Success!

Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I didn't get a wink of sleep so I could make sure Blackie-Frankie-Jackie didn't steal my Daddy. I know he wants him. Look at him, just waiting for Daddy to come back to his spot.

Anneedabus tried to make us play with him. Tico kinda did...a little... He's so easy.

I wanted to check him out first. Every time I got close, he'd jump all up in my face and I'd have to kick him to the curb. Really...until I get a good sniff do NOT get all up in my face.

Chicken. See how he hides behind Anneedabus? Eventually the mutt figured out "leave me alone" means leave me alone.

Last night was horrible! Instead of barking all night in his kennel, Blackie-Frankie-Jackie slept with us in the big bed. I couldn't believe it.

All night I worried about people coming to steal him. When they didn't hear him barking, I knew they'd think someone else had already come. So much for my plan.

Blackie-Jackie-Frankie obviously has a thing for Daddy. Anneedabus thinks so, too--I heard him talking to Daddy about it. Over my dead body.

I stepped up my game. If Frankie-Jackie-Blackie came anywhere near Daddy, I chased him to the door. I want that mutt out of here.

Somebody came and got him early today! He's gone! Maybe now I can get some sleep.

Help Wanted!

I really need your help!

Anneedabus brought another dog home with him two days ago. He must have found the mongrel on the side of the road or something. The beast has absolutely no manners.

I tried to be nice to our guest. Really, I did. I let him drink from my water dish and eat food from my bowl. I even let him play with my squirrelly. I'm nice that way.

Within moments of his arrival Blackie or Frankie or Jackie or whatever his name is moved in on my Daddy. A girl can only take so much. Come into my house and think he's going to take my Daddy??? The nerve!

I gave that sorry mutt a piece of my mind. Didn't phase him. Because he's so dense, I resorted to language Daddy had never heard from me before. Daddy was so upset he Cesar'd me on the neck. I haven't been Cesar'd since I was a puppy!

Blackie-Frankie-Jackie has been here for two days and shows no signs of leaving. Anneedabus gave him a bath today to wash off some of the stank. Then Daddy blow dried him and brushed him out right in front of me.

I'm afraid the little beast is here to stay. I wouldn't worry if he was after Anneedabus. Tico can take care of himself.

But he's after my Daddy. I wouldn't worry so much but he's a lot younger than me. Even through my hate I can see he's awfully cute, too.

Everyone knows Daddy is a sucker for cute. I'm doomed. I need somebody to come here and take Blackie-Jackie-Frankie while everyone is asleep. You won't have any trouble finding him. He's the one that barks all night long.

Please hurry.

Chihuahua Neglect?

Hello friends! Long time, no see! Have you missed me as much as I've missed you?

Daddy has been hogging the computer to blog about the good-old-days. Nothing distracts him when he's writing his stories. Even my favorite toys never get his attention. Trust me, I've tried.

Tico and I thought about calling the authorities. Missing a walk now and then is one thing. We didn't go for a walk for days. Isn't that neglect? Sure, it rained but it wasn't raining every single minute of every single day.

The stories are interesting if you like ancient history. Frankly I think it's time to move on. Or at least pick up the pace. At the rate he's going me and Tico will be dead before he gets to us.

Chi-ao!

For Vegas

Daddy took me and Tico to work one day. I love going to work with Daddy. I like it even more when Tico comes with us.

Tico runs up to anyone he sees. He greets complete strangers like he's known them forever. He's so trusting.

Not me. I hang back and wait to see what happens. If they don't try to kill Tico, I'll come over and say hello.

I watch enough television to know the world is a scary place. Little girls like me can't be too careful. I never go anywhere without Daddy, Anneedabus, or Tico.

Even that might not be enough. Poor little Vegas was on his leash walking with his Mommy when a pit bull attacked and killed him. The pit bull got off with just a slap on the paw.

All of us were very sad when we heard about Vegas. Poor little guy. He never even had a chance.

A Quiet Weekend

We've had big plans every weekend for as long as I can remember. It's what people do. I'll never understand it. We chihuahuas enjoy a more leisurely lifestyle.

