Adventures of a Blind Dog in a Big World

And Then Came the Last Days of Cafe...

2011-09-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason I've been so selfish (hehe) and kept Lippe for so long is that I wanted him here to help ~~with the huge task of cooking our last dinner~~ document our last day at the cafe.

Before I go any further, I want to clarify: we had a blast at our cafe. And by the end were a rip roaring success. I've had many people express condolences and give advice when they hear of our closing, but we didn't close because we failed...we closed because we did SO well that we outgrew our tiny tiny kitchen! BOL! In all honesty, the "cafe" is actually a coffee shop and was never meant for cooking and serving food. But it was a grand experiment and who knows...maybe we'll be inviting Lippe back someday for the Grand Opening of our restaurant at a new location. ;)

Now, to the pics!

As part of our final day, we opted to put on a big invitation-only customer appreciation dinner for our favorite, most loyal customers. We chose a big Chinese dinner!

Lippe got to work folding (and tasting) fortune cookies:

After that hard work, he took a break to eat some sesame chicken:

Then it got intense! Time to fill & fold approximately one squillion crab wontons:

But the reward is worth it! Check out that spread!

Lippe having a hard time deciding what to put on his plate first:

Then, after everyone's gone home, it's time to pack up and clean, clean, CLEAN. Goodbye, tiny kitchen:

Goodbye, tiny coffee shop! Thanks for the memories!

Giveaway Extravaganza!

2011-09-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Girl has some Dogswell Mellow Mutt and Dogswell Happy Heart chicken jerky dog treats in her store that are about to expire! So I thought, hey, how about I give them to my friends?

If you would like a bag, leave a comment letting me know which you'd like and I'll send a bag to you!

For my cat pals out there, I do have some Catswell Vitakitty chicken treats that are ToPu & Kenshin approved...they are slightly out of date but if anyone would like them, let me know!

Thanks!

Odds & Ends

2011-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

So after reading about Mario's teeth, I was wondering: do any of you out there have dental chews you'd recommend?

And totally unrelated to my stinky breath:
I know times are hard for everyone right now and it seems like the pleas for charity and donations increase every day. That said, I'd like to give you links to a friend of mine who's having a bit of a hard time. He has a children's book and some corresponding merchandise. The book is about the responsibility of owning a pet, which is why I'm ~~pitching it~~ sharing it with my anipal furriends. :)

OMD, I Know A CELEBRITY!

2011-09-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Have you all seen @MarioDaCat's blog?
Or maybe his ARTICLE IN THE WASHINGTON POST?!

Our very own Mario, a bona fide celeb!

Teddy-tastic

2011-09-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have some of the best teddy friends a dog could ask for. As you know from my posts, I also have teddies that live with me. Well, this morning I was reading the latest issue of Fauxgue and in the Literature>Poetry section there were some of the sweetest quotes about teddy bears and I was reminded of all my teddy friends (well, all my friends of the plush variety, really). I would copy & paste them all but you really need to just check out Fauxgue and please share it with all your friends!

Lippe Goes Camping

2011-07-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is a long adventure so settle in!

Lippe was very excited to go camping after such a hard day at the cafe. It was quite a drive up to the cabin though...

And was bedtime as soon as we got there! Maya & Artie came along too. Bianca and J. Bear got to come last year, so they opted to stay behind with T. Nuki-chan and supervise at the cafe for the weekend.

Saturday morning started with a quest for the elusive rock chuck. If you biggify the picture, can you see the marmot on the rock behind Lippe?

Here's another rock chuck, if you look right above the shadow line in the rocks.

Lippe takes a moment to enjoy the scenery. The camo hoodie is on loan from J. Bear to give him a good "Wyoming look."

Posing in front of the view.

Maya, Artie, and Lippe want to take the Rhino out. Artie says he'll operate the pedals if Lippe steers...

The little guest cabin is under construction.

Then things really get exciting as Lippe decides to go rafting!

There I am, cheering on Lippe in the background, doing my best to look adventurous! What a brave pioneering spirit that Lippe has!

