Oh mange why are you still here?

Our Brownie here has had mange, lost hair, looked sad, take Ivermectin everyday for over a month, healed, hair grew back. But after one month of good hair and wrinkles, the hair is slightly thinning after he stayed at the Pet Hotel for 5 days. We know it's the separation anxiety and stress of being away from Mom & Dad, but then he has his brother with him the whole time...

The Vet told us to continue to watch it but that the medication is not necessary unless it shows signs of further hair loss...although I don't know how good she is if she did not notice that our Browner has a light thinning in his forehead which the Vet "missed" but only because she only examined from the front..!!! Can you believe that? Hopefully, this mange goes away since we would hate to have to feed him meds for another few months...

In the meantime, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE and may you and your family have a safe holiday and a very healthy New Year!

It's the year of the dog! Everything is dog...

It is just me or everywhere is a dog, magazines, television, movies, fashion, food, is all going to the dog! Even the dog spa products are better than what I use! It's crazy...it has never been this good to be a dog...what a good life they live. I am working and my two dogs are snoring and farting away...oh what a life!

"March of the Penguins" movie

I have been hearing from everyone that "March of the Penguins" is a must watch movie...we wear thinking of renting it this weekend to watch with the two boys. They really like watching tv, especially "Dog Whisperer" but thye get too excited. Oh, they look so cute on the couch, with each on one side of the pillow, sharing one pillow. I love my babies.

"Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog" is a must watch!

This movie was too sweet! My dogs and I watched this, we laughed, we cried, it really made me feel greatful to have my dogs and to be loved by them. This is a heartfelt story of a resourceful boy who gets lost in the uncharted forest with his only companion, Yellow Dog, a yellow Labrador. As they struggle to stay alive to find help or be found by rescuers, their bond and journey together is both fun and touching. Even if you don't have a Lab (which I don't), you can appreciate it. We are reminded of the deep heartfelt love for our beloved best friends and just how wonderful life is with them. We absolutely loved this movie and could not recommend it enough! Definitely a great family movie and dog lover movie!

I loved "Marley & Me" (and I also cried reading it), which is the story about a family's life with their Yellow Lab, but how come so many Lab books and movies, but what about our beloved pugs? I know, we got the "Adventures of Otis & Milo" and "Men in Black I & II", but I don't mind if we had a few more pug movies. :)

In the meanwhile, we will continue to enjoy "Dog Whisperer". It's our favorite family (fam. unit includes mom, dad, Porky pug, Brownie pug) tv show.

What does it mean when older dogs get mange?

Recently my younger dog, Brownie, got mange and lost his hair on his beautiful wrinkled forehead. It was disturbing to learn that mange usually occurs in puppies. When an adult dog which gets mange, it usually means their immune system is weaker and could not defend against it. Both the dogs are energetic and have not had anything weird happen...no changes in everyday life. Well, Brownie did eat his brother's poo a while ago but I don't think that would cause his immune system to weaken. Also, we left the dogs at the pet hotel when we went on a business trip but we do that regularly and the dogs love the manager there, who has three pugs of her own. Hmmm...

Lately, it has been one thing after another. First Porky pukes and loses his appetite (he is good now!) and now Brownie has lost his hair on his forehead. He is one of those cute pugs that have the best wrinkles and huge, gigantic "Ain't I Cute and Irresistable?" eyes. We are giving him Irvermetin and the Vet says we need to do this for two months! Dog mange is very annoying. I wonder if there is any other way to get rid of it and have the hair grow back...did I mention sometimes the hair doesn't grow back? So sad...

Brown loves toys!

It's the darndest thing! My Brownie loves toys! He is too funny. Are there any other pugs or dogs out there that like to fall asleep with their mouth over the head of the stuff animal? He especially loves snakes, long octapus, and any other long shape stuff animals. It's so cute! Does your pugs do this?

I think my dog is eating his own poo...uummm

I noticed my dog Pork sniffing at his potty bin and I thought that it was because he was sniffing at his brother's poo but then when I looked at him again shortly thereafter, the poo disappeared. We were cleaning the potty bin and noticed some "missing" poo. Now we have to be extra alert for any more poo eating to stop it. It's not unusual or uncommon for dogs to eat their own or another dog's feces but just so yuck! Does anyone have any tips to stop this behavior? Much appreciated!

help! My dog refuses to be potty trained!

