Happy Thanksgiving!! AND Merry Christmas !!

Well, here we are again. Its nearly Thanksgiving and I have lots of stuff to be thankful for.

For one, Fleas this year were not a problem! (Thats a big one!) further more my Vet Check up was fine and dandy.

Our little family, Mom(Joyce),Dad(John)and I are doin' fine.

Mom changed my Photo to my Christmas photo so we can start getting ready for the NEXT big day of the year too.

Like every year my CHRISTMAS STOCKING will be getting full of nice things like rawhide bones ( I'm hoping for the compressed kind cause I love to chew them up.) and maybe a new stuffed Teddybear (I kinda 'killed' my last years one already)Oh and yes, I am hoping for a big bag of Nutradent treats to. (Mom says they are kinda expensive but worth it.)She whispers to Dad stuff like they help keep my teeth clean and breath smelling nice. But who cares about that? I just like how they taste!

I still don't get the Expensive thing yet but then again I don't have to I'M A DOG !

Dad says I am spoiled!! What does that mean?

If it means that Mom buys the best food she can to keep me healthy and great rawhide bones, treats and toys... WELL then Im Spoiled and loving it !!!!!! OH yeah and visits to my Vet. (do I have to be thankful about that ?) OH well, Dr. Laroach is nice even if she does give me shots... YUCK!

Heres Hoping all you Pups out there are Spoiled and Thankful too!

We pups need to be THANKFUL to, ya know, to the ALL GOOD GOD OF LOVE for our homes and familys. HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!!

See more of me ...,

If you would like to see more of me ...

You may got to Moms Site on the internet..

at http://www.mtgent101.com

Look for Joyce' Mickeyfinn Page

HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR ......

HI Gang ...


HAPPY NEW YEAR....

I have barked about my dog food allergy problem before in this blog...

But I'm gonna do it again ... Why ? cause if it were not for Mom and a few of her on line pals I would still be an Itchy unhappy alergic dog with tummy problems !

I came home Sept. 24th 2007 from the SPCA of Ct. The SPCA did not know I had a food allergy... They fed me what all the other dogs got ( dog food companys donate foods to dog shelters , THANK HEAVENS!) But I came home Itchy , and uncomfortable with really nasty lose poop. Not the SPCAs fault they do the best they can for so many of us lost and or abandoned animals. '

Mom became the doggie problem detective. Asking questions of everyone she knew... Like the VET, online pals, anyone who knew more about Bichon Frises like me then she did. She hit the computer and learned all she could about all sorts of doggie health problems, first trying to pin down my problem then to find the answer.

Lots of dogs have this problem. We found out I'm alergic to corn , wheat and maybe even soy. Geesh! Now Mom and Dad are retried so Cost was also a problem .
Corn , wheat and even soy are FILLERS in many (most ) regular dog foods.
( dog foods without these things are really quite costly! )
Fillers are used to make dog foods less costly to produce thus to allow the dog foods to be more affordable and to make the dog food companys more Money...not to make dogs more healthy !

After much time and labor , we settled on a Natural Holistic dog food that YES, is less costly then the BETTER KNOWN NATURAL (at the Pet shop)type dog foods but still more then regular comercial dog foods on shelf of grocery stores. It works for us ! IT can be found ! Still not easy to afford for folks like Mom and Dad trying to simply make ends meet ... but do-able. Mom and Dad think I'm worth the extra cost, thank goodness they can manage it on a fixed income.

I have mentioned the brand before Not to put down other dog food brands but to let folks know it is there at most grocery stores and may help their dogs with similar dog food based allergy. HARMONY FARMS HOLISTIC DOG FOOD.


Dogs can be allergic to many things...CORN, WHEAT and SOY are only a few .

Some dogs are even allergic to some Common Meats..., like Chicken or Beef.

For these dogs ... it may be even more difficult to find a dog food that is still affordable.
Since dog foods with other protien source meats are even more expensive .


If you suspect your dog is allergic ...Keep looking for the answer... Vets can be a valuable source of knowlage but online info can be very helpful as well. Keep looking ..Its out there!!

Again , May all you DOGSTER Pups have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Mickey Finn

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Hope yours is GRRRRRRRRRReat !

Burrrrrrr,

Its cold here in Ct.

We are waiting on a snow storm here on Saturday Dec. 19!

Im snug as a bug ( Bichon ) in my new doggie blanket ! Mom bought it for me for Christmas but I got it early cause its a little chilly at night here !

I don't much care if it snows outside ... I'm warm and cozy in my new paw print blankie . I've got a brown one with white paw prints and a Tan one with black paw prints now ! One for me to cuddle in and one to be in the wash..., Mom always gets me two of almost everything I use all the time . I have two bedding throws too one forest green and one tan. she changes them now and again i don't mind they are both comfy and soft which ever she gives me for my bed.
She folds them in forths and they are like a nice pillow to sleep on .

I also have an egg crate foam mattress in my crate I can sleep on with one of my comfy blankies on it :0) ! The door to my crate is almost never shut so I go from my Bedding throw to my crate mattress anytime I want too.

Our family Christmas tree is on a table above my crate...with the Baby Jesus in his crib in the manger under the tree.