Me, Ein, and The Dad supervise Lippe as he comes over the rapids...

OMD! Extreme hard core whitewater rafting video!

Lippe, the brave adventurer!

After all that excitement, Lippe and Artie explore an old old cabin.

After that little rest, Lippe spots a cliff face and decides to do some climbing:

And higher he goes...

And HIGHER...

Stops for a little rest before the last big push...

KING OF THE WORLD!

A wave to everyone from the top of the world! Or at least the top of the rock.

Whew! Loaded up and ready to go back to camp.

Sunday morning it's time for some construction work. Checking the level in the little cabin:

OMD! Close call on the roof! Good thing for that safety rope.

Taking a rest with Wickie, who is named Wicket after the Ewok. Considering Lippe is a Wookie, we figured they should be great pals, right?

Lippe and Artie buckled up in the Jeep. Time to head down the mountain to home.

Lippe and Artie get the fence on the trip out.

Good bye, cabin! Good bye, mountain! Good bye, camping!

Lippe's Here!

2011-07-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Finally! Lippe has arrived!

We didn't waste time putting him to work. Had to do some emergency shopping for the cafe...

And then it was time to make the buns for the day! Lippe set to work kneading the dough...

...and then stamped out the buns. Nice buns, Lippe! BOL! ;)

After the hard work, Lippe needed a coffee break. Of course he opted for the fashionable Shibbering Cheetos mug!

Lippe didn't get paid wages but he did get paid in red velvet cake.

He finished the day by helping run the register.

Lippe was rewarded with a massage at the end of a hard day's work!

Stay tuned for the next installment of Lippe's visit: Lippe Goes Camping!

A Request

2011-06-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do to wind down my day is go through my Google Reader and catch up on all the anipal blogs. I'm blessed to know so many wonderful pals and it's great to get a peek at their lives and share lessons. I love them all.

@MattieDog's http://mattiedadog.blogspot.com/ is one of my favorites. If you haven't read/don't follow his blog, I highly recommend it. Every post is worth reading. Mattie fills his blog with gentle lessons, light humor, and poignant thought.

Now, I'm not just writing this to toot Mattie's horn (though we all know dogs love tooting!) but because I have nominated and would like your help nominating http://mattiedadog.blogspot.com/ for a Petties award for Best Dog Blog. It's very easy, just click on the Petties link, fill out a few fields, click Best Dog Blog, and that's it. We need nominations submitted by June 29th, please. After that, if Mattie is a finalist, we'll begin campaigning for votes ;)

Please spread the word and encourage others to nominate Mattie's blog too. All your help is very, very appreciated.

Teddy Fashion Show!

2011-06-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I received an unexpected but quite pleasant package from my bear friend @i_am_fuzzy! It appears his person got a bit bored and to keep herself busy starting sewing up clothes that perfectly fit small girl bears. However, Fuzzy is a BOY bear and didn't want frilly things so he thought maybe Maya, who lives with me, might appreciate them.

Maya was so excited to get some new clothes (all the bears have been asking for something new to wear) she wanted to put on a fashion show. She invited Bianca to be her assistant model and of course, Bianca jumped at the chance to try on some new outfits. Artie wasn't really invited, as he doesn't even wear clothes, but no one seemed to mind him tagging along.

Here you can see Bianca is wearing the top that Maya is wearing in the picture above while Maya is wearing just the cute dress. Works for clothing one bear or two!

This outfit is really cute and multipurpose...here Maya is modeling the matching top & skirt...

But here Bianca is wearing the top with a matching pair of shorts! You can see Maya is modeling a lovely whimsical apron, which I'm sure will come in quite handy!

Thanks, Fuzzy, for this unexpected gift! As you can see, the girls had a lot of fun showing off the new clothes.

For pals who want more information about my bears (or would maybe like to start their own bear family, hehe):

Bianca came from @SnuffyNorton http://shop.bearmani.com/

Maya came from @i_am_fuzzy

Artie came from @elineof who has a wonderful etsy store

#CookinWifBears Just Doesn't Have the Same Ring To It...