One weekend we had a garage sale. Another weekend Anneedabus and Daddy hosted that horrible birthday party for me. Then they toted us up to Roanoke for a fun-but-exhausting visit with our extended family.

I hate the weekends devoted to home projects the most. Tico and I are never allowed to help. Anneedabus and Daddy completely ignore us. We don't go for walks or outside to play or anything.

Unless you count eating, laying around, and napping, we haven't done a thing this weekend. It's been great! We're going to see Ennis later for the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

I better get a nap in before we go so I can keep up. Things can get crazy when me and Tico visit Ennis. I can't wait!

Chi-ao!

Our Trip to Roanoke

Tico and I are exhausted from our trip to Virginia to visit Buggs, Aunt M, and our cousins, A and T. What a trip! I've never been on so many car rides in my life.

Virginia is far, far away. You ride in the car for a really long time until you get to a rest stop, gas station or fast food joint. Then you walk around for a while and get back in the car for another 15-minute car ride.

We hit rest stops in four states before we finally got to Bugg's house. LOVE her! Tico loves her, too. She's really nice--everything a grandmother should be. If something happened to Daddy and Anneedabus we'd get to live with her all the time.

My cousins are lots of fun, too. Tico says they like to play even more than I do! We played Fetch and Chase Me under the shade trees in their back yard. It was so windy I almost blew away!

Both my cousins play sports. Cousin A plays softball, and Cousin T plays baseball. They have uniforms and everything! We got to go the ballpark to watch them play. In both games they beat the opposing teams so bad the umpire called it a game after only a few innings.

Cousin A and I made friends right away because we're both girls. Living with three guys, it's nice to finally have a girlfriend. She's so awesome!

I wanted to chase her to first base when she got a hit. It was very exciting. She's my BFF. I know she feels the same way about me.

Aunt M is very busy being Mom. We got to visit for a minute or two. She's a lot more laid back than my cousins. Now that I think about it, everyone I know is more laid back than my cousins.

Time for a much-needed nap. Chi-ao!

Happy First Birthday...Not!

Yesterday was my birthday. That's right. I'm not a puppy anymore. Now I'm a big girl.

Nobody sang Happy Birthday to me. There was no birthday cake, no birthday gifts, and no birthday cards. You grow up fast around here.

I blame the Kentucky Derby. For weeks Anneedabus and Daddy have been too busy getting ready for the Derby Party to play with me and Tico. I can't remember the last time they took us for a walk. If we were children somebody would be calling child protective services.

Getting ready for the party was bad enough. The party itself was horrible! I don't know when I've ever been so scared.

Our house was full of strangers with big scary hats. They acted as if I should just run over and lick their hand and let them hold me--like we've been friends forever or something. I am just not that kind of girl.

To add insult to injury, someone brought another chihuahua into our house...on MY birthday. The nerve!!! Can you believe it? The minute I saw him my hair stood on end. I gave him a piece of my mind he's not likely to forget.

What happened next made me forget all about the interloper. All the people gathered around the television and sang some song about gay people and weeping ladies. Then everyone started jumping up and down and getting really loud.

For a good two minutes they made more than enough noise to get a "shut-the-hell-up" from Daddy or Anneedabus. But they were yelling at the television with everybody else. It's like they'd all gone crazy or something. I was terrified!

It was the worst first birthday any dog ever had. Next year my birthday will be on the first Saturday in May. Go ahead and mark your calendar. Maybe I'll at least get a card or two.

Chi-ao!

Fetch...Revisited

When he gets home from work Anneedabus takes me and Tico outside to play fetch. Tico has loved fetch since before I was born. He's always waiting for someone to throw the ball.

Fetch is new to me. Sure, I've played fetch with Tico my whole life. But I really didn't understand how the game was played until recently.

All my life Anneedabus gave me treats and praise just for chasing Tico. It's like he thought I was slow or something. Is it my fault I never learned about bringing the ball back? I don't think so. I didn't even know you needed a ball until last week.

