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Apr 2006 - New Hiding Places
for My Favorite Treats
Mar 2006 - On the Lookout for
Greener Pastures
Feb 2006 - Valentines,
Chocolates, and Loved Ones
Jan 2006 - Celebrations and
Resolutions
Dec 2005 My First Christmas--And
What Does It Mean?
Nov 2005 Alpha
Dog All to Myself
Oct 2005 Five Pounds of Trouble
on Halloween
Sept 2005 Catching Up & Hurricane
Katrina
Jun 2005 - Getting a Fix on Being
Fixed! |
April 2006
New Hiding Places for My Favorite Treats!
We Found It! Our New Home! Yup. Driving
along, looking at all those other places, Alpha Dog just stopped the car and
backed up to what she said was, "Divine Destiny"! Wasn't even on her
list from online. She called it a fizzbo (sp?) -- anyway, it's
letters, FSBO, and it means the owners were selling it, themselves.
Well, this time, we both got out of the car and the
place is huge. So big, I insisted on being carried in her arms while
she checked it out because I got scared. I couldn't even see to the end of
the yard. And, they have other dogs, there! I'm going to have friends!
Alpha Dog is so happy. It has a house, of
course, but it also has a wired workshop for her dirt-baking oven [editor's
note: kiln] and another building to use for selling and teaching how to do
things. Boy, is she happy. And, the lady there is really nice,
too.
Now, we're going to have a garden with lots of
vegetables and herbs. When I asked her what a garden was, Alpha Dog
was very nice and took the time to explain it to me. She's going to do
a thing called
Intensive Gardening and
Solar Cooking, too. She did this where she used to live and now wants to
get back to it.
What seems to be most exciting to Alpha Dog is that
she's going to get her kiln finally set up, which should make it so much
easier to get her ornaments and 3-sided vases done.
Well, I'm going to find a nice, quiet, spot to lie
down in so that I can be out of the way during the packing and moving phase.
I'm really anxious to check out the place and find some new hiding places
for my bones!
March 2006
On the Lookout for Greener Pastures
Okay, things are really getting funny around here.
Alpha Dog has been looking at other places to live! I think we're
going to be going to another place, just when I've finally figured out this
one! Now, where am I going to hide all my goodies!
I did get some really great chocolate goodies for
Valentine's Day, last month, and she got beautiful flowers from her
Gentleman Caller. She even let me smell them. Very nice.
I've smelled the same thing on some of her lady friends.
But, back to this changing houses thing. She
told me it won't happen, right away, but that she was ready to get back to
The Land. Yup, that's what she says, "The Land." Seems there was
lots of gardening and outdoor things she likes to do and hasn't been able to
do them, here. And, best of all, she says I'm going to have lots of
room to just run to my little heart's delight. So, we're on an adventure!
And, guess what?! She takes me along on these
quests of hers. I get to see all kinds of new places and smell some v-e-r-y
interesting things. And, every night, she's on her computer checking
out what's available at a place called
realtor.com She's got a
book with more than 30 pictures of different houses she likes. I don't
care. I get to go with her and that's what's important to me.
When I asked her why it took so many, she said it
helped her find out exactly what she wants and she had the time to look for
it. This was her "last" move, until she head for the Great Beyond.
I wonder where that is. . .
What's really funny is that it turns out her own
young pup (she calls her something that sounds like 'dotter') is looking for
a new home, too! Isn't that funny! Imagine. Those two are
of the same mind. But, my Alpha Dog wants a smaller place with plenty
of garden space (what's a garden?) and her 'dotter' wants something bigger
with no garden space. That's funny.
Gonna' be some changes, around here, that's for
sure.
February 2006
Valentines, Chocolates, and Loved Ones
Whooie! Everyone's planning such a great
holiday, this month. It's Valentine's Day and Alpha Dog tells me the stores
are filled with hearts full of chocolates. It's also a special for her
because that's when she and her Gentleman Caller celebrate their
anniversary. He's going to give her a box of chocolates, I just know.
Yippee!
Now, I love chocolate but I don't get much because
Alpha Dog said it wasn't good for me. I tried to make her understand
that it's amount and
type of chocolate -- but, oh, no, she just wants to play it safe.
It's because she loves me! So, I get those
chocolate treats that are
just for us dogs, and they're just as good, so I'm not complaining.
They're not as dark as the ones she eats, but very tasty.
