mom. Mom really liked her, but she thinks that Emmy would enjoy a different home better...one where she is the only dog, maybe, and has a Mom (or Dad) that will take her for car rides and adventures and spend more time pampering her and playing with her.

It was fun to have Emmy visit, but I especially liked that Miss Gale brought her. Miss Gale is one of my favorites. She always brings lots of good treats to share with me. Yum!

More Snow

I love the snow! I love to go out and play in it, eat it, and lie in it. Yes, I enjoy lying in the snow. Mom thinks that I am silly for lying in it the way that I do. But it feels so good!

So, it snowed some big, pretty flakes this morning. I went out to explore. I especially like using my new deck when it snows. I watched down in the neighbor's yard for those cats. They didn't come, so I yawned and went across the deck and laid down...after eating some snow. It is so tasty. I like it. Mom took a few pictures of me, and she put one of me relaxing in the snow on my dogster page.

She also added a picture of me eating my Valentine cookie on Valentine's morning. It was yummy. We got it at the Petco Valentine party last Saturday.

This afternoon, when Mom went to shovel the driveway, she let me out in the front on my lead. I don't get to go out front as often since she has started pampering those cats on the front porch...usually only when we go out for a walk. I enjoyed checking things out. I finished off the last bit of catfood that they hadn't eaten, then I went to track their smells in the doghouse. It is my doghouse after all. Mom just lets them use it to keep warm in the winter since I never use it. I have a huge house to be in. It was interesting to see what those kitties have done to the place.

Then, one of the cats, Winston, started to come back to the area when he saw that I had taken over. He stopped in his tracks. He thought a moment, then he darted out across the yard to the other side of the house. I chased him, but I couldn't get around the house on my lead. Those cats are a lot of fun to watch and chase. Marigold is pretty brave - he stares in the glass door at me sometimes as I stare back out at him. He doesn't usually stay long though.

Grandma may come over tomorrow for a bit. That will be exciting.

Hope you enjoy my 2 new pictures on this page.

A Fun Saturday

Today was a fun day. I am resting up from my big day.

First, Mom finally took me on a nice walk. She thought that she was just taking me on a walk around the block, but I fooled her. I decided that we needed to go on our mile route instead and kept going. The snow has been melting the last couple of days, and the curbs were full of water. I kept walking in the puddles and Mom thought I was too old to still enjoy that. But I kept on.

Right when we were approaching home, Miss Gale called Mom on her cell phone. Miss Gale told her that Petco was having a Valentine Party. Mom was secretly planning to take me there at the end of our walk anyway to get my nails trimmed. So, we got to go to the Valentine party too.

So, after we got my nails trimmed at Petco, we went to the party. It was fun! I didn't get there in time for the kissing contest, but I am not a kisser anyway. Mom registered us and they took my photo. Then, one of the Petco ladies helped me make my pawprint for a Valentine card while Mom decorated a heart-shaped Valentine cookie for me. The Petco people were all very nice.
I had a fun time at the party. I even made friends with a dog much smaller than me and with one much bigger than me.

Miss Gale took Chloe, Roxy, Tinker Girl and DT to a different Petco. And Roxy won the kissing contest there! Mom wasn't surprised because Roxy always kisses her.

I wanted to put my Valentine party pic on this page, but my mom can't find it! We know that she brought it home, but she can't find where she laid it. She is getting so forgetful. If it shows up pretty soon, I will make Mom put it on my dogster page. I think I will send my Valentine card to grandma and grandpa, so shhh, don't tell them.

Visitors!

Yesterday, Mom was planning to take me for a special walk in the park. We don't go to the park very often anymore since car rides bother me now. Well, foiled again - it rained all afternoon. Fortunately for me, Roxy has been getting on Miss Gale's nerves with her stir-craziness. So, Miss Gale called to ask if she could bring Roxy over for a visit. They were resigned to indoor activities as well.

So, I watched and watched out the front door for Treat Bag , ah, I mean Miss Gale, to arrive with Roxy and the crew. Finally, they arrived. Out came Roxy, and Tinker, and Chloe, and a new foster poodle D.T. It was fun to have company. And of course I especially enjoyed seeing Miss Gale. I always perk up with she is around and focus all of my attention on her front pant pocket. She always has something yummy in there and gives me lots of 'em! Yesterday it was my favorite treat that she carries...Tiny T-Bones. I jumped up to get her and her pocket.

Chloe seemed comfortable in our house. She explored a bit. D.T. explored a lot. But poor Roxy kept getting in trouble jumping on the sofa. She has to learn that at my house, you can get on the sofa in the basement, but not the one in the living room...at least not when you come in with muddy paws from the rain.

I am glad that Miss Gale brought the dogs over for a visit. Not only did I get a bunch of Tiny T-Bones, but it also brightened my Sunday afternoon.