2011-05-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm assuming all of you know my super-famous pal @ZackRabbit and you watch his #CookinWifRabbits show every Saturday. Well, Zackary sent us a new pal, T. Nuki-chan! (Uh, he's the one in the picture who is not a bear.) So we thought we'd give Nuki-chan a proper welcome by doing some cooking!

Today we made green tea cupcakes. Mostly so we could use these cute Winnie-the-Pooh cupcake liners.

We started by creaming together the butter & sugar...

Then we added one egg + one egg yolk. Uh...I don't think Artie is using that egg separator correctly...

Then some milk, baking powder, pinch of salt, and our green tea powder...

After adding some flour it was ready to put in the oven!

While our cupcakes baked, we made the green tea frosting...more butter, milk, green tea powder and then some powdered sugar.

And voila! Green and glorious! Oh my, it looks like there may be extra..?

Yes, we could have left it at that. But we decided to take it one step further and make a super special cupcake inspired by our teddy-ness and our sweet teddy friends on Twitter!

I guess, in retrospect, it might have been more appropriate to make a tanuki-topped cupcake to celebrate Nuki-chan's arrival...or maybe a rabbit cupcake as a thank you to Zackary for our new friend? Uh...oops. Maybe next time, okay?

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last year I wrote this post about how Easter is for everyone. To me, Easter at its core is about second chances. It's about forgiveness and rebirth. Because of this, I think that Easter is a holiday that people of all religions (or no religion, even) can observe.

I think that being forgiven and starting over has a certain appeal. Not long ago I ended up hurting my friend @TheRealStinky's feelings. I didn't mean to, of course, but I hurt him regardless. I would like to be forgiven and give our friendship a second chance; though he doesn't owe me that, by any means.

So then I got to thinking...how many other pals have I hurt by accident? Perhaps with a careless remark or even no remark at all?

That is why to me Easter this year is about being a better friend.

Can We Give Pumpkinpuddy a Great Blogiversary?

2011-04-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's almost @Pumpkinpuddy's blogiversary! To celebrate, she wants to give a nice donation to her favorite charity, http://www.duncansplace.org/

I've put up a widget on the right there where you can donate via ChipIn. ORRRRR...and here's a big deal: Pumpkin made this lovely book "Summer at the Lake with Petie." You really should buy it! Want to know why?
1) It's about the anipal twitter family, specifically @PetietheCat and those who rallied around for his health;
2) Profits go to Duncan's Place, not Pumpkin's (or anyone else's) pocket;
3) The way the publisher is set up...Pumpkin can't access the last bit of book revenues until she sells 6 more books this month! Oh dog! Okay, well, I'll go buy one so...now we just need FIVE more generous people to buy a copy!

Now, I know that anipals are a generous group sometimes almost to a fault and that several of us WANT to buy things or donate or whatever but are just "gived out" and don't have anything left. Totally understandable! But please, even if you can't donate or buy the book, can you tweet the link to the chipin or the book or even to this blog?

All your efforts--even the effort of just reading this post--are appreciated!

In Which My Big World Gets a Little Bigger

2011-02-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

The other day I was talking with some anipals about all the cultural information I've learned from other anipals ("cultural information" usually revolves around food, but that's not really my point). We talked about the friends we've made all over the world, the amazing things we've learned, and about how when our people try to tell "outsiders" about tweeting animals and pawties they get the "Cuckoo!" look. USPS, FedEx, and UPS people all over are shaking their heads at this increase in packages they're delivering that are addressed to pets.

The other side of this is when disaster strikes across the world, there's usually an anipal in that place. This will sound selfish, but I'm a dog--my life is eating, sleeping, fetching, and potty. I didn't really care about other places. But as soon as I heard about the riots in Egypt, I immediately thought of @MisterSnoop and how grateful I was that he had moved & was out of harm's way. Looking at my tweets during that time, I saw a lot of other anipals felt the same way.

