Saturday, December 29, 2007

Yesterday I Did Something SuperFun

Not to repeat myself or anything, but yesterday I did something Super Fun! I went strollering at the mall! To help me stay happy and alert while I'm recovering from my surgery, Mommy and Daddy bought me this Chariot:

They call it a "stroller," but I think it's really a chariot. We went out to this really dog-friendly mall yesterday to do some post-Christmas exchanging, and I got to come in my new chariot! I got to go into all the stores, including, but not limited to, the underwear store and the kitchen store. I felt so cool. I accidentally peed while we were in the kitchen store, but I was sitting on a bunch of pee pads, so it was okay.

Since I had so much fun yesterday, I got to go out again this evening for a chariot ride through the neighborhood. It is nice to be out again. I hope someday that I can walk all by myself again. I start physical therapy in a couple of weeks after I get my staples out.

Recovery Update:
Today I wagged my tail! Mommy and Daddy went out to lunch and left me home for two hours by myself. When they got home they picked me up and I kissed their faces and WAGGED MY TAIL for the first time since my injury!!! Mommy's Mood-o-Meter: HOPEFULLY OPTIMISTIC

Bye for now,
Poppy the LBC

Pee Ess: My new year's resolution is to start labeling my posts. And also to walk again.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Mommy and Daddy are Leaving Me!!!

Mommy and Daddy are going out this evening with Mommy's family. And I am not invited! So they are leaving me! At home! At least they are not leaving me alone. My Uncle DJ will be here to doggysit me. Here is a picture of the two of us in happier times, when I was a wee pup of only four months:


They are very nervous to leave me, but they made these plans weeks ago, and they can't really break them. I'm sure they will be calling a lot so see if I'm okay.

Here is some news on the recovery front:
My weird toe has stopped oozing blood and looks a lot better now. On Tuesday the outer layer of my toe pad FELL OFF! Our vet thinks it is one of three things, none of which are harmful in the long term: a bad reaction to a bug bite; a small "foreign body" like a plant sticker or something; or a histiocytoma. The last one sounds bad, but it is really just a benign growth that young dogs sometimes get that heals on its own in several weeks.

Also I can sort of stand up now. But only if someone holds me up under my tummy. And my toes still knuckle under and I still wobble and fall down. But Dr. M (at our regular vet clinic) and Dr. S (the surgeon) both say it's amazing that I can bear any weight at all only a week after spinal surgery. I told you I was a genius dog!

Bye for now,
Poppy the Little Blonde Chihuahua

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas Eve

I am trying to help Mommy get into the Christmas spirit. I am feeling a little bit better because I am not in so much pain right now. Although last night was pretty restless.

We went to the vet this morning to have my fentanyl patch removed. It was very sticky and I was too upset to let Mommy and Daddy take it off themselves. You all know how I feel about sticky-ness on my furs. I guess it's good news that I could sort of feel it. I sometimes twitch my legs around a little bit, but I'm not anywhere near standing up yet.

Remember that swollen pad on my foot? Well, it's not any smaller and now it's oozing blood. Great. Mommy put some ointment on it, so I hope it will feel better soon.


Today's Mood-O-Meter: Cautiously Optimistic

Poppy the LBC

Pee Ess: There is a show called "Dog Genius" on the Nat. Geo. channel next Sunday. I'm pretty sure this show is about me, so I told Mommy to Tivo it.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Finally Home

Well, I'm finally home, and I don't feel so good. My back hurts and my legs still don't work yet, so I am whimpering a lot. It makes Mommy and Daddy sad, but I can't help it. I'm trying my bestest to be calm, but I'm pretty scared. At least I'm home and not at that scary hospital anymore.

This is the pen that Mommy and Daddy set up for me in the livingroom. It is right next to the Christmas tree. Mommy says that having me home is almost the best Christmas present ever. (The best would be to make my legs work again.)

In my pen I have an orthopedic bed and some grass to go potty on, and my favorite yellow blanket. I also have my wubba. Sometimes when you are feeling sad it is good to snuggle with your wubba.

Thank you to all my DWB friends for the wonderful comments over the past several days. It has really helped me feel better. We have a long way to go, and I have to learn to do something called "rehabilitation." I wonder if that is like agility... Although I heard something about an "underwater treadmill." Surely you jest.

