new member f the household- a kitty

oh boy. is this one a new one. i've met new dogs, and i've met other animals. so far, i havent met an animal that i didnt like. but two days ago, i met one that didnt like me so much. it was a kitten.
the story goes that my mom's roomate kevin was walking around the block when a kitten started to follow him. the kitten followed him for 3 blocks, and even clung to the back of his pants leg so that he wouldnt lose him. when kevin got back home, the kitten was still following him. it followed him right into the house!
luckily, i was in my room at the time eating my dinner, so i didnt see him at first. mom and kevin and kevin's wife brittney all played with the kitty, and they decided to keep it since it was clearly a stray. but there was a problem- me. they wondered if a 2 pound kitty who was a stray would be okay with big old 65 pound me. so, mom tested it.
kevin came to get me, and held onto my collar. brittney held onto the kitty(which was four feet away from me), and mom stayed close by to give me instruction. i was curious. i wanted to know what that little thing was that was making all of the noise. so, i sniffed at it, and tried to get closer. when i did, the kitty exploded. or at least, it sounded like it. it's claws came out and it made a hissing noise. all of it's fur stood up. i didnt know what was going on. i whined a little to let the people know something was up, and the kitty growled at me. i growled back, thinking it understood me. but the kitty was scared, and scratched brittney, so the people put an end to our first meeting. they decided not to push either of us too hard. i was dissapointed because i still wanted to know more about this new critter.
day two came along, and mom wasnt very happy. the kitty(which spent the night in kevin and brittney's bathroom) made noises all night. well, when i hear a noise in my house, i make noise to let mom know. and of course, she woke up. needless to say she wasnt very well rested. she went to work, and all day long i heard the kitty meowing and it drove me crazy. i couldnt wait for mom to get home so that she could introduce me again. mom and dad came home from work, and they tried again. this time, dad held me, and mom held the kitty, who was now called sammy. i watched sammy, and waited for it to do something. i sniffed at it again, and sammy's fur stood up. it hissed again, and of course i was curious. dad still held me tight, and mom held sammy tight, but still sammy kept hissing. i whined at it again, wanting to get a closer look. but when i tried to move my head closer, sammy's claws came out again. dad made me back away, and mom talked to both of us softly to calm us down. but mom said that sammy was still too scared, so this encounter didnt last long either.
today, mom tried again after another sleepless night. sammy and i were able to look at each other and not make any noise or sho claws for a full half hour. then, i whined, and sammy hissed. mom and dad were both very proud of me for behaving, and they were glad that sammy seemed less scared. they didnt keep us together too long, because they dont want to push either of us. maybe some day sammy will like me enough to let me really sniff it and get to know it. but that's probably going to take a long time.
so, to end this, i am going to call myself the ever-wondering, ever-curious, and ever-friendly, Sunni.

"Breeders"

okay. today's poll was about "backyard breeders", and me and mommy have a lot to say about this. there are too many types of breeders out there to really know a lot about the. there are the breeders that do this full-time, and every breath they take is about breeding- either for the money or love of the breed. there are also those that do this as a side job- either for money or love of the breed. then there are the accidents- the ones that they dont want the dogs to breed, but due to different circumstances, a female gets pregnant. the things that make these people bad breeders are what happens either before, during or after the female has the pups.
In a planned pregnancy, good breeders make sure that the female will have no complications if she tries to breed, and also to make sure that she wont pass any genetic disorders to the puppies. of course, accidents do happen, so that is not a sure thing.
good breeders take good care of the female while she is pregnant. they make sure that she gets the proper care and nutrition that she needs to ensure a safe delivery and healthy puppies at birth.
good breeders make sure that the area that the mother and puppies will be kept is clean and livable. they make sure that the mother and pups always have fresh water and fresh food, and any "mess" is taken care of. they know that "messes" can lead to sick puppies and trouble down the line.
good breeders make sure the puppies are healthy before they try to sell them or give them away. they either take the pups to the vet and have them checked professionally, or they check the puppies themselves, and question anything that does not seem right.
good breeders allow prosective buyers or adopters to view the puppies before they take them home, maybe a few times before. they let the future parents see the puppies' environment, and see how the puppies were raised until that point. they will see a clean area(or as clean as it can be with young puppies), well-fed puppies and parents, and happy puppies and parents.
good breeders, in short, love the dogs they breed, and pass that love on to the puppies. they take good care of the puppies and parents, and will never be worried about one of their puppies being returned to them or a lawsuit filed against them for selling someone a "bad puppy".

