Love Me Some Tierney!

Linda had a long day today. She left this morning and did not get home until after 8 p.m. Tierney was kind enough to come by after work at 5:00 to feed me and take me for a walk. I am so fortunate to have so many people in my life that love me and are willing to come and take care of me when Linda is unable to. I'm super excited about the Dog Fiesta tomorrow. We are going to have so much fun! I hope it is not so hot that I have a seizure. That would put a damper on the festivities. I'll be posting some awesome photos tomorrow night. We love this photo of Sarah and Tierney. Even though they look like sisters, they are really just related by marriage.

Spring is Sprung

Linda took some spring time photos of me during our walk this afternoon. Look how happy I am in the bottom shot. I love walking outside and when the weather is as beautiful as it is right now, life is good! Plus, I'm so happy because this weekend I have an actual lunch date! The two friends I'm meeting are Bella (a Yorkie) and Bo (a wiener dog). We are going to a place called Clydes that has an outside eating area. After lunch, we are all going to a dog festival. I told Linda I would be on my best behavior and not embarrass her by growling at the other dogs. She is going to bring my carry-me bag just in case I get nervous. As soon as I jump in my bag, I immediately calm down since it is my safe place.

Not So Happy Meals

I want these toys from the Micky D's happy meals! Look how cute the puppies are! A few months ago I blogged about local government wanting to take the happy out of kids happy meals. Now, for the first time, Santa Clara County has voted to prevent fast food joints from offering toys in their kids meals. They say that all those toys are making kids fat. True, there are a lot of chubby and overweight kids, but I really don't think the toys are the reason they are fat. It's probably the fries, coke and fried nuggets that are making them fat. Maybe instead of taking the cool toy out of the box, they could ask the restaurants to fill the box with fruit, skim milk and lower fat foods. Maybe the parents could cook healthy food at home instead of feeding their kids dinner in the back of their mini van. Hundreds of people attended the board of supervisors meeting where the issue was discussed. Almost 90% of the people were not happy with the happy meal decision. If the Clowns, Cows or Kings continue to give out toys, they could be fined $1,000. I wonder how many times the voting board feed those same kids meals to their kids when they were too busy to cook?

My Little Pony

I was feeling pretty darn good about my weight loss until I read this. A wee baby horse was born in New Hampshire last week. The pinto stallion is named Einstein and weighs 6 pounds! A horse that weighs the same as me! Now I'm depressed.

Baby Face

I look forward when Linda goes to church on Sunday evenings. Every other week she is in the nursery taking care of the infants. The smell on her clothes when she comes home is just wonderful. I especially love it when one of them throws-up on her. I just snuggle up on the stain and go to my happy place. There will be a new baby joining the group soon. Caleb was just born last week and should be joining the other 6 babies soon. Isn't he the cutest baby? When Taylor and Sarah have their own baby and Linda is the Nanny, I'm going to be the best watch dog ever! No bad cats or strangers are going to get anywhere near my little charge, that's for sure! I'll guard it with my life.

Here Kitty-Kitty

This scary looking African wild cat (related to the lion, but it looks more like a cheetah) escaped the local animal park not too far from my house. In fact, it was just a few miles from where I went to my Vet appointment this morning. The giant cat was spotted running around the woods near where he escaped, but no one could catch it. Finally, the poor critter was hit by a car. Imagine the persons surprise when he pulled over and saw he hit such a giant cat! The animal was rushed to the vet (I wonder if it was the surgery center I was just visiting??) and is expected to make a full recovery.