Resting With My Wubba,
Poppy the LBC

Thursday, December 20, 2007

I'm back...almost

Hi friends,

Mommy and Daddy came to visit me in the hospital today. I was so happy to see them that I tried to swim out of the nurse's arms through the air to get to them. The nurse was good and held on tight so I wouldn't fall. We got to spend some time together in the "quiet room," which is this very nice room with carpets and couches and boxes of tissue. I wimpered a lot because I am so sad right now. There is something funny with my legs...I can't seem to make them do what I want.



I get to come home tomorrow, and Mommy and Daddy are spending all day today preparing for my arrival with pee pads, a new low-front doggy bed, and a reinstatement of the ex-pen and crate system. I remember when I was very small I had to be on what they called "crate rest" for a long time because my pelvis was hurty. I have to do the same thing now because my legs and back are hurty.

I am trying to keep my chin up and be brave for Mommy and Daddy. It has been very helpful to me (and especially Mommy) over the last few days to use my blog as someplace to talk about my troubles and to read all the encouraging comments from all my DWB friends. I promise I will be around visiting and commenting when I am feeling a bit better.

love,
Poppy the Little Blonde Chihuahua

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

post-surgery

Here is the latest news about our little baby doggy...

Poppy is out of surgery now. The surgeon said it went as well as it could have. She had one ruptured disc, which they repaired. When we talked to them she was already awake and sitting up. They are going to keep her there overnight and tomorrow night, too. We can go visit her tomorrow morning. She has to be on strict crate rest for two weeks, during which time she may or may not regain movement in her legs. After that, it will be a several month long process of recovery. She'll probably need rehab. She still has a 90% chance of walking again. I was preparing myself for the worst and spent all afternoon looking at doggy wheelchairs online. We are hopeful that she won't ever need one...time will tell. (Here's a very inspirational picture of an adventuresome-looking dachsie)


Thank you all for your well wishes. I have been visiting your blogs, but I just don't have the energy to comment without Poppy here to "help" me. We'll be back soon.

Sarah (Poppy's mom)

It's not cancer


Well, it's not cancer. Dr. M called this morning. But over the last couple of days Poppy has not gotten out of her bed at all, even to pee. We noticed yesterday that she wasn't using her back legs at all. We brought her in to see our new vet this morning, and they were very concerned about the lack of strength in her back legs. They took some x-rays (the second set of her short little lifetime) and they said she might have slipped a disc or maybe two. They sent us to a surgical specialist right away.

The specialist evaluated her and said it was definitely paralysis due to a slipped disc. He wants to do surgery as soon as possible, so we had to leave our baby there. They will do surgery tonight or tomorrow morning. There is a 90% chance that she will walk again.

For those of you who know how athletic Poppy is, we are just crushed that she may lose the use of her legs. We are hoping and praying that she recovers. We will keep everyone posted. It seems that the swelling on her foot was coincidental. Maybe walking around with the bandage for four days caused her back to contort into a bad position. We might not ever know what caused it.

If you pray, please pray for her. If you don't, please hope and wish for her.

S&E (Poppy's parents)

UPDATE:
We just talked to the surgical vets. Poppy is in the CT scanner right now, and then they are going to take her straight to surgery after that. They told us on the phone just now that she hasn't spent a single minute in a cage, because everybody is taking turns holding her and carrying her around. They said she is a "lovely dog."

Monday, December 17, 2007

Update on Poppy's leg

Poppy's mom here...we had a very rough night. Poppy was in so much pain from the bandage on her leg that we ended up taking her to the emergency vet at 1am. After the bandage was off, she seemed to feel a little better, but only a little. This morning she was still in so much pain that when I tried to get her up to eat something she screamed and bit me three times (she has NEVER done that before) and peed in her bed again.

Of course, I was in a panic and Eric was at work. I called our vet and said I needed to bring her in right away, but they said they couldn't see her. They wanted me to drop her off and leave her all day and someone would look at her "when they had time." I thought that was a totally unacceptable solution, so I called another vet. This other vet is one that we have been thinking about switching to ever since our favorite doctor (Dr. R) left our regular clinic and went to this new place. Well, this was the final straw. I called the new place and told them we were former patients of Dr. R and that I was having an emergency with my dog and needed to bring her in. They said that Dr. R wasn't working today, but that of course I could bring her in right away. Now that's more like it. We saw a wonderful vet (Dr. M) who was very kind and understanding and got Poppy some pain medication right away.

