Where Is my New Winter Coat?

I thought mom said we would be getting a new winter coat, but when is this happening?

In the past year I have grown - mom says I've gotten fatter but I don't believe her.

This red coat, which complements my complexion, is too tight on me. It makes me feel like a sausage link. The Velcro becomes undone as I walk and the arms hurt my little arm pits.

I don't like that I can't turn around easily and I don't need to tell you how uncomfortable it is to do number 2 in this little coat.

I want a new coat and I want it soon. I can't let the girls in the neighborhood see me in this! They might think I'm out of shape and I am not!

Christmas 2013

This Christmas time I did not spend it alone.

I think it was due to the snow, but mom and master stayed home with me and we had Christmas breakfast as a family.

They opened gifts and as usual, video taped me opening mine.

Here I am with my new friend Dognny - he is a dog with bunny ears or a bunny with a dog face. Dognny is soft and cuddly and after we wrestled for about 30 minutes we had to take a nap.

I also got chew toys, treats and money! Mom says we will be using the money to go shopping for a new winter coat.

Merry Christmas!

Doggy Black Friday!

I went shopping this Black Friday!

I've always heard of people waking up super early to go make long lines and fight off people on this day, but for me, the shopping experience was completely different.

The pet store was open at the usual time, but today they had extra boxes everywhere and all of my favorite employees were working the same shift.

I saw more dogs there today, but there were no lines or rowdy people. Everyone was friendly.

I did my rounds and then mom told me we had to go look at the winter sweaters they had there. I'm not too sure about the options she wanted to get me. Come on, Snoopy is way too lazy and Micky is a mouse I would like to chase.

Anyway, mom insisted we get both sweaters.

I also bought Christmas gifts for my uncle Paco and Hugo. I can't wait for them to see what I got them.

Did you go Black Friday shopping? I like this tradition, so I expect to do it again next year.

A Doggy Thanksgiving

Today I give thanks for...the nice meaty piece I found on my plate tonight, and the extra side dishes I've been eating all day long while mom cooks.

Humans make such a big deal out of this Thanksgiving Day. I don't like it so much because mom is always busy and I have to go walking with master alone must of the day. Then in the afternoon I stay home alone for about 4 hours or so.

The only good thing is that once my parents come back they always feed me this juicy meal I only have on this day, and for the following days I keep tasting remnants of that same tasty bird.

I hope all dogs get to eat as well as I do on Thanksgiving day. 

I'm Moving Out?

Something odd is happening in the house. Mom keeps talking about someone special coming next year and that is why we need to make room.

The guest bedroom is being emptied and reorganized, but I don't understand why. At least my spare bed is still in that room.

Today, master packed the bed that was in there and put it in this white van I had never been in. He asked me if I wanted to go for a ride, and I of course said yes. What I don't understand is why he said I was moving out. Nothing in this van belongs to me.

Anyway, if we are getting a special guest NEXT year, why do we have to prep so far in advance? I hope the new guest likes dogs, because I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!

Autumn Is Made for Sleeping

The reason why cold, fall days exists it for cute dogs like me to sleep on a sunny spot while cuddling with a toy.

Mom and master are working away as usual while I keep the couch warm.

Wake me up when it is lunch time!

Happy B-day Mom!

Today is mom's birthday, but I don't understand why she gave me a birthday bath, it is her birthday not mine.

Anyway, I wanted to show her how much I love her and appreciate the bath I got, so I dried myself off on her recently made bed.

Doesn't it look better with me on it?

Off My Diet!

I'm not the typical dog that eats dry kibble. Mom is very selective of the food I eat and she cooks my meals. She says that processed dog food has a lot of crap that is not healthy for me, so with the help of my vet, they have come up with approved recipes mom prepares at home, using the freshest ingredients. Mom also  says that if she had it her way I would be a vegan dog, but master says that just because mom is vegan doesn't mean I have to be vegan too.

Thank you Master for standing up for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my veggies, but I also enjoy eating chicken and beef.

Whenever mom is not looking, Master, Nana, and Baba feed me stuff I'm not supposed to eat. Here is evidence of me sniffing some chicken nuggets. Don't worry, mom walked in just in time to stop me from eating them.