Glad That's Over

Today's visit to the orthopedic surgeon wasn't as bad as I thought. First... drum roll please.... I am now 5.9 pounds. Yahoo! Finally some good news on the weight loss front. I loved Dr. Lazar. He spent almost an hour answering Jerry and Linda's questions and explaining the surgery. Yes, I do need surgery on my two back knees to correct the dislocating knee caps. He said I am a grade 3 out of 4 in bilateral medial patellar luxation. It will only get worse, not better. Grade 3 means my knees slip out of their place most of the time. Grade 4 is they are out all of the time. If I don't get them fixed, it will eventually cause even worse pain/symptoms then I already have. Dr. Lazar said it would be better for my recovery if I lost a pound before the surgery. Rehab is 2 months of NO activity, total bed rest. I can walk over to use the pee-pee pads, but there is no playing, running, jumping or going up and down stairs. I'll spend most of my time in a crate when Linda is at work. After the 60 days, I should be better then ever and not have any problems. We are going to step up my weight loss efforts and hopefully do both of my knees in July or August. This is me with the vet tech Stuart before Dr. Lazar examined me. This is me with Jerry after my appointment. FYI, I did not pee on the floor. Another dog did and the floor had to be mopped.

Quick, Call 911!!

Mr. Mr., Are You OK? Don't worry, I'll help you breath!

Linda did not get Snickers as a puppy, he was already 6 - 9 months old when she rescued him. I bet this is exactly what he looked like when he was a pup. And knowing Snickers, he would have tried to save this guys life too!

She Ain't Heavy, She's my Choopster

I am so frustrated! Even though I've been on a diet and exercise program for weeks now, I've still only lost .2 pounds! Not 2 pounds, just 2/10's of a pound! I am eating half the amount I used to, not getting any cookies or snacks and taking an extra 20 minute walk a day on top of my regular routine. This is making me (and Linda) crazy. Tomorrow is my Dr.'s appointment for my knee surgery and I was counting on weighing in less then 6 pounds. When Linda put me on the scale this morning, it flashed 5.8 for a brief second before it settled on the 6. Darn it. What's a chubby dog need to do to drop this chub?? Look at my latest photo (under all the fur.) I don't look that fat, do I?
According to the vet I need to lose 20% of my body weight.

Giddy-Up

It looks like Taylor, Linda and Tierney spent some time in the old west today. Not really, the kids from church decorated the Fellowship Hall like an old western town. It was the exact replica of an broken down ghost town. These little photos don't do it justice, it is truly an amazing transformation.

Open and say AHHHH

One of my very first days in my forever home. Snickers was checking to see if I have any cavities. Since he checked my teeth, I got to check his too.

Be Prepared

Sign me up! I'm more then a little excited to learn about Dog Scouts of America! Linda and I can join together and we can earn over 70 merit badges that I can wear on my scout vest or neckerchief. Activities like backpacking, water sports, community service, tracking, sledding, search and rescue and one I might have a little trouble with... weight pull. Since I am only 6 pounds, I don't think I could pull much more then that. The badge I really am looking forward to is paw painting! I bet I could create a beautiful piece of art. Unfortunately, there is not a chapter in our area. Linda said she would like to contact the headquarters and start a Dog Scouts of America in our neck of the woods. Would you become a join my troop?

Gee, Toto

We so have to figure out how to post video on my blog. I just watched the best youtube video ever! "The Wizard of Dogz" is just amazing. Go to youtube and search for it. I saved it on the laptops favorites and plan on watching it again and again. It kind of gave me the acting itch. I would love to star in my own video. Maybe I could get some of my pals at the dog park to co-star with me. What could I remake using an all dog cast?

Whose House is This?

This has been the best Saturday ever. While Linda is teaching, Jerry usually comes over and takes me on an adventure and puppy-sits me until she gets finished work. Today, Jerry came and also bought my friend Paul! I had two guys to play with, double the fun! Now that Linda is home, I am cuddled up in her lap under the quilt catching up the naps I missed this morning. Life is good. Check out the deer feet holding the rifle over their heads. Ewwww.