We ended up staying there for almost three hours while they treated Poppy and I sat nervously in the waiting room--she's much better for them when I'm not there. Dr. M looked at the skin irritation where the bandage had been and also at her swollen pad. She said she wanted to "aspirate the mass" and send it off to be tested. She said the C word. Oh god please let it not be the C word.

We are at home now, and my baby is sleeping all wrapped up in her favorite fleece blanket. We have two kinds of pain meds, antibiotics, and an ointment for the skin on her leg.

Please send good thoughts our way.

Sarah (Poppy's mom)

Tough Day

My day started out well enough, with lots of errands. We got coffee (I pooped on the sidewalk in front of the store), shopped for Christmas ornaments (we got a chihuahua one!), and I even got to help pick out the Christmas tree!


But then, this evening, something happened to my bandage. It started pulling my delicate leg furs! And it hurts so bad!!! I was screaming and screaming and even peeing a little bit because I was so scared. Mommy and Daddy tried to help me by cutting the bandage off, but they couldn't do it without pulling, so I just screamed some more. I wouldn't stop shaking for a long time, and I was even doing the stress-pant, which I never do! The bandage is supposed to come off tomorrow, and I think I'm going to have to go back to the V-E-T to have them do it. Mommy and Daddy can't stand to hurt me and it makes them sad when I scream.

Does anybody know any tricks to get sticky bandages off of fur??? I think it's only the very end that is sticky. . . at least, I hope.

Feeling sad,
Poppy

Friday, December 14, 2007

Pee Box & Woe is Me!

Hi friends!

Many of you seem very impressed that I can pee in a box. Below you can see a picture of me in action. The box is called "Puppy Go Potty" and my parents put synthetic grass in it. We have about 6 pieces of it and they have to wash them every so often. Underneath the grass is Feline Pine cat litter. Mommy and Daddy always say that if they could go back in time, they would not add the grass on top. It is such a pain to wash them. It is even more of a pain because my sissy Clover likes to pee in the box too, and we all know how bad cat pee smells!

The reason we have to use the grass is that I kind of like to eat cat litter. Especially Swheat Scoop, which is what Clover uses in her box. They have to keep her box up out of my tongue's reach. The Feline Pine in my box doesn't taste very yummy, but somehow I can't resist munching a bit of it if the grass isn't covering it up. So I guess it's not all Clover's fault about the grass being a pain in the @$$!

And, yes, do you see my foot?!!! Notice how it is covered in a big green bandage with paw prints on it?!!! I don't know what exactly happened, but WOE IS MEEEEEE!!! On Tuesday night Mommy noticed that I was licking my back foot very vigorously, which I normally don't do. She checked it out, and on closer inspection she saw that one of my pads was swollen to twice its normal size! It didn't get any better on Wednesday, and in fact I started limping, so I had to go to the V-E-T on Thursday to have it checked out. They said they couldn't see what was wrong, but that I might have cut it on something. So they soaked it in iodine and wrapped it all up nice and snug and gave me some antibiotics. I can take off the wrap on Monday.

Personally, I don't see how I could have cut my foot on anything, since Mommy and Daddy have been mega-stingy with the walks lately. They are really busy, or something, blah blah. Plus it's been way too cold to go outside the past several days. We play a lot in the house, which is great. Maybe I stepped on a wayward staple or something. It's a mystery. But I'm trying to squeeze all the sympathy I can out of Mommy and Daddy. They're suckers for this sort of thing!!!

Bye for now,
Poppy the LBC

Pee Ess: We are very very sad to hear about Thrawn. He went to the Bridge yesterday and his family is very sad. Go visit them if you have a minute. He will be missed by all the DWBers.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Hello December!

Hi everydog!

I haven't been blogging much lately because my Mommy has been really busy. Something about trying to get a better job, blah, blah, blah. It's not that interesting. But I'm still here! And I've been tagged by Sparky and Patches to tell you eight things about myself. Here we go:

1) I pee in a box! It is great--I never have to go outside when it is cold or rainy or dark. And I can pee whenever I'm home alone for a while. But I won't poo in my box. So I just go on the floor if nobody lets me out. But don't tell Mommy and Daddy's friends--they'd be appalled.