I read (you're surprised? I'm writing this column!)
somewhere that the frequency of taking heartworm medication can vary based
on where you actually live because the larvae only grow when it's been
60 degrees for a month. Florida pets would be on a different
schedule than my friends living in Montana, that's for sure.
That makes sense, to me. Don't want to spend
my days on all kinds of medication, just in case something happens.
Sometimes you can be guilted into giving medicine. I think there
should be a happy medium between medicines that cover anything and
everything in one pill and taking nothing, like a junk yard dog.
So, think about where you live and your lifestyle
and use common sense when giving medication to your beloved pets.
January 2006
Celebrations and Resolutions
Well, I found out what all the big hoopla was about
Christmas! Presents for everyone (including me) and I LOVE IT!
What was most fun was getting to chew open the packages and finding my
present inside! Of course, I remembered my manners and kept the mess
close by -- but, it was very hard.
I got a new sweater that Alpha Dog crocheted for me
-- and it matches her sweater! We look quite spiffy, we do. But,
it's been a little too cold so I've been using my trusty old inside pads for
those private moments! It's much better and I don't shiver as much.
You know, that hard ground outside is VERY cold and
it really hits my tummy. It's so cold, I find it very hard to think
when we take a walk and will usually ask Alpha Dog to pick me up.
It will be better when it gets a little warmer out,
then we can take our walks, again. Of course, Alpha Dog really likes
those
indoor pads -- says, it's very convenient and she doesn't have to worry
about me when she has to go places. Now, I'm just a tiny five-p0und Diva
but, when you gotta go, you gotta' go! Know what I mean?
But, this Christmas thing is really great!
And, Alpha Dog said that this was the best one ever, for her, too! I'm
supposed to make some promises for the New Year, too. Resolutions, is
what she said. Of course, she also make my resolutions for me, too!
I promised I would try to follow all of them. Just like her!
December 2005
My First Christmas -- and What Does It Mean?
Well, it is exciting having Alpha Dog here all the
time, but she sure doesn't have as much time for me as I had hoped.
She has lots of phone calls and packages! -- my goodness! And, she
keeps putting more paper around them and then ties them with long stringy
things. That is the most fun, for me, anyway!
But, she really didn't like it the day I made them
go from one end of the room to the other! It was like the white paper
in that small room with the great big bowl of water in it. If you pull
on the end, it just keeps following you! Everywhere! But, like I said,
she doesn't like it and it makes me feel bad when she tells me to stop, so I
don't do it, as much, anymore.
Alpha Dog has been looking at me in a special way,
too. Every time she takes something out of one bag, she hides it from
me and then smiles! "Wait until Christmas," she says, "and you'll have a big
surprise!" Well, waiting is not my strong suit. I like to have
something while I'm thinking about it. New things always fascinate me and I
can't hold a book for long, like she does. I try, but then I just
start chewing the corners.
One day, she called me and had that yellow
tape with writing on it. She put it around my waist and then along my back,
and made the noise, "Hmmmm," which was kind of nice but I didn't know what
she wanted me to do, so I just stayed still, and waited.
Oh, I did get a new riding seat for my birthday
(November 21st, in case you forgot!) so I would be safe when we take trips
in the car -- and, look pretty, too!. Said something about me being a Diva
(oh, please!) and she found the
Diva Shop , which was
the perfect place to find anything for me -- so, I'm keeping my paws crossed
that there will be some more presents from that place. Alpha Dog says she
loves me and wants to be sure I don't get cold in the winter.
Most people don't know it, but we Chihuahuas can't
really handle a lot of cold. We're what you might call "inside" dogs.
In fact, my favorite place is on her lap! Well, you may think we're
cute with the little clothes and things but they really keep up warm.
Don't have much body fat, you know, unlike some bipeds I know!
There's another one shop she found that has just as
much stuff but it's very different, so you can have more choices. It's
called It's All
Chihuahua and has everything. Who would have known that there were
places selling things just for Chihuahuas!! I love to shop!
Of course, if you're like my Alpha Dog and
sew or work with needles, you can make all the clothes and accessories
you want for your own special Chi. She told me that a great place for
a general knit pattern is
Red
Lipstick. You can do your own jackets, coats, booties, dresses --
anything, once you've learned the basic stitches.
If you like to
crochet, there are all kinds of books now available with easy patterns
to follow so you can have something in time for Christmas morning!
More advanced
knitting patterns are also available.
