I Donated Food to the Animal Shelter

Do you remember how I won a gift card to Petco for the Halloween costume contest? Well, in addition to buying myself some treats I bought a huge bag of Wellness dog food for the doggies at the shelter. I went to Petco with mommy, grandpa and grandma. Grandpa held my leash and walked me around the store; well, actually I dragged him around while I searched for food on the floor. Grandma pushed the cart, and mommy looked for goodies.

When we were all done, we drove to the Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) and donated food. Mommy said it was very busy there so she didn't take me inside. I hope the doggies at CAP enjoy the food and have a very happy new year!

If you are looking to adopt a dog or puppy in the greater Houston area, please click here.

I Don't Like Dog Parks

Hey, that's mine!

Mommy took me to a new dog park in Houston yesterday. Mommy knows how I don't like to play with other doggies but she thought the do park would be empty since it was the middle of the day. I guess there are lots of dog moms and dads that work from home too because there were other doggies there.

This park separates small dogs and big dogs so I had no choice but to go in the big dog group because I weigh more than 20 pounds. That's not fair! They should have a medium dog area.

I sniffed a bit and then some doggies came over to say, "Hello!" I didn't mind too much but then one dog started to run around and he knocked into mommy with his wet fur and 100 pound body. He was a puppy - a big puppy - so he didn't do it on purpose but mommy now has a bruise on her leg. And the doggy was wet because they have a swimming pond in the park. That's great for the other doggies that like to swim but not for mommy and me because they chose to shake off right in front of us. How rude!

I ran to the back of the park so I could have my own space. OK, truth be told I was trying to escape but that darn fence was in the way. Mommy was disappointed in some of the dog owners that must have been there before because there was poop that wasn't picked up. There are dog bags and trash bins everywhere, so why didn't they pick up their dog's poop? Don't they know they're breaking the rules? Lazy humans.

Mommy and I left - and not a moment too soon if you ask me - and we drove home, but before we got there, mommy let me play in my local park. I had the entire park to myself and I even got to chase a squirrel. I'm a solo dog - well, me, my mommy and daddy - and I don't want any other dogs chasing after MY squirrel.

That is the Siberian Husky that hurt mommy. Sure, I might look interested, but I was just making sure they were occupied before I made my getaway.

I Attended my First Pet Fest

On Saturday, we went to Pet Fest in Old Town Spring. It was a lot of fun. Before we went, mommy put my basketball Jersey on me so daddy thought it would be a good idea to really make me look like a basketball player. He cut out red felt and made me a sweatband for my head and two for my legs. I got a lot of attention and everyone said I looked adorable even though I'm a bit furry at the moment. I know, I need to be groomed so I'm looking like a fluffy nuffy.

I got to meet other doggies and see Melissa from Pets Are Inn. If you'd like to see more photos from the Pet Fest, click here.

Dogs Get The Flu Too

Ah-chew! No, don't worry, I'm not really sick but doggies can get the flu too. We have a special kind of flu called canine influenza and humans can pass it us if they don't wash their hands after touching a doggy infected with the flu. So be sure to tell your human to wash their hands after touching other doggies just in case. To find out more about dog flu, click here.

It poured last night and this morning so I didn't get my morning walk. I did, however, tippy-toe onto the wet yard and do my business. I don't really like being wet but when you have to go, you have to go. Mommy went to the SPCA to interview the lead cruelty investigator and she said he was a very nice man. He works hard for the doggies so let's give him a round of applaws.

My Weekend at the Parks

This is me at the Terry Hershey Park in Houston, TX. There were so many things to sniff!

Here I am enjoying the view. Don't worry, I wasn't going to jump but that water sure did look like fun.

On Saturday, mommy and daddy tried to take me to some fancy gardens. We walked over a fun suspension bridge and when we got to the main entrance, a nice man told me I was cute but wasn't allowed in, so we left.

Then we went to Memorial Park and I got to run in the woods and sniff everything. Afterwards, we all had lunch together at a dog-friendly restaurant. I even got to sit next to another doggy - a Standard Poodle named Thor. He was friendly and kept coming over to say, "Hello!" to mommy. I think it might have had something to do with the food she had - MY food.