2) I love my sissy Clover, but I'm also a wee bit scared of her. It's very confusing.

3) I get cold sometimes, so I have lots of sweaters and jackets. I'm wearing my red Christmas sweater right now. You can see it in our Christmas picture:

(By the way, is it weird that my parents have coordinating "house pants"?)

4) I'm a reluctant eater of dog food. And Clover is a reluctant eater of cat food. But if we could switch, oh boy! Look out!

5) I love to go camping. When I'm ready for bed I walk over to the tent and scratch on the door to say I'm ready to go inside and get in Daddy's sleeping bag.

6) I sleep under the covers in the middle of the bed. Sometimes if I feel that I need more room, I will try to use my little feets to push Mommy off the side. Can you see my feets?!


7) I am a very fast runner. And I mean VERY FAST! When I first came to live with Mommy and Daddy, they surmised that maybe I was part Italian Greyhound because I was so fast. But probably not, since I'm so small.

8) Sometimes after I've been outside for a little while (like 5 seconds), I will come back in and "fake-a-poo." This means that I spin and kick and look up expectantly so that someone will be tricked into giving me a treat. I taught my parents that trick very early on and it has paid off quite nicely in the long run!

Bye for now!
Poppy the Little Blonde Chihuahua

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Mommy's Favorite Place

Hi Everybody!

Thanksgiving was fun, but I only got a tiny bit of Tofurkey. No fair. At least I did get to spend the whole day at my Grandma and Grandpa's house. I even got to go for a walk in their neighborhood, which is always a good opportunity to read pee mails from new friends and try to lay claim to another part of the city. I was sooooo tired when we got home.

I hadn't even recuperated from my big Thursday when my parents announced that we were going to Fort Funston on Friday!!! It is my Mommy's favorite place and it is pretty high on my list too. There were, like, a bazillion dogs there with their families. And the weather was perfect! There were cliffs, but they were waaaaay to big for jumping.


There are two kinds of people who go to Fort Funston: families (+/- 4 people with 1 dog) or dog walkers (1 person with +/- 10 dogs). During the week it is filled with dog walkers. On the weekends it is filled with families. Since yesterday was a holiday, it was a mix of both--mostly families, but also some dog walkers with their holiday clients.

Mommy and Daddy brought the good treats with us, so I got to practice being off-leash a little. I did very well, even when a dog walker came by with a very large off-leash herd. I was mostly brave and only a little bit scared.

In this video you can see me following Daddy. That whooping behind us is a dog walker. She said I was cute!



Winter is high season at FF. Yesterday was our first visit of the year. We'll go back lots more this winter, I'm sure.

Bye for now!
Poppy the LBC

Pee Ess: Have you all seen LOL Dogs? It's getting better and better. And Deefor is on it if you go back a few pages!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

My Cousin Jasper

I am so happy today because my Cousin Jasper is HOME!!! He was lost all night and his parents and my parents were so worried. He was a naughty kitty and climbed out through a screen and went and hid somewhere outside. They looked and looked and looked, but it was dark and they did not find him. Everybody was sad all night.

But then...his Mommy had a dream last night that she should call Jasper from an upstairs window and he would come home over the fence. When she woke up, she did just that. And guess what! A few minutes later, Jasper walked right into the house and surprised the bejeebus out of them! He had come home over the fence and through the window, just like his Mommy had dreamed! Can you believe it???!!!

He was gone less than 24 hours, but he came home very dirty and very hungry. Don't you ever do that again, Jasper! We love you!


Bye for now,
Poppy Dog

Pee Ess: Doesn't Jasper look handsome in his walking jacket? My Sister Clover has one in purple. But she doesn't ever use hers because she's afraid of The Outdoors.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

A New Not-a-Toy

I want to start by saying THANK YOU to all the doggies and kitties who said they liked my Sooper Pooper costume and Clover's pumpkin costume. We had fun on Howloween, and we hope you did too!

I recently discovered a new toy in my house. My daddy insists that it's Not-a-Toy, but I beg to differ. It is called a hackey sack. It's like a ball, but chewier! This is a picture of me right after I discovered it:

Then Daddy taught me how to play hackey sack for real! It was fun and I got the hang of it right away!




Bye for now!
Poppy the Little Blonde Chihuahua

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Happy HOWLoween!!!

