Bath Day

Since my hair is super long, sometimes things get a little "sticky" in certain areas. I am always very patient and stay super still while Linda cleans me up with the baby wipes. Today, she decided that I needed an entire bath. She put a towel down in the tub so I would have some traction, then gave me a bath/shower using the hand held shower head. I stood perfectly still and even let her roll me over on my back in the 1" of water so she could scrub my tummy. Weird, but I actually liked the feeling of the warm water and being massaged with the puppy shampoo. I don't like the hair dryer AT ALL, so she just toweled me off and let me air dry the rest of the way. She would take a photo but her camera is in the car, so you'll just have to believe me that I look adorable as this little pooch.

Pass the Popcorn

In just 3 days I will be celebrating my second year anniversary blogging. Tonight we watched the DVD Julie and Julia. The girl wrote a daily blog about cooking. It was picked up by a publisher and turned into a best selling book, then made into a movie. Couldn't you just see Choopieslife as a movie? I would play myself, of course. Here I am practicing looking out of my dressing room. Tierney is such a great writer, she would write the screen play as well as play herself. Chip cat would need an actress cat since she is too stubborn and feisty to do what the director says. Snickers role would require a very special dog since he was a Prince. Who would play Linda?

Vampuper

Holy Twilight! Doesn't the dog in the coffin look exactly like me? When I saw this photo, I freaked out. The scary thing is that I lay exactly like that all the time.

Will Work For Alpo

Poor Wam, Trigger, Major, Junior, Bret, Bandit and Austin. They are all being laid off from work because of the tough economic times in San Diego. The workers have been very popular and are favorites of the San Diego people. All these workers are police horses that have patrolled San Diego's Balboa Park. They are being sold at an online auction. Starting Feb. 1, you can bid on one of the horses by going to publicsurplus.com. Not only are the horses losing their jobs, 1/3 of the city's police dogs are also being laid off. Linda would just love to adopt one of the police dogs.

Snow, Snow Go Away!

Another snow storm! The weather man said it was just going to be a dusting or 1". Let's see, it started snowing at 9:30 a.m. and it is still snowing at 7:00 p.m. Linda left early for work, then Jerry came over to dog sit me around 11:00 a.m. He cooked me chicken, played catch, tug-0-war, and then I took a long nap on his lap while he drew pictures of monkey monsters. After Linda came home and they went to lunch (Jerry had Sushi, which I think is live fish wrapped in rice and seaweed,) I tried to go outside to play, but that lasted all of 23 seconds before I ran back to the door. By now the snow is over my head. Yuck. Double Yuck. 48 days til Spring! 141 days til Summer!

Call 911!

Firemen responded to a rooftop fire at a Houston shopping center yesterday. When they arrived they saw a giant blowup gorilla on the roof of the center on fire! Part of the gorilla deflated and landed on some hot lights setting the roof ablaze. Moral of the story: don't let gorilla's play on your roof.

: P

Brain Slug

I usually never miss a day, how did I forget to post something yesterday? It must be because I have a brain slug. It was a really busy day for Linda and then Jerry came over in the evening. I love playing with him, he rolls around on the floor with me and plays tug-o-war with my toys. I'm even going over to his house again on Saturday. Hope Ink Cat is nicer to me this time. These cupcakes are decorated as brain slugs, do you think they look very appetizing?

Willy Wonkers

Fashion trends come and go. My new plaid Woolrich coat is retro, but very in style right now. My very first jacket, a navy blue pea coat... is still a popular classic years and years since it first debuted. This new trend seems a little unusual. Runways around the world are now featuring models strutting the catwalk wearing creations entirely made out of chocolate. Last week I featured a wedding dress that doubled as a wedding cake. I hope Linda follows the trend and gets me a new sweater made out of chicken! Woot!!