I'll get them next time!

Labor Day Parade With Dogs

So it seems that on Labor Day dogs get to celebrate too. Well, some dogs because I didn't get invited to any celebration.

Mom and master woke up super early, fed me, walked me, and left me like if it was any other regular Monday when they have to head off to work.

For a minute I thought today was just a normal day, with the exception that master went into the office when he usually ALWAYS works from home. When I found out today was a Holiday and my humans should have spent the entire day with me but didn't, I felt betrayed. Who told me the truth? The radio announcer.

Mom always leaves the radio on when I have to stay home alone, but this time she wasn't counting on the radio guy telling me what was really going on out in the world. I think I cried and my heart broke into million pieces when the radio announcer said most people today were attending the Labor Day Parade. Why wasn't I invited?

To make matters worse, my buddies started Facebooking and texting me pictures of their celebratory parties. If I could have jumped out the window I would have, but the windows were closed and I was locked inside the air conditioned home, with a fresh water bowl, toys, treats and the freedom to sleep on the furniture.

Here is proof that other dogs got to participate in today's parade but I didn't.

Even Uncle Paco and Hugo got invited to the family picnic, but I was home alone!

Uncle Paco and Hugo relaxing at the family picnic.

I was furious by the time mom and master got back. As soon as they walked through the door I barked and barked and barked, letting them know how unhappy I was. 

I made them promise me that this will not happen next year. And tonight I'm sleeping on their bed!

No Invisible Fence Needed

On many of my walks I see some of my neighbor dogs trying to attack me from a distance. In my eyes they are just stupid, why would they bark and growl at me but not try to get me? There is nothing stopping them from getting out of their front yards, but somehow they stand there barking and crying while I just walk away.

Mom says they can't get me because of the invisible fence. Well, I have no idea what that is but I don't think an invisible fence would stop me from doing anything I set my mind to.

Mom laughed at me today because she said there is no need for an invisible fence at our home when we have an umbrella!

There is no way out.

There was a man painting our front door this morning and he had the door wide open. I was contemplating making a mad dash and flying out the door, but then mom opened the umbrella, placed it in front of the door, and my idea to run free and wild was thrown out the door.

I'm afraid of umbrellas and this was the best determent mom found, stopping me from making my escape.

I would had come back home. I have it good in this house.

Facebooking

So my mom is always sitting in front of the computer, she says that she is working, but I don't always believe her. A lot of the time she is on Twitter, Facebook or G+. I've heard her say that social media is part of her job, but I think she just does it for fun - and to delay walking me.

I thought I should jump on this social media bandwagon if I want to keep up with the times.

Setting up my FB account.

I've decided it is time for me to officially join Facebook. I know master and mom post lots of pictures about me on their own pages, but I should have a dedicated page of my own if I'm going to keep in touch with my dog friends. Tito, Kafka and Metzli have their own pages, so why shouldn't I.

Mom made me a page and I was so excited to see that within minutes I had a few friends. I don't have thousands of friends yet, but I'm not really concerned about that. Once people see my cute face, I'm sure they'll be begging to be my friends. I think I'll accept anyone's friendship as long as they send me a treat. Ha ha! This friendship policy might not fly with mom but we will see.

Well, the truth is that mom only agreed to my FB page because she got blocked from FB for 3 days (we hope!), but she still needs to do work related stuff there, so she needed a way in. That way was me!

I think I'll be posting some stuff about my adventures there, but don't expect daily posts. I need time to sunbathe, stretch, walk, bark at people, and of course sleep.

Garage Sale Dog Bed

Mom went to a garage sale this morning and came back with a huge dog bed for me. She said the bed is brand new. It used to belong to my cousin Vegas, a Golden Retriever, but Vegas never liked it.

The bed was purple and I had no problem with the color. What I didn't like was the material the bed was made with. Just because I'm a dog doesn't mean my things should come with tough materials that swear to be water resistant and easy to clean. Come on, I have delicate paws and fur, and I should have comfortable things touching me. For all you know I stand on all fours all day long and I need a comfy spot to rest.