Happy Howloween everyone! I am so excited to wear my costume that I'm starting my celebrations a day early this year. And now, without further ado, I present my alter ego...

SOOPER POOPER!!!

Here I am in my SuperGirl pose (note lifted paw):

And, yes, I even know how to fly. Up, up, and away!

Mommy is very proud because she made this costume all by herself. She wants me to make sure you see all the details, so here is a closeup:
Aren't the stars on my belt cool?!

Clover dressed up too this year. Remember the other day I said I hope I didn't want to EAT her? Well, she dressed up as a pumpkin! I love pumpkin! It's one of my favorite treats! Here she is:

Don't worry--I know I can't really eat my sister. I thought she was pretty cute though. She didn't even mind being dressed up or having things taped to her back. She had just woken up, and all Mommy had to do was give her lots of chin scritches to keep her happy. I was upset that Clover was getting a lot of attention though. I wanted to know what was going on up on the top of the cabinet:

I am hoping to get lots compliments on my Sooper Pooper costume when I am out on the town tomorrow. Oh, and remember to vote in Ike's dog costume contest and Skeezix's cat costume contest. We both entered!

Bye for now!
Sooper Pooper

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Three More Days!!!

Hi everyone! I have away from my blog for a while because Mommy has been super busy this week. But I think things are starting to calm down now. And my Mommy is so great that even though she was busy, she still found time to sew my Howloween costume. It is done! And just in time for Ike's Costume Contest. Whew!

Here is a teaser picture just to get you in the mood for Howloween on Wednesday:

I am super excited to wear my costume on Wednesday. This is my Costume A. My Costume B came from a store so it is all ready. I hope I can have a photo shoot with my cousin Sivan for that one, because she is dressing up as the same thing!

My sissy Clover is dressing up too. Her costume is not as involved as mine is, but I think it will be very cute. Here is a hint: Once she is dressed up I hope I don't want to EAT HER!

Speaking of Clover, here is what she has been doing a lot of lately (although not so much in the last week because it has been in the 70s all week!):


Do you see how she has strategically placed herself on the fuzzy carpet right in front of the heater? Now myself, I'm a little afraid of the heater. It makes scary growling and blowing noises at random unpredictable intervals. I don't like to walk by it when it's growling. The funny thing is, that's the exact time when Clover likes it the best!

Only three more days until Howloween!!!!!
See you then!
Poppy

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Camping and Beaching and Pumpkins, Oh My!

Over the weekend we went camping for Mommy's birthday. We went to a state park named after the redwoods, except there were no redwoods in sight when we got there! How can they put "redwoods" in the title if there aren't any? Oh well. We still had fun!

There were no redwoods at our campsite, but at least we had a good view!

Mommy finally figured out how to be warm at night when we camp. She sleeps in two sleeping bags. Yes, TWO! And that meant that I was extra warm too. I was so cozy that Mommy even took off my fleece jacket halfway through the night. But when we got out of the tent the next morning...oh boy was it cold! While Daddy cooked breakfast, I sat on Mommy's lap wrapped up in my fleece sweater, my fleece-lined rain coat, and Mommy's gray fleece.

I am always reluctant to eat when I'm away from home, so Mommy and Daddy make me special camping foods. This time it was crunchy brown foods, oatmeal, and one chewy Wellness treat, all mixed together with hot water. Oh, it was pretty delicious.

(Although Mommy did have to spoon feed me the last few bites. Shh, don't tell!)

After we packed up camp we had lunch at our favorite beach! Isn't this sandstone cool?

We don't have too many pictures of the beach from this day because it was so cold that we only stayed a little while.

Next was the best part. We went pumpkin hunting!

This was really fun because you all know how much I love pumpkin, right? I ran all around and sniffed all the pumpkins and dug in the mud with my claws. (When we got home Mommy had to give me a foot bath!) I even got to go on a hayride!



Does this count as a hayride? Well, anyway, it was fun!

Mommy said this birthday kicked last-year-birthday's @$$. She even said it was her best birthday ever! I think so too!

Bye for now!
Poppy

Friday, October 12, 2007

Peanut Butter Dog



The other day Mommy thought it would be fun to give me some peanut butter as a treat. She had just made me a treat-stuffed kong with a frozen peanut butter plug, but it wasn't frozen yet, so she thought it would only be fair to give me a treat in the meantime.

