WOWzers!!!

Guess What!!!! My mamie and mommy entered me into this halloween costume contest on facebook for the Facebook's Cutest Pug page and I WON!!!! WOOHOO! And all along I was thinking my humans were just telling me I looked cute in my shark costume for their own humor! I'm sooo lucky! 19 people cast their votes to make me the winner...it was a close one though, this adorable little pug dressed like a skeleton was only 2 votes behind me! I'm so very excited and now I get to choose the theme of our next contest as well...how cool is that? Now, I just need to decide what to do!

In other news my mommy has decided to go on a diet...now what does this have to do with me? Well you see, a mommy diet means more healthy food like fruits and veggies in the house which are something I thoroughly enjoy snacking on, and also more walks for me! Now, because of my knee my walks can't be as long as they used to be but we still go a good distance!

So, Halloween is next week Monday and boy am I excited! I love to sit outside with my costume on and hand candy to the little kiddos...only two problems...1. We have a 30% chance of SNOW here this Thursday - which will be melted over the weekend when the temperatures reach 50 degrees again but it's still snow none-the-less and I've come to learn in my 2.5 short years here so far that once we get the first snow/first melt the snow comes pretty rapidly so I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed again on Monday, and 2. We may not be sitting outside next to a fire to hand out candy this year :-( I guess my mamie may be going to a haunted house and the neighbors who usually sit with us are going to be stuck at work until 9pm...GRRRR, you guys are killing my Halloween spirit one revelation at a time! Hopefully my mommy and grandma will be able to at least keep the front door open so that I can sit in the window and greet the kids as they arrive from inside!

Alright well it's almost dinner time so I gotta get going! I hope to be back soon though!!

~Puck

Not a Good Weekend

Well, it was NOT a good weekend here in Buffalo, and today isn't shaping up to be much better either! You see, Friday we had a big wind and rain storm roll in. It poured and poured and poured from Friday on through last night and we had very high winds of 55mph too! The winds were supposed to go away last night but today is actually worse than yesterday was! That, coupled with the new chilly temperatures that have moved in to the area as well makes me one very unhappy little pug. I have to wear clothes to go outside, I'm almost blowing away, and I even have the shiver-me-timbers inside my own house...UGH! I guess this means I better get myself prepared for winter because that can't be too far off...back to winter jackets and even little boots sometimes...EEEWWWW!

As if the weather wasn't bad enough my allergies have decided to flare real bad so my paws keep itching and so does my butt right by my tail. So, what does my mommy decide to do about it? She slaps me straight down into a tea tree oil BATH and then sprays me with oatmeal leave-in conditioner....double EEEWWWWW, I HATE the bath!!!

And as if all of that isn't bad enough, it seems as though the wet chilly weather has made my knee sore again. I'm not in the extreme pain I was in when I first had this issue a few weeks ago (no shaking) but I'm clearly in some discomfort...triple EEEEWWWW, and then don't cha know it...I gave myself an owie right on the head (in the same spot I was burned when I was a puppy). Nobody knows how, not even me but all of a sudden mommy looked down and I had a small scratch that was actually bleeding, all any of us can figure is it happened while playing with my big brother Ozzy...maybe his paw or a tooth caught me just right.

I guess things can only improve right? Or at least that's what I keep telling myself even though I know the weather is only going to get worse because it is Buffalo, and I will need to have another bath again sometime in the future...but at least my knee will stop hurting eventually and the scratch on my head will go away soon!

Alright well my mommy has to get ready to head back to work, her lunch hour is over already which means I have to get off the computer! Talk to you all soon!!

~Puck

I Feel Special!

I feel very special! I just found out that I am one of dogster's daily diary picks...WOOHOO! I'm so honored, I'm glad that people enjoy reading my entries, and here I thought I talked WAY too much!!

My Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs yesterday with a 3-2 Game 5 loss against the Tigers. Now, usually I'd be mad but they just didn't deserve to win that series! They played with no heart, no determination, and no urgency...our hitters looked lost at the plate, often times taking swings so weak they seemed to be better suited to a little league field than Yankee Stadium, and our manager over-managed, using 5 pitchers in the first 6 innings and 7 different pitchers total...when you're only losing by 1 or 2 runs there's NO reason to change pitchers th
at often, not a one of them was able to get any kind of rhythm going in the short stints they were on the mound! I guess this just proves that NOBODY is entitled to win, just because you're the New York Yankees doesn't mean the World Series will be handed to you with little to no effort!

