Traveling back to H-town

We left my hometown a few weeks ago, and I sure do miss all my puppy friends. Finally my family takes us back and I got so excited when I saw the skyline. 

We stopped by my old doggy park, West Webster, and played with Maggie and Max. 

 My family stayed at Hotel ZaZa in the Museum district, and we were so excited until after we pulled up.

First the manager came back and said the two retrievers are not allowed (only one 20 pound dog). Daddy tells the manager that yesterday when he called the front desk he asked up if dogs were allowed. The front desk said yes with a $50/fee, and he said that we have two full size retrievers that are well behaved and travel everywhere with us. They said that is fine (retrievers are allowed). 

Now this mean man tells us that we can not stay. We have to stay outside with momma until all this is over. Finally the nice Concierge, Mo, comes back out to tell us that we can stay. 

Then the mean manager says that we cannot bring in our bag from Spec's outlet store and tells us that we cannot bring in outside food. WHAT? My dogfood is in that bag. So we put the food in a cooler and brought it in. Illogical and irrational. The room was okay, but no doggy beds or doggy treats. They did offer dog walks but with all the rudeness that we felt in the very beginning my family would not use it. We lay by the cabana doors watching my family play in the pool area, with five horrible childen jumping on all the cushions and hitting each other with noodles.  No one told their parents that they were too big.  Herman Park was so close, and we loved walking the trails.

Journey to Estes Park, Colorado from Houston

Camping in Las Vegas, NM (National Forest)

Palo Duro Canyon, TX

Pups Painting the Cadillac with Texas Mud

My Own Personal Cook!

My matriarch has been doing tons of readings about dog food and what I should be eating. She has now started cooking our own meals for us and boy are they good. Yesterday and today was cooked hamburger, brown rice, carrots, roma tomatoes, oil, and a cup of iams. It was so good and our wastes were so much smaller than with just plain iams. She chops everything so that Bud will not choke since he inhales his food versus chewing.

She went to the big farmers market and bought tons of fresh vegetables for us, and even to a meat market for hamburger. Tomorrow she said chicken, brown rice, carrots, roma tomatoes, and steamed broccoli. Wow, I must have done something wonderful to get all this great food.

I am still scratching and licking, although not as much. So maybe it might take a few meals to help with my allergies. She has been mixing the new food with iams so that it will be a smooth transition. I wonder how she is going to cook for us when we go camping in Colorado. Any suggestions out there.

She still questions the raw meat diet (too scared about E-coli and salmonella to attempt, and not willing to shoot an animal for me).

Galveston Beach Exploration

We returned to Galveston for more Birthday celebrations and rented the same house as always on the Seawall (known as our beach house) with our family.  The house has a big kitchen to ask for treats, and a front porch to watch everyone walking, running, or biking by.  The steps down to the beach is right across the street with many friendly dogs to play with and waves to jump.

My Tail of Devotion for Whitley

Whitley is my inspiration and one way to make the world a better place. Her loving nature is ideal to help those in need. She and I hope to help children in the hospital with their recovery.

Whitley listens so well and is so patient especially when she wants to play. She loves to play with her soft toys and go swimming. If I am splashing too much, then she will swim to me and demand that she guides me back to the shore.

I am devoted to Whitley having a great quality of life, and she provides me the same.

Our dogs go everywhere with us, and when they can not one stays home with them. Our dogs bring us so much joy to our lives, and they feel the same about us. They are our family.

This is a special Tail of Devotion

Travel to Marathon and Marfa, TX for my Birthday

Gage in the daylight

Gage at night

Beautiful sunset in the TX desert

Dogs and a goat roaming the streets of Marathon

Porch watching in Marathon at Gage Hotel

my face was swollen, better now!

DON'T PANIC!!

Yesterday I was alone in my home when momma went to work. My face started to swell up and hurt. When momma came home, I ran to her, and she was very upset. I never had experienced anything like this before. None of the vets would let us see them, and told us to go to the emergency room for pets. She did not want to drive by herself to the emergency room with me being sick.

Momma said that I have angioedema from what I do not know. She applied cold compresses and gave me children's antihistamine. We still do not know what caused it. I had thrown up pieces of a tennis ball that I swallowed yesterday morning. Maybe latex (I need to be tested).

What do you think? My face has gone done now (24 hours later), and I am feeling better.

Angioedema is an acute condition, characterized by non painful subcutaneous inflammation and oedema in cheeks region, oral mucosa and around the eyes. This condition appears suddenly, usually within 20 minutes to allergen exposition.  The dog can be variably itchy, nervous, and sometimes laryngeal inflammation can cause severe respiratory distress. Should cardiovascular system be affected by this allergic reaction, the dog needs emergency help to avoid fatal consequences.

Which is the best treatment for a dog with angioedema?

Main treatment goal is stopping inflammatory reaction by using corticoids. We administer methylprednisolone intravenously. This is rapid-acting glucocorticoid that interrupts inflammatory reaction very quickly and effectively.

Three course dinner at the Canyon Cafe to benefit Humane Society

My family took me out to a nice restaurant. The waiters brought me my own bowl of water, salad, beef and vegetable stew, and a peanutbutter pupsicle. It was so good. There was nothing left except the bones from the stew. The waiters were so nice and everyone else brought their dogs too. I was so excited. My compliments to the chef. It was so TASTY!!

