Lovin' this weather!

Zoey here! BOL!!

It's been months since my last diary entry and well lots has been goin' on at home. My mom recently brought home another dog to add to our dog pack. The 4th dog is a tiny little guy. He's old, too...at least 10! He only weighs 5lbs and is a Yorkshire Terrier.

This little guy (Giro) gets chilled easily, especially in this week's frosty weather. Mom is just nuts about this little guy... I mean...mom's way more kooky than usual. Our latest addition to the family has to wear....clothes! When you're a chow chow like me, the last thing you need is clothes!

We had snow the other day which is highly unusual for the Sacramento, CA area. Mom and her boys were super excited about it. It's nice to be out there in the freezing cold. Mom makes me come inside because she can't stand seeing me out there. She doesn't understand that my triple coat is keeping me warm in this weather.

Updated pictures should be posted soon.

Tail wags & kisses,

~Zoey and mom

Canine Good Citizen test

Hi, it's been some time since I've been on Dogster. The summer has been busy with family activities & continued dog training on the weekends.

Next month, at the estimated age of 7, I'm celebrating my one year anniversary with my family.

Today was an exciting day for me...I passed my AKC CGC test! My trainer was very happy for me and said I was her first blind dog to pass her CGC testing. I'm sure there will be more than a few people that may not believe it right away because I'm a Chow Chow. Chow Chows have come to be known as stubborn dogs that are not as easy to train as other breeds.

A few weekends ago, mom trimmed a bit of hair from my underbelly. That fur was nearly dragging on the floor and mom thought I was looking a bit like I suffer from loose belly skin and a sway back. I look much better now...slim and trim, actually.

Take care all!

PS Scooby..thanks to you for my summer pool!!

Kiss, You're It...

**10 Questions, 5 Answers, Tag 6**

If you received a Kiss gift from me that says "You've been tagged!", read the 10 questions below. I've answered my pick of 5 questions.

If you are reading this and you didn't get tagged...you can start your own game.

To play along, all you have to do is copy these 10 questions into your diary (or make up some of your very own), choose only 5 questions to answer in your diary.

Now comes the fun part....from your directory of pup pals, choose 6 and tag them with the red smoochy lips (kiss).

1. Do you have a coordinating collar and leash?

2. What kind of food do you eat?

3. What are your favorite treats?

4. Who is your favorite human?

5. Do you get human table scraps?

6. Where is your favorite place to nap or sleep?

7. How do you celebrate your barkday (birthday)?

8. How many times a day do you eat?

9. Do you have a favorite dog playmate?

10. Do you like to post in Dogster groups?

My answers:

1. Yes, I have a coordinating collar and leash.
I have a black gentle leader head collar (worn just behind my ears and not over my nose) that mom uses on me with a matching leash to lead me to the car or for walks in the neighborhood.

2. I eat raw chicken, raw pork, raw turkey *without* the skin but *with* the bones.

6. I like to sleep in the coolest spot I can find on the tile floor of the hallway just outside the master bedroom, in front of the floor fan.

7. I don't know when my actual barkday is and I haven't had a barkday during the time I've been living here...since September 2008.

8. I eat once a day...usually in the afternoon or evening.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kisses,

~Zoey

STAFU Wacky Wednesday Lotto Winner

I did it! Yesterday the lucky number 10 was drawn in the Wacky Wednesday Lotto.

What did I win?

A big fat juicy steak.

Join this fun group... ~Shih Tzus and Friends United~ (STAFU)

~Zoe

My Los Angeles Story

Hi all! Zoey here. Below is my extended bio for you to get to know me a bit better.

Years ago, I was picked up as a stray and taken to the Los Angeles shelter where I was rescued by the kindhearted folks at Adopt a Chow L.A. I got a new mom who signed the adoption contract and took me home.

The next chapter of my life began when mom had a weak moment and ended up going to jail. At the time, mom wasn't thinking straight so she didn't make the call to Adopt a Chow L.A. to find me a new home as stated in the adoption contract she'd signed. Since there was no one left to care for me once mom was in jail, I found myself in the same dreadful place I'd been before my rescue.

That's right, I got locked up at the same shelter for the second time in my life. The person in charge looked at me and instantly recognized me. I guess they don't get many one-eyed, blind, black chows at the shelter.

The same Chow rescue group heard about me and got me out of there! I was then placed in foster care and eventually adopted by my foster mom. Once again, life was good. This mom had other dogs and I was mainly a backyard dog. Then one day Mom came down with serious health issues. Since she could no longer take good care of me, Mom decided to put the word out to the Rescue group to help find me a special home where I'd get the care she could no longer provide.