Way to go Buddy

Another dog saves the day. This time Buddy the German Shepherd saved his owner from a horrible chemical explosion. The 23-year old man was working in his garage when the flash fire broke out. Both Buddy and his human were able to get out of the fire, but the man was badly burned. He was able to call 911 on his cell, but the house was located so deep in the woods and away from civilization, that help did not arrive. The man told Buddy to go get help and Buddy took off running. He ran and ran until he came across an Alaska State Trooper who was trying to find the location. The dog jumped in front of his car barking. The cop decided to follow his gut and drove behind the running dog, making many turns in the pitch black woods. When the Trooper would slow down, Buddy would stop, look over his shoulder and bark for him to hurry up. Eventually, the Trooper was led right to the explosion. The whole thing was captured on the Troopers video cam. When the police car got to the driveway, Buddy ran to his door and pulled the Trooper to the garage.

Buddy is being awarded a wonderful engraved silver-plate from the State Troopers for his heroics. Way to go Buddy! I can't find a photo of Buddy, so instead I am putting a photo of a curious squirrel!

Slowly but Surely

Linda only teaches 2 classes today, so I was able to take a long walk in the morning and another this evening. The weather was just perfect today, not too hot... not too cold. Plus, Linda is letting me go slower so I can actually walk longer without having to be carried. Sure she loves to power walk and burn a lot of calories, but I tire out too quickly that way. Last night Jerry took me for a run and I only made it about 10 minutes before I had to come home. Today I did two 40 minute walks, so that is way better for my weight loss. I'm still only down from 6.2 to 6.0, but it is still better then a gain.

Knick-Knack Paddy-Whack....

.....Give the dog a bone, This old man came rolling home. No more giving the dog a bone!! Big news today from the Food and Drug Administration about bones being bad for dogs. Personally, I've never had a bone. Snickers used to enjoying chewing away on them. The man next door would BBQ all summer and always give Snickers all the steak bones. He loved them and loved the man who gave them to him. Now the FDA says that some of the dangers are broken teeth, mouth injuries, pieces getting stuck in the throat or stomach, constipation, deadly bacterial infections, and holes in the intestines. I'm glad that Linda found out about this after Snickers died of old age or he would have been so sad without his weekly bones!

Cooped up Choop

It's a cold and rainy day so I've been cooped up all day in the house. Linda has been in and out between classes to check on me. She's off again to go to church which means a few more hours alone. I'm not all that thrilled with the new way she is making my chicken. Now, she is putting the chicken and my healthy weight dog food in the food processor and mashing it all up together. It's so much easier for her to serve since she does not have to chop, chop and chop some more each time I get fed. Its the exact same food, but it's all pureed up instead of chunky. I'm eating it, but I give her the sad puppy dog eyes when she first puts it down. Once I taste it, I remember it is the same as I've been eating and I eventually finish it. Only 6 more days until my orthopedic appointment about my knee surgery. Maybe if I lose my extra pound and a half I won't have to do it. Since it is rainy, today's walks are a wash-out.

Tigers Out Front

I'm not sure what the heck Linda was doing this afternoon. I am used to the loud thing she pushes around on the grass in the front yard, but after she was done she did something weird. I was on "tie out" in the yard with her. (I remember tie-out from last year. I wear my harness and am attached to a long, long leash that is tied to the ground. I'm not sure if I like it or not.) She started spilling big bags of dirt into the flower beds and then dug deep holes. It was all very fascinating to me. Next, she filled the holes back up with some flowery things called tiger lilies. I sure hope they don't grow up to be tigers!

Ceiling Eyes

It was wonderful having Tier come over last night to watch a movie. We all cuddled up on the couch (I even shared with Chip) to watch a Netflix movie about a girls sorority house. It was pretty funny. What is not funny is poor Tier's constant migraines. She is on some medicine that has lessened the frequency, but she still gets them. A lady in England had such a bad migraine that she had to go in an ambulance to the hospital. When she woke up, the British women suddenly had a Chinese accent! The condition is called Foreign Accent Syndrome and is very real. Doctors don't think she'll ever get her regular voice back. I hope one of Tier's headaches don't give her a weird accent. I wonder what she is looking at in this photo?