My family said that the cost of my meal all went to the Houston Humane Society, which has been providing help to many animals hit by the hurricanes. I can tell you first hand why I feel so lucky to have such a loving family to protect us from the bad weather, and that it did not hurt my home.

Canyon Cafe, a excellent mexican restaurant, is doing the meals next weekend, too. Give it a try if you are in Houston.

Do not like hurricanes!!!

Bud and I were happy and playing around our home in Houston. My family pulled out suitcases and putting their clothes and my toys in their bags. I get concerned when I see the luggage out because normally that means someone is leaving us or we have to go "camping" at a kennel. We all went to sleep Thursday night, and then suddenly in the middle of a good sleep I heard a bunch of commotion. My backpack was placed on me and we walked to the car. I was so tied and passed out in the car. A few hours later we were still driving and we had to go poddy!!

Many, many hours later through the heat, and poddy stops we were in our old old house in Naco which was fun. We ran around and played all day, but the next night was not so enjoyable.

The winds started to blow and there was a strange smell in the air. The rains and winds got worst throughout the night. My family made us move into the hallway. The trees around our house were blown in all directions and rains fell sideways down the road. The lights started flicking on and off, and then never came back on. We stayed huckered for many hours in the hallways. There was a lot of noise coming from the roof. I snuggled with my family and felt protected. Finally the storm was over. There was trees and debris everywhere which I got to bring it to the house. But these horrible things called fire ants kept biting my feet. I guess the storm blew them in and because we were not here yesterday. Bud and I are playing and trying to stay cool without A/C or power. Hopefully they will turn it on soon since we love A/C. We miss our home in Houston and ready to go back home!!!

Training for Animal Assisted Therapy test

I have nearly a week left to prepare for my test to go with Matriach to the hospitals. We train every day a couple of times a day. My family praises me for my progress but they are concerned that I do not choose to lie down when they ask me. I do not want to lie down and get dirty. I shall sit because it is more comfortable.

During the training session she will not even give me a treat. She just praises me and rubs on me, but if she gave me a biscuit, then I would lie down. I think if I stay strong, she will give up and give me a treat. Hope for the best for me.

Pet Partners in Galveston, Texas

Make room for Whitley

We went camping last weekend at Pace Bend Park on Lake Travis, and we had so much fun. Bud and I ran all around and sniffed every plant. Beware of prickly pear cactus, they have pokers that hurt when you sniff them. We ran around all day and night. Sat by the campfire and could go to the bathroom when ever we had the urge. We met some other dogs and their families as we walked around the park. The water was a little chilly, but played so much that we didn't even notice.

At bedtime Bud and I had to sleep on the feet of our family. We didn't like that. We all got in the tent and my family wiggled into some bags, but never told me where to sleep. I just sat there, waiting for them to make me a bed. Nothing!! They finally told me to lie down and I rested my head on my mom's legs. She kept disturbing my sleep all night.  Bud started getting cold. He said that he was going to climb into one of those bags. He started shaking and Mom opened the bag and let him in. I can't shake like he does, so I could not get in.

I loved the camping, but the sleeping part needs to change. Bud kept running to the vehicle to go home to his bed, but I didn't complain and enjoyed Pace Bend.

Mardi Gras Krewe of Barkus

Beginning our first Parade...

My new Mardi Gras Krewe friend after the Parade

How not to ride in a car

Whenever I ride with brother Bud, he always gets into trouble. He is up and down jumping from window to window, barking, crying, and being annoying.

I love to ride in the car because I know that I shall be going somewhere fun. Mother asks me to sit and I do and just look out the back window. But when Mr. Bud comes with me, he won't stay on his side and keeps pushing me around. Only a few minutes into the drive we starts to cry because he misses home, and he will not stop crying no matter how much mom and dad try to calm him down.

We used to be able to sit right next to them, but because of Bud's behavior we have to lie down on the hard mat in the back of the vehicle. Plus they put bars up in the back so that Bud won't bother them.

He always enjoys when he get there but he just HATES to ride. I guess that I shall just suffer through it since I love to play with him so much.

Visiting the bars at such a young age

Last weekend we went to Little Woodrows in Midtown where I normally get to meet other dogs as my family sits and drinks this yummy stuff called BEER. But last weekend there were no dogs but plenty of people cheering and drinking yummy BEER.

As my family watched the glass box with people running on it, lots of people came up to me and loved on me, and even one gave me some BEER.  BEER is really good. I had tasted it before when no one was looking. But my family caught me and gave me the clear, clean liquid called water.

I warn you that not all clear liquid is the same. As a puppy, I saw this glass with ice and what I thought was water. It was NOT water. My family called it a martini and it was nasty; I shook my head and ran to my momma.

Back to the BEER the man let me drink lots of beer. My family kept telling me NO but I pretended like I didn't hear. Everyone kept loving on me and guy would sneak me some BEER. After awhile the beer and too much attention, I started getting scared. I hid behind my family's legs, and peaked out when it was clear. 

Finally we went back home, and I was sure tired and fell right to sleep. Be caution of BEER and overly friendly people. It can make you feel kind of funny.