I am an expert at eating peanut butter, as I have done it many times before. If you need any tips, please feel free to watch this instructional video:



As you can see, it helps to move your head slowly side to side, like I did in the video. Mommy seemed to think this was very funny. I'm not sure why, since clearly it worked.

Bye for now!
Poppy the Little Blonde Chihuahua

Pee Ess:
Only 19 more days until Howloween when I reveal my costume A and my costume B!
Also, I get to go camping this weekend for Mommy's birthday. Wee Hee!

Pee Pee Ess:
And I'm a little sad because Wally's Mom's Huskies beat my Cardinal tonight in volleyball.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Wubba Snugga!

Yesterday was my Grandma's birthday, so we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner last night. I got to wear my party collar, and then later I wore my party coat when it got cold. Here I am in my party collar that my Mommy made for me:


To keep me occupied while everyone was cooking, Mommy and Daddy brought a new toy for me. It's called a Kong Wubba Snugga and I LOVE IT!!! Watch out Wubba, I'm gonna get you:



It is just the greatest toy ever! It has fuzziness like a stuffie, and it has tentacles like a tug toy, and it has roundness like a ball. I am in Wubba heaven!


And at the store yesterday they also got me some new treats that are made in the US, which makes Mommy feel a little better about food safety concerns. They are so yummy!


Bye for now!
Poppy the wubba lover

very important Pee Ess:

Okay, now for the interview questions that I promised Dobby and ChaChi.

DOBBY:
1) How do you feel about this test your parents passed? What do you think their prize will be?
2) You and Scarlett look pretty cozy in some of your pictures. What is it like having a sister? Would you recommend it to a friend?
3) How would you describe the perfect day? What would you do?
4) What is the weather like where you live? Do you have to wear jackets and stuff? Are you pro- or anti-jacket?
5) This one is for Scarlett: How did you learn how to climb over your ex-pen? Are you part monkey?

CHA CHI:
1) I notice that you have two human small people in your house. How do you accomplish stealing so much attention from them? What is your best technique?
2) I have heard that Minny-Soty is a very cold place? How do you survive there during the winter? Do you have snowsuits?
3) What is the best vacation you have ever been on? Where did you go? What did you do?
4) You are a very smart doggy to have learned how to go potty in a box. What is your favorite kind of litterbox and litter? What are the advantages of being able to poo in a box?
5) This one is for Jet: What is it like having an older sister? Does she boss you around?

Have fun!
Poppy

Friday, October 5, 2007

My First Interview

Hi Everyone!

Tadpole said he would interview me! This is a fun game...er, I mean, a very serious journalistic exercise. He asked me FIVE questions, plus a bonus question! I will do my best to answer them properly. Here goes:

INTRO question) Do you think I'm cute? If yes, please explain. If no, please pretend I didn't ask that. Okay, that was just a practice one, but I still want you to answer it but only if your answer is YES.

Oh, Tadpole, I think you are definitely in the Cutie-Poo club. As the founding (and currently the only) member, I can say this with certainty. Here is why I think you are Cutie-Poo, in no particular order. First, your freckles. As I've said before, they are very well-placed. And they are also brown, which is one of my favorite colors. Second, your lips. They are so soft-looking! My Mommy especially loves them because--don't tell anyone--she has a thing for dog lips. She thinks they're neat. Third, your ears. You wear them at such a jaunty angle! Mine only go up, so I am intrigued by dogs who can wear them down or flapped back inside out. Fourth, the way you sometimes sit with one paw up in the air. That's just like me! And finally, the way you look in fashions. You always look so nice when you dress up.

1) Please tell us why, in your opinion, the CUBS are better than the San Francisco Giants. And are you bitterly disappointed that they are not in the play-offs and the CUBS are?

Hmm. This is a hard one. Is a Cub like a little bear? If so, I have never met one. But then again, I have never met a Giant either. I have been to two baseball games that were supposedly played by "Giants," but I never saw a giant either time. What a rip off. So maybe a Cub is a kind of bear who plays baseball. Cool! I would pay to see that! And as for these "playoff" things, I have to tell you the truth. I only like baseball because of the outfits I get to wear.

2) What's it like going to the beach? Do you ever go in the water?! Do you get to ride your bike there?