Time to Update

Our house is going on 30 years old. We still have all the original appliances (except the stove, Taylor gave us a second hand one that was actually newer then our old one.) We have the same tubs, sinks, showers. We have the same water heater, deck and kitchen cabinets & counters. We have the same siding and roof. Linda said it is time to start replacing the broken, worn down and ugly things. First we need a refrigerator since ours is leaking and not keeping things very cold. The next thing on our list is the deck since it is falling apart and Linda worries if it is safe. She would love to get a giant tub, but our bathrooms are too small. This tub carved out of stone is just beautiful. It looks like it could have been in Fred Flintstones bathroom!

Brrrrr!

OK, what happened to the warm weather? Yesterday is was freezing at the dog park, today it is even chillier. I need to wear my jacket outside because its so windy and cold. I did not get to go with Linda to Jerry's art show. I'm glad I did not go yesterday because the band was so loud that it would have hurt my sensitive ears. The piece he drew of me was adorable. Linda hopes that he'll give it to us so we can hang it in our house. I'm sure someone will buy it though.

Super Absorbent

Linda was grocery shopping the other day and saw these at our local store. Wee-Wee Disposable Diapers. The face of the poor pooch says it all. How horrible would it be to have to wear these diapers? At least put a pair of panties over the top. I can see where they might come in handy after surgery or during extra long car trips.

Dog Days

I had such a fun time at the dog park this afternoon! For once I did not get rolled, stepped on or pushed over. There were 2 very sweet calm dogs there for most of the time. Their human was a nice man who was deaf. Linda had a fun time practicing her finger spelling and limited sign language. Towards the end, a shy beagle came in. We could not stay for long because Linda was freezing. On the way out we saw a pit bull on the BIG dog side that had a head bigger then a basketball. He ran to the fence to greet me. My entire body could have fit inside his mouth. Tomorrow we might go see Jerry's art show. He did some drawings of me which will be hanging in the show. I'm sure people will want my paw-print when they see the model in real life!!

Yum..Yum..Yum

This is the longest I've gone with out a post, 2 days!! I've had a healthy few days with no seizures and no knee boo-boos. Linda is still taking me to the orthopedic surgeon though. Last night we went for a late, late walk in the dark. I am so much peppier in the night when it is not as hot out. Today's walk was just so draining because I got overheated. Linda has been very tired lately and not able to do as many walks as she used to. I'm still getting out, but not 3 times a day. The diet is getting easier and easier. I'm still eating 2 or 3 times a day, but each meal is just a little smidgen of chicken and healthy dog food. Jerry said it looked like I've slimmed down since the last time he saw me. Do you think this baby formula is for real? If Taylor had this when he was little he would have been in hog-heaven! Taylor loves him some extra-crispy bacon.

Libby

I am going have to hang up my cutest dog ever hat. There is no question that little Chihuahua Libby is W...A...Y more adorable then I am! How could one little dog have so much cuteness stuffed inside it's body? I wonder if she has to wear those jammies all the time?

Quite Please!

I still go crazy every single time the doorbell rings. Even if it just rings on TV, I still run to the door and bark my head off. Linda keeps trying to train me to stop, but I can't help it. I just have to announce to the whole town that someone is trying to get in our house. She says if I don't stop barking, I'm going to be put in time-out. NO! Not time-out! (What is time-out anyway?) A bar owner in Oklahoma City got mad when a man was making to much noise in his bar. The barkeep grabbed a 34-inch sword from behind the bar and cut the noisy guys nose right off of his face! He was also slashed his shoulder, hands and face. Surgeons are going to try and build him a new nose out of skin from his ear and forehead. Maybe the bartender should have just given the loud man a time-out.

Kiss Kiss

I have no idea what is going on with Linda in this picture.

Crying Tiers

Tier is so pretty, she looks just like Disney princess to me. I really miss her since she moved out. It makes me sad. When she first left, she was coming over once a week or so to visit me. Now it's been so long that I wonder if she remembers me. Tier.... come over and love on me!!

