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!