Where the term Fat Cat came from

Here I am worrying about my one pound gain when I came across this photo. This cat makes me look like a stick figure. Whoa! I bet his waist is as big around as Linda's. (I'm not saying Linda is fat, you know what I mean.) You've got to eat a lot of Little Friskies to get that big. I guess he thinks there is just more of him to love. Makes me glad that Chip is a normal size cat. If she was this big and tried to sit on me, I would be crushed.

Better Call Jenny Craig

We got a little postcard from my vet that says I'm due for a check-up. Not good news. The last time I went the Dr. told me I needed to lose a pound. Linda is sure I gained a pound since that visit. With the cold weather and snow, there were days I did not exercise. Now that it is a little milder, I'm getting out 2 times a day for a mile each time. Unfortunately, the winter chub is still packed around my mid-section. Maybe I should cut back for a week or so and see if I can drop the weight before my appointment. How embarrassing. This photo is my so-called perfect
weight when I was 1 year old: 3 1/2 pounds.

RIP Mr. Otto

The oldest dog in the world, Otto, died just 31 days before his 21st birthday. In dog years he was 146 years old. His owners are just devastated, to be sure. He had a tumor in his tummy. Otto's last days were just like any other. He slept with his human and woke him up with a kiss just like always. He bought his ball to play like every other morning, but after fetching the ball once, Otto laid back down to sleep some more. This was highly unusual. After an emergency trip to the Vet, it was recommended that for his own comfort, Otto made his final trip and crossed over the rainbow bridge. Linda knows exactly how the man must feel. She was so sad after Snickers died at the ripe old age of 91.

Aye Caramba!

OK everyone, I don't want to hear any jokes about how much this critter looks like me. This is the Aye Aye, a semi-hairless nocturnal mammal that lives in Madagascar. The Aye Aye is in danger of becoming extinct because village people believe they are an evil omen and they kill them on sight. See those long fingers? They tap on trees to find grubs then gnaw holes in the wood so they can use their long fingers to pull out the grubs. Pretty smart, huh? Personally, I think he's adorable!

What's In a Name?

My real name is Chalupa, but everyone calls me Choopie. Even Linda got confused. She registered my dog license under Chalupa when I was a puppy. She got another bill the next year and forgetting she registered me as Chalupa, she wrote Choopie on the form. This year we received two bills from the county. One for a dog named Chalupa and one for a dog named Choopie. Linda called the dog tag people and explained the mix up, but they were not buying it. She had to talk to a supervisor to get it all straightened out. In England, a 19-year old boy had a normal name: George Garratt. Thinking George was too vanilla, he decided to legally get his name changed. His choice: Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash Combined. His Grandmother is so mad at Captain.....Combined that she is not even speaking to him. If he ever gets married, I'm sure his wife will keep her own last name.

I'm Not Fat, I'm Fluffy!

Wow! It's over 60 degrees out. I did not even need to wear a coat on our mid-morning walk. It would have been perfect but the ground was so spongy from all the rain that my paws got all muddy. Linda was thinking of taking me to the groomers since I still have my long winter coat. I hope this is the real deal and not a tease. It will probably ice up and be freezing tomorrow. She better wait a couple more weeks to see if we are really heading towards mild weather. If I get my hair cut and it gets cold again, I'll freeze! Here is before and after photos. Do you like the short or long hair?

No Bones About It!

This is so exciting! I'll finally be a star. For just $23.99, I am going to get my adorable face on a real Milk Bone box. All we do is send them a photo and I will be front and center of my very own box of Milk Bones! I am so jacked-up that I can't sit still. We are going to do a photo shoot so Linda can get a really good picture. UPDATE: I did some more research on this promotion. Apparently, I'm the only one that likes the idea. People are saying it is stupid and you could just cut and paste a photo of your dog on a $4.00 box of Milk Bones you buy at Target. Some people are even saying it's akin to a missing child on a milk carton and the promotion is in bad taste. I don't care what they say, I want a real Milk Bone box with my picture. Linda can keep filling in up when I eat up all the treats inside.