Back-Pack

Things are looking up today! I feel fine, no lingering effects from the seizure yesterday. Another good thing, I'm getting used to eating less food. Today I had breakfast at 7:30. Linda is home now fixing her lunch and I've not begged once for any of her food. That is 6 hours without food! I think that might be a record for me. She is going to give me my second meal when she gets home from her last class at 5:30. I feel myself getting slimmer already. I wonder after I have my surgery if Jerry will carry me around in a backpack? Linda already carries me in one, but I don't think Jerry would do it. I bet you this guy gets all the girls because they think his little dog is so cute riding on his back.

Not Again!

It seems like nothing is going right for me. I just had another seizure. It's been months and months since I had one. Linda thought I was healed from them because the last one was this past summer. We were going for a slow walk when it came on. Linda did what she always does... scooped me up to carry me home and pray that I will be OK. This one caused my left back knee to come out of joint. She massaged it while I came out of the seizure and was able to get it back in alignment. After the seizures, I am always super tired and want to sleep.

I Can't Bear It Anymore

I hate to be a big whiner, but I am starving. This is NOT enough food for an active dog. I know that I need to loose almost 2 pounds, but really... how am I supposed to live on 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 of a cup) of food a day. I am used to at least double that. This morning I had 1/2 of the amount for breakfast and Linda just fed me the second 1/2 for dinner. I've been miserable all day. She feels terrible because I just walk around crying and begging for more chicken. She is even breaking up my teddy bear cookie into 4 bites. Each whole cookie is the size of a dime. When you break that into 4 bites, it is just a speck of cookie. The piece of cookie on the left is my BIG treat. whoopie.

Vrooom!

I love Saturday's. It is the day Jerry comes and picks me up to spend some "quality time" with me. It is the best day of the week and I look forward to it every single Saturday. Today, we went out hiking on the wooded trail. I met another dog, a small lab puppy, and we played together. I did not growl or fuss at her once. I think it is the dog park with the 20 dogs all trying to smell me at once that gets me scared. What I really want is my own ATV to ride along the trail. After lunch, I slept on his lap while he drew his comic cartoon guys. Linda is staying in tonight because she is not feeling that great. Her throat hurts and her sinuses are all stuffed up. I'm going to give her lots of love and attention just like she gave me when my knees were broken earlier this week.

Bikini...Here I Come!

My new diet just sucks. It is really important that I lose weight so when (if) I have my knee surgery, there won't be so much weight on my knees during rehab. I'm just starving. My new diet is 4 tablespoons of food a day! Total. That is about 1/4 of a cup. Linda is doing 2 tablespoons, twice a day. Plus, no treats or table scraps. The exercise is the fun part, I love taking walks. I've got to be careful not to jump or run too fast though so my knees stay in place. I'll be looking pretty good in my bikini when I reach my goal weight.

Happy Birthday Riley

Riley is an Internet sensation. Ever since this photo of his first birthday party hit the net, he has become a star. Riley even was on the Today show with his human. I'm more than a wee-bit jealous. Just because Riley smiles, he is now a household name. I do things so much cuter and not one is asking me to be on TV. Sometimes I am so cute it breaks Linda's heart. Jerry says he it hurts him that I'm so adorable. I'm going to start putting more of my photos on the net to see if I can get recognized like Riley did. I wonder if his cake was with healthy doggie food?

Spin TV

The sheriff of a Phoenix jail is brilliant. He started a new program at his jail called Pedal Vision. If the inmates want to watch TV, they have to generate the electricity themselves by sitting on a stationary bike and pedaling away. One hour of pedaling equals one hour of TV. What a wonderful idea! If all TV's came with Pedal Vision, we our obesity epidemic would be a thing of the past. I guess you can still stuff Twinkies in your mouth while you pedal though.

Dancing Tiger

I have to figure out how to post videos on my blog. Does anyone know? Now that Linda has a video camera on her phone, she wants to put some video up of me doing little tricks and my dancing steps. Speaking of dance steps, you have to copy and paste this link into your browser and watch this. The dancers up front are not the stars of this show. Watch the tiger in the back. Watch the whole 2 minutes. This is a serious dance troupe. Why didn't someone come and pull the tiger off the stage? I love the way the ballet goes on like everything is normal. I wonder if he performed the next show too?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN9XrTL76iA&feature=player_embedded

What?