So naturally, when this latest awful quake hit Christchurch, New Zealand, anipals scrambled to check on the pals we know live there. What used to seem a distant, impersonal crisis became gutwrenching, terrifying, and very close and real as we waited for news of our friends. Our pals @whskr and @rumblepurr were far enough away from the devastation; however others like @PollyPuss11, @Baxter_Man, and @LilycatQueen were all too close for comfort. Twitter was frantic until they reported in safe. We're still waiting (at the time of this writing) to hear firstpaw from @Oslo_Pup (though I've been told that Baxter's been told he's safe) and awaiting word from @MrSootyMeowvins.

Anipals being anipals, we immediately started thinking of how to help. @Rumblepurr set up a ChipIn on his blog (I've posted the widget here too). At the time I'm posting this, the ChipIn has already exceeded the goal, which warms my heart to know there are so many eager to help. The great thing about this ChipIn is that Rumbles' capable paws will make sure the donation will get to the Christchurch SPCA (and not in his nip fund--or the nip fund of anyone else).

Donations are purely voluntary (I'm a chihuahua-not exactly made for threatening people). Prayers are also appreciated and don't cost a thing. :)

PS-I've passed on the information I've been told via Twitter regarding the safety of our NZ pals. I apologize for any possible errors; I'd appreciate any updates or corrections left in the comments.

Good Bye, Vixen

2011-02-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

I did not know Vixen in "real life." She was not a tweeting anipal. But her people tweet, which is how my Girl knows them and how we came to know about Vixen...and then her suddenly, rapidly deteriorating health...

...and her last breath today.

Vixen was a 10-year-old border terrier and while most of us can say, "Ten years is a good life for a pet" I believe we'd all agree that ten years is in no way long enough. You readers understand the heartache of losing a beloved pet and I'm hoping most of you will comment here-I know her family will be reading this. My hope is they find some comfort in the sympathy and condolences of anipals.

Wednesday Roundup

2011-02-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

Seems I'm on a kick of mish-moshy blog posts. I guess this way there's something for everyone! BOL!

First off, I want to link to @TeenysFriends really cool blog. You see, Teeny's goal is to provide toys to needy shelter dogs. "Socialized" shelter dogs (playful nice ones who are playful and nice from getting to play with toys--that's where you come in, pay attention!) are more likely to find furever homes. So it stands to reason that getting toys to shelter dogs means more of those dogs will be adopted! Now, here's how you can help--AND KEEP READING PLEASE because this month, you can help give a toy to a needy pup WITHOUT SPENDING A PENNY! From Teeny's own paws:

"This month I will donate 1 toy for each 50 new followers on Twitter, and 1 toy for each new "Fan" on Facebook and each new follower of this blog."

So click those links and help shelter pups! If you're so inclined, you can also help by participating in their one-for-one toy program (for every toy you buy, they donate a toy to a shelter) or by joining their used toy mail-in campaign. Check out the blog or Facebook page for additional details!

Okay, next on the list: @BorisKitty. He has a couple things going on. First off, Boris is trying to get his fuzzy mug on a Bissell box by entering this contest. You do have to register to vote but it's super easy and you can vote once a day. I'm sure Boris would really appreciate you voting for him. Girl thinks because we own so many Bissell products we should get extra votes but I guess it doesn't work that way. But hey, while you're over there on Facebook "Liking" Teeny's fan page, go ahead and Like Boris's #SciFiPawty fan page too, okay? #SciFiPawty was a blast last year and I'm sure you'll want to know all about the goings-ons (I don't know what that actually means) for it this year too!

Weeks and weeks ago, @mattiedog sent me this pawesome Hank's Bacon Beer keychain! Girl put it on my collar, thinking it would be easier to get a picture of me with it that way. Yeah right! Fat chance!

I'm not snarling--she just gave me a treat hoping that would make me more pose-conducive. Instead I just look vicious!

I think this pic really highlights the Girl's messy office rather than the ~~keychain~~ collar ornament

No, I can't see, but I have a special Spidey-sense that tells me exactly when to move to turn a great shot into a blurrrrr!

