I'm a stinker, don't tell Santa...

Tomorrow I am going to visit with Santa at PetSmart and get my picture taken with him. To prepare for my visit, I took a bath this week so that I am super-beautiful. I need all the help I can get. Mom said that Santa might be upset at me; my Dad is. The problem is that I get up in the middle of the night (before 3 a.m.) and I don't go back to sleep until Mom leaves for work. So this means that Dad has to stay with me until Mom gets up. And Mom ends up having to get up before her alarm goes off because I'm going around the house barking like crazy because I want my Momma. And I want tons of treats because I love treats! Alfred does too but I'm a much better beggar.

Mom told Dad that she has to figure out a way of training me to sleep all night long, but I don't know if she can tame a stubborn pug like me...

I love PugFest

Yes I do, yes I do! Where else are there treats all over the ground? And everyone is offering treats? And people think that I'm super-cute (well, I am anyway!)?

Here I am at PugFest chewing on a doggy toothbrush.

Unfortunately, you cannot see the picture on my blog because it is copyrighted, but you can go visit the Smug Mug website and look at all the cute pugs and other dogs.

And since you asked so profusely, here's an old picture of moi taking a beauty nap:

*Yawn*

 

My new pillow sure is comfy. And stylish, too!

It's a lot of work being this cute!!!

 

My Mom can tell you all about it. She gives me baths and uses organic soap and shampoo!!! I know, she's a little bit crazy. But I know she does it because she loves me very much. Plus, she must be doing something right because my coat is all glossy.

And everyone at the Farmer's Market says that I am cute and adorable. Alfred is too, of course...

Finally, I am shot...

Well, not really! I meant I got all my shots this Monday. Isn't that cool? And I even got my tag and everything. And my doctor said that I look GRRRREEEEAAT!!! She was very impressed with my progress. Here's for some good news: she told me that I only weigh 13 lbs so there is plenty of room for more treats in my diet. I told that to my mom and she said "Dream on, Stella!!!" I replied "But MOM!" But she still said no more treats than what I already get. That means I get a treat after my medicine, when my parents go to work, and when I go pee-pee or potty outside. That's it! I think that I deserve more opportunities for treats. I need to start working on that.

Toodles,
Stella

It's August already?!?

Well my fans, I must confess that the lazy days of summer sure make me lazy... My mom has been working very hard and she has not been able to help me with the typing on my blog. She has been taking some really nice pictures of me but we have not been able to post them yet--it's that summer thing...

However, I do have awesome news. I have been seizure free for more than two months now. My poor brother Alfred had a tiny seizure a few weeks ago but he's not on medication. Speaking of medication, I don't like it that much but Mom makes me take it every day, twice a day! Why she must follow all these silly rules, I am not sure; but I am feeling better these days.

A few weeks ago, we pug-sat Olive the Pug for a week and a half. In the beginning Olive was a bit hyper but at the end she was very relaxed. She and Alfred walked really well together and I supervised from above, since Mom always carries me on the Pet-a-roo carrier. I think all our neighbors probably thought Mom was crazy and she was hoarding pugs, but we don't mind having a crazy Mom because she loves us very much.

Take care my fans!

Recovery nap

Here I am the day after my surgery. I was soooooo tired...

From the house of the sick pugs...

Hello again!
Thanks for all your comments. Guess what? Today I got my stitches removed from my surgery. Everything is great and I have not had a seizure in over 1.5 months--knock on wood if you please... Now my vets and my Mom are going to try to reduce the dosage of my medication to see what is the lowest dose that I can be on that does not trigger seizures.

I am so happy my fans! Every morning, at 6 a.m., I am ready to have breakfast and play. As soon as my Mom and Alfred enter the living room (that's where I sleep the last part of the night after I have my restroom break and my dad goes to bed), I start barking and I jump in my crate. Then Mom gets me out and I run several laps around the couch. And I run really fast too. Mom says that's why I am skinnier now and more athletic.