Puss in Boots

One of Linda's favorite sites is peopleofwalmart.com. Shoppers take photos of other shoppers outfits, hairdos and shopping habits and post it on the site. Some of the pictures are so horrible they hurt your eyes. Some of them are so crazy that they have to be setups. I wonder if anyone got a photo of Robert Jenkins as he strolled the Walmart aisles. The 21-year old man was arrested at an Ohio Walmart for peeing in the meat case. He destroyed over $600 worth of steaks. The man is being held in jail since he could not come up with the $25,000 bond. I wonder if cat lady found what she was looking for?

Pig-Pig

Pig-Pig is a miracle pig. When Pig Pig was born, the mother accidentally crushed him flat as a pancake. Mom died right after giving birth to the litter. Pig Pig was not breathing and Farmer Olson thought the piglet was a goner. He picked up the baby and began snout to mouth CPR. After 5 minutes, the piglet started breathing on it's own. Unfortunately, with the mother pig dead, chances for survival were slim for pancake piglet. Knowing he would need a mom to stay alive, Farmer Olson put the piggy with his farm dog who just had a litter of puppies. At first the dog was wary of the newborn piglet, but she accepted it as one of her own and raised Pig Pig with the rest of her puppies. Only problem is not the pig thinks she is a dog.

Is It Snack Time Yet?

I Don't Get It Either

I'm full. Full of the most delicious dinner I've ever had. I had leftovers from Tierney's birthday celebration tonight. Linda, as always, ordered a salad with the chicken on the side. But as an added treat, I got a 1/2 of a leftover burger from Tierney's dinner. Linda cut it all up together in little pieces and mixed a tablespoon of it into my regular food. OH MY! I ate it all up and then sat in front of my plate crying because it was gone. After dinner, they went shopping. Tier is spending the rest of the night at friends house. Linda and I are spending the rest of the night snuggling on our chair and then getting to bed early since we are both tired. We did an extra long walk this afternoon since the weather was so balmy.

Happy Birthday Tier!

Tomorrow is Tierney's 23rd birthday. For her pre-birthday dinner, Tierney choose to go to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. She got 3 beautiful dresses from Linda and a complete baking and food storage set from Sarah and Taylor. I'm glad they had fun, but ahem....Linda, did you know I was home alone for 10 hours without a walk?!? Thankfully, the second thing she did (the first was feed me since I was faint with hunger) was take me for a 30 minute walk so I could take care of some necessary business.

Not So Smart Pet Smart

Losing your job can be one of the worse things to happen to you. Or it could be the best thing that happens to you. In the case of Eric Favetta, it was the best thing. Eric was a PetSmart employee. As a favor to his boss, he agreed to work an overnight shift, plus his usually daytime shift. (16 hours total) Martha Stuart was coming to visit their store and the manager wanted it to look special. Eric did not want his big dog Gizmo to be home alone all that time, so he bought him with him while he cleaned and straightened the store. The store was closed and no other employees were present. He put Gizmo into the doggy-day care area and periodically checked on him while he cleaned. When the manager found out, Eric got fired for stealing. Apparently, using the doggie day care without paying for it was the same as if he stole a 40 pound bag of food. What the heck? The company eventually hired him back at another store since the press got a hold of the story. Eric used to be a military dog handler. A canine search and rescue company who heard about his plight hired Eric to work for them. In this case, being fired was ultimately a great career move. No word on what Martha thought of the store.

Chicken Likin' Good

Linda must love me lots. Today she went to the grocery store and bought me a big bag of frozen skinless chicken tenderloins. Each one cooks in the microwave in just 2 minutes. They are the perfect size for me. One little tender will be enough for Linda to chop up and add to my Little Cesar. I just had one for lunch and it was divine. Plus, I got the added excitement of smelling it cooking. The past few weeks, Linda has been bringing me home the chicken from her salads when she eats out. She always asks the waiter to bring it on the side and she wraps it up for me. I'm not the only one who loves chicken. A stock boy in a UK grocery store was filmed licking the raw chickens before he put the meat case. Beside his chicken licking, he smashed eggs, and peed in a food bin. The judge sentenced him to jail time. I just hope he does not pull cafeteria duty while he is in jail.