I would like to think that I am a very patient pet parent but it's been over a year and my dog Brownie is still not potty train! What's going on? We have tried everything under the sun. Our older dog, Pork, was first tought to use the potty pad, then cat litter (that was great), and now Wiz Dog. Brownie was eating the cat litter so we tried the Wiz Dog since it was highly recommended by some folks on dogster.com. Pork has always taken to whatever potty system. He understands that if it doesn't look like a bathroom, it's not. Brownie is inconcistent. He was making progress and using the Wiz Dog for pee and would poo around the tile areas of the house. He enjoys the grass and does his business outside when we go for walks. We have read every book and exhausted every idea we could think of. If you guys have any good ideas, please let me know! The good thing is we have one superstar...

disaster and emergency response for pets

I got some emails the other day on humane society efforts in New Orleans and got to thinking about the news about the man who would not leave his house and would rather die than to leave his dog behind. That really touched me. I wanted to get the word out on PetFinder.com's disaster and emergency response information. Not only to they provide links to helpful websites, but the best part is their Animal Emergency Response Network for pets left behind, pet parents looking for their pets, people seeking foster or temporary care for their pets, people seeking to volunteer and help foster a pet, and a place to report pets found.

They have helped 3,200 animal victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita reunite with their owners! Anything is possible and it can happen to anyone of us. It's comforting to know that organizations and people do care, and animals are an important part of our lives. I hope those who read this, if they have not done so already, will help by volunteering or making a contribution to these non-profit organizations, local animal rescues and humane societies.

And one last thing, hug your animal today and tell them how much you love them. They make our lives better.

Pet Diets...Eat Right For Your Breed Type

We recently put our little Porky on a diet as he returned from a long visit from the Grandparents with an additional 10 lbs.!!! Now, in an effort to shed the weight, we have reduced the two meals to one meal a day (amount adjusted of course), added more exercise, fruits and veggies throughout day and for dinner.

Pork now eats the same "diet" plan consisting of dog food for breakfast (regular chicken and rice...we switch off between the different premium brands every few months to make meals more exciting) and some treats throughout the day, then fruits for dinner (we sometimes add some soy yogurt for fun to change it up a notch). I suggest the book called "Canine Nutrition, Choosing the Best Foods for Your Breed" on dog nutruition. I did some research a while back and it suggested feeding dogs food based on their ancestral foods. Pugs originated from the Tibetan mountains (as their is controversy over their origin, it's more widely known as Chinese Pug) and ancestral foods included chicken and rice. They were about the same size before Pork visited the grandparents 6 months ago. Now Brown is 17lbs. and Pork is 28lbs!

Hopefully, we can see results soon and he can enjoy having more energy!

Hey dog...

I got to contemplating the other day on the continuous joys I find in dog ownership. In my previous posts, I have said that no matter how my day goes or how everything falls apart, my dogs always find a way to comfort me. Just their very presence calms and sooths me. Though there are times of chaos, when they get bored and decide to cause disasters to get attention, or the inconvenience of having to figure out what to do with them when you need to do extended travel and finding a place you feel comfortable with leaving the little ones...the list can go on and on. What I find most satisfying about dog ownership is they require so little to be happy, they just want our attention. They love unconditionally. You can scream at them (you shouldn't), be mean, pay little or no attention, they will love you regardless, no grudges (maybe a little), but boy do they love you.

I came to a conclusion that our dogs love us so much, they want to protect us, in the ways they know how. Maybe that is why they have short lives. They are stressed out with constantly being alert to intruders with their sharp senses. It is so sad. Time flies by so fast. It is sometimes easy to forget they are just like babies and are pack animals that need so much attention, routine, and lots of love. Nothing beats waking up to finding the little ones snuggled around you.

Much Anticipated Birthday Pictures!

In the midst of numerous moves, there has been much delay in consolidating pictures from different cameras. Finally, I've got Porky's birthday pictures! Who does not love Three Dog Bakery? That place rocks! We got a bone shape carrot cake, dog goodie bags, and some other fun stuff for a lovely day at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Calling all hot dogs!

Brownie is looking for some new friends!

Life's not the same without my Porka!

Life is not the same without my Porky here. He has been missed. I can't wait till he comes back home from Grandma and Grandpa's place in San Diego. They sure do grow fast. Thinking back, he was only 3 lbs. when he came into my life (Left second and third photo - see his baby pictures from his first week with us). His first toy was a Bamboo star (indestructible and larger than life for him) and after many months, he finally was able to grow bigger than the star and kill it. Then he grew and grew (he loves food and treats) into a very over weight 25 lbs. of pug love. We miss our pug friends (Left top photo - Rosie, Goldielocks, and Porky) and the fun outings. We welcome new Houston puggies to be our friends and do pug outings and go to dog parks.