The beach is the absolute best! I can't explain why, but as soon as my feet touch sand, I have to RUN!!! Running in sand is so much fun! If you don't have a beach near you, you can recreate this effect at a playground. Try it! As for going in the water, I did it once sort of accidentally. I was caught up in the moment, and before I knew it, my feet were wet up to my ankles! Brrr! As anyone who has ever been to the beach in northern California knows, you DO NOT go in the water without a wetsuit.

Here is a picture of how I got wet at the beach: I wasn't paying attention!
We cannot ride our bikes to the beach because it's too far, but occasionally we will ride them at the beach. The time we did that it was very windy and cold. Luckily, I am a skilled bike-rider, and I was able to steer the bike even though I was very very cold. I had to wear my sweater, see:

3) If you were forced to get rid of ALL your toys except one, due to some catastrophic event in the lives of all doggins world wide, which toy would you keep?

Oh, you sure do know how to ask the tough questions, Tad. I can narrow it down to two choices, but how will I ever pick between my beloved purple loofah dog and my soft bite floppy disc (aka, frisbee)?! My frisbee is good for flinging, but my loofah dog is good for both flinging and squeaking. I think I have to choose loofah.

4) What do you do to entertain youself when your mom and dad aren't home?

Oh, that's easy. I don't even have to tell you. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Mommy and Daddy's favorite game when they get home is to run around the house and feel for the warm spot that gives away where I was sleeping. More often than not, it's on the bed.

5) What one thing would you change to make the world more dog-friendly? (I know that's pretty open-ended, but interpret it any way you want and go for it!)

Mommy can think of lots and lots and lots of ways to make the world more animal- and people-friendly. But if we're just talking about dogs, that's easy. I would make a law that dogs have to be given the same respect and privileges as children. That would mean dogs could go in a restaurant, they could go on an airplane and sit in their Mommy's lap, they could go in any store, they couldn't be left outside on a chain all day, parents who hit their dogs would go to jail, dog food would be made to the same standards that children's food is (ie, not poisoned with melamine), etc. You get the idea. Here's a picture of me eating at an outside restaurant. I'm not dirty, I'm not mean. Why can't I come inside?

Gee, that was fun! Thanks, Tad!
If you want to play too, here's how:

If YOU'D like to be interviewed, let me know! Here are the rules:
1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave me a comment saying, 'interview me.'
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.*
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

*Maybe we should put the questions in the interviewee's comments section. Would that work?

Pee Ess-- Look! I invented something! It's an official 100% Cutie-Poo badge!!! I hereby give this badge to Tadpole, with the understanding that he may pass it on to other Cutie-Poo doggies, if he so chooses. (I hope he does--the more, the merrier!)

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

chicken jerky recall???

Mommy read this morning about a chicken dog-jerky recall. Now she is freaking out because the new special treats I told you all about are CHICKEN JERKY MADE IN CHINA!!! Does anyone know anything else about this? A little chihuahua died after eating three chicken jerky strips from WalMart. Here's the link:
http://www.itchmo.com/wal-mart-removes-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-after-dog-death-2321

love,
Poppy

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Mommy Was Hoping It Would Fit...

...but it didn't.
This is the sweater my Mommy wore when she was a baby. And then my Aunt Meg wore it when she was a baby too. And then Mommy's first dog Muffin wore it whenever it was chilly outside. She was a Tibetan terrier/fox terrier mix. I've been told she was very cute. As cute as me...I'm not sure.

Anyhowl, Mommy really wanted the sweater to fit me too. She was going to be so happy if it did. But it didn't. Muffin was about 15 pounds, and I'm only 9 1/4, so it was way too big. Too bad for Mommy. But, to tell you the truth, I prefer all my other sweaters more. This one was so baggy in the tummy area that it was hard to walk.

Ah, yes, much better!

In other news: Howloween update! Mommy has a neat costume planned for me. And my friends bought me a very ferocious green costume at the store. So now I have costume A and costume B!!!

Bye for now!
Poppy

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Extra, Extra, Read All About Me!