In more exciting news, hockey season began across the NHL last night and as of 1pm today it's the Sabres turn! The Sabres will open their season, from Europe, against the Ducks with a 1pm puck drop! My mommy is upset because she has to work so she may miss most of the game but I told her I'd watch and make sure they do well...plus, she'll be down at the First Niagara Center tomorrow afternoon for "Pucktober Fest" and to watch tomorrow's game on the jumbotron inside so to me, it's a decent trade off!

Alright well mommy has to finish getting ready for work so I gotta get off the computer, I feel a nap coming on anyway, it's way too early for me!!

-Puck

WHAT'S GOIN ON?!

I'm a very, very confoosled pupper these past few days. You see, usually mamie, Ozzy, and I wake up around 8am and find a completely silent house as mommy is already at work, grandma and grandpa are either working, or reading the paper, big guy is at work, and Unkie Jay is sound asleep as he works nights, then I go outside to do my business, come back in and curl up on the couch under blankets and go back to sleep until about 10:30...yeah I'm not a morning pug at all! But lately this has not been the case! Lately it's up and right to it, barely any extra sleep time for me! There's been all kinds of commotion, things being moved, banging, drilling, etc and I can't figure it out. The humans all keep talking about the new paint job, new lighting, and new handles and stuff that's been installed (or is being installed) in our kitchen but it all looks the same to me. What's going on? Why is everything being re-done? Should I be suspicious? Mamie and mommy say it's just because they couldn't take the heinous mustard yellow color my grandmother had painted all of the hallways and the kitchen, but I say "what heinous color? This "new" one looks the same to me!"

In other news my knee seems to be doing well! Sunday morning I fell down the stairs because I was excited mamie was home from grocery shopping and wanted to help unload the groceries, I limped for a little bit so mommy gave me my pain medications and I've been fine every since! No pain meds every day, no fear of the stairs, no shaking! It's pretty exciting, mommy and mamie are hoping that I'm one of the lucky ones who just deals with manageable flairs from time to time rather than needing surgery!

The baseball playoffs are well under way and I'm happy! My Yankees had been looking rather bleak falling down 2-1 in the series after losing games 2 and 3, then for game 4 they decided to use a rather unreliable pitcher, to me, and many others it seemed as though it was time to cue up the funeral music as the Yankees season was sure to be a goner but that unreliable pitcher pulled through GREAT! He pitched 5 and 2/3's innings, giving up only one run, 4 hits, and 4 walks, and from there our bullpen and our offense came alive holding Detroit to their 1 run, and scoring 10 runs for themselves altogether! A 10-1 win in Game 4 to force Detroit back to the Bronx for the deciding Game 5, I'll take it! Oh and I guess I shouldn't forget to mention the OUTSTANDING defensive play of our center-fielder Curtis Granderson...he saved the team's butt a couple times!

In roughly 48 hours and 16 minutes the puck will drop on the Buffalo Sabres season!!! WOOHOO am I excited! My Sabres finished the pre-season yesterday with an 8-3 victory of German team Mannheim and an overall pre-season record of 5-1-1, I realize the pre-season means nothing in terms of statistics but it really boosted the hopes, dreams, and moral of us fans over here! I can't wait til the season officially begins for us, I think we've got some good things in store!!!

Alright well, I think I'm off to go supervise some more of this "work" happening in the kitchen! Hope you all have a great day!!

~Puck!

Good News

Well I have some good news. Mommy says these past few days I seem to be really back to myself...it's even been a couple of days since I've needed my pain medicine! From what we hear this is an injury that could either be really bad, or could just flair on occasion so we know I'm not out of the woods yet but we're glad to see me doing better!

In other news last night was supposed to be the first game of the ALDS for my Yankees, it was shaping up to be a good night, both teams best pitchers were on the mound, the game was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the second and then it happened, mother nature decided she didn't want to watch the Yankees/Tigers game so she rained, and rained, and rained until the game finally had to be suspended! That left us Yankees fans waiting in wonder until tonight when the game picked back up where it left off, with different pitchers on the mound. At first it was shaping up to seem like another tight one but then my Yankees broke through! We took a 9-1 lead, and currently have a 9-3 lead in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs...the Tigers have the bases loaded but we've got out closer in now so I feel good! With last nights game suspension tomorrow's travel day turned into a game day, with game 2 being played at 3pm, then the team traveling to Detroit to play again right away on Monday! WOOHOO LET'S GO YANKEES!!!!