On Sunday, mommy and I drove daddy to the airport. He went to North Carolina for a leadership course. I guess he's going to learn how to be a better pack leader. Mommy and I took a nap on the couch because we were so tired from having to get up early for daddy, but then we drove to a huge park called Terry Hershey. It has miles and miles of trails so I had fun, but unfortunately there were many cyclists there. They kept coming in all directions and since they are so quiet, mommy had to keep looking over her shoulder. I don't think mommy enjoyed it much but I had a great time.

Middi, a Lovely Dog Available for Adoption in Houston, TX

This is Middi. She is a pretty girl, don't you think? Mommy tells me Middi is looking for a furever home. Do you know anyone in the greater Houston, TX area that is looking for a new best friend? If so click here and read more about Middi.

Hope all of my four-legged friends (and their parents) have a wonderful weekend. The weather in Houston has finally cooled off and it's so much fun to go for walks now that the humidity is gone.

Euri, the Dog Ate an Entire Bag of Cookies

Last month when my mommy and daddy went to the Pacific Northwest, I stayed with my host family. Melissa Maertens from Pets Are Inn picked me up in her van and off I went. I didn't mind because I love staying with my host mommy. She's always so nice to me, and she even lets me sleep in her bed - something daddy won't let me do because he says I hog the bed. Me? Hog the bed? I'm just a medium sized dog, how can I take up the entire bed?

So while mommy and daddy were away, I had a lot of fun with my host mommy but on the last day, I saw her pack up my belongings and I got scared. I did not want to leave so I did something naughty. I saw a bag of cookies just sitting there on the kitchen table, so I jumped up, knocked the cookies down, and ate all of them - that's right, each and every cookie. My bad.

I'm on a wheat-free diet so I'm not supposed to eat things like that plus I don't even know what was in those cookies. There could have been chocolate which could kill me. My host mommy was surprised that I had done something mischievous when I'm normally so well-behaved. I bet she won't leave cookies lying around the house next time I stay with her.

So on the way home, I got sick in my crate and threw up. Poor Melissa had to clean it up, and when I got back home to mommy and daddy's house, I didn't react enthusiastically so they knew something was wrong. They thought of me during their vacation and bought me muttaroons - wheat free macaroons for dogs. I normally will eat anything but I was feeling so sick that I didn't even eat the muttaroon mommy gave me. Mommy was insulted and didn't know what was wrong, but then Melissa told her about my antics.

As soon as Melissa left, I threw up on the area rug. Daddy was not happy that I chose the rug instead of the hardwood floors - which would have been easier to clean - but the rug was so much more comfortable. Then, as mommy was cleaning up my vomit, I ran to the bedroom so I could vomit again....on the area rug of course, isn't that where I'm supposed to throw up?

I was pretty sick all night and the next day but fortunately I made a full recovery, and I learned my lesson....well, OK, so maybe I didn't learn my lesson but what do you expect? I'm a dog for goodness sake!

Guest Blogger, Turbo the Poodle from Texas

This entry comes from Turbo, our guest blogger whose mom is Joy Lee, co-owner of Rover Oaks in Katy, TX, and author of Rover's Rescues. Read her interview with the Houston Dogs Examiner by clicking here.


My name is Turbo because that's what I used to be like when I first showed up at Mom's work...some guys brought me into her pet resort and said I was a stray and they couldn't keep me. Thankfully, Mom did!

I am only about three years old now, but I'm not really a Turbo any more. I've had lots of health problems for a young dog, and I think I've been to the emergency clinic you were talking about one time when I took some medicine for my aching joints but it ended up making me throw up blood. And, I was in the hospital part of that clinic for three different knee surgeries and a bunch of tests. They say I have something called "lupus"...I'm not really sure what that is but I do know that the medicine they usually give for that is the same medicine that sent me to the emergency clinic. So I am on a different medicine, plus I get acupuncture and herbal medicines. And, I'm doing a little better now and am kind of getting back to my old self.

I still keep finding new and different reasons for Mom to need to take me to the vet though. Like, the other night, I was exploring in the back yard and came across a walking stick insect. Did you know those things spray a really nasty stuff and they are really good at getting it right in your eyes? I came running back inside, shaking my head and rubbing my eyes, and Mom took me and flushed my eye out, but the next morning it was still really swollen. The vet says I got an ulcer on my cornea from the bug and now I need ointment in my eyes four times a day so it will get better. Anyway, the picture Mom is sending of me isn't my best, but it's the best one she can find right now.

Hope we can be blog friends, but right now I want Mom to stop typing on the computer so she can give me my nightly massage! Bye for now, Turbo