the breeder that mommy and daddy bought me from was not a true professional breeder. she had a female yellow lab that was 8 months old, and went into her first heat. she also had a male yellow lab that was three years old that noticed when the female went into heat. she tried her best to keep the male and female separate, since she didnt have a chance to get either of them fixed yet. when her female got pregnant accidentally by her male, she did the right things.
she took good care of my dog mommy, and made sure that she was healthy.
she took my dog mommy to the vet to make sure that she was okay, gave her the extra nutrition she needed, and kept her happy.
when we were born, she took good care of us too. she brought us to the vet to make sure we were all healthy, and made sure that we had everything we needed to grow up strong and healthy. she kept our area clean, and made sure that we were always happy.
when my human mommy came to meet me, my dog mommy was there too. she sniffed my human mommy, and then let her look at us. i waddled up to her with a bog doggy grin, and she loved me instantly. of course, she also loved how well the breeder had taken care of us. she saw how clean the area was, even though it was dark. she saw how healthy my mom was, and she was happy. and she saw that even though i was the smallest of the litter, i wasnt undernourished. she saw how someone had taken the time to make sure that even the runt was well fed.

in short, what me and mommy are trying to say is that even breeders that you think are reputable may not be. and those that dont know what they are doing at all could be the best, since they ask about everything and they really try to make sure it works out for the best. whether or not a female gets pregnant on purpose, or on accident, what happens afterwards is what matters. yea, you could say that my breeder was irresponsible for not getting her dogs fixed, so she technically allowed this to happen. but even though you may think that, she was responsible about it. she took care of her dog the right way, and made smart decisions about what to do.

this is all i have to say about all of this. if i keep going, then no one will read this entry because it will be too long, bol. well, Sunni signing off. i've unloaded a lot of tension about this subject, and i'm satisfied.

Hello again

hey everyone. well, i don't have a big change to talk about this time or anything like that, but i still want to talk about how good everything is going.
me, mom and dad have been living at our new house for about four months now, and we are all very happy. the other people that live with us, kevin and brittney, have two sons named rickey and michael, and a brand new baby named elizabeth. rickey sometimes lives with his dad, but when he does come over, he loves to play with me in the yard. michael and i like to chase each other around the house all day when rickey isnt home. the baby elizabeth is only about a month old, so all i get to do with her is ssniff her and watch her when she sleeps. i cant wait until she gets older so that i can play with her too!
mom and dad have both been working a lot, so we havent had much time to go to the park. mom doesnt want me to go to the launch and go swimming because it's too cold outside. i wouldnt mind, but she doesnt want me to get sick. we do play in the yard a lot with my tennis balls and my frisbee, but i cant wait until it gets warmer so that i can swim again!
nothing else much has been going on. just waiting for summer time and busy playing with my human buddies. i guess i have to go now. mom still has some things that she needs to do while she has some down time. see you all later

I am all alone

well, got some news to share with everyone. my mom and dad gave copper to a friend of theirs. the friend wanted a puppy, and mom and dad thought that copper might be a a happier pup with someone to watch him all day long. mom and dad both work during the day, and didnt really have a lot of time to spend to train copper the way he was supposed to be trained. the friend came to play with copper, and took him home later on. i was a little sad at first, but now i am happy to have mom and dad's attention all to myself. i will see copper again, soon, since the friend invited me over for playdates. well, that's all for now. i've got to go get some dinner!

Hello Again!

i'm back, and this time i have yet another change in my life. first, it was my mom and dad getting me a new baby brother copper, and now, mom and dad decided it was time to get a new house. we used to live with my dad's parents, who are the owners of patti, and his sister adn her family, who are the owners of leo. mom, dad, me, and copper now live in a house of our own, and me and copper are the only two dogs here. it's a lot quieter here without leo and patti to bark at each other all day. and now i'm really glad that i have a new brother since i'm not lonely! we do have roomates here though. mom and dad are sharing the house with another young couple that have two little boys! me and copper have already met these people before, so we are comfortable with them. me and copper like the new house very much. it has a big backyard for us to play in, and everybody likes to pet us and play with us. we have been getting a lot of praise from mom and dad for being good dogs while getting used to the new house. mom wonders if i miss leo and patti, but copper keeps me pretty busy during the day playing and teaching so i dont have much time for that. anyway, i'll tell you all more about the new house another time. copper is chewing on my tail so i have to go teach him a lesson.

getting used to life in a new place
Sunni

New food??!!

i was so wrapped up in telling everyone about Copper that i forgot to say that mom got me started on a new food last week. she was reading some stuff about dog food, and about how a lot of them have artificial flavors and fillers. she looked at the ingredients of my benefuls, and she was shocked! the food that she thought was "filled with all the good stuff" was actually not that good. there was at least 50% of ground yellow corn in it, which is not so good for me, as it's hard for most dogs to digest. she was wondering why i wasnt putting on any weight for muscles, and that's why. so she did some research, and found a great brand at petco that's made of over 75% real meat. she bought a small bag of it to test out on me, and voila! i loved it! this stuff tastes waayy better than the beneful's does. even my wacky dad tried it and said it was good to him. now, i dont even look at the benefuls stuff anymore, and i completely clean my bowl every time it's filled! the food is called Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance, and they have several really good formulas. mom got me the AMP formula, which is better for active dogs like me. nana is supposed to be trying out a different formula for patti that is good for skin allergies. Copper likes it too, and mom says she notices the changes in both of us already. we dont potty as much, and both of our coats are shiny and pretty! plus, i feel a lot better. i can almost feel my muscled getting stronger!! yay!

