Wishing you a happy 2008!

Hey everyone!
Here I am with my Mom. Can you tell that she treats me well? I wish all the pets out there could be as well taken care of as I am. So my resolutions for 2008 are:

1. Work on my "pity me" look so that my parents feed me more treats
2. Sleep more, possibly try to develop a way to make the planet rotate slower so that I can have a 25th hour to sleep. Hey Superman, lend me a hand will you?
3. Pamper my humans more, although that will be almost impossible as they already are pretty pampered
4. I want people to treat their pets better, do you hear me? This means: take your doggy on a half-hour stroll twice daily, feed it proper food, and spend some time training it. If you can't figure out how to do this, then maybe you should not have a pet dog.
5. Last, but not least, I hope 2008 will have less pet abuse and less homeless pets than 2007!

Peace to all from your loving pug,
Alfred

It happened again

Last night I had another seisure. This is my third one and my parents are concerned. They wonder if I have any other seisures while they are at work. I don't know because I can't remember. My last seisure happened around midnight. Dad had just gotten home from work and I went over to greet him. I had to work a little bit to get the bedroom door open because mom had closed it. When I got out and I went over to see dad, it happened. Dad said that it lasted a couple of minutes. He stayed with me to comfort me and watch over me. Then he took me to the bedroom and he woke up mom and told her. I layed on the bed and hugged Froggy.

We are now wondering if I am always going to have these seisures. So far they have happened about once a month and always at night. Maybe I get really excited when I dream and that triggers them. I don't want my parents to be worried but I am glad that they are there for me. They're the best pug parents ever!

I'm going to visit Santa

I can't wait to go visit Santa at PetSmart! Mom said that I'm going on Saturday or Sunday, we don't know yet. I'm going to tell him how good I've been all this year. I hope he gets me some really good yummy treats and maybe an apple. Let's see all my accomplishments...

1. I ride in the car with my own seatbelt. And most times I don't try to escape. However, when I go to the Farmer's Market, I do have trouble containing my contentment and I pull a Harry Houdini.
2. I eat healthy. I always eat my veggies and fruit. I love my tomatoes, apples, and peaches. And I even love popcorn, which is pretty healthy--at least it works for the Weight Watchers people!
3. I work out and I keep a healthy weight. Even my vet is impressed with my weight control.
4. I am the cutest pug ever as you can see all over this Blog (and I even work for a living)!
5. I pet my dad all the time and I always try to keep his face warm by sitting on his pillow.
6. I stopped peeing on the bean bag!
7. I have excelled at training my parents who pamper and give me treats every time before they leave the house.
   

There, I think that's pretty good, don't you think?

Bubbleless bath

Mom thought that I was a little bit stinky (Dad told her Nooo, how can the cutest pug in the world be stinky?!?) and she finally decided to give me a bath. I kind of like baths. I mean I'm not crazy about them but they're OK.

First mom filled the tub with warm water, then she grabbed me and put me in there. She got me all wet and washed my wrinkles with a washcloth before she used any soap. Then she started scrubbing me really well with soap and then shampoo. She tickled my back, but don't tell her that!

Mom likes to use this soap that she got at the Bath Junkie when they were still on the Fayetteville Square. (Then they closed and moved to the NWAR mall and then they closed again! Good grief...) And the shampoo she got me does not make my eyes cry in case it ever gets in them, but mom is always very careful.

While mom was washing me, dad warmed up my towel in the dryer. After my bath ended mom called dad to bring the towel but he did not hear, so I took the opportunity to jump out of the bathtub and off I went running like a mad pug around the couch. It was fun! Then dad grabbed me and dried me off a little bit and then handed me to mom to finish the job.

I like the toasty warm towel. It's better than when I go to the spa and they put me all wet in a stainless steel crate with a cold air fan blowing my way to dry me off.

My Christmas Tree

We finally put up the Christmas tree. This is my first one ever because my parents did not trust me before this year. Well, I guess they still don't trust me considering all the No, No, Nos I hear. But, I mean, seriously, if you don't want me to mess with the tree and the decorations, then don't put stuffed animals under it. It's going to drive me nuts to see Pooh and Tigger and Woodstock and not be able to chew on them. I'm gonna try really hard to resist temptation, but I'm not making any promises!

P.S. On the left bottom corner, you can see my pictures with Santa from two years ago!

Not to me!!!

On Friday around 2:30 a.m., something odd happened to me. I got really stiff and I started to get really scared. Mom woke up and saw me leaning against the closet door. She called me but I did not go to her. Then dad came by to check on me. He got scared too. I tried to walk away from them but I was stumbling. I felt really dazed and confused. Dad told mom about my other seizure that happened about a month ago. I don't know what happened either time but, on Friday, mom took me to the doctor. I like going there because I always see other doggies, there's tons of nifty smells and, hey, at the vet's office I am a star. Everyone loves me--my doc has a thing for pugs, eh eh eh...