The rescue group did just that for the third time in my life. They rescued me for the third (and final) time by locating a foster home in northern California. My foster parents drove a couple of hours north of Sacramento to pick me up. I'd been transported in the back of a van with many little chihuahuas. The volunteer driver was taking the little dogs to a no kill shelter in Berkeley.

My foster parents were alarmed when they noticed that I was passing bright red blood clots during my potty breaks. At the vets, it was determined that I had an advanced bladder infection. I got antibiotics and recovered nicely.

My foster mom talked with my foster dad and they decided that I'd make the perfect addition to their family of 2 boys and 2 dogs. I am honored and happy to be a part of this dog pack permanently.

All the dogs live indoors and get along peacefully. Our personalities are similar. We're all calm, confident and happy to be loved.

Tail wags,

~Zoe
mom's blind chow girl

Happy Bells

During the holidays last year, mom attached festive Christmas bells to the most used door in the home...the door that leads to the garage. After the holidays ended, the bells remained hanging on that door permanently because mom liked hearing whenever it opened.

Thanks for keeping those happy bells on the door, mom. I like hearing them, too that's why I make my way to the door and stand still with my tail wagging (of course) while I listen intently to hear if anyone will come up to me to put my leash on and guide me outside and up the ramp into the car.

I used to be a backyard dog before coming here and now I'm a part of the family and get to be inside with everyone else. It was hard to stay clean back then when I didn't have anyone grooming me.

Since I've been with mom not a day goes by that she doesn't check my coat, my skin, my teeth, my ears, my paws...she sure does like to handle me. I just love all the attention, too. She knows it because I give mom gentle kisses and snuggles in return for her love.

Do you have any jingle bells at home?

Tail wags to you,

~Zoe, the one-eyed, blind Chow girl

The ice cream flavor...

which best represents me would have to be Ben & Jerry's Black Raspberry.

It's Black Raspberry Low Fat Yogurt with Thick Black Raspberry Swirls.

Which ice cream or gelato flavor would best represent you?

Happy tail wags to you,

Zoe, the one-eyed, blind Chow "Black Beauty"

Wow! Is this really happening to me?

Today, Tuesday, May 26, 2009 I am Dogster's Featured Dog of the Day! Yippee! Hooray!

The weather has been a bit hot during the day so mom has been walking the three of us altogether on leashes before 10am. The rest of the day, mom stays inside with us where it's nice and cool. Other than the carpeted bedrooms, the rest of the floors in the house are tumbled travertine tile which stay nice and cool even during the hottest days.

I like to walk around the house to find the perfect spot to spread out and nap in peace.

Mom has a sweet voice and she likes to tell me what a good girl I am every single day. I also hear that I'm beautiful and a sweet girl and that she loves me so much. Mom gives me a good cuddle and I reciprocate the love with kisses just for her.

Mom clipped my nails and trimmed the fur from the bottom of my paws and all while I remained relaxed and happy to be handled.

Yesterday, I could hear the TV on in the front bedroom so I walked towards the sound and found what I wanted to be near..Mom! I hadn't had a good brush out in a little while so mom used grooming tools to remove my undercoat and make me fluffy.

It's my first rattlesnake season with mom so she has been leading me out on the leash and right back inside for the last potty break before bedtime. My 2 dogmates, Gypsy and Pooh Bear, do their business and get right back inside but I tend to roam around and sniff a bit. Mom usually has to call me back into the house.

Have you ever been bitten by a snake? I hear it's very painful and deadly. Mom wants to take me in to the vet to get a rattlesnake vaccine.

Tail wags and kisses!

~Zoey, the blind and one-eyed Chow Chow

Honors & Training

This week I received 2 honors from the groups I'm in. It was extra nice to see my paw mail with these announcements.

I went to dog training today and I got a bit nosey with the dog trainer's Belgian Malinois girl and she didn't appreciate me getting that close so she barked and lunged at me and I barked back and put my paw up for a sign of peace and it was of course misinterpreted and she snarled at me and I snarled back because I'm not afraid and then mom pulled me away.

We did a lot of walking in training today and I'm just so exhausted that I'm nodding off as my mom types this for me.

Thanks for reading this.

Tail wags and kisses,

~Zoey

Things That Make My Tail Wag.

~When I wake up from a nap (after I stretch).
~When I stand at the back door and signal with my wagging tail that I need to go outside.
~ When I'm imitating a rug and my mom comes in and asks me what I'm doing.
~ When I hear the sounds of food being prepared... the anticipation of food makes my tail wag.
~ When mom calls me to come over with a "Zoey, Here!" during a training class.
~ When mom comes outside to find me and she says "Zoey, Follow me!". I wag my tail and follow the sound of her voice all the way back into the house.
~ When mom says "Zoe-Zoe, what a good girl!"

Tail wags and kisses,

Zoey