Once mom brought that dino-sized bed I refused to lay on it. The polyester outer material was just too rough for me. Mom didn't want the almost new bed to go to waste, so she decided to make some improvements on it.

First off, she went to the fabric store and came back with colorful and soft fabrics I fell in love with right away. I was even laying on the material before mom made a bed cover out of it.

Second of all, Vegas's bed was so big that it actually became two beds, one for me, and one for my two Chihuhua uncles Paco and Hugo.

My uncles Hugo (left) and Paco.

Mom knew she wanted to keep the monster pattern bed for me, but you know me, I had to test both beds to decide which one I wanted.

Paco and Hugo also liked their bed when we delivered it the next morning.

Isn't mom awesome? I love my new bed and the soft fabric she chose for it.

No Independence Day for Me

Today we celebrate Independence Day but I find it ironic that on this day of freedom I am locked inside a room.

So it happens that mom and master decided to host 4th of July at our house without consulting me, and since I don't really like when a lot of people come over and walk all over my territory I tend to stand guard. Master says that I'm a lot like mom, I like things quite, in order and I like to be the boss.

Since we will have many people over, mom and master are afraid that I might nip at someone, but to tell you the truth they haven't given me a chance to see if I misbehave or not. I'm insulted that they automatically think things will go bad if I'm free around the house. I guess they think they know better.

At least I'm not in a cage. You know I don't like crates. I'm locked away in the master bedroom and I have my toys, my water bowl, the fan is on as well as the radio. All windows are open and I get to see every single guest when they approach the house.

I have been doing a lot of barking and at times I pant and seem panicky, but I know that sooner or later all these people will go watch fireworks and I will be free again.

Don't worry about the windows being open, it is still early in the day and the fireworks have not started, plus I'm not afraid of them.

Anyway, I'll do some more barking here and I expect mom will come up with a burger and a hot dog for me. We will go on our walk soon and maybe I'll be allowed to greet some guests.

I'm Afraid of Storms?

I'm waiting for the storm to pass.

I had never been afraid of storms. Thunder and lighting don't face me, but today's storm gave me the hibijibis. It must be that I'm getting old and now I appreciate life a lot more than before.

Mom and I were on our way back home when the radio started buzzing saying to take cover because a really bad storm was coming our way. Trees were bending but there was no rain in sight.

Out of a sudden the sky grew dark and I started crying. It was really scary. Mom was scared too, but she got really freaked out when I started to whine. She knew the storm was going to be a bad one.

I wanted to be home ASAP, but with traffic and all we just had to drive at normal speed.

Finally, after 5 mins (it felt more like 20 hours) we made it home. The storm didn't last long, but I just couldn't relax knowing that we were almost caught in some really bad wheather.

Don't worry, this was a one thing event. That same night we had another bad storm with hail and lighting, but I slept all the way through.

My Hillbilly Leash

I'm a sucker for car rides! But we can only blame master. He has accustom me to a daily car ride, so whenever I hear jingling keys I start barking and rushing to the door. No one is leaving me behind!

Well, this time I got too excited and rushed to the car. Mom and master were still gathering our things to our visit to Nana's house, and since I was the first one in the car, no one checked to see if I had a leash with me.

Mom usually carries an extra leash in the car, but we were planning on picking plants from Nana's garden and the car had been emptied to make room for all the plants. My leash included was taken out.

We drove to Nana's house and as soon as we got there I asked to be taken around the neighborhood. You know I had to make my presence known. To my surprise, there was no leash for me.

Baba and master had to go to the shed and cut a thick piece of string and engineer some sort of leash. Trust me, this little thing was not bolt proof. If I had gotten in one my "I'm the boss" tantrums, I sure have gotten loose.

Luckily I behaved like the perfect little angel I am and I made it back to the house safe and sound.

Lesson learned! Now we carry more than one leash in the car.

I'm at the Office Today!

Today, June 21, 2013, is National Take Your Dog to Work Day.

I woke up bright an early, had my breakfast, then my morning walk. Once I made it back home I took a quick shower and got ready to go to work.

So Far I'm the only dog at the pawfice, but that is because mom stayed home today so we are working from the home office.

You can expect me to sleep on the job soon.

Did you go into the office today?