Yesterday brought us to exactly ONE WEEK until HOCKEY SEASON! Oh man am I excited! This morning my Sabres boarded a plane to head over to Europe where they'll play an exhibition game on Tuesday, and then two regular season games on Friday and Saturday before heading back here to the states on Sunday! Oh man, I LOVE hockey, I can't wait for all of this to begin!

And as if all that excitement wasn't enough today was October 1st which means mommy and mamie start their Halloween decorating! The weather outside wasn't good enough to do the cornstalks, hay bales, pumpkins, lights, and spider webs but they were able to get up most of the window clings and such! I also have my Halloween costume now! The chilly temperatures were enough to keep mommy from spray painting me blue and calling me Kyle (the dog from Despicable Me)...instead she bought me a little shark costume that wraps around me, and has my head pop out the mouth! Everybody says I look absolutely adorable and it is far more practical for the Buffalo temperatures at this time of year as I can fit a nice sweater underneath it to keep me toasty warm while I sit outside and hand out candy!!! I can't wait for Halloween!!!

Alright well I'm kind of a sleepy guy right now so I'm off to bed! Have a good rest of the weekend all!!

~Puck

Even Better

Well, today is my second full day on my new pain medication and I'm doing even better than yesterday...knee injuries are no match for me!

I've got even more of my spunk back, and I seem to be even less hesitant about doing things. I fly up and down the stairs now, I'm attacking my toys, and I even attacked my big brother Ozzy in an attempt to play! Mommy is still worried about me because she says it's "her job" but I keep swearing I'm fine! Just keep the pain meds coming and I'll be as good as my old self again, and maybe one day I won't even need the pain meds!

I realized that tonight is the last regular season YANKEES GAME before the playoffs begin on Friday! My Yankees have already locked up the division and home-field advantage through the ALCS so I'm pretty happy about that! Maybe just maybe they can win it all again, making me an extremely happy little dude?!

Even better than playoff baseball is HOCKEY SEASON! Tonight is the "European Send Off Party" down at the First Niagara Center for my dear Buffalo Sabres! Next week Friday they'll open the season with a game against the Ducks in Finland, followed by a game against the Kings in Germany the next day. I'm so excited!!! I LOVE HOCKEY SEASON and I LOVE playoff BASEBALL...October is a great month for me!

In other news I think I finally convinced my mommy not to spray paint me blue and turn me into Kyle from Despicable Me for Halloween! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to match my mommy but Halloween night here in Buffalo tends to be a bit chilly and she'd end up having to put a sweater on me to be outside, thus making all her hard work spray painting me to be for nothing! She saw my logic and said she'll pick out a new, warmer costume like the banana split I was last year...that thing kept me toasty all evening long. She mentioned something about a hotdog costume, or a shark costume she seen where my head would come out the sharks mouth...sounds interesting to me!

Alright well, it's almost it's dinner time which means it's almost time I get my beg on (hopefully my injury makes these people into bigger suckers than they are now) so I gotta jet! I'll update everybody on my injury again soon!!

~Puck

Update on me

Well, last night was not a good one for me. I was up most of the night, shaking which as the vet tells us means I was in pain/discomfort which was kind of troubling to mamie and mommy being that I am on a pain medication but so far today I'm seeming to be a bit better.

Yesterday I wouldn't really do anything. I was afraid of the stairs, never grabbed a toy, etc. but today I have done the stairs a few times, sucked on my toys, investigated the backyard, and of course begged food. I'm still not 100% though. I've been kind of sleepy, things that usually make me bark, or run to check out aren't phasing me, in fact, grandma came downstairs to see me and I wouldn't even lift my head, but we figure that's the pain medications effect on me. Only once today have I gotten the shakes. It was shortly after I took my pain medication and I had just run up and down the stairs and then jumped up onto the couch, I shook for a few seconds, and then was content again...mommy figures I just landed funny on the couch and caused myself some discomfort. I'm due for another round of pain medication here in a few minutes which with any luck will mean we stay ahead of the pain so it's easier to keep me out of it, but first, I'm going on a car ride! I heard big guy say he needs to go to the post office and make a pit stop at the grocery store for hot dog rolls and rest assured I will be going as well!

Alright well, that's unfortunately all I really have to say right now as I'm not causing my usual amount of mischief lately, but I'll be sure to update you all again soon!

~Puck

I'm Broked!