Cruisin'

Tierney has posted her cruise photos on Facebook. If you friends with her, check them out. It looks like they had a wonderful time. I'm so happy that they got back OK and did not get stuck in an earthquake or tsunami. Love you Tier!!

Let Them Eat Cake

A few weeks ago I saw an interesting fashion trend. Converse has made a pair of jeans with the sneakers attached to the bottom of the pants. You slide your leg into the pants, then right into the shoe. Pretty convenient, huh? Not as convenient as this wedding dress though. A dress designer/baker has combined the wedding dress with the wedding cake. You actually wear your cake! I'm not sure how you walk in it and you definitely can't sit down. Your friends and family better be prepared to eat a lot of cake or it will be one messy wedding night!!

RIP Mr. Casper

Mr. Casper, the bus riding cat was killed in a hit and run accident this week. The 12-year old cat never saw the car that hit him. Casper continued his daily bus ride until the day he died.
This is a copy of my post on 8/9/09:

Everyday for the last few months Mr. Casper has been getting on the No. 3 bus at the stop across the street from his house. He patiently waits in line to board the bus with the other riders. He makes the 11 mile ride to Plymouth and back each day. He has his favorite seat right behind the bus driver (who has become a good friend.) Since he is a senior citizen, he has been riding the bus free of charge. Susan Finden waits patiently every afternoon for Casper to get off the bus. Then they go inside and she feeds him a late lunch of Purina Cat Chow. Oh, I forgot to mention Mr. Casper is her cat. Everyone looks out for Casper to make sure no new passengers kick him off the bus. The video shows him relaxing on his seat until he nears his stop. He then jumps down and waits at the bus door for it to open. I guess cats can be pretty smart too!

I Heart Linda

I love the new pedometer/heart rate monitor Sarah and Taylor gave Linda for Christmas. I love her, but she can be a little OCD when it comes to numbers. Today at the end of our morning walk, I got to walk a little longer. We went past our house and down a court because she did not want to stop at .84 of a mile. The other day, she was at 14.78 miles and went back out for a short jog at night to get it to 15 miles for the day. It seems like I'm getting more and longer walks which is A-OK with me! She also is obsessed with getting her heart rate up to 160 while she is teaching the hard classes. I hope she doesn't workout too hard or too long and hurt herself. Then we won't be going on any walks!

Yo Quiero Taco Bell

The founder of Taco Bell, Glen Bell died today. I love that he used a Chihuahua as his spokesperson. Some fast food joints use clowns, red-headed girls with braids, cows who stand up, kings in crowns and southern men with white beards. All of those are so lame compared to a talking Chihuahua. Thank you Mr. Bell (and Paris Hilton) for making Chihuahua's so popular.

I Have a Dream...

I have been reading up on Martin Luther King. Today is the day we commemorate his life. I thought he was a real king, but Linda said that he was more then that. Mr. King was born a long time ago, in 1929 and was a Baptist minister who fought for civil rights. Together, Linda and I read his I Have a Dream speech and some of his famous quotes. One that stuck out to us: "We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was legal." Pretty scary.

Smile!

Tierney told us that there was a Pomeranian on her cruise. It was a seizure detection dog. His owner was in a wheelchair and the pooch had to go everywhere the man want in case the man were to have a dangerous seizure. The little guy is trained to warn the man before the seizure starts so he can immediately take some medicine. Tierney said that the dog was so adorable and had so much personality that she wants to get one of her own. I would be so happy if I got a sister or brother to play with. This dog looks like he is LOL!

ETA = 4:00 p.m.