Dogs in Greece

Mom with a cute dog in Santorini

So mom took a little vacation and didn't take me with! I forgive her though, she said the airplane ride was 12 hours long and not very comfortable, and you know I only travel in style. So I'm glad I stayed home.

While she was away I got to spend the best two weeks of my life with my favorite pet-sitter Kelly, from Fetch! Her house is amazing and my dog friends are just very cool guys. We chased each other for hours, we romped in the yard and we even shared treats. What's best, I got to sleep in the bed with Kelly.

Mom petting another dog in Crete

Mom told me she missed me a lot while in Greece. She also said that she met lots of dogs over there. As it happens, we dogs roam the streets freely in Greece. Don't worry, she said that my canine friends over there are well fed because the government and the community take good care of us. We are fed by many and the tourists love to snap pictures of themselves with the dogs.

If you want to learn more about mom's experience with the dogs in Greece, read her article in Life with Dogs. You'll love it.

It's Getting Hot in Here

Summer has finally arrived and if it wasn't for the sherbet mom shares with me, I would be asking Mother Nature to take summer back.

On hot days master has instituted the latest tradition which is to cool off with a cold treat. Mom doesn't like ice cream (I DO!) so she gets sherbet and I make sure my begging face is really noticeable so that she can share some with me.

I always win! Thank God for the sherbet, if not, I would just hate this hot summer heat.

I'm Famous!

I've made it to the front page! Don't think the story was about me, but I was the model in the image used in this story.

You see, my mom is a journalist. She works in the trade publications business, managing websites, blogs social media accounts and what not. She also creates content for her employer's websites and magazines. Yet, she had always told me that she wanted to write for something she is totally passionate about and that is ME! I mean dogs. So this great opportunity came along and now she writes for Life with Dogs.

I thought her first article there was going to be about me, but it wasn't. It was about some other dog named Otto. I guess I'm just not news worthy. Anyway, by her 25th article she needed an image of a dog relaxing on some grass, and I volunteered.

I didn't think I was going to make the front page, but I did. Anyway, read the article "Study shows herbicides used on house plants and grass are linked to cancer in dogs" (and see my picture), it might just save your pet's life.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is the best day ever! Well, after my birthday and X-mas of course. Today we celebrate all mothers and my mom is the best mom I could have ever wished for.

My mom doesn't have any human kids of her own - not yet. But she decided to adopt me as her first fur-child of her own. To me, this makes her the best mom in the world!

See, many people that meet me say that  I would be dead today, but because mom fell in love with me I'm alive. Many think I would have been destroyed long time ago. I know I'm not perfect. I have nipped at people, growled at many passerby, protected one too many toys, tried to attack feet with shoes or with white socks, and have become food aggressive around lots of other dogs, but all I needed was a human to love me and show me the ways to be a good dog.

I was probably born in a puppy mill and abused by my original owners, but you see, I was never given the chance to learn. There was no role model dog for me to follow. There was no kind human to teach me how to be good. I knew nothing of this until I was picked up by the rescue group that introduced me to mom.

If it wasn't for my mom's love I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be as "good" as I am now, and I would have never known how much love a human can really give to us dogs.

Mom, I want to thank you for giving me a chance. Thank you for believing in me, for loving me and for trusting me. Thank you for letting me sleep on your bed, for allowing me up on the furniture, for letting me ride shotgun, for cooking for me, for taking me on really long walks, for giving me baths and brushing my teeth, and most importantly for defending me every time Master people speak ill of me.

I love you mom! Sorry all I got you was a poop bag.

Today I Turn 4!

Is that really for me?

It's my birthday and I get to do whatever I want to!

Today I stayed in my human's bed, long after they had gotten ready to start their work day. I got to hear mom sing me the happy birthday song and give me lots of kisses. Master took me on a very long walk and he didn't complain once about it. And at 5 o'clock, mom threw me a pizza party!

Well, I didn't get to eat any pizza, but my humans did. I didn't get birthday cake either. I GOT A MEATBALL INSTEAD!

That has been the tastiest birthday treat I've ever had.

After my birthday party I went out on another walk and then over to Nana and Babba's house to be spoiled some more.

I love being celebrated!