You think Tico is smart? Anneedabus taught him how to play fetch. I figured out how to play all by myself. That's how smart I am. Want me to show you how to play?  I can.  Just grab some treats and meet me outside.

Chi-ao!

Helping Out at the Office

Today I went to the office to help Daddy do his work. He's been really busy because of the bad budget and needs all the help he can get. It was the least I could do after all he's done for me.

Daddy says he can't get anything done at the office because of interruptions. My job is to make sure that doesn't happen. To see Daddy you've got to come through me.

It's my job to answer the phone, too, but it never rang. I even practiced what I would say: Woof! Do I hear the phone ringing? Nope. Daddy doesn't get many calls at work because everybody uses e-mail.

I've seen Daddy check his e-mail enough to know how, but he won't let me. I'm not allowed to use the computer except to write my blog. Checking e-mail is easy. You just push on those buttons and it works.

You need to get on the calendar if you want to see Daddy. Keeping up with his schedule is my job, too. Here I am going over his calendar looking for openings.

Daddy said I was a big help. I'm glad. Would hate to think I wore myself out for nothing!

Chi-ao!

How I Got My Swagger

Now that I'm all grown up I get a lot of compliments about my body. People wonder how I stay so tiny. Between me and you, it ain't easy. Everybody knows we little girls have to work harder to get the same results.

It helps to have a work-out buddy who shares your goals. Tico and I have set an extremely lofty goal. We want to reach the top of Mount Midoriyama. That's right. We're training to become Ninjahuahuas.

I start my workout as soon as my paws hit the ground with a couple of long, slow stretches. Before breakfast I get in 10 to 15 minutes of resistance training playing tug-of-war with Anneedabus. Then the real work-out starts.

Tico and I do indoor free-running and ultimate fighting two or three times a day for thirty to sixty minutes. If you're being chased, you run as fast as you can without ever going the same way twice. Get caught and it's a no-holds-barred fight for dominance. Get pinned and you become the chaser.

I have to admit Tico can kick my butt. Sometimes he lets me win just so he can chase me. He's faster than me, too. But I know some shortcuts he's too big to take and give him a run for his money.

Training with a bigger dog is good for me. If the need arises I know I could whup any dog my size or smaller. That's why I got swagger.

Chi-ao!

Easter Bunnies, April Showers & Garage Sales

We had a great Easter. The Easter Bunny left treats for me and Tico all over the yard. We're lucky. Daddy says the Easter Bunny visits everybody else just once a year. He comes to our house almost every day. Here we are enjoying the treats he brings us.

Don't know when I've been so glad to see rain. After the rain washed everything clean we could play in the grass without sneezing again. I don't recommend drinking from yellow puddles. Blech!

It's been a lot cooler out since the rain--great weather for walking. Everything is green again and there are beautiful flowers everywhere. Some flowers smell really good, like this one we saw on our walk.

Yesterday a TIGER charged us! Daddy was listening to his music on our walk and didn't hear him coming. Fortunately, Tico scared him away. Daddy says it was just a friendly cat. Wrong. If it's bigger than me and purrs, it's a tiger.

Today Anneedabus and Daddy had the garage sale they've been talking about for weeks. I put out a few clothes too small for me to wear. I must be the smallest dog in the world because nobody bought them.

A garage sale means lots of strangers come to your house and TAKE STUFF! Tico and I watched through the window as truck after truck after truck pulled away loaded down with our valuable possessions. We barked and barked and barked but I don't think anyone could hear us.

It was terrible. I didn't see Daddy and was afraid Anneedabus sold him at the garage sale. There was so much coming and going I couldn't be sure. I sat at the garage door and cried. I knew if Daddy could hear me he would come running.

It worked. All these months of training paid off. He picked me up and carried me around for the rest of the sale. Everybody wanted to pet me, but I wouldn't let them. No telling where they've been since they last washed their hands.

Chi-ao!

No Fan of Yellow Snow

Ahhhhh-chooooo! I'm sorry. Just came in from outside. Yellow snow has fallen for the last few days. Ahhhhhhh-choooooooo! It's everywhere! Makes me and Tico sneeze.