My doctor thinks that I might have epilepsy but he's not sure. He asked mom many questions but as far as mom could tell, everything in my routine is normal. He told Mom to keep a journal of my seizures to see if we can find a pattern. Then he took me to another room and took a blood sample. I had a little drop of blood on my right arm after I was done. I don't like getting my blood taken.

Mom doesn't want me to be sick. Maybe I'm not that sick. We'll just have to wait and see. The doctor called later on Friday to let us know that my blood work was all normal. Thank God because Mom was afraid that maybe my food was made in China and I was suffering from melamine poisoning.

My Razorback Frog

My mom knows how I love froggies. Unfortunately, my favorite one is getting old really fast because he's so pampered with all my love. Mom has been on the lookout for a good substitute for my favorite frog. She found this Razorback red frog that does an adequate job but he's not as flexible as the other bean-baby frog, my one and only favorite. We'll see how this plays along. Red frog will do until mom feels so guilty that she'll have to give me her back-up bean-baby frog, the one she got at the Orlando International Airport. Yeah, I've seen him lurking around, way up in a shelf, away from my loving teeth... But I can wait, I'm a patient pug!

Winter Sun Slave

I don't like winter that well. I looove the sun and I miss being able to go outside and just lay around working on my tan. Luckily, my humans have caught on to me and they have rearranged the furniture on the south-facing bedroom so that I can still tan in front of the window. I just love feeling the warmth on my back...

Oooohhhh, I'm so tired...

Thank heavens for Froggy. He's my favorite pillow and sleeping buddy!

She's back...

OMG, my Momma is back. I missed her so much that I cannot even find words to describe it. I spent the first few days that she was gone sleeping in her closet so that I could not forget her scent. My schedule was all out of whack and I did not have my two daily long walks, so I was having problems going to the potty. I did spent a lot of time going on short walks with Dad; he was a real trooper.

On a bright note, I did get to see Olive twice, my cute and lovely friend. I wish she would visit me more often but that's OK, cute pugs have very busy schedules.

Well, gotta go...

Correction

It turns out that unemployment is not the doom we were expecting it to be. It turns out that there are other personal events that can really tear you up. But luckily I am here to support Momma. Where would she be without me? These humans are so inept, it's frightening...

Doom is near

Mom is a bit depressed because she is still looking for a job. I have been trying to cheer her up. I walk her twice a day, make cute faces and act adorable all the time, but she still find it tough...

I wasn't scared, no, really...

My mother told me that because yesterday was the 4th of July, people burned fireworks that made a lot of noise and sometimes had pretty lights. I did not get it, why would anyone make so much scary noise for nothing? I thought we were under attack, so I barked until I almost lost my voice. Then mom was really concerned for me so she took me outside so that I could see what was going on.

We sat on the drive-way but I was still very scared and between defending my mom and running away, I chose to defend my mom. So I continued to bark... Finally, mom just grabbed me and held me really tight. I was still very scared, but I had to play tough, so I tried to escape mom but she continued to hold on to me. I think she could feel all the little jumps in my heart every time those pseudo-bombs exploded. I really had to put my best front up and after a while I had to quit jumping at every little explosion. That was so tough, you cannot even imagine.

Then, after some endless minutes, mom finally decided that we could go back inside and so we did. The explosions were still on going and I had to bark, I just had to! You know, just in case my mom was wrong and we were really under attack. You know how humans are, they don't hear very well, can't smell very well, and their eyesight is not very good either. They're cute, but they need to be protected and I am not one to shun my responsibilities... I am one tough pug, dude!!!

Me having my belly rubbed by my parents

A belly massage is one of the great pleasures of a pug's life... You should try it some time!

Didn't I tell you I was cute?

Spring makes me so tired...

Yes it takes me all day to recover from my night sleep. It's such a huge chore being cute all the time, even in my sleep... Thank God I have froggy to keep me company!

Training Update

I would like to announce to the world that my "Treat before You Leave" program is fully developed. Now my human dad is also fully trained, so I get treats before my mom leaves for work and before my dad leaves for work.

But don't be fooled. I work for my treats, you know. I am the first line of defense when there are animals on the big screenTV ready to jump into our living room. And I am persistent. I even check the back of the TV screen just in case they're lurking there. Gotta be on the ball with the digital creatures...

Peek-a-boo!!!

I like to keep track of everything that my humans have. Here I am looking outside at our yard. Sometimes there are these cats who like to sleep in the comfy cushions of the garden chairs. Yes, you heard me right! I know what a cat is, and a dog too!!! The only animals that don't freak me out on the TV are humans and monkeys. Go figure, they're kind of alike...

I eat, therefore I am...

Let's make one thing clear: I only go on daily walks so that I can eat more. That's it! I just want to eat more and more and more after that. I am very appreciative that my parents have the clear presence of mind to give me regular exercise--daily walks nearly twice a day--so that they can take pleasure in giving me treats more often. And I don't even mind begging for more treats and sometimes I even beg for walks so that I can get more treats.