So now I think you're caught up on my Wednesday happenings. Thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up

2011-01-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a mish-mosh of things I think are important.

First of all, here is a great post from @InformedFerret. I thought I linked to this before but can't see where I did, so I'm belatedly linking now! Though the post is about ferrets, I think it's very important and applicable to ALL pet owners/lovers and brings up important issues we need to consider and be aware of. Education and responsibility are key!

Second, you may have noticed the Pierre chip in to the right here. Our friend @MarioDaCat wrote a post explaining our pal @PierrethePoodle is a bit unwell and could really use a bit of financial help to get better. Please consider chipping in. Also, adding the ChipIn to your blogs or linking to Mario's post via twitter would be a great help as well.

Thank you for taking the time to check out these Things That Are Very Important To Me. Until next time..!

I Got My CapyCoppy!

2011-01-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ever since reading Capyboppy by Bill Peet when she was little, Girl wanted a capybara. So when we joined twitter and met @CaplinROUS she was super excited. Caplin's website, www.gianthamster.com has all sorts of great pictures and blog posts and answers to questions about capybaras.

Caplin the Capybara passed away quite suddenly on January 4th. Everyone who knew him was deeply saddened and his owner is devastated.

But you can have your own little Caplin--or capycoppy, anyway--and by purchasing one, you help Caplin's person set up a charity in Caplin's name, the ROUS Foundation for Capybara Veterinary Medicine.

Good Bye, Sweet Piru

2011-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

I found out that my sweet, dear friend @PiruloFurry passed away in his sleep this morning.

He was very loved by his family and his Twitter pals. I know that he and Inigo Flufflebum are likely a big hit with all the ladycats OTRB with their most angelic of angel cat faces, but for now I am just very sad.

Christmas Report

2010-12-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. For my pals that don't celebrate it, I hope you had a great day and happy holidays.

It was the Debil Kittehs' first Christmas. They didn't think much of the presents, but they really liked the wrapping paper wilderness fort and have played in it for hours. Then napped in it for hours. Then played it in it again. We're now on Day 2 and they're back to napping in it.

Girl wasn't going to do presents for us this year because we really do have plenty of stuff. However, at the last minute she caved and got a few things. Normally she would buy things from our pals' stores like dogtoys.com, cattoys.com, or nipandbones.com. But she got stuff from Amazon this time because she gets free 2-day shipping and she left it til the last possible second.

Ein eats a lot and fast, so after careful research she got him this DogPause bowl

The cats (and the rest of us, because we share) got this fancy-schmancy fountain. Part of the reason she chose this one is because a) people seemed to really like it; b) it holds a lot of water which is good because we dogs drink a lot; c) she figured if we hated it, it's pretty enough she could use it as a water feature at her office.

And then for Wickie's sore joints, she got this special raised feeder. I think maybe Wickie was expecting treats or toys or something because she didn't seem very excited about it and I think it kind of hurt the Girl's feelings (Wickie got a shorter one than in the picture, of course)

What did I get? Well, I have lots of toys. And I get lots of treats. So instead of buying me something, we decided to use my Christmas budget for #pawpawty donations. But I did get lovely cards from a lot of pals and I did get a present or two from them. :)

So that is my official Christmas Report...Maximus Claus, over and out til next year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our furry family to yours!

Lucy

2010-11-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

We need a little help here, pals. There is a sweet, gentle 10-year-old Samoyed named Lucy in the Salt Lake City area of Utah that needs a loving home. @BadAndy_KityKat's mom used to take care of her on occasion and would LOVE to keep her for good, but because of bad allergies and a tiny yard (and a few other things) she can't give Lucy a home no matter how much she'd like to. So instead, BadAndy and his mom are trying to do the next best thing and find Lucy a great home.

If you or anyone you know is interested in Lucy, please contact @BadAndy_KityKat or contact me via twitter (@BlindMaximus) and I will connect you with Andy. In the meantime, please blog/tweet about Lucy and get the word out there!