Then Alfred and I have our breakfast. My poor brother Alfred has some yeast in his left ear so he also had to go to the vet. He is almost well. Mom has been giving him medication and cleaning his ear. Alfred does not like the ear cleaning part, especially now because it hurts. That reminds me that Mom is really happy because my ears are almost perfectly healed and they are not as swollen anymore. That's really too bad though because now I have no excuse to not listen to my parents. And believe me, I try to get away with as much as I can. Mom says I have gotten really bossy and stubborn but I like to think of myself as a really confident pug.

I'm almost back to normal :-)

Dear Readers,
Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers. My surgery, on Monday, went very well and I even got my teeth cleaned. However, if I had known that I would be without food, water and treats for more than 24 hours, I would have told my Mom and my vet "No thanks!!!" But now it's done and there's no turning back.

So far, so good. After the surgery, I slept all day long until 4:30 a.m. I have not had any seizures, which makes my parents very happy. I am still unable to run and act goofy like I used to and it hurts when I go potty but Mom says I'll be back to normal in no time at all. By the way, after my surgery, sometimes I have this pitiful cough that Mom thinks is really cute. And mom has been checking my stitches and she is putting Neosporin on them to minimize scarring. I just love to be pampered by Mom... Even Alfred has been gentler on me!

Name-calling

My silly Mom is always making up names to call me. Here's a list of the most common ones:

• Stella-Baby
  
• Stella-Bella
  
• Little Stinker
  
• Stinky Dinky
  
• Little Batgirl (I am very blind, after all)
  
• Munchkin
  
• Puglet or Pigglet
  
• Miss Piggy
  

Oh I forgot...

I must update you on everything that has happened and is going to happen.

1) First of all, Mom got me another bed so that Alfred and I can have tons of spots to crash around the house. And I like my bed too. And I even got to hang out with Alfred's Froggy for a bit. He is such a nice pillow...

2) A couple of weeks ago, I started taking potassium bromide along with phenobarbital to control my seizures. It seems that does the trick and I feel awesome. I have even made some progress on my potty training.

3) Since my seizures seem to be under control, my vet wants to do my surgery so that I can finally get spayed. Monday will be the day, so wish me luck. I'll probably be a little groggy to give you an update on Monday, but I'll give you more news as soon as I can.

Wish me luck...

My dad is quite big and he makes a really nice pillow, don't you think?

What a weekend!

I guess I should give you an update on my seizures. I think I told you sometime ago that my phenobarbital levels were too low and the doctor doubled my dosage. After that happened I actually had more severe seizures about once a week. Mom was very upset but she waited a little bit to see if it was just a temporary thing. Then I went to the doctor again and he gave me his own phenobarbital pills just to make sure that the ones I was having were still good. No luck, I still had some seizures.

Mom called the vet again and he decided that we were going to try something new. So yesterday, I started taking potassium bromide along with the phenobarbital twice a day. Although my white cell counts were normal, the vet also thought that I should take some antibiotics because I may have some infection since my heat period lasted for over 2 months.

Mom was a bit apprehensive about how I would react to taking all this medication, but so far so good. I know that Mom is trying to get me well, so I try my best to take my pills and my liquid potassium bromide.

And finally, today, I did not have a single accident, so Mom was very happy. Now Mom gives me a treat every time I go to the bathroom outside. I love treats... Yum yum yum!

Mea culpa

OK, I confess that I am a very bad girl and that my Mom has every right to call me Pigglet. This morning when Mom came to get me from my crate, I had poop all over the blanket cover. And I even had poop on my feet. Mom had to put me in the bathtub and wash my feet. All this before she even had the chance to eat her breakfast. Mom is cool about it but I know she is upset that I don't seem to be making any progress toward being potty-trained. The upshot, Mom says, is that I make a good practice baby. After me, a human baby will not seem as messy/fussy/dirty... Hooray for optimism!

Life is very tiring...

And sometimes Alfred and I need to rest. Yes, because our Mom makes us go on walks twice a day! And we also have to go out in the yard and play when it's good weather and it's not very hot. And a couple of weekends ago,we even went with Mom to the Farmers' Market to help her with the shopping and to meet one of her very good friends. We have very hectic lives, you know...

