Howl-een Safety Tips and Petula Update

Happy Howl-een, Everybody!  I'm especially happy because it's supposed to be rainy and cold which means I won't be tortured into any ridiculous costume and paraded around the neighborhood! Yippee!

I do want to share with you one quick but super important warning.  My dad said that so far only one of his patients has accidentally experienced a chocolate poisoning this holiday season. But that is still one too many!  Chocolate, especially Baker's chocolate and dark chocolate candy is very poisonous to dogs and cats.  Cats don't normally eat chocolate, though, because they can't taste the sweetness.  Dogs are the ones that get themselves into trouble more often.

The theobromine in chocolate comes in different concentrations and so it's best to always check with your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center with the kind of chocolate and amount consumed if your dog or cat ever gets in to any.  At lower doses, dogs will experience diarrhea, but at higher doses of theobromine, they can experience heart arrhythmias and even death.  Chocolate and chocolate candy is nothing to mess with so please take extra precautions in your home to protect your pets this Howl-een!

Also, I just have to add that we've had Petula for 7 whole days now and she is doing great!  She got to meet my Nana who loved to her to pieces instantly!  Since her mouth is healing more now from her surgery, she's starting to get more playful with toys. 

                                                       Should I join in or shouldn't I?

                                                         Why not?  Hey, this is fun!

                                    It's so nice to have a napping friend after a hard day's work!

Have a safe and fun Howl-een, Everybody!

You've Got A Friend In Me! (Welcome, Petula!)

                                    WELCOME, PETULA!

I am happy to announce that I have a new friend!  My family just adopted her on October 25th and her name is Petula.  She's a 5 year old French Bulldog.  Isn't she pretty?  Don't you love her name?!

 She just came home with us last night, and though she's recovering from mouth surgery. she's acting like she's part of the family already!  And I must say, she outshines me in her potty training prowess.  When I was new here I had lots of accidents. Lots. But she hasn't had one!  And she loves my kids (I'm getting used to sharing their attention).

Look what we did today--wrestle!  I have a wrestling buddy!  She has already learned how to out-maneuver me, even though she's smaller than me (and don't tell her I said so, but sometimes I play really gently so she can win).

My mom said that though no dog can take the place of our sweet Maggie, Tula has quickly stolen our hearts and is helping to heal our sadness at losing our friend.  She even sniffs and grunts like Maggie did which makes us smile.

I know our friendship has just begun and I'm so excited to show Tula all of my favorite spots, walking trails and toys and go on lots of adventures with her!  Of course I'll share all about them on my blog too!  I'm also so thankful to my foster mom, Tricia, for picking my family to be Tula's forever home!  We are all so in love with her and I want Tricia to know that she is doing fantastic and adjusting so well ( I even let her snuggle with my mom on the couch for a little nap today.  She tucked herself right in under my mom's chin!).

The end of Petula's first whole day in her new home!

 
I'll leave you with a few pictures from her Adoption Day (thanks to Tricia from Patricia Anderson Photography for sharing them!):

I Beg Of You, Don't Look!

I mentioned in my last post, I overheard some sort of conspiracy to make me look ridiculous for this celebration that I think is called, Howl-een.

Unfortunately, my fears have come to pass.  I'm too embarrassed to show you what they did to me, but my mom is making me post the pictures because she thinks I look so cute.

Can you believe this??!!

I don't even have a tail to velcro into this costume!  What are they thinking?!  Can you tell I'm not amused?

I'm doing my best to put on my saddest face, but to no avail!  Look what they tried next!

Oh, the humiliation!  I'm never going to be able to show my face in Dogdome again!  Mom said my head was too big to fit into the bat hat.  I secretly celebrated!

What's this? There's more?  I can't even bear to show my face.  A pumpkin? Seriously? This has got to be the epitome of ridiculousness! I can't even look at the camera anymore.  I'm so disgraced.

Are any of my dog friends out there facing similar circumstances? Please tell me I'm not alone! What humiliating costume are your people making you wear this Howl-een?

Craig's List, Costumes & Leaves

http://www.flickr.com/people/sbh--Steve-H

 So, there's this strange celebration called Howl-een that my kids keep talking about.  I'm not sure what it is, but I guess dogs have to participate and perhaps howl at night??  I think I should start practicing!  Since I'm deaf, I don't make much noise usually!

Anyways, I've caught snippets of a conspiracy being concocted behind my back which includes dressing me up to make me look like a skeleton or a bat (because of my bat ears--haha. I'm not amused.).  I shall keep you updated on this strange and secret mission my family is on to make me look ridiculous.

Speaking of strange things, the first 18 months of my life I grew up in a cage and was quite unaware of the great outdoors.  Now I get to go for regular walks, but something funny is happening lately.  The leaves are actually coming off the trees!  What in the world??!!  Today was really windy and every time a leaf blew by I was like, "What's that?!" and "Whoa, there's another one!", jerking my head and looking every which way.  I must say, Boy Child #2 and my mom thought I was pretty funny.

Lastly, I think it's important that I share with you this conversation that I overheard between my mom and dad.  My dad came home from work recently and said that a client brought in a new puppy.  She thought she was getting this:  

 

Chihuahua

When what she really ended up buying is this:

Pitbull

Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Pitbulls. My dad loves them and said some of his sweetest patients that come to see him are Pitbulls.  But when you think you're buying a wee little Taco Bell dog and you end up with a gigantic Pitbull, that comes as quite a shock!

How did that happen, you ask?  Here's the story: The client made the mistake of buying a dog off of Craig's List.  The "breeder", if you can call him that, told the woman that she was getting an 11 month old Chihuahua.  The puppy was 15 lbs, so the client thought that was pretty accurate.  But when my dad examined the puppy and looked at his teeth, body build and characteristics, he found that it was an 11 week old Pitbull puppy!

Please, if you're considering adding a four-legged friend to your family, consider first the animals that are sitting in shelters and in foster care anxiously awaiting homes!  If you're looking for a pure bred dog, most breeds have their own rescue organizations too.  That's how my mom and dad found me--through the French Bulldog Rescue Network!  And don't hesitate to call my dad's clinic and ask for advice too.  Everyone there is knowledgeable about different breeds and the pros and cons of each.  They'd love to help you!