Santa's Naughty & Nice List

2010-11-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, anipals make finding fun, unique gifts easier than ever! The list is pretty long but even if you're only "browsing" please please look at the whole list. Thanks! :)

Zazzle/Cafepress
http://www.zazzle.com/zackrabbit Get all your Cooking with Rabbits merchandise here, along with some of Zackary's "spicier" items! Watch out for his "carrot"!

http://www.zazzle.com/mattiedadog Home of Shibbering Cheetos paraphernalia and gifts supporting the MattieDog Foundation

http://www.zazzle.com/theoreticallyawesome because every jet-setting anipal should have his or her own shirt to get through airport security

http://www.zazzle.com/javathecat is where you can find all the past & present #pawpawty swag with profits going to the current #pawpawty charity

http://www.zazzle.com/boriskitty and http://www.cafepress.com/BorisRescued for your very own piece of BorisKitty!

http://www.cafepress.com/smpab the store for Winging Cat Rescue, "a licensed Rescue and a 501C3 non-profit organization that rely strictly on donations.We have rescued over 1200 Cats & kittens since our inception.100% of proceeds from Cafe Press products will go directly to Vetting & Sponsoring low-cost Spay Neuter Clinics."

http://www.zazzle.com/bohopets the place to get your JazzydaCat "norty step" merchandise designed by CokietheCat's mom!

http://www.cafepress.com/midgeshop All things MidgetheMutt!

http://www.zazzle.com/cheshirek products based on the book Please Send Money by Cheshire Kitten

Etsy
http://www.trinlayk.etsy.com from Megumi & Seimei: "We help our main human make fiber art, mostly plushies, but also purses, wearables, and stuff for dolls. mostly it's natural fibers like alpaca, wool, and of course there's almost always a little cat hair mixed in!"

http://HyperspaceHippo.etsy.com belongs to the mom of GromekCat and CapnPeanutZilla "It is just a hobby for her at this point, although she's wanting to expand it! Her sells jewelry and beaded bookmarks."

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Whskr @Whskr and her sidekick @DashKitten have a variety of things for sale including custom pet pendants

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NoCrybabyDoGs by Daffy's mom has a ton of cards and artwork to choose from! Custom orders too!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/elineof I have one of Elineof & Berkeley's Woolly Teds; his brothers would make perfect presents that give smiles all year long.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/smilingfrogpets by CowtailChewToys has clothes, toys, and recycled toys too!

Jewelry
www.puppylovejewelry.com Puppy says, "I make handcrafted crystal and gemstone jewelry, sell crystals/stones alone for meditation, and will soon be carrying some handmade lip balms and candles :) (it is an ebay store, but all handmade things by me)"

http://www.crystalsandjewelry.com GeorgetheDuck's persons website full of crystals, stones, and great metaphysical jewelry

http://www.silkenpaw.net/cats/mizzbassie Not just jewelry...PET jewelry! Beautiful pieces by the lovely MizzBassie.

http://www.facebook.com/PurpleFroggyCreations Purple_Froggy sells jewelry to support her family

Art
http://bztat.com Pieces for charity, custom pet portraits AND gift certificates too! Painted lovingly by BrewskieButt's person Bztat.

http://pasikas.weebly.com these silk scarves painted by Pasikas are truly works of art!

www.zaziart.net for custom pet portraits

http://bohopets.com/ for pet portraits and Christmas cards by CokietheCat's mom

Stores
http://www.dougalsden.co.uk A store for our UK pals by our very own super sweet FrugalDougal!

http://www.nipandbones.com I hear BabyPatches tests and approves all the merchandise personally!

http://www.cattoys.com and http://www.dogtoys.com be sure to check out these sites by BorisKitty...even if it's just for the hot models!

http://www.petdogshop.info by Angela & Lucy

www.shop.bearmani.com by SnuffyNorton. Snuffy might already be overbooked for Christmas commissions, but his bears (and their clothes) make great gifts all year round! Cat toys too!

http://www.luandcoco.com for all your organic dog grooming essentials!