Winter Doldrums

I am getting BORED! Mom hasn't felt well, so she tries to sleep a lot. It is really cold outside so I don't get to stay out very long, and we haven't been going for walks. Now that the excitement of my birthday and Christmas is over, things around here are getting boring. I love the snow, but it will be nice when I can stay out longer to play. Mom thinks I am silly to go outside and lay in the snow on the deck. I like it! She doesn't understand why I don't lay where the snow has already melted and the deck is dried.

Mom says that Chloe and Roxy and maybe Tinker will be coming over to stay the weekend with us in a couple of weeks. That will be fun! Rox will shake this place up! I hope I don't have to wait that long for things to get more exciting around here.

The Vet Visit

I had a 6-month visit to the vet about a week after I turned 13. Mom was relieved that I passed in pretty good shape. I have an enlarged heart and, at one time, the doctor told her to watch for me to start coughing. That might mean it was getting worse. I have been coughing pretty much daily the last couple of weeks, so they decided to do a new x-ray. The doctor said my heart sounded the same as the last time, but because of the coughing, they decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the x-ray. It turned out pretty good. The doctor did say that I am getting some arthritis in my back. They could tell that by the feel- mom knew my spine didn't feel the same. Mom has had me on glucosamine and chrondrotin for the past few weeks, so she will keep that up and hope it helps. I love the stuff! She knew that it would be nearly impossible to get me to take a pill daily, so she found it in a raspberry-flavored liquid form. She mixes in in my dry food everyday and I smack my lips. It makes the dry food so much tastier!

Christmas

Dec. 24th was a busy day at our house. It was very fun and festive! In the morning, we had my doggie birthday party, and then in the evening, after mom got home from Christmas Eve service, grandma, grandpa, and Aunt Jan came over for a visit. They brought me Christmas gifts, and I gave them each a Christmas gift. I always give grandpa a desk calendar from Office Max. If I don't, he would be disappointed. It is fun when they come over for Christmas Eve, because I get special attention then. Since my golden retriever friend Matty was staying with us, she also got to enjoy the festivities. Grandma shared the treats that she brought over between me and Matty. We both enjoyed them.

On Christmas Day, we got to get into our Christmas stockings. (Well, mine is actually a Christmas felt boot that my friend Marnell made for me many years ago.) Matty's family sent a Christmas stocking with her when she came to stay with us, but she was a little too timid to dig into it, like I would. Mom had to get her presents out for her. We both shared our snacks with each other, but Mom said that Matty gets to have her rawhide to herself. I have plenty of partially chewed rawhides around the house and she said I should work on them.

Oh, and I also got a new ID tag. The one that I had all my life and fallen off my collar in the summer. So, mom searched dogster to find a recommendation for a place to order me a new tag. She found a recommendation for boomerangtags.com and ordered from them. It arrived really fast and it is a very nice tag. Thanks, dogster community, for the recommendation.

My 13th Birthday

On Dec. 23rd, I celebrated my 13th birthday. Actually, we had a low-key day that day, because we had a doggie birthday party on the 24th. It was so much fun!

We had 6 dogs at the party and 4 people. My friend Matty, the golden retriever was staying with me and mom that week while her family was spending Christmas in New England with family. So, mom thought this was the year to have a party. We invited my neighbor and friend Oscar, a maltese, and his mom, and my shih tzu friends Chloe and Roxy, and their foster sister Tinker and their Gale. And, of course, what would a party be without my Aunt Jan? She is one of my favorite people.

My little friends sure dressed up for my party! Oscar came over in a cute red Christmas shirt and he had a sparkly Christmasy bow in his hair. He enjoyed the party even though he was the only boy. And Chloe and Roxy looked adorable in their matching dresses, and Tinker had on a Christmas outfit too. Everything was festive.

All the dogs received a party hat and party beads. Then, we had pupcake from Three Dog Bakery. I always get a large pupcake to celebrate my birthday. Matty and I got large ones, while the little dogs got small pupcakes. Well, I should say that they got the opportunity for a small pupcake. Believe it or not, some of these dogs didn't seem to know that when you get a special treat, you snarf it down. A couple hesitated, so I ran in and snatched it right from underneath them! It was my birthday after all!

Oscar's mom was surprised that he enjoyed his pupcake. He is apparently a picky eater. Not me!

Hello Dogster World!

Well, my mom FINALLY got around to setting up a dogster page for me. It is about time, is all I can say. Chloe and Roxy's Gale has been nagging mom to give me my own page for over a year! Mom has been hesitant, because she is afraid she will spend too much time on it (and not enough on me!) and because she says that she will not be able to capture me as perfectly on a webpage as I deserve. But I am here now!

I guess you could say that this dogster page is sort of a birthday gift. My mom decided that she should have a birthday party for me this year (since I am a teenager now and haven't ever had a real party). She told Gale "if I have the birthday party for Daisy, I will set up a dogster page for her." Well, we had my birthday party on Dec. 24, so Gale has gently reminded her to make good, and here is my page.

I am glad to finally be in the 21st century with my own webpage.