Today is the day Tier comes home from her vacation. Linda is counting the hours until her plane lands. Even though it has only been 9 days since she has seen Tier, she said it feels like a month. She has recovered from the earthquake scare last Tuesday when she did not know if Tier was in Haiti or at sea when it hit. She'll never let Tierney go on cruise again unless she knows the exact itinerary, cruise ship name, and the days and islands where the ship will dock. UPDATE: Tierney got home safe and sound. Linda took her to dinner and grocery shopping since her fridge was empty. I did not get any prizes because Tier spent all her money at an art auction! That's OK, my prize is that she is home safe.

Best Life Ever

Another exciting Saturday! Since Linda had a long work day (8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) I got to spend the morning and early afternoon at Jerry's house. We took 2 walks, the first one was 40 minutes long. Then we watched cartoons, napped and played with toys. Jerry took Linda to lunch when she got done teaching. (Her new heart rate watch/pedometer said she went 15 miles teaching 4 classes so she was starving.) They bought me home the broiled chicken from their salads since they are both vegetarians. Delicious!! Now, it's nap time again. What a wonderful life I have: sleep, walk, eat, play, walk, play, eat some more and then top it off with a nap on Linda's lap. Woo-Hoo.

Play Date

It was a long day today since I was home alone for almost 8 hours. I had a long walk this morning and another one this evening. I played with my toys, napped, snacked on some dry food and annoyed Chip cat. It would sure be nice if I had another dog to keep me company. In Houston there was a lonely Pitt Bull looking for a playmate. He was wandering around the neighborhood looking for something to do. He came upon a house with a little Yorkie and Chihuahua inside. He broke in through a screen window and had an awesome play date with the two little dogs. Unfortunately in the process, they trashed the house. The owner came home to find pee-pee on her carpet; a turned over stereo system and destroyed furniture. Her two pups were totally fine and having the time of their lives! The Pitt was taken to the pound and will be available for adoption if the owner does not come forward. (This is not the actual Pitt and Chihuahua, but I love this photo. It reminds me of Snickers and I when he was alive.)

How Many Points is That?

Before I came to live with her, Linda used to be a Weight Watcher leader. She would weigh people and help them lose weight. After the weigh-in, she would give a 3o-minute pep talk about drinking lots of water and not scarfing down Milky Ways. She liked it at first but she eventually got tired of counting all those points and checking off all those little boxes. There was one lady who used to take off her dress right in the middle of the meeting room before she weighed in. Another person would take off her wedding rings and watch before she weighed. She saw all sorts of crazy stuff, but never experienced what happened in a meeting room in Sweden. Twenty members were standing in line waiting for their turn on the scale. All of a sudden the floor gave way and crashed in! Sewage pipes broke and a horrible stink started wafting through the room. WW workers moved the scales out in to the hallway of the building and they continued to weigh people in!

Worn Out

Linda is sitting on the couch barely able to move. She taught 6 classes today and practiced 30 minutes of her new routine (plus took a 20 minute walk with me!) She went a little over 14 miles on her pedometer. Her poor legs are quivering. If I could make her some dinner, I would. She said she is too tired to go into the kitchen to cook something. I told her to call Domino's for pizza delivery, but she said the phone is too far. That cheesy goodness looks delicious. Maybe I'll go fetch the phone and carry it to her in my mouth.

The Musical

Tierney just loves musicals. She used to walk around the house making up songs about her life. For instance, one of Linda's favorites was "My boots, my boots... I lost My boots." She usually put everything to a Disney tune, but sometimes she made up the tune herself. Once there was a TV show called "Buffy, The Musical" and she watched it 20 times. For her birthday present, I'm going to send her to Berlin to enjoy a new musical production opening this weekend. It's called "Hope-the Obama Musical Story." It focuses on his "Yes We Can" campaign and features love songs to Michelle and duets with Hillary Clinton. Even John McCain and Sarah Palin will be belting out songs about their losing run for office. Over thirty singers and actors will take the stage in this mesmerizing stage production. Tier, are you so excited?