Welp...mommy and mamie couldn't stay calm enough to keep me away from the vet so it was off to the emergency vet I went, and the diagnosis is: BAD KNEE! After listening to my symptoms and the fact that after climbing stairs or jumping up on things I shake he immediately thought of an injury and pain causing my fears/shaking so it was a work-up of the joints and a lot of pressing on my body to figure me out he had an idea...there was a sudden clicking and disfiguration to my left knee...turns out my left knee cap isn't sitting in the grooves correctly so it's rubbing funny AND my ACL is bad...AWESOME! So, it's pain meds and rest for me, and if I get worse it's back to the vet I go for possible surgery. The emergency vet also said that I'm so tired and withdrawn today because of the pain, apparently dogs whom are in pain become a little more withdrawn from people. He also said that I do have some tummy troubles going on so I have a pepcid pill to try and control the acid in my tummy until I feel better. So basically: I have a pain pill, a tummy pill, and exercise restrictions for a week. He also told mamie and mommy they don't need to bring me into my regular vet as scheduled tomorrow unless I become worse or completely lethargic so hopefully now they will calm down.

I figure...he mom, you have a bad knee and so do I, think of how you feel during your flare ups...maybe that will help relax her. I hope I'll be good as new soon!

~Puck

What's wrong with Me?

Mommy and mamie are very worried about me because they say I am acting funny, and I guess I kind am. See, usually I am all up in your face, play with me play with me play with me, bouncing off the walls, running up and down the stairs, and all in all being a monster and today I'm not. All of a sudden today I'm very sleepy looking, not really that into playing, I'm afraid to go up/down the stairs (like I'll sit at the bottom of them and wait for somebody to carry me up), I'm turning down treats (I didn't eat my Timbit), I have really barked much, and a few minutes ago I had a hard time reaching my leg up to scratch an itch on my face.

Mommy read somewhere that issues like this can be caused by constipation so she took me for a walk to see if I would leave any little presents...I did, but right after I finished leaving one, I tried to leave another and squeezed barely anything out, then I walked a couple more steps and tried again, squeezed a little bit more out...but neither time was it hard as a rock or anything...in fact, those last couple times were kind if runny. I don't have any funny tummy noises coming from me, my "presents" aren't funny colored, I will still eat (and actually begged for pineapple).

Mommy called the vet hoping they'd have something constructive to say but they really didn't. All they said to her was "Well, we should really see him if he's having that many issues with bowel movements, how's 3:30pm tomorrow", after mommy agreed she asked if they had any suggestions for what to do for me tonight and all they said was "well, make sure he's drinking water, make sure when he has to go to the bathroom you let him out right away, and keep him as comfortable as possible"...boy was mommy mad when she heard that...I DO get let out when I need to be...I DO drink water, and if she knew how to keep me comfortable for the night she wouldn't be calling.

Anybody have any suggestions to help mamie and mommy calm down until tomorrow's vet appointment? Do I sound like I have constipation?

Not Much Time

I don't have much time to woof because I'm too busy with this new toy my mommy bought me the other day but I at least wanted to stop in and say something quick!

First off...I guess I should talk more about this new toy. It's called a never-ending treat ball. Ozzy and Meatball had some giant ones but I never had one nor had I ever really seen one before. Mommy and mamie were in the pet store and mamie convinced my mommy to purchase the small one for me so Ozzy and I could enjoy them and man I must say this may be the best present ever! It's this little double sided ball, each side has a spot to insert a special kind of treat that fits snuggly in there and the whole point is for to try and chew it until it pops out which takes some serious time! I've been working on this thing for pretty much two straight days and I still have an entire side to go! But it's so much fun!

Secondly, my Yankees are slowly moving closer to clinching the AL East which you would think is exciting enough but NOPE. Today was a BIG BIG DAY! Our closer, Mariano Rivera earned his 602nd Save making him the best closer of all time, with many more saves to come!! WOOHOO GO MO!!!!!!! Now, let's clinch the division Yanks!!!!!

And lastly...it's here, it's here, it's here...HOCKEY SEASON has arrived! Last week our owner, president, and 8 of our players traveled around WNY and Canada delivering season tickets to their fans to show their appreciation, and now tonight is the first pre-season game of the year! Sure it's only pre-season but pre-season means the real games are right around the corner and I couldn't be any happier about this! In fact, when mommy pulled out my Buffalo Sabres collar I got so excited I couldn't contain myself! My tail was wagging about 100 miles per hour, I jumped down off my ottoman, and did a zillion puggy circles...I LOVE HOCKEY SEASON!!!!

Alright well I wish I could woof some more but I gotta go attack this treat again, I'm determined to get the other side polished off so mommy has to refill it!

~Puck