I can't tell you how happy I am that Linda decided (with more then a little pressure from Tierney) to bail on the plans to make me a vegetarian. I love Linda and want her to be happy, but I NEED my chicken. That fake-chicken she eats tastes like cardboard. She tried to fool me but I was on to her ruse in just one bite. I wonder what Tier is going to say about the new resolution passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The group unanimously approved that every Monday is now "Vegetarian Day" or "Meatless Mondays." Restaurants, grocery stores and schools are urged to go veggie on Mondays. They said not eating meat helps reduce your carbon footprint, is healthy for you and humane for animals. Plus, "It makes you more loving". According to this shirt, you won't have to worry about chicken poop either.

Down .2!

With all the drama involving my broken knees and Linda's car breaking down, I forgot to announce a very important event. I have lost .2 pounds. Yes, as in 2/10ths of a pound. Hey, when you weigh 6 pounds, that is a lot of weight. The vet said it is very, very important I lose more to ease the pressure on my knee caps. Now that it is 90 degrees out, my walks have to wait until late at night or very early in the morning since I overheat and have seizures. Maybe Linda can buy me one of those doggie treadmills. I'm not looking forward to the surgery, that is for sure. When I do have it, I'd like to be at my ideal weight for rehab.

I Kneed New Knees

Both Linda and I had a sleepless night. I was in so much pain that I could not sleep. Linda was in so much pain from watching me suffer that she could not sleep. Twice during the night I had to use the pee-pee pad and could not walk or even stand to go. She was dressed and out the door first light to get to the Vet's office by 7 a.m. Jerry met us too, he was as worried as Linda. There is good news and bad news... first the good news: I'm not in pain anymore and I will live! Both of my back kneecaps were totally dislocated! That was the horrible pain I was feeling. The Vet popped them back in. The bad news: I have to go to the orthopedic doggie-surgeon. It seems like I have a serious case of patella subluxation. A rating of 4 is the absolute worse, I am currently at a 3. It won't get better on it's own, only worse. Linda is going to meet with the surgeon and decide what is best for me. You can read all about it here: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/saortho/chapter_81/81mast.htm

Emergency.

Something is wrong with me, but I can't tell Linda what it is. I'm not able to walk very well and am super weak and floppy. She is trying to stay calm and keep positive. She is going to hand feed me a little bit of chicken and see if she can get some water in me in case I am dehydrated or have low blood sugar. In the morning if I don't walk normally, she is going to take me to the vet. When Jerry came over while Linda was still at work this afternoon, I was running and playing normally. It was 90 degrees in the house so maybe I have a little heat exhaustion. Maybe it is that I'm sore and tired from my hour long walk this weekend.

Chick-a-Boom!

Boom! Tierney talked some sense into Linda last night. Their discussion got very heated and Tierney stormed off because Linda was believing "liberal garbage" on all the documentaries she has been watching. Because of the horrible conditions the poor chickens live in, Linda said that all the pets were going to be vegetarians just like she is. And I LOVE me some chicken!! Today she bought me some "organic, free range, hormone free, vegetarian fed" chicken breasts. Two things about this: One- I thought chickens were already non-meat eaters. Second: I LOVE YOU TIERNEY!! I did not want to be a vegetarian. Chip would have probably rebelled and eaten me if she had to just eat just veggies. So Tier, you saved my life. Thank you.

Easter Bonnets

Today is Resurrection Sunday, otherwise known as Easter Sunday. Linda and the girls decided to go all out for church this morning and they dressed to the nines! That is Sarah on the left and Tierney on the right. They look like sisters but they are really sister-in-laws. They look beautiful in their Easter Bonnets. All I have to say is better them then me!! I am NOT wearing an Easter hat.