I Told You So

Scientists have known that dogs sometimes show a "sixth sense". In North Carolina, a dog was lolling on the floor of an office just chilling out. Out of nowhere, he jumped up and bolted out the front door. Seconds later, an earthquake struck and the building started shaking. How did the pooch know that the earthquake was about to hit? That's what scientists are now studying. Could dogs predict future earthquakes and help save lives? The wild look in my eye? That's because it just snowed 2 feet and I was seriously stressed.

Please Pray

Please pray for all the people effected by the horrible earthquake in Haiti. It is one of the stops on Tierney's cruise this week and Linda did not know when it was stopping there. I'm trying to keep Linda calm, but she has been freaking out. Since Tier did not book her own trip, she was unable to tell Linda before she left the name of the ship she was sailing on and did not even know the cruise line! Breath Linda, she will be OK.
UPDATE: She is on Royal Caribbean. The ship docks 100 miles from the where the earthquake hit. Linda has finally sat down and stopped pacing. UPDATE 2: Just got an email from Tier... she is fine!

Choopie's Angels

From the left... Linda, Gretel (Sarah's sister) Tier and Sarah all relaxing after dinner at Sarahs. I think it's funny that they all look related. Sarah and Tier really look like twins sometimes. It's so wonderful to be a small (5 pound small) part of such a warm, loving family. I feel so sorry for all the dogs stuck in shelters right now. If you don't have a dog as part of your family, visit your local shelter and adopt a pooch of your own. We will love you unconditionally for life. Promise.

Just 99,999 More Reps

Linda is doing that crazy thing again where she lays on the floor, punches the air and does all sorts strange things. This happens about 6 times a year and lasts for weeks. She said she is practicing her "exercise" routine. I kind of like it because she lets me sit on her chest while she does sit ups and she stretches me while she stretches. We've both worked up an appetite, so it's off to the kitchen to find something for lunch.

Birthday Girl

Today is Sarah's 22nd birthday! Happy Birthday to Taylor's sweet wife. I'm so glad you married him and took him from my house. Nothing against Taylor, but he picks me up high in the air and makes me fly all around like an airplane. Definitely not my favorite thing to do. Thank you for the leftover chicken you sent home with Linda after your birthday lunch. She took the skin off and rinsed it off so it would not taste lemony. It was so delicious mixed into my regular food. I heard there was some amazing cheesecake, would you save a piece for me too?

CCD

Finally, a research study that actually makes sense. Scientists at two major Universities, Tufts and UMass, spent $70K on a study to find out why dogs sometimes exhibits strange behavior. The answer: Canine Compulsive Disorder or CCD. Just like humans with OCD, between 2-5% of dogs exhibit the same neurotic patterns. It all boils down to a single wacky canine chromosome. Some dogs have to turn around 5 times before they lay down, some paw the carpet or suck a blanket. Linda laughs at me, but I have 6 little rituals I always do. #1: When I jump off the big bed, I have to walk over to the vent on the floor next to the bathroom before I go out the bedroom door. #2: I spin around 3 times before I go number 2. #3: When I get up on the new chair in the den, I have to walk the entire perimeter of the room before I approach the couch. #4: I have to dig, dig, and dig some more on the blankets to make a hole for me to lay in. #5. I can only chew my cookie bones in Linda's bedroom. If her door is shut, I cry and cry until she opens it. #6: I only let Linda put my harness and coat on when I sit on the third step.

Udder Nonsense

OK, I'm officially grossed out now. I just found out that a certain "A" (maybe B-) list celebrity bathes in cow brains because he says it sharpens his brain when he plays poker with his buds. He actually rubs some on his arms right before the first hand of cards are dealt. I know Taylor loves poker, maybe I should tell him about this trick to play smarter. I think that it must just stink so bad that people let you win just to get you to leave the table quicker. Actually, I always thought cows were dumb. If you can think of a funny quote for these poker playing cows, you can win a prize. Check out the guys web site at the corner of the photo and enter. Tell him Choopie sent you.