Well, I guess I'm just going to have to wait, like
everyone else! But, I don't like it. Wish me luck!
November, 2005
Alpha Dog All
to Myself
I don't know
what's going on but I've had Alpha Dog all to myself this month, and it's
been great. I get to spend most of the day on her lap while she works,
and I feel just like a puppy, again. We have a great time.
Guess what!?!
This is my birthday month. Yup. On November 21st, I'll be one year
old. I've already started my countdown -- at least, Alpha Dog has --
by mixing adult dog food in with my puppy food. I might even get some
new doggie treats. I sure do like those chlorophyll teeth and breath
cleaning chews. I think they call them
Greenies Dog Treat Bones and they've just made some tiny ones for us
little pets! They are so good but you actually eat them, so I hope she
keeps getting the ones I like to chew. I'll keep my paws crossed.
(Hmmm. I wonder if I'm going to miss that milky stuff. . .)
Anyway, Alpha Dog
is convinced that my puppy food has gnat eggs in it, or something, because
the bugs start coming around almost as soon as I finish my meal, if I leave
anything in the bowl. Now, she does heat up my food so that it's not so cold
but, gee, I wonder if that has anything to do with it? She gets really
annoyed, so I've learned to eat everything and not let it sit in my bowl.
Of course, I get
fed often enough that I'm not losing any weight, or sleep, for that matter,
over it. I know there'll be something to nibble on in a few hours.
I just hope she doesn't have to go away too soon.
It's really been
quiet here in my neighborhood since my friend next door has moved away.
We used to run after squirrels together and bark at all the visitors.
But, he had to go with his family. I hope the new people have someone
I can enjoy playing with, too. I'll just keep watching until then.
Meanwhile, I'm
kind of anxious to find out what this Christmas thing is all about.
Everyone is so excited that I get excited, too! But, whenever I ask,
I'm told it's a big surprise and I'll just have to wait. Well, if
there's one thing I'm good at, it's waiting. So, that's what I'll do.
And, maybe, just maybe, I can ask when she's really not paying attention and
she'll tell me before she knows what she's done! I will not give up!
October, 2005
Five Pounds of
Trouble on Halloween
First things,
first.
I have to thank Alpha Dog, because I'm not your typical
Chihuahua. I spend most of my days helping
her with her work and keeping strangers away from the door. I'm really
not afraid of anything.
But, this October has been just a little too
much! It was bad enough that she had to be away so much, doing that
Minyan
thing, but I'm the one who had to deal with all the trick or treaters. Well,
this was my first
time. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to eat the candy! Everything
else she puts in a bowl in front of me is mine. Gosh, all I could smell was
chocolate!
I didn't know people would come to the door, ring the bell, and then
try to scare me to death wearing funny-looking skins. No sooner did I scare
off one group of these sawed-off Frankenstein-wannabes, then another bunch
would come charging to the door! This went on for hours.
Well, I've got the idea, now. I'll just
get my own costume to scare the little beggars! That's it. Next year, I'm going to
be
Darth Vader and wear my own
costume --
you know, one that
makes me look like I have lots of
muscles. That should take care of that problem. I've got a whole year to
plan.
It's really been a very big job, watching the
house. The best I can say about myself is I'm fast and I've got a big mouth.
Anyway, Alpha Dog trusts me and it's nice to know I'm needed for more than
just cuddles and my editing skills.
September, 2005
Catching Up and Hurricane Katrina
It's been awhile since I've had a chance to
reflect on what's been happening in my life. Alpha Dog has been really
engrossed with her website and, so, have picked up quite a few new words.
Yep. But, she won't let me use them when company is around; although,
it's okay for trespassing strangers!
I know that you are just as concerned as I am
about all of the pets who have been suffering because of Hurricane Katrina
and so I have asked Alpha Dog to put up a banner to the
ASPCA to help you
contact them and maybe help local chapters in finding homes and/or owners who have
become separated from their own pets. I know I'm a very lucky dog and that makes
me want all my fellow pets to know the same kind of safety.
It's really enjoyable being able to sit here and look
out at everything that's happening in front of the office. Especially, when
two neighborhood cats think that they can slip up on me. Boy, can they move
fast when I scare them out
of their wits. Two loud barks is all it requires. And that causes all kinds of commotion here
in the office, too! Don't know what it is, but Alpha Dog prefers it when I just talk quietly to her.
Oh, yes, I have learned to talk "people talk."