Since Mom puts all these fluffy blankets in Alfred's crate, we decided to go in and just relax for a little bit. Alfred hardly ever uses the crate but its door is always open, so what the heck...

Resting

I like my new parents very much and I like my brother Alfred too. I follow him around all the time and he is very gentle and caring. He did not get upset because I took his basket and he lets Mom pet me all the time and give me cuddles. Tonight, Alfred decided that the two of us could fit in the basket and so here he is with me and his red frog. Don't we look tired? By the way, my favorite position to sleep in is with my face deep in the covers; Alfred's favorite position is curled up holding a stuffed animal.



See you later readers...

I know, this is cute too

 

 

Even my carrying bag is fashionable! I know you still cannot get over how cute and adorable I am. It's OK, I can totally see why you're speechless--I'm hot baby!!!

I am fabulous

Don't you think my Mom did a good job getting me this dress? I'm a canine fashion icon!!! Move over Carla Bruni, you've got nothing on me...

My Mom is totally crazy!

All she does is take pictures of me. Every day! And she has already bought me a ton of clothes. I look really cute in my new dresses, by the way. I'll show it to you some other time. In the meantime, look how cute I look in the above picture! Notice my soft brown blanket that Mom got just for me. I just love it. I sleep on it everyday and I even have managed to not have any accidents on my blanky.

Just call me Princess Stella, O.K.?

Last Friday, after work, mom stopped by T.J. Maxx to see if she could find me a good food bowl. Thus far, I had been eating from a tiny plate but Mom wanted to get me the perfect bowl for me that would allow me to eat my food easily and that would fit my big head without me having to hit my nose or my protruding eyes against the walls of the bowl. After a few long minutes searching, mom finally found the perfect bowl for my beautiful pug face. See me eating out of it in the picture above?

Yes, I know it's a person bowl! I mean, what do you think I am, a dog?!? And it's not just a regular person bowl, it is a person bowl made in England! Alfred's bowls are made in China, did you know that? Anyway, from now on, just call me Princess Stella...

I don't like rain

Dear Readers,
It's been raining for about 24 hours. This means my Mom cannot take me walking with my brother Alfred. I refuse to step outside! Unfortunately, I also cannot go outside to peepee and poopoo, so I have had a few accidents today. Mom got me some potty trainning pads but I am not sure how to use them. They smell kind of funny and Mom put them right next to the side door, the one that Alfred and I use when we go potty in the morning.

Despite the rain, Alfred begged Mom to take him walking and she did. Luckily she has a gigantic umbrella that can cover them both. And so they went walking so that Alf could go peepee. Alfred got home a bit wet but he was not afraid of the rain anymore so he asked Mom if he could go out on his own again--he still had some business to take care of, so Mom let him go. I wish I was that brave. Maybe someday I will...

Now the three of us are sitting on the couch. I'm kind of sleepy and I am very comfy because Mom wrapped me up in a blanket. She does that to me every night and I quite like it. Alfred is holding his frog in his mouth; that's how he falls asleep. We're watching yesterday's episode of In Treatment.

Well, I'd better get back to my business of cuddling with my family. Talk to you guys later...

My new home update

Hello again!
These last few days have been really exciting for me. I can't remember if I told you but on Saturday Mom gave me a bath and cut my nails. She also cleans my ears three times a day--I think she is crazy if you ask me, or maybe just a stubborn lady. Anyway, I love the attention and my ears are getting better.

Then yesterday, my Dad took me to the vet where Alfred goes. Boy, that Alfred is a popular pug. The ladies at the vet asked about him as soon as we came in and even told my dad to tell him "Hi" from them. They also thought I was cute because I'm so tiny. The vet office was a bit noisy but I just slept on my Dad's lap. It felt so good...