I'm not older, just wiser!

Summer Time Is Here...But It's Spring

What does a dog do when is summer time? Well, what I do is beg my humans to take me out just so that I can sit on a sunny spot and relax!

What? You thought I was going to walk around and mark every tree? Well, I rather not do this when the temperature is pas 70 degrees.

You see, I'm a medium size black dog. Emphasis on BLACK. I'm a magnet for the sun's heat. So when it is hot outside - even during the Spring season - I rather not do anything to over heat.

So grab a cold glass of water and sit with me on the grass to enjoy the breeze.

When the Master Is Out...I Jump On the Bed

I love Fridays! Specially that one Friday a month when Master goes out with his buddies and stays out late. The longer he is out of the house, the longer I can stay in bed with mom.

Sometimes he comes back really late and Mom and I pretend to be sound asleep. I usually do this to give him a harder time when he tries to kick me off the bed.

You can hear Master whisper in his mad voice "Obi off!" but I just stretch and stay put on the bed. Mom usually comes to my rescue and just tells Master that it is almost morning and I can stay in the bed until she wakes up.

Score for me!

The House Looks a Lot Like My Toy Box

Lately I've heard my humans say that maybe they should sell the house. I don't know what that means, but in the process of selling the house, the house became a mess at first - just like my toy box - and then and impeccable space again.

The house has always been tidy and clean - my humans are clean freaks - but with this idea of selling the house I was afraid to walk in the place. I just didn't want to dirty it.

For the past 3 weeks we've had to evacuate the place a lot. I don't like this! It interrupts with my beauty sleep and my patrolling from window to window making sure no outsider wants to come in.

I just hope that if we move, the new place has plenty of windows for me to look outside. Oh, and I want a comfy sunny spot too. How about a huge yard with lots of squirrels to chase. Is that too much to ask?

I don't like this mess.

My Comfy Spot on the Couch

I don't know about you, but I sure enjoy sleeping on my human's bed and furniture. My favorite spot is the couch by the window, especially when the sun is out. I can sun bath all day long on that comfy spot if they let me. However, when mom and Master are home, my favorite spot is anywhere mom is.

Master tries to separate mom and I a lot, but I always let him know that I don't like sharing mom with him, so mom and I sit on one couch, while master sits on the other couch. Don't get me wrong, I won't bark at master or try to bite him if he sits on the same couch with us, but I rather he keeps his distance from the both of us.

When mom sits on the couch with me, she usually reads her tablet or watches TV. Most of the time she has a blanket with her because she is always cold, but on the few occasion when there is no blanket I know I have to keep mom warm. That's why I sit on her. To warm her up and to let master know that mom is MINE!

My Awesome New Treat

Nana has been cooking for me and I love her for it! Well, I think I overheard her say she was making some stew for herself and she thought of me while cooking. By that she meant she was saving the bones of the juicy meat she used for her stew.

I know Mom is vegan and she will have a hard time cooking me a stew like the one Nana did, but I'm not vegan like mom, so I need my meat.

Here is a picture of me and my bone (I think I have like 5 more). I kept busy for hours with this juicy treat!

Valentine Dog

Mom has been wanting a second dog for the longest time. I think that as soon as she rescued me she said she wanted to rescue another awesome dog like me, but as usual, Master put an end to that. Thank God he did, because if he hadn't I would be competing for mom's love, and in case you don't know mom in MINE!

Anyway, I felt bad that for Valentine's Day she wasn't getting another dog, so I got her the second best thing. A Snoopy dog toy for me!

Cavin Fever

In my last post I told you guys that I'm not enjoying this winter stuff. Come on! My hair is sleek and short, ideal for tropical weather, but somehow destiny had it that my life would be next to my mom in this cold tundra.

I'm so bored of being locked inside the house. I'm sick of not being able to run free or go for long walks. This weather just makes my paws and butt freeze in an instant. I see my friends, the golden retreivers, go for long walks and they don't seem bothered with this weather. They don't even wear a coat. On the other hand, I have to bundle up to the point that my body movements are limited.

