Izzyberry

One day back in June when the weather was tolerable, I was dicing strawberries trying to think of a way to photograph them. My white angel statue in the backyard came to mind, and voila! my plan was born.

Little did I know the complications this would pose for our chihuahua. Turns out, Miss Izzy, now known as Tooty Fruity, has quite the fondness for strawberries. As with any human food, I quickly looked online to make sure they're not toxic for dogs. Luckily, they're not, but grapes and raisins are, so don't offer your dog any!

DAY ONE:

Miss Angel, may I please have one of your delectable berries?

Mom, is it okay?

Well, no one seems to be stopping me.

Mmmmm....my mouth is watering. 

Oh, what the heck! I don't care how undignified I look!

Nom nom nom nom nom. 

Mmmm...I snagged a big one! This one's going to take some work.

DAY TWO:

Forget common courtesy! I'm gonna do a grab and run!

Grab, stab and run again!

There are starving dogs all over the world so I don't want to waste a drop!

For several days every time Izzy went outside she ran up to the statue to check for strawberries. I felt kinda bad that an innocent photography exercise caused her hopes to be raised then dashed. She finally got over it, but every now and then she'll trot over to the angel for a quick inspection.

She's since discovered watermelons, and drools incessantly until I share. Which I do with every single bite. Who do you think rules the roost at my house? Puppy dog eyes are a weakness of mine, what can I say?

Hawk Warning

The other day a friend of mine blogged about a hawk that had flown over her backyard while her small terrier was outside. After she consulted with several friends, it was confirmed that hawks can indeed pluck a small dog out of sight to devour.

Even though I was grateful for the knowledge, it left me extremely unsettled since we let our dogs out in the backyard several times a day. I made sure I remembered to let Double D know that our two chihuahuas could not be outside unsupervised anymore.

Imagine my surprise today when I read an article about a chihuahua named Sparky who had been attacked by a hawk.

Excerpt:

Nine-year-old, seven-pound Dixie and 7-year-old, six-pound Sparky have been together for years now, with Dixie delivering 18 puppies over three litters. Like many old "married" couples, Sparky and Dixie bark and occasionally snap at one another, and now prefer to recline on separate sofas in the Stearns-Suarez living room.

But Dixie's loyalty knew no bounds last week in the backyard of the family's home in the unincorporated Wheatland View area near Naperville's far south side. Suarez said she watched as Dixie sprang into action, using her front paws to pummel a red-tailed hawk as it tried to fly away with Sparky in its talons.

"She reared up like a horse and attacked like a horse," Suarez said of Dixie. "That's the image I'll always have in my mind."

Fortunately, Sparky was saved by Dixie's bravery. He sustained puncture wounds on top of his head and will be okay - physically anyway. Needless to say, Sparky is now afraid of the backyard.

I shudder at the thought of the same fate happening to my little chi-chis. Not only birds of prey, but other predators such as coyotes can also strike; even in comfortable suburbia.

Quivering Tongue

As you all know, Izzy has an enormous tongue that dangles from her petite mouth. I inadvertently discovered a trick for her abnormality, and it was like I found a new toy. Yeah, I’m a dork and have no life. :-p

Last night, as I was reclining and smacking unladylike on my gum, she climbed on the chair and settled on my chest. Paws perfectly, genteelly placed in front of her, she watched intently, exuding an animated, hopeful expression. She knows I don't normally chew food for that long, so I think she may have been intrigued, especially since there was no plate or bowl in front of me. In any case, she was patiently waiting for some sort of handout, whatever it may be.

I blew a big bubble and then popped the gum, thinking it might scare her off my chest. Instead, as soon as it popped, her tongue seemed to flicker. At first, I thought I was seeing things. I wasn’t.

I spent a good part of Sunday evening trying to see if she would ever NOT do it. Every single time I popped the gum, her tongue quivered. Or maybe flutter would be a better description. I couldn’t stop laughing. She just sat there staring with that serious face. I swear it was like pushing buttons: Blow. Pop. Quiver.