The vet did blood work on me to check my phenobarbital medicine levels. (Mom told them to do it because she had forgotten to give me my pill in the morning. She felt really guilty about it but I told her it was OK because I still have not had any epileptic seizures since I moved in with my new family. I told her not to forgot ever again and she said she would do her very best.) I'll get the results on Wednesday, so wish me luck. They also cleaned my ears and I did not like that at all. And they gave Mom medicine to put in my ears--I keep telling Mom to not put that stuff in my ears because it tickles, but Mom is stubborn. But I know she's right because my hears are feeling better and they don't smell any more. My skin is also looking better, so Mom is super-happy for me.

So far, the only problem I have is that I have a hard time going potty outside. I have accidents in the house and today I was really bad because I peed in my crate while Dad was at work and I fell asleep on the wet blanket. I shouldn't have done it because Dad took me out during the day but I am still learning, I guess. Mom said that she will do some research on how to help me.

And that's it, I am doing great so far and I am still learning my way around the house and how to tell my parents what I want. Alfred has been giving me hints and he even checks up on me during the night to make sure I'm alright. My brother Alfred is the best!

Nice to meet you...

Hi! I'm Stella, a darling black pug who just moved into a new home. These last couple of days have been really stressful on me because I moved and now I have to get used to my new family. But that's alright, they seem like they're nice animals. My new brother Alfred the Pug is always on the look out for me and if I make any sudden moves while I sleep, he comes to check on me. By the way, I sleep a lot. Here's a picture of me sleeping. I like this basket a lot, so my new Mom said that I could have it. Bummer for Alfred but maybe we can find him another basket.

I arrived at my new home on Friday evening. It was very cold but luckily the nice ladies from the Northwest Arkansas Pug Rescue bundled me up in a comfy blanket. So my new Mom just had to carry me into the above mentioned basket and there I slept all night. Mom tried to show me around the house for a little bit, but all I really wanted was a place to crash.

Then yesterday, Saturday, we got up, Mom bundled me and Alfred up and off we went to walk. Mom put me in my new pink coat, my pink harness and my pink leash. By the way, I told Mom that that shade of pink was rather awful and she agreed but she said that PetSmart had a very poor selection of things for my size and she only found one leash that was 4 ft long. Everything else was 5 ft and over... Good grief, I guess people don't want their pets to walk near them. But our walk was very uneventful and Mom said that I walk really well.

When we got home, Mom gave me my medicine and then she gave me my food. Unfortunately, I am a picky eater and I took my time sniffing the food until I finally decided to eat it. Mom is still figuring out how to feed me, that is, in what bowl is she going to put the food. I told her she could get me a short bowl that is wide enough for my big head. Yep, that's right kids, I have a big head because I am a brainiac. What's the matter? You don't like small girls with big brains? My family does and that's all that matters!

Oh, I gotta tell you this 'cause it's funny. When mom was trying to figure out whether to put me in my big crate to feed me or leave me outside, Alfred was going crazy. Mom thought that he was just trying to get to my food but it turns out he was just a little bit jealous of the girl bonding. One time, when Mom stepped out of the room he just stormed inside and went into the crate and sat down and waited for Mom to return. He did not even touch my food, which is like the miracle of the century. Every chance I get, I tease him about it.

Then after feeding me, Mom had to leave because she had a massage scheduled--my Mother also likes to pamper herself, you see... So I just took a long nap until she returned. Alfred had lunch, that's all he thinks about--food... but I was still full so I just walked around and then took another nap.

Since yesterday was Pug Play Day, Mom and Alfred took off after lunch. Alfred had a blast with all the other dogs but most of all, he had a blast eating all the treats during the games. He ate so many treats that last night he passed gas--I know, yuck! I am going to have to teach that boy some manners! And this morning, his poop was so stinky during our morning walk that Mom said you could use it to fight terrorists. This Mom is really funny...

You know what? Yesterday, Mom gave me a big girl bath and she cleaned my ears and my wrinkles with these medicated nifty little things that fight yeast. So I am not stinky anymore.

Ufff, I'm tired, I think I need a beauty rest.

Talk to you all later!