White snow smells good. Yellow snow--not so much. There's so much of it I can hardly smell anything else. Everything is covered with it. Ahhhhhh-choooo!

The yellow snow makes Daddy and Anneedabus sneeze, too. They say it's pine pollen. When I'm outside a little cloud of it rises up with every step I take. Ahhhhh-choooooo!!!! I get sneezy just thinking about it.

Tico has a yellow-green snout and paws to match. My paws and curtains--the long fur that hides my personal parts when I'm doing my business--are yellow-green. Even Daddy's shoes are yellow-green.

Glad we took our walk earlier today. The TV says it's supposed to rain. I hope so. Anything is better than this yellow snow!

Ahhhhhhhhhh-CHI-AOooooooooooooooo!

Our Visit with Ennis

I got to go for a car ride with Daddy today! I knew we weren't going to the doctor because Tico came along. We got even more excited when we found out where we were going.

We went to play with Ennis. Besides Tico, Ennis is the only dog in the world I like. Other dogs scare me. When you only weigh five pounds, you can't be too careful. Until we've been properly introduced I'm also afraid of people.

Yes, I said five pounds. I think I'm beautiful just the way I am. Besides, I'd have to gain two more pounds to get as big as Tico. Daddy says I'm chicka-wow-wow!

After a quick hello to his daddies, we joined Ennis for the usual tour of his private dog park. Tico enjoys the tour more than I do. It's a boy thing. Tico pees, Ennis pees where Tico peed, then Tico pees on a new spot. They don't stop until they're both too dehydrated to keep going. Fun.

Ennis has a couple of lakes and a waterfall in his dog park. He even has fish and a fake alligator so the birds won't eat them. Tico pretends like he's getting a drink but he's really trying to figure out how to catch a fish.

We had a great visit, as usual. All too soon it was time to go. Ennis is a lot bigger than me--like probably even 15 pounds. I climbed on a rock for a little kissy-face before we left. Don't worry. It's harmless. Ennis is in love with Tico.

Chi-ao!

Ask Me Again

I don't know why I even bother. Earlier this month I came up with a list of things we could do to save money during the bad economy. Daddy and Anneedabus ignored every one of my suggestions!

OK. I'll admit it. Even though I thought it was a great idea and was only thinking about his health, I never really expected Anneedabus to cut back on treats or food for Tico. He's too nice. Daddy would have, but he never feeds us and rarely gives us any treats.

We still have our dog clothes, too. I'm hoping to unload them soon. Daddy says we're having a garage sale in April. He and Anneedabus have piles of stuff for the sale all over the house. Should be easy to slip a dress or two in here and there between now and the sale.

Tico got a new sheep this week, too. As you can see in the picture, there wasn't a thing wrong with the old one. If you ask me, Anneedabus spoils that dog.

To add insult to injury, Daddy took me to the doctor today. I have no idea what he did to me this time. I heard Daddy tell Anneedabus I had an extra set of teeth like it was a problem. Who ever heard of a dog with too many teeth!

All I know is I can hardly keep my eyes open. Think I'll go take a nap in Daddy's lap. Maybe I will dream up some new suggestions for saving money.

Chi-ao!

Tico Gets Hosed

Except for a short time when I was young, it's been cold outside for most of my life. Lately, the weather has been quite nice. We get to play outside more in good weather. I'd forgotten how good it feels to stretch out in the sun on the sidewalk.

The dog park has never looked so pretty. The flowers Daddy planted last year look great. Tico and I have been digging holes for more flowers. Daddy will be so happy when he finds out!

If we're outside Tico wants to play Fetch. He'll sit for hours waiting for someone to throw his orange ball for him. I'm sending the picture below to Sarah McLachlan. It's so sad she can send it to people who give money to get animals out of shelters.

As with all our toys, I'm not allowed to play with the orange ball. I have my own ball--unless Tico wants it. I enjoy a good game of Fetch as much as any dog. I am just not obsessed with it like Tico. He would ride in a short bus if he ever went to school.