Brownie loves his rawhide bone!

Brown loves his chew...even when we went out for a walk, he was still thinking about his chew. When we got back into the office, he dove for the chew and zoned me out! Who, what Momma? I am busy. Don't bother me!

Soft Stools Help Please!

Recently, my Brownie has been having lots of soft stool and just going to do a lot of business. I had suspected worms but that is not the case. Our Vet did a fecal and did not find anything. She said perhaps it's from overeating. I am not sure if that answer satisfied my concerns. If anyone has any suggestions, please comment and help us out! Appreciate your help. :)

To wear shoes or not to wear shoes?

あなたは犬を靴を身に着けるべきである考えるか .I was wondering how you, pet parents, feel about dogs wearing shoes? We have never put shoes on our dogs before but they were so cute we could not resist. We at first thought the idea of unheard of but later changed our minds as we got more use to the idea. It helps to try it on for a few minutes while supervised by parents everyday for a while before they get use to it and stop trying to chew it off. It's just like humans, breaking in a new pair of shoes is not fun! We wear shoes to protect our feet. I suppose if we did not wear shoes, our feet would be different, too. Shoes protect the dogs paws as well as look fashionable so why not? Just make sure it's the right size as the wrong size may cut off circulation. I found this article that basically read to me like why not shoes for the city dogs, too?

Latest pics of the babies

Here are the latest pictures from our last trip to San Diego and recent pictures of Brown going crazy without Porky here to keep him in check. He was so sad at the airport because Porky could not come back with us (refer to Porky being held hostage blog from earlier this month.

Brownie trying on the new t-shirts we got in for Funny Fur. He look so fabulous!

Volunteer or make a donation...please!

If you are reading this and have made it here, you are probably a crazed and smitten pet parent. Please feel free to read my stories and comment on your experiences. I want to thank my good friends, Daiju and Cindy, and their girls, Rosie and Goldielocks, for the wonderufl pictures, sharing great pug memories at all the pug socials and rescue events, being there during the puppy years, and of course, for inspiring me to get a second pug! We miss the play dates and picnics at the Rose Bowl! Wow...it's been almost two years! I would suggest all pet parents and those who want to volunteer their time and want to get involved with helping animals, get active and volunteer your time to rescues and your local humane society. If you don't like getting dirty or are not cut out for volunteer work, make a donation! You will feel better for it and it's tax deductible.

Dog is man's bestfriend

Brownie is turning one! I have attached a baby picture to show him when he was just 3-4lbs, coming home with me and a current picture. He is a big boy now. I never use to put a leash on him because he is such a Momma's boy but these days without his brother here...he has become more indepedent and caught a case of what I call the "only dog syndrome". We understand each other so well. It's absolutely adorable. Oftentimes, he does not each or drink or go potty unless if I am there with him. He looks back to made sure I am still there and observing my body language to ensure I was in no hurry to leave him. When I do leave him, he sits and stares at the door, patiently awaiting my return. I am always careful of where I walk as he will always sure enough be right next to my heel and slightly ahead of me.

In the office, we have come to refer to him officially as our "Security Guard" since he gazes out the small narrow opening in the window most of the day, alert to growl and bark when there is any sign of intruder or movements outside our office. Like a large number of office employees, he tends to enjoy napping and walking around the office socializing, trying to find someone to mutually entertain each other.

These days we have been working long hours. That means Brown has to pull the night shift. He is restless and slightly bored since we are all too busy to play with him. As I make my calls, type away on my laptop, he is quiety playing with his toys near my feet. Sometimes he paws my legs for me to pat him and give him some attention. Whenever I take a break, he is so excited for us to have a moment together.

He never doutbs me (except when he knows I will leave him alone and he doesn't fall for my tricks to get him into the backyard) and I always trust him. I guess this is why the dog is commonly referred to as man's best friend. You ever notice when you come home from a bad day and then the moment you come home, your dog is waiting for you patiently by the door and eagered to be with you, suddenly the outside world worries are slowly left behind as you look into your dog's glistening eyes full of pure selfless love.

Check out this article on from Buzzle.com about the health benefits of owning a pet. And the list goes on. For those skeptics out there that call us crazy pet people freaks, chill out and learn to love our animal companions. They just might save your life!

Life with dogs - A Pet Lover's Communion Place

This will be the first posting. I wanted to create this blog to share experiences with other fellow pet parents. My dogs are my babies and a huge part of my life. With that being said, I want this to be the place we share experiences of our lives with the dogs we love so much.