When my mom is about to leave in the morning, I quickly run to the laundry room (where she keeps my food and treats). That way, she has to pay me so that she can leave for work. And what's the payment, you ask? TREATS!!! She gives me a treat, or two, or maybe even three, if I'm swift enough...

Boy oh boy

Have you heard? It turns out that some wet pet food was contaminated with rat poison. Some of my brother and sister canines have gone to dog heaven because of that (and some felines too). Luckily, my vet told my mom to not give me wet food because it's 80% water. That's really expensive water if you ask me. And it turns out it's also expensive poisoned water...

Am I not totally adorable? Go on, admit it...

"Too Independent..."

When my mom got home today she broke the horrible news to me: my dad does not love me, he thinks I'm too independent and I don't listen to my humans, that is, them! How can that be? Me too independent?!? I depend on them to feed me, open the door for me, take me on walks, give me baths, take me to the spa, give me treats, etc. I think my dad is full of it. For example, today after I had my lunch, I walked over to my bowl and looked at it with my sad eyes, trying to tell my dad that I could still eat some more of those yummy pellets. But to no avail, he would not listen... I even licked to empty bowl trying to make him understand. And I'm the independent one!?! Who sits on my chair all day playing video-games and watching TV and not paying attention to me? Not to mention that that person feeds and washes himself. Yep, that's right, it ain't me! So there, maybe my dad is too independent...

I'm the King of the World

Move over Jack, I mean, Leo DiCaprio, I rule the world.

I have my parents under my command and you should see how pathetic they look trying to please me. Slowly, but surely, I have confiscated my dad's recliner. When my mom gets home from work, I don't even bother to meet her and beg for my dinner; I just sit on the chair with my haughty look as if I am saying "Obey the Pug." It seems to work fine because I get my dinner super-fast. Even in the morning, I go hang out at the recliner instead of cuddling with my dad. It makes him sad, but what can I say, it's a tough job to be a human without cute wrinkles...

So pugs, there is no reason why you should not be the alpha-dog of the house--why do you think we were made so darn cute???

Oops...

OK, OK, so I may be a bit plump with my 28.2 lbs. What can I say? The weather has been craptacular and I can't go on my long walks as often. I'll make sure to tell my humans they should feed me *cough* less... OMG, how can I say that? I am a hungry canine! I bet the dogs in Ethiopia aren't as hungry as me *wimper*!

Knut so funny!!!

It has come to my attention that there is a bear out there who is trying to steal my title as the cutest furry animal. His name name is Knut and all I have to say to him is "Knut so fast!" I am cuter than you buddy. You may have a sob story, but that does not change things. Knut was born in a German zoo and his mom rejected him at birth, so he has been taming humans ever since. I agree that it's a hard job to train humans but it's been done and that in no way affects our looks. Enough said...

I am soooo tired!

It's Sunday, so my both my humans are at home. I have done my best to follow them around and make sure they don't get themselves in trouble. All day long, I supervised them watching TV, doing dishes, making the beds, and doing laundry. I even supervised their food. Now I am exhausted...

My mom decided to give me a bath today. It went OK and she even warmed up the towel in the drier to wrap me after my bath. Oh these humans! I have got them well trained.

Time for my beauty sleep...

Who's the Boss Froggy?

I am! Yeah, that's right. Froggy was misbehaving but I shook him a few times and barked at him a couple and I set him straight. Don't mess with the Pug, Frog, if you know what's good for ya!

If you must know...

And I get a feeling you do or else you would not be reading my blog! I do have a musical taste. If I am trying to sleep, I do not appreciate "Holiday" by Madonna. And I also don't like "Desert Angel" by Stevie Nicks. I dig Springsteen, Barry White and my all time favorite Natalie Merchant. I can listen to anything by Natalie and 10,000 Maniacs. OK, I gotta make a correction, I'm not a big fan of "Hungry Heart" by Springsteen. Every once in a while, my humans forget that I have ears too, so I have to put up with whatever they are listening to. Luckily, a few barks and they get my opinion regarding their musical tastes...

The Frog Harem...

As you can see from the picture on the left, I have a harem of frogs that I keep at my disposal to bite on and to use as pillows. I do believe my favorite is the yellow bow frog (the one by my side). He's so much fun! I confiscated him from my mother--this is the frog that she had asked for as a wedding present but noone got him for her so she ended up buying him herself. Oh yeah, this is also the frog that she slept with for several years after she was married. It turned out Mr. Bear, her previous sleeping companion, was getting a bit old and ratty. He's currently around 27 years old.

I am always on the look out for other creatures to add to my harem. Once I decide who I want, I usually bite their eyes off (if the eays are plastic, unfortunately, I have been unable to bite off felt eyes), so that they cannot see a way to escape. There is a one-eyed monkey (she used to have two eyes before I got a hold of her...) around here somewhere that I have tried to adopt, but my mother has thought otherwise. Oh and what a fine monkey she is with her soft pink and soft green skirt and top. This monkey was purchased at the Pottery Barn and that is why my mom has kept her off limits (kind of...).