much happier with my new food,
Sunni

New Little Brother

hello everyone. well, i'm not mommy and daddy's only baby anymore. they adopted another puppy named Copper. he's a bloodhound and labrador mix, and very playful. at first i didnt like him, and i barked at him. patti and leo barked and growed at him too, and he went to go hide behind mommy's legs. then, mommy decided to take the both of us in into the bedroom for some alone time. copper sniffed all over the place, and i watched him very carefully. he went near my food bowl, and i didnt like that. i growled at him, and mommy fussed at me. after mommy fussed at me, i decided to give the pup a chance. after all, i mom liked him, then he couldnt be so bad. it took me a little while, but i finally started to like him. we played for a while, and then we went outside so that mommy could help him learn to potty in the right places. and when it came time to go to sleep, i was happy enough with copper to let him cuddle next to me. me and copper are now good friends, and i dont mind having a little brother. i dont mind sharing mommy and daddy, adn they both make sure they give me and copper the same amount of love.

Nurse Sunni!

Hello!! Last Friday, my mommy was not feeling good at all. She had a bad reaction to her medicine and had to come home early from work. I was surprised and happy to see Mommy home early, but as soon as she walked in I could tell something was wrong. She petted me like always, but she didn't rub my neck or hug me or scratch my ears like usual. And she didn't go outside to play with me. She went right to bed and stayed there.
Being the compassionate labbie I am, I stayed with her. I laid on the bed with her to keep her feet warm and licked her hand to let her know I was there. Daddy brought some food in for her and for the first time I didn't try to ask for some. Daddy also took Mommy's temperature, and I barked when the beeping started so that Daddy would check it. Mommy stayed in bed for the rest of the day, and I stayed right with her. Daddy tried to call me to go outside for a little while, but I was too worried.
You see, my mom doesn't get sick that often. And every time I get sick or I'm hurt, she keeps a good watch on me. Plus, when I am having Doggie Nightmares (HORRIBLE!) she holds my head and talks to me and pets me until it goes away. I wanted to return the favor for her. And the next morning, Mommy was feeling much better and I got a lot of praise and attention. She said I was the best Nurse she ever had and gave me plenty of treats.
I am very happy that she is feeling better now and I am on the lookout for the next time my mom needs her Special Nurse.

Happy that the world is right again,
Sunni.

The Blessed Life of a Very Loved Dog

i have posted a couple of entries about the horrible treatment of people and their pets. Let me tell you a little about how my day goes instead.
when the alarm goes off and mom and dad wake up, the first thing they do is take me outside to potty, saying "hurry, hurry!" the whole way. this came from many times when they waited a while or didn't walk fast enough and we wound up with a puddle to pick up. after i potty, they let me back in, and i get my breakfast (a Benefuls prepared meal) and a vitamin(mom likes to make sure i get all the nutrition i can). if it's a weekday, mom and dad both pet me and tell me they love me and then they go off to work. dad is a landscaper so he's home a lot. while mom is at work, me and dad laze around, watching tv or napping, or we go out in the back yard and play some ball. i wrestle with leo and try to stay out of the way of patti, since she's an old girl and get's annoyed easy. i also play with dad's nephews when they come home from school. mom comes home from work, and i meet her at the door with a big kiss. the pets me and then my Nana, whom we live with, gives me and patti and leo treats for being good dogs all day long. we get our bowls filled up with Benefuls dry food, and then we wait for everyone to finish supper. if there's enough left, we all get to share it. after supper is over, we either go out to play some more or we go lay down in the bedroom. that wraps up the day for a weekday. on weekends,since mom doesnt work then, they try to take me somewhere or spend some special time with me playing outside. we go to the park, and down to the boat launch to go play in the water. sometimes, we go to petco and i get a choice at the snack bar. well, that pretty much wraps it up. mom says i'm spoiled but i'm a good girl so i deserve it. all of thier friends like me, and they all say that i'm very pretty and healthy. i'm a very happy dog, since i get so much attention and get to have so much fun with mom and dad. i just wish that more dogs would have happy days like mine.

Some Humans Make Me SICK!

Okay, I was just reading the blogs with my mommy, and we were bot disgusted by some of the things that people do to animals. Like that firefighter. He is just one big Butthole! How could someone do that to their pets? It's insane!

It's like last week, Mommy went to Wal-Mart. The intercom went off, and someone began reading off a license plate, and then they said "Can you please go roll down your windows and check on your dog? He looks like he's not doing so well." Can you believe it?! A perfectly normal, sane person left their dog in their car, windows all the way up, in one of the hottest Junes this state has ever seen, while they went into a store! If Mom is riding with me, someone stays in the car with me (like my daddy) if she has to go somewhere I can't go. Otherwise, she waits until I'm safely back home. That's how it's supposed to be!

Another thing that upsets me and Mom is that we keep hearing of cruelties happening to people we know and their dogs. Poisonings, someone pouring some flesh-eating chemical on a dog, and people that beat their dogs. All of the people that me and Mom know take excellent care of their animals, and I'm sure that anyone that loves their pet enough to put them on this website will never do those things either.