Maybe you had to be there. :)

Sparky

My baby needs a dental in the worst way and I love him enough to spend the money, but I'm having trouble digesting the estimate I received from the vet this morning: low end, $577 - high end, $714. I was expecting about $300-400. Can you say sticker shock? I'm waiting for Double D to come home because I don't want to call him and stress him out while he's working. I had wanted to do a little shopping today, but my heart is not in it now. If I didn't adore the little creature so much or I didn't understand how important dentals are, I could just say "Oh, well. Sorry fella!" But, I can't. Added to all the financial stress is the worry over his heart murmur, which is why the bill is so high to start with. We need chest x-rays and extensive blood panels to be best prepared. Well, off to think some more. Actually, I think shopping just might provide some good therapy, so off I go!

Rotten

Izzy is incredibly attached to her daddy, so the other day I asked her jokingly, “Where’s yo daddy?”

Based on her explosive reaction, you would have thought I detonated a firecracker under her butt. She started twirling around excitedly, barking vociferously as if to say "Yes, yes, I want my daddy! Where? Where is he?!"

When he failed to materialize, she was beside herself with indignation. Each bark, garbled as it may have sounded to an outsider, had an unusually distinctive sound. I honestly thought she was trying to form words. If a dog bark interpreter existed, it would be verified that she was giving me an ultimatum: EITHER PRODUCE HIM NOW OR DIE.

This pitiful display went on for several minutes. I could have continued on with my fun, but unfortunately she had involved the other three dogs, which could have resulted in ear drum damage. Besides, I don't want the neighbors to think I'm running a dog pound out of the house.

Just Chillin'

Sparky finds the most unconventional places to get some shuteye. Here he is on the first step of the stairs with his head resting on my tennis shoes. Even stranger is that he let me walk to another room and return with the camera to snap the picture, without budging an inch.

Heart-kun

Thanks to my daughter, Autumn and my friend, Tina for this. I checked it out on Snopes just to make sure it wasn't photoshopped, and it's absolutely true! This long-coated chihuahua was born in the Japanese city of Odate with a perfectly shaped heart on his side. The breeder/owner has won the lottery and concert tickets since the pup was born in May, 2007. His name is Heart-kun. "Kun" is a suffix attached to a boy's given or family name (usually a younger boy or a close friend); e.g., some friends call me Eddie-kun or Eddie-chan (-chan is unisex. Usually for young children or a close friend).

Today seemed the perfect day to blog about this. Can you imagine receiving this little darling on Valentine's Day? It would be better than diamonds...er...almost!

Sparky is a Movie Star!

Last summer, Sparky won a contest from 20th Century Fox, sponsored by Dogster, to be in the closing credits of the movie, Firehouse Dog. But, not only is he in the credits, he also appeared in the Dogster montage in the Special Features section of the dvd. Okay, so maybe Firehouse Dog wasn't a huge box office hit and it only scored 4.6 out of 10 at IMDb, but don't tell Sparky. He is very proud of his celebrity status, having his cute mug splashed across movie theaters all over the country. Yay Spark Plug! I always knew you were special.

More Izzy

Izzy is a little grouchy when she first wakes up.

Oh, Izabella!

What is it about this shivering bundle of white fur that would compel me to shell out $40 for a personalized collar? Heaven knows I try to keep my well-known weakness for handbags under that price. Even worse, Double D is on the Anything for Izzy bandwagon with me. Yep, he was right there in the pet store, slightly nervous because we had located all the letters of her name, except Y. Finally, when he found a Y hidden behind another letter, he punched it high in the air as though he had won a gold medal at the Olympics. Okay, maybe I embellished Double D's role a bit, but he was still an eager accomplice!