Santa has other presents for me on Christmas Morning maybe even a new stuffed squeeky toy ? Mom says I'm gonna love them. HO HO HO... BARK BARK BARK !

Do you think Santa Knows we don't have a Fire place ?
My Stocking hangs on a book case stand knob in the living room .

I keep looking and nosing the stocking but its still empty , DANG!

HURRY UP CHRISTMAS ,HURRY UP SANTA !!!!!!!!

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS !

Hi gang ,

Its getting to feel alot like ADVENT!

For you pups who are not Roman Catholic ( I'm not really baptized but I do ware a St. Francis Madalion ) ADVENT is all about waiting .
Mom says we are waiting for Jesus to come on Christmas ...as for me I'm waiting till my Christmas Stocking is hung and filled with CHRISTMAS goodies.... LOL ( Hey , I'm a dog !)
Mom tells me that St. Francis Really Loved Jesus and also really loved animals.... sooooo, Being a good ROAMING CATHOLIC DOG ... I really love St. Francis too.
In fact St. Francis was the first to make a nativity using real people and real animals to show folks what the first Christmas was like .
I'm told there were no dogs in the first nativity set up by St. Francis( that they mention in the history books anyway ) but hey, I'm sure it was just an oversight ( he he he !)
St Francis is the Patron Saint of ANIMALS and ANIMAL LOVERS ... COOL BEANS ! GO FRANK !!!
I sure hope ADVENT gos quick And CHRISTMAS comes soon...
I Love the idea of a new chew toy and some treats !!
|Mom says Jesus loves all creatures Great and small thats good cause dogs are Great and bichons are small that means I fit in both catagories ... HO HO HO !

HAPPY HOWL O WEEN....

Well , Im going as a Bichon frise for Howl O Ween, last year I went as a BIG OLE GREAT DANE ...he he he !

I bet folks will think I'm a GSD under my Bichon costume .... :)

No human candy for me .... I'm gettin NUTRADENT in my Trick or treat bag !! maybe a nice Harmony farms health bar too !

I have to say some folks are silly to give there dogs chocolate ..cause it can kill some dogs dead. But Mom does not think its good for me sooooo I don't get Chocolate period.

Hope there is a full moon for HOWL O WEEN this year cause we Wolf boys and girls in the neighborhood... and its gonna be a HOWL ... if theres a Full Moon.

I don't care for Howl o ween that much since all those little monsters keep ringing our bell and I bark like ahhhhh.....HECK

I didn't use the cuss word that sounds like BELL... cause I'm a cultured doggie ...he he he .

HAPPY and SAFE HOWL O WEEN all you GREAT DANES in CHI WAH WAH ... costumes TOO!

Falling leaves and fun !!

Hi all!

Its pretty close to my Commin' Home month ... Mom and Dad brought me home Sept. 24th 2007... From the Ct SPCA in Monroe CT.

Last year at this time I was not half as happy as I am today .. 'cause last year Mom bought FRONT LINE PLUS from an Online place and it DID NOT WORK ! This year we got it from the vet and added Brewers yeast and garlic tabs I started taking in May. No Scratching myslef raw from Nasty fleas ..... this year NOPE not me !

This year for my COMMIN' Home day, Mom says theres gonna be a suprise ... WOUNDER WHAT Its gonna be ???

Mom says we are not quite sure exactly how old I am this year ....
I could be as young as 2 and a half , or as old as 4 . But I don't care I have good food and toys and lots of Love . And I hope I have them for a long time .

Dr. Vickey gave me a clean bill of health this year ..and She says she is really sure I'm gonna live a Long happy life. ( Hope she's right !)

Mom still feeds me Hamony Farms Chicken and Brown rice dry dog food . No Corn , Wheat or Soy.... YEAH and its real good too!! It costs about twice as much as the "CHEAP STUFF" but its better for me ...she says! Money is tight this year but I'm not getting the cheap stuff.... 'cause I'm allergic to Corn ... we think,Wheat ... maybe Soy too... not sure but most Commercial dog foods have Corn glutin and Wheat and Soy so the only way to be sure is to get a better dog food without all three.

I'm not a food Gobbler... I eat as much as I like of the food Mom puts out and leave the rest till later when I get hungry again ... Mom makes sure I get only what I need per day by only putting out that much so I can nibble when I like.

Mom says Better dog food is actually less expencive then the cheap stuff in the long run.... I have to eat less of it to give me the same energy as the cheap stuff and the Lack of allergys makes me to the Vet less often too!

Boy I'm glad she knows all that Fancy stuff about dog foods! All I have to do is eat it.... YUM !

Mom can buy Harmony Farms at STOP AND SHOP when she does the grocery shopping for the rest of the Family ... no extra trip to the Pet food store either ...Sooooooo that saves money too !
( I still love going to Petco though . So Mom takes me with her when we go out sometimes anyway... but WE don't need to go for food.)

Have a great Fall ALL.... love MICKEY FINN !

Bichons, not just for FOO FOO dog lovers anymore!!

Mom says she is so glad she started grooming me herself..