He got us both in trouble a few days ago. We were walking through the garden outside the dog park with Daddy when Tico hit the jackpot. He found cat treats in this weed we both love to roll in. I saw him rolling away and ran over to join him.

By the time I got there Tico was covered in a delicious mixture of cat treats and our favorite weed. But I barely got my nose in it before Daddy snatched me up. Anneedabus picked Tico up, too, then coughed and retched while he carried him up to the dog park.

Next thing I knew Daddy was giving me another bath. I just had a bath not even two weeks ago. Hate the bath but love being blown-out afterward. I heard Anneedabus tell Daddy he had to hose Tico down before giving him a bath. Not sure what that means and hope I never find out.

Chi-ao!

Biting Back at the Bad Economy

Daddy says we need to go on a budget because of the bad economy. I don't know any economy, but wish it would be good. I'm a good girl all the time. Even Anneedabus says so. I'm tired of getting punished for stuff I didn't do.

You know me. Even though I had nothing to do with the bad economy, I will do everything I can to help. Tico and I sat down together earlier today to chew over our options. We came up with several money-saving tips.

Nothing makes my creative juices flow like a good chew. Most of the ideas are mine. Frankly, Tico with a chew-stick and that one-track mind of his really wasn't much help. Here are our suggestions to help Daddy and Anneedabus save money.

1) Stop taking me and Tico to the doctor. He just hurts us or makes us sick. If we didn't go to the doctor we'd never need one.

2) Sell all our dog clothes. Being the selfless, generous animal Daddy raised me to be, I'm willing to part with my entire wardrobe. That's right, all of it, especially including my fancy dresses.

3) Feed Tico once a day instead of twice. He's way too big, anyway. Feeding him less often will help him lose weight and our bag of food will last a lot longer.

4) Stop giving Tico treats. See #3. Besides, he's all grown up now and doesn't need them--especially Puparonis. He gets plenty of treats in the yard.

5) Quit replacing Tico's sheep. I can rip a new one to pieces in a matter of hours now. Why throw good money after bad?

You can only cut so much. At some point you need to talk about increasing revenue. My last suggestion is to rent Tico out to people who don't have a dog. It's a shame he's neutered.

The income and savings from our suggestions adds up. I hope it's enough to make a difference. I'd really miss Tico if we had to become a one-dog family.

Chi-ao!

Can't Have Anything!

Y'all know me and Toodles are maybe a little spoiled. Anneedabus and Daddy buy toys for us all the time. Grandma Buggs sends us toys for presents, too. We have lots and lots of toys.

Some dogs don't play with the toys they have. We do. We play with all our toys.

Our favorite game is hide all the toys. Daddy or Anneedabus puts all our toys in the basket then me and Toodles see how fast we can hide them around the house. It's fun! Sometimes it takes Daddy and Anneedabus days to find them all again.

Out of all our toys, Sheep is the only one I really care about. He was the first toy Anneedabus and Daddy gave me. We've been through a lot together.

I'm not supposed to know they have replaced Sheep with a new one several times. It's cute the way they swap out the old for the new--like I'm blind and have no sense of smell. Here I am with a brand new Sheep.

Toodles has it in for Sheep. When she gets hold of him, she runs off and tries to rip out all his stuffing. Trust me, it's not pretty. She makes strange little noises as bits of stuffing fly around her head. It's like she's crazy or possessed by evil spirits.

Don't believe me? Here's a recent picture of the Sheep shown above. See what I mean?
















Yeah we all know she's teeny tiny and all adorable and everything. You may not know she has more than a little bit of a temper. Daddy thinks it's cute, but me and Anneedabus know better.

Daddy Runs Away from Home

You haven't heard from me because I've been too upset to visit with you. Daddy disappeared. I've been just beside myself with worry.

The day Daddy left started just like any other. Yeah, he made a few extra trips to the car with stuff. But he's done that before. I didn't give it another thought.

Right before he left we played Million Kisses--the very first game he taught me. We still play Million Kisses before we go to sleep at night or when we lay down together for a nap. We never play Million Kisses before I kennel up so I should have known something was up.