Last night I told mom and master that winter was no longer keeping me inside. When we went on my evening walk I was out there for a 40 minutes in 22 °F weather. Mom was freezing. She said her fingers were about to fall off, but I was determined to get my exercise done. My short little legs are so tired of not moving! Don't get me wrong, mom plays with me inside the house, and you know I'm no crate dog, but walking outside is just so much better.

Today I also woke up determined to walk and enjoy all that fluffy snow. Mom said she was late for work this morning because I kept on trotting away in the snow. For lunch, master and I went out for a walk as well, and I better not hear him say he was freezing too.

I've decided that if summer is not coming to me, then I'm walking until I reach it. I miss summer.

I don't like the snow

Winter at home hasn't been so bad this year. We haven't had much snow and most of the days have been in the 40s. There were those few weeks we couldn't get out of the teens and freezing windchill, but over all I've been happy because I haven't had to wear my snow boots.

Well, it seems my happy days are now long gone because Mr. Snow has paid us a visit. Wile everyone seems happy to be playing in the snow, I can't stand to be out there for more than few minutes.

Running back home.

Yes, the white pretty stuff makes some people happy, but not me. Im a tropical climate dog! My paws freeze in the snow and I can't sniff anything. What's worse, stumbling upon yellow snow from my neighborhood friends is not fun at all. For me, it is hard to want to do my business out there when by behind is exposed to the cold.

Mom does her best and dresses me up. I love my sweaters, scarfs and coats, but I rather be romping in the backyard when during summer time.

Winter bores me. I can't stay outside too long and there is less stuff to chase and sniff out. Don't get me wrong, I like the white stuff, specially licking it, but once my paws get too cold I just want to go back home.

I miss summer

My life is complete now

Mom and master have been back for a week now and I couldn't be any happier. Don't get me wrong, I had the best time at grandma's house, but I misses my home, my parents, my toys and mom's bed.

 

Since mom feels a little guilty about leaving me for 10 days, she has been letting me sleep on her bed. I know she wants me to stay on her bed all night long, but mom tosses a lot so I only sleep there about 1 hour and then head off to my little bed, right next to mom's big bed. In the morning, I jump back on the bed and mom is happy again.

 

Mom is on vacation and sad.

Right now I'm missing mom and Master a lot. I've been staying with my awesome grandparents while mom is visiting her homeland of Cartagena, Colombia.

Mom was very excited before leaving - nervous too. This is the first time that my Master visits Colombia and mom just wanted to make sure that he will love the city and the country as much as she loved it when she lived and visited there before.

Mom had not been back to Colombia in eight years and she told me that a lot has changed. There are a lot more comforts, places to go and ways to shop. The city still carries its beautiful history and architecture, yet mom is not too happy there. First it is super hot - it is always 95 degrees if not hotter - but what makes mom so sad is that she tells me there are lots of dogs and cats living homeless on the street. People there are very friendly to each other, but not to four legged individuals like myself.

Mom told me that she has cried a few times because no one cares for us down there. Street animals are starving, suffering from the heat or very sick. Most of the "lucky" ones that have owners are treated bad, they are tied outside, left outside without protection, never bathed, and most withstand physical abuse daily. Few are loved and cared like it is done in the U.S. What's worse, no one seems to want to help homeless animals and they are always yelling at my four legged brothers and sisters to go away. Cats are also left to fend for themselves on the streets.

Throughout all these hardships, street dogs in Colombia are very friendly, mom has fed a few of them and has even pet them. They only want to be loved and be treated fairly. People down there think mom is crazy for caring for these dogs, they even yell at her when she tries to help.

Mom says that she misses me a lot and wants to come home right now, but at the same time she wants to stay and help all the needy animals of Colombia. She says that I will love it down there because of the weather and because dogs there are rarely walked on leashes. We can run free, but then again we are not welcomed anywhere so it would be hard for me to live comfortably down there. I love to be around people, I love to jump on the furniture, on the beds, I love to go on  car rides...I have a heart and I have rights, and I want to be accepted and loved like my family loves me in the U.S.

Come back soon mom, maybe together we can help the abandoned and unwanted pets of Colombia.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I know I haven't posted in a while, but things have been crazy over here.  Just wanted to drop by quickly and wish everyone a happy 2013!