My grooming costs her next to NUTTIN' Honey and I'm a far happyer pup! ( Three years old...and Mom still calls me a pup ?) lol

Mom is not one of those ... FANCY SMANCY Bichon owners( SORRY , BUT there are a few.... ) you know the kind that has to have a 15 carrot dimond collar , and a new wordrobe for her Bichon every week?

Nope she keeps me cut in a PUPPY ( lamb ) cut and WE NOW both love my grooming sessions ... No fuss no a'bother .. once every other day comb out a bath every so often ...( about once every 8 weeks) but We do confess to going as long as 3 months from time to time without a bath... YEAH ! But Mom says its not good for me .. OH POSH!

I have learned not to mind the grooming shears... and now actually seem to enjoy the warm water showers ... (bath time for us is on a shower seat with a rubber mat on it NON SLIP SURFACE for me and alot less kneeling for Mom. Kneeling is not comfortable for her )..and I hate being in that big old bath tub anyhow.

I still hate the electric clipper ( Hay give a dog a break... if you get SHAVED every 2 months and those MONSTER clippers get to close ... FORGET enjoying a grooming session. OUCH. A few " PRO groomers" even left me with open bleeding cuts... NO THANKS..
Mom has had to stop bringing me to some of them for my own safety.
( Not all groomers are Bad, but I like Moms grooming shop better.)

Mom has learned how to use the shears ... pretty good now. and its much easyer to keep me cut in Lamb cut that way.

I have a nice Purple collar (no dimonds please Im a MANNLY doggie)

and a nice purple harness to match when we go out for walkies or to pick up Pop from work ... Boy, I love going for rides !!

If you don't think Purple is a Mannly color please take it up with all the KINGS OF EUROPE , THEY SEEM TO THINK IT IS ...lol

Thank goodness the color purple no longer has to be gotten from Conch shells deep in the ocean... ( got mine in Stop and Shop!) not hardly for a KINGS randsom .... ( Quick sale table actually !)
$1.39 each got two, a royal blue one to match my other Harness, and the Purple one .
Mom tells me my Breed name means "Curly little lap dog" sooooooo,
I hardly need Gems on my royal PURPLE collar ...He he he !

Like I care whats on my collar anyhow ? Now to all you folks who have a PARIS HILLTON complex.... More power to ya , however ,
I'm a happy camper ... and I love my life just as much as their pups do ! WELL maybe even more ! Who knows Mom does not HOB NOB with PARIS HILTON types ... Just School teacher , Nurses , Artists, and Regular folks like that ...and I only talk to their pups... LOL

Nope no fancy smacy stuff for me... Im a Mannly doggie .. he he he !

Oh don't think i live a depived life , I have an egg crate foam crate pad, and TWO corderoy and fleese doggie throws ( One for the wash and One for when I get washed .... ) I'm plenty pammpered ... POOR ME !

Well so long for now..this is ( king ) MICKEY in my Royal Purple collar sighing off for now... You need now BOW... unless it has a WOW after it...

Back to the Future ... sort of ,

Hi again ...,
Its been a while since my last entry ... Mom says she has been to busy and since my paws don't type well I have to kind of rely on her for finger stuff like typing.

Well Mom clipped me down again last time was in May .
This time was much quicker. and I hardly fussed at all.

So far no fleas... AMEN.

Not that they are not out there.... but my front line seems to be working , and garlic and brewers yeast tabs are too.

YEAH , rah rah ... no fleas !!

I don't hate fleas I just don't want them on me .

And Mom is right with me on this one . REALLY !

I love the long summertime walks we take now ... Ya hooooo !

Summer time , Summer time Sum Sum Summer time.

YEAH !

Mom is on the look out for another really good dog food for me that she can afford . Not that HARMONY FARMS is not good and all but sometimes she thinks I might like a change from Chicken and brown rice... and HARMONY FARMS only makes one kind.

I have a corn allergy , and maybe wheat and soy too...we are not sure but no dog food just cuts out CORN ...soooo... and Really good dog food cheap means LARGE amounts . and I only eat a half cup a day .

Mom worrys about my food becoming rancid by the time I get down to the bottom of the bag. Even with Viddels Vault ( air tight food holders ) a half cup of dog food not so much each day.

Besides it going bad, the internet costs lots for shipping too.

Well see ya later WOOF !

Fleas, Brewers Yeast and Garlic

Mom called the Vet today.
She got to talk to one of the Vet techs named Karen who made my summer Vet appointment for tuesday... AHHH WELL....... guess its gotta happen !

Mom also wanted to find out if i could start on Brewers yeast and garlic pills this year ...for my skin and to keep the nasty fleas away!

The vet said YUP... good idea ! ( wonder if I'm gonn like them ?) Mom said they taste good . but she said I would like other things too...NOT !

Well, I guess I really don't mind if it helps keep those nasty VAMPIRE FLEAS out of my life ... Mom said garlic works on "real" vampires too. REAL VAMPIRES ??????????? As if fleas are not REAL? Geesh!

I also use FRONTLINE but last year it did not quit do the trick.
Sooooo, we are looking to Mother nature for some help .

YO MOMMA (nature ) keep those blood suckers off me.
AMEN.