http://www.dogchowcookies.com/ this UK store offers hand-made dog snacks with care and simple fresh ingredients, with no preservatives especially for your Best Friend. All @dogchowcookies are fresh-baked with no added preservatives, chemicals, salt or sugar.

http://www.thesassytraveler.com/ the stylish luggage store belonging to BuzzLucas's mom

http://www.debandco.com/c-73-pets.aspx "made by hand, given from the heart" cute ornaments and figurines from Crazy_Felix's mom

http://shop.ebay.com/motorpurrr/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340 Great deals on toys & hobbies at TinyPearlCat's mom's ebay store

This isn't really a "store", but http://www.teenysfriends.com/ (@TeenysFriends on twitter) has a great one-for-one toy program: buy a toy from them and they donate a toy to a needy dog too! It's a feel-good bargain all around!

Books
Precious has two books: "The Adventures of Precious the Dog: Precious and Lizie PLay Hide and Seek" and book two "The Adventures of Precious the Dog: Precious and the Rabbits Run and Hop." They can be purchased from her etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/imajackrussell or Amazon. Great gifts for little kids!

"Welcom to My Werld" by HenryandFriends. Be sure to check out the rave reviews!

"Summer at the Lake With Petie" by Pumpkinpuddy. Visit her blog for more info about the book and Duncan's Place, the charity benefiting from the book sales.

"Please Send Money" by CheshireK. I won this book as a pawpawty prize and it is cute and full of great pictures. It says on the back "Cheshire Kitten will use the proceeds of this book to feed all of his friends, both in the house and outside." You can get matching merchandise at http://www.zazzle.com/cheshirek

"The Zen of Max" by MaxtheQuiltCa t a "memoir of great wisdom and many naps."

"Homer's Odyssey" the New York Times by HomerBlindCat's person Gwen Cooper

"Dozer the Destructor" written and illustrated by Houston Keys. A great kid's book about the responsibility of owning a pet. Dozer the Destructor matching merchandise available here.

Other/Charities
I also want to include this link to the Anipal Times. Lexie put it together and is a nice compilation of some animal charities in the UK for anyone in or buying a gift for someone in the UK. :)

http://www.santapawsdrive.com is a virtual toy drive for shelter pets. Donate cash or gifts to help shelter animals have a merry Christmas.

http://michellescats.chipin.com/supplies-for-the-sanctuary is a small cat sanctuary operated by FuzzyMice from twitter

Alright, here's the list so far. If I've left anyone off, please let me know ASAP and I'll update this page.

A Request

2010-11-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

I know many people don't even like thinking of Christmas when it's not even Thanksgiving yet (well, I guess my pals here in the States are the only ones) but I have a little request and I like to get things done at least somewhat on time...

There are a lot of anipals out there with stores-etsy, Zazzle, cafepress, etc. Some of these sales go to charity, some are the sole income for the humans involved, some are for fun.

So I thought it might be nice, as kind of a one-stop-shop, to do a blog post that lists ALL (okay, as many as possible) the anipal store sites so if other pals would like to buy from them for the holidays (or other occasions) everything is in one nice little place.

What I'd like from you is if you have a store or would like to nominate one, please leave the name & link in the comments OR you can email me at blindmaximus@gmail.com.

I'd like to have my post compiled & published by the first weekend in December...so let's get linking!

Lake With Petie

2010-11-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed the new widget to the right... That is a widget that makes it REALLY EASY for anipals to buy their very own copy of "Lake With Petie." @Pumpkinpuddy worked really hard putting this book together and all profits go to Duncan's Place cat sanctuary.

@Pumpkinpuddy originally set a goal of selling 100 books to help out Duncan's Place. Let's help a sweet pal reach her goal and help a great charity at the same time!

Pleasantly Surprised Update

2010-11-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I told you all about my trip to Denver to the vet at VRCC (Veterinary Referral Center of Colorad0).

I'm just writing this quick update today...I told you how well I was treated there and how Girl was impressed with their customer service from her first phone convo with them.