Next, we had to choose a collar color of red, pink or black. I wanted to go with red since she has had pink a couple of times. Black, while fashionable for humans, was out of the question for Izzy's skin...er...fur tone. Dennis insisted on pink. Rarely is Double D ever insistent when we're out shopping, so I thought, "okay, let him have his way this time." Yet...I really wanted the red. After wearing him down, I talked him into the red collar by saying it would be great for Valentine's day. Guess what? They didn't have red in her size. I lost and pink it was!

While I was morphing into a paparazzo trying to get the perfect camera shot of Izzy with her new bling, Sparky shot ME a look that made my heart instantly sad. It was so pitiful, as if to say "Where's my bling? Where's my love and adoration?" Aw, Spark Plug, I still adore you, little man. You still get the prime real estate on the bed with the softest blanket. You always get the place by my lap when we're watching TV. You get more rides in the car than the other dogs. AND, you ALWAYS get the last lick on the dishes. No worries, little fella. You also have a grill that is the envy of the neighborhood!

It's a Wonderful (Dog's) Life

Horrendous breath odor and all, I adore this baby/dog/human hybrid, or BDHH. My "Spark Plug" is utterly devoted to me, unless the scent of food swirls into his orbit. At that point, I am unceremoniously dumped (unless I have the food), but only temporarily. I mean, what else does my sweet tater tot have to look forward to in his limited, boring little life? Over the years, I have attempted and failed miserably at trying to limit his consumption of our highly fattening, mostly non-nutritious American diet. Had I been successful, he would not weigh a startling and staggering 10 pounds. He should weigh no more than 7 lbs; ideally he should be around 6 lbs. We started referring to him as a rump roast with legs recently. Sometimes he's a pork loin with legs, depending on our mood.

He enthusiastically offers his services as a dishwasher and I must say, he is very conscientious at cleaning our dishes after a meal. That little tongue works feverishly to remove every last crumb, growling at the other dogs when they try to help. "Back off, you inferior morons. Mom has put me in charge of this important job."

Other than the food issue, he is just about perfect. If I'm at the computer, he likes to sit right beside the chair, sometimes begging to get on my lap, but my keyboarding eventually annoys him and he jumps off. If I'm watching TV, he cuddles beside me under his baby blanket. If I'm on the pot...well, you get the idea. Lately, he has decided that when we go out to the garage, it's time for a ride. Unbeknownst to us, he waits patiently in the dark until we realize that he is no longer at our feet and discover him there. When it's time for bed, he waits for me to put down my robe, which I place beside my pillow, and he settles comfortably into that. Well, it is the softest robe ever.

Izabella Grace (Izzy) is my other BDHH. She is a toot that makes me smile practically every minute I'm home.

What a little survivor! Orphaned at less than a week old in June of 2006, she was brought to the emergency clinic dehydrated and near death, along with her 2 brothers. Sadly, her siblings did not survive, but she thrived under the care of an exceptional vet tech, Amy, who tube-fed her every few hours. At 7 weeks, I took over, reluctant, but excited. At first, my husband was skeptical that she was even a canine. Weighing less than a pound, she looked more like a gerbil, but I was determined to give this little creature a good life. My argument was that she wouldn't take up much room. As a "micro dog", she didn't really qualify as a full size dog. She's now 1-1/2 years old and weighs 5 lbs, with an exuberant personality and oversized tongue that has no choice but to dangle happily out of her mouth.

Sparky, oddly enough, is extremely protective of her, growling at the other dogs on the rare occasions that they engage in play. Sparky has even allowed Izzy to sleep with us, as long as she stays away from the prized robe.

Izzy loves to play fetch and tug-of-war. She also goes into a frenzy when the Dyson vacuum commercial is on, lunging and barking maniacally. We dvr'd it for our own amusement, because we're totally not perfect parents and like to get a rise out of our baby/dog/humans from time to time. I'm sure Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, would disapprove of this practice. Twisted though it may be, it is quite entertaining.