So, I am able to have a lot of input into what she writes. It's really not
too hard for me to talk like people, because Alpha Dog and I started out young, and we are
really starting to understand each other. There are some great
articles from the
Talking Dog web site to help you try to do the same thing with your pet.
Gosh! I used to be able to talk
to her, just sitting on her lap, but I've gotten too big for that. Yup, I
weigh a full 5lbs. 4oz., now.
And, of course, being older, I'm able to
enjoy long morning walks and a game of stick fetching before settling in to
help A.D. work all day. One of my favorite times of day is the late afternoon, when
the sun comes directly through the window and I have a nice nap in its warm
sunbeam. Is there anything better? I don't think so.
Finally, all of my puppy shots are over and I've healed
up very nicely from my "surgery" and, so, I won't have to see the doctor for
another year. Alpha Dog gives me my
heart worm medicine once a month and makes sure that my
teeth are
cleaned and my breath is sweet. I hope you're doing the same for your
pets. If you want to know more about it, just click on the linked phrases
and read what the experts say. And, don't forget to help the pets of
hurricane Katrina. It's scary when you lose your human family.
June, 2005
Getting a Fix on Being Fixed!!
It’s hard to
believe so much has happened since I was a pup. Yeah, that’s me, rarin’ to
take on my first assignment, at my desk with press card, keyboard, and
telephone.
My ears have
finally straightened up and, just the other day, I had to go under the knife
to “maintain the integrity of my personality,” as my two-legged owner,
(a.k.a. Alpha Dog), so delicately put it. Well, I may be just seven months
old, but you know how fast we four-legged humans go through stages. It was
time.
Everything was
strange, that day, as I look back on it. The car ride (my favorite thing)
was pleasant enough, and I thoroughly enjoyed calling out “Hey!” to those we
passed. But, once we arrived at our destination, my nose told me this would
be a very different kind of visit. First, I was given my own private
sleeping quarters. And, looking around, I saw more of my kind in all
different sizes with their very own sleeping quarters! My immediate neighbor
was a great big spotted fellow, so I chose to stay on the other side of my
room, until we were introduced.
I saw my old
friend, Hershey, the doctor’s chocolate Labrador, and peppered him with
questions. Hershey could only tell me that nothing was going to happen to
me until later that evening, but that was it. (I suspect that was all he
knew, even though he had been around forever. Just not as nosy as my folks,
I guess.) Even though I was very sleepy from something they gave me, I
tried to remember my manners and made sure I greeted everyone who stopped to
say hello to me.
But, I still
didn’t know what was going to happen to me – and my Alpha Dog was gone! Now, this
was definitely very strange behavior on her part because, normally, we’re justlikethis.
And, I really wanted to know what was going on (wouldn’t you?), so I took a
deep breath and asked my nearest cage mate, the big spotted one I told you
about, what would
happen.
Okay. I admit
it. I made him repeat himself, several times! Fixed? They were
going to fix me!? Honestly, I really couldn't believe what he was saying -- they were going to shave me and then cut me open!?!.
I think it begs the question when I tell you that it was darn hard trying to
get a few winks before “later” came, that's for sure...!
Truth is, when
you weigh in at just over 5 lbs., you live your life pretty much at the whim of
the powers that be – and, that's all I'm going to say about that.
Apparently, the deed was done during my few winks because, when I finally
awoke, it was really hard to focus and I could barely move. I looked at my
side and saw that my caged friend was right! My skin was showing! I had
been shaved and there were some evenly spaced strings holding me together.
Naturally, I
started licking the strings and, – okay! Now, I know where the pain
started! To put it technically, I had been spayed, neutered,
ovariectomized, hysterectomized -- in other words, I had become asexual,
fixed, unsexed -- I was barren. I would never be a Mother. Now, for the
record and anyone who cares to listen, I am sure I could have, “maintained
the integrity of my personality,” in some other way. But, that's just
between you and me.
Alpha Dog came
to get me in the morning and my spirits were instantly lifted. Thanks to
long naps and good follow-up care, within days I had regained my strength
and my skin. Alpha Dog and I had a long talk and it really helped me
understand the importance of my experience. For those of you who still
haven’t made the decision to “neuter” (what's with this fixed? I
wasn't broken!) your pet, they'll just be a little uncomfortable for a few
days, then, back to just as perky as ever.
Best of all,
now, I can look forward to a long life sharing my thoughts with you and
Alpha Dog. So, until the next
time, Vaya con Dios!
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