I was tagged by Team Tabby! They are two of my new Not of My Species Special Friends. I like them because they are very beautiful and puffy-looking and they have fun indoor adventures. This tag is about sharing some interesting information about yourself. I hope you find me as interesting as I do! But first, the rules:

* Link to your tagger and post these rules.
* Write some facts about yourself: some random, some weird, some just plain fun.
* Tag 7 animals at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
* Let those 7 animals know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.
* The challenge is to keep it interesting without making the reader think “Um, too much information…”


1) One of my favorite and most useful hobbies is shredding paper. Mommy and Daddy love it when I do this:

2) I am a very very fast runner. I am always the fastest dog at the little dog park. Even though I had a broken pelvis when I was young. Impressed?

3) I like produce. No, wait. I LOVE produce. Including, but not limited to, asparagus, apples, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, and blackberries. Here's me with some pumpkin:

4) I like to sleep under the covers. I only weigh 9 ¼ pounds, but my parents probably need to consider getting a king size bed in the near future because I like to take up a lot of room.

5) I mostly like to play with other chihuahuas at the dog park. I don’t know why. Something is nice about being with my fellow kin.

6) Sometimes people look at me and say “Yo quiero Taco Bell.” I do not think this is funny. If people are going to say this to me, I should at least get to eat there for free. But I don’t. What is up with that? Any insights, Dobby?

7) When I’m in the car I ride in a carseat. Always. I think it is the safe thing to do.

8) I love my sister Clover (even if I am a little scared to walk past her sometimes).

For my last few facts, I will share some information about my sissy Clover. I love her!

9) Clover turns five years old tomorrow! (At least that’s when my parents decided her birthday should be. We’re not really sure.)

10) Clover has a special sleepy meow that she does when she is sleeping or has just woken up. It is very different from her awake meow.

11) Clover grew up in Santa Cruz with a hoarder. That means she lived with a lady who had almost 30 cats. That’s a lot of cats! Then the lady died, and Clover and all of her siblings and cousins had to find new homes. Because of this early traumatic experience, Clover does not really like other people. Only our parents, and Grandma, and Uncle DJ. That’s it. That’s why she doesn’t blog. So sometimes I will say things about her in my blog because she is too shy to speak for herself.

Hmm, I don't know who to tag. Seven is a lot. But I think I would like to know some random facts about ChaChi Lu and Jet, my fellow chihuahua mixes!


Bye for now!
Poppy the Little Blonde Chihuahua

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Long Awaited Video & Fun Name Game

Hi! Now that we know how to post video, I promise to post more movies of me doing cute stuff. Here is the one that I promised you long ago of me barking at my very first Frosty Heart:

Don't laugh! It was very frustrating, and I had to tell that heart what was what. And you can ignore Mommy's commentary at the end--I totally knew what to do with it! I just had to have a little chat with it first!

And now here is a fun thing my Mommy found on somebody else's blog. She clicked on "next blog" the other day just to see what would happen, and we saw some poor dog-less person's blog. Not nearly as on-the-edge-0f-your-seat-exciting as my blog, of course, but there was this fun name game. I guess you would call it a Meme?? So I decided to do it, because it made me and Mommy laugh. Here it is:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Clover Carseat (Do sisters count as pets? Do carseats count as cars?)
2. YOUR GANGSTER NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Soygurt Peanutbutter
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Orange Peoples
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Poopers San Jose (don’t have middle name; using nickname instead)
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Dwi-Po
6. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Yellow Water (that sounds gross somehow)
7. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Ken Dennis
8. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Cat Poop Chicken Strips (Do chicken strips count as candy?)
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Garner Lee
10.TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
What’s 5th grade?
11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Summer Poppy
12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Blackberry Collary
13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Crunchy Brown Foods Grass (I like grass better than trees)
14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your favorite hobby/craft, favorite weather element + “Tour”)
The Paper-Shredding Sunshine Tour

See, wasn't that fun? Shall I tag someone to play? How about if I tag everyone whose name ends in "y." That should cover a lot of us!

Bye for now!
Poppy Dog

Monday, September 24, 2007

Little Dog, Little Cliff

Look! I went to the beach on Sunday and jumped off a cliff with my Daddy!


And see how I'm off-leash? We got these new treats that I looooooove, and I heard Mommy and Daddy say that all of a sudden I am 10 times smarter than before. I'm smart!

And then I jumped again with my Mommy! We are totally airborne here. She jumped so high her head jumped right out of the top of the picture. Or maybe Daddy just doesn't have the proper camera skills for this activity.

Weeeeee! When can we do it again???!!!

Bye for now,
Poppy the High Flying Cliff Jumper