When Daddy didn't come home for food I knew something was wrong. Daddy is always here for food. Always. I checked all his usual spots hundreds of times to see if maybe he'd slipped in without me noticing. Nope. Daddy was gone.

I slept without Daddy for the first time in my life. Or tried. I tossed and turned so much Anneedabus put me in my kennel. I was too upset to care.

Days passed and still no Daddy. Tico and Anneedabus tried to cheer me up. They played with me and took me on walks with them. It helped, as did the beautiful weather we've had ever since he left.

I was trying to enjoy the sun while Tico and Anneedabus played fetch in our dog park when I heard the garage door go up. I ran around to the gate just in time to see Daddy's car pull into the driveway. I've never been so excited in my whole life!

Then I heard him calling TooToo!! I ran to him as fast as I could. He swept me up in his arms and we played the best game of Million Kisses ever! I didn't even care when Daddy picked Tico up so he could play, too.

But I'm the one he carried around with him for the rest of the day. And he's the one I'm not letting out of my sight ever again. I'm so glad he didn't run away.

Chiao!

Our Typical Week

People say seven days make a week.  Honestly it's not that complicated. They must be confusing dog years with days of the week.  Everybody knows a week only has two days:  Kennel-Up-Day and The-Weekend. 

We all get up get up early on Kennel-Up-Day because Anneedabus and Daddy have to go to work.  Daddy sucks down a pot of coffee while he reads the newspaper, reviews our blog statistics, cusses at the TV news, and checks Facebook and his e-mail accounts.  I used to sit in his lap and watch but now I enjoy some quality time with Anneedabus before he goes to work.  He gets lonely since Tico always sleeps in.

The morning flies by.  Before you know it me and Tico have to kennel up.  I don't mind.  Daddy usually gives us good treats.  Besides, he's only gone for 15 minutes.  I've never timed him but I know he wouldn't lie.  

I sleep like a baby in my kennel.  Sleeping with Daddy is great but all his tossing and turning and getting up and down makes it hard to get much sleep.  I'm not complaining, just saying I have reason to appreciate a nice nap.  

Tico and I agree, The-Weekend is the best day of the week.  For starters we usually sleep late.  A few times we didn't get up until after the sun came up!

Anneedabus makes breakfast on The-Weekend.  Sometimes he makes scrambled eggs for me and Tico.  Scrambled eggs are my favorite people food but I also like cheese, green beans, peas, carrots and sweet potato french fries.  Just don't give me any blueberries.  Blech!

After breakfast we play with Anneedabus and Daddy.  When we're not playing, we take naps or long walks.  Today I helped Daddy pull weeds.  Daddy doesn't need to know I merely pretended to pull weeds while I kept an eye out for trouble.  You can't be too careful.  I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to him--especially on my watch.

All that hard work has made me sleepy.  I think I'll take a nap.  Just a quick one...no more than 15 minutes.

Chi-ao!

Tico the Fetch Fanatic

Hi everybody. It's me, Tico. You would hear from me a lot more often if Toodles would quit changing the password.

She would never change the password just to keep me from posting. She's following security protocols to keep the Chinese from hacking our blog and stealing our identities. You can't be too careful these days. I'm glad she's looking out for us.

Since my last posting we've had some crazy weather. Other than heat and humidity, we've had it all. It rained so much our private dog park flooded and we couldn't play fetch.















Fetch is my favorite game. No matter how far Anneedabus throws the ball, I bring it back. Every time. I'm always ready for a good game of fetch.
















It's a complicated game. Toodles doesn't really get it. She runs along behind me to see exactly how I do it. Until I know she's ready, I'm not letting her touch the ball. Anneedabus counts on me to bring it back and I'm not going to let him down.

After all the rain we had snow. Toodles hates it. She doesn't know what she's missing! Playing fetch in the snow with Anneedabus is probably the most fun I've ever had.
















Since she's grown up, Toodles is a bit more bearable. She still wants to play every waking moment of every day. Most of the time I don't mind, but every now and then I need a break. Fortunately there are three of us to take turns playing with her.

Looks like it's my turn. Come see us. I'll show you how to play fetch!