They called today to check in. See how I was. To ask if Girl had any questions and "if you ever have any, ever, don't hesitate to call." AND: "Give the little guy a hug for us!"

WOW. We were IMPRESSED.

So while I hope my pals live forever and never get sick or injured, I have to say that for any of you in area, the care at VRCC is top notch. And they do lots of stuff there, not just eyeballs!

The Vet Trip That Wasn't

2010-11-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

So as many of you know by now, I am blind. Hehe. My left eye has an implant but my right eye is 100% real. I had surgery when the eye was originally damaged that was supposed to save my sight but it just didn't. Recentlyish, the Girl kept thinking my eye looked like it was getting smaller. But very recentlyish, it didn't look like it was getting smaller, it was most definitely shrinking.

Girl, of course, freaked out and assumed the worst. She didn't want my anipals to assume the worst, though, so we kept it on the downlow. In the meantime, she googled some animal eye specialists (ophthalmologists). We weren't very pleased with the ophthalmologist we used before (well, not only can I not see when the doc said I would, he also didn't return Girl's calls post-op with some questions...not to mention that whole 'almost killing me' thing during the last surgery) so we had to start from scratch looking for a new doctor. We decided on the VRCC in Denver. Well, she did...I didn't see what the big deal was.

From the very first phone call making the appointment, Girl liked the VRCC better. Soooo yesterday we got in the Jeep and made the bazillion hour (7 hour, if you're paying attention) drive to Denver. I'm a pro when it comes to riding. Girl and her mom always marvel at what a great traveler I am. I sit in my little house and...snore. I mean, uh, meditate on philosophical principles. We stayed at the La Quinta because they seem to be the only hotel with a decent pet policy (we'd totally recommend it too-good room, decent price, no outrageous pet fees, very friendly staff).

So this morning, I dressed to the nines. I was betting there would be some hot nurses.

I surprised the Girl by loading up in my bag and looking quite ready to go. (She told me my outfit was adorable yet a bit excessive for the doctor's office.)

We got there a bit early which was good because that gave me time to check the peemail. On fake turf! I pooped on it just out of principle. (Girl picked it up of course. Hehe.)

There was no point in delaying. Time to go in.

We checked in, Girl signed some papers, then we sat & waited to be called in. That's when it hit me: we were at the V-E-T. I HATE the vet! I was not pleased and made it known that although I was sitting on Girl's lap, I was totally ignoring her.

We got called in and Girl told them about my shrinking/atrophying eyeball. Girl regrets not getting more pictures for my blog but she had other things on her mind, like whether or not I'd have to have surgery or if my eyeball was going to fall out. Dr. Chavkin tested my tears and looked at my eyes and said...

I'm fine! He explained that no, the Girl wasn't hallucinating, my eyeball had definitely shrunk. But the good news is that my eyeball had shrunk as much as it was going to; it wasn't going to get any worse, and I was producing tears (on the tear test! I'm not a crybaby!) and not having discharge or discomfort so there was no need to do ANYTHING!

Girl said, "This was better news than I dared hope for. I'd prepared for the worst, hoped for the best, but I never imagined we'd get this lucky."

So we left Denver this morning (sorry, Denver anipals, I didn't look you up, but I really wasn't there very long!) and after a zillion hour drive home made it back to home sweet home. First thing I did was pee on both the lawns. Ahhh...great to be home!

Give Small a Chance!

2010-10-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

My pal @TeenysFriends (remember Teeny? Are you using your #TeenyIH4TH hashtag this week?) was tweeting about a contest on his blog a few days ago so I thought I'd give it a try and enter for fun...

And I won!

I was actually out of town when the winner was decided; imagine how excited I was to get home, check twitter, and see that I'd won the contest!

My prize arrived in a jiffy too!

I got three Cesar Bistro meals (I ate one here at work but will probably let my sisfur Wickie-sama eat the other two...she LOVES those things!), a cool Cesar plate, a nifty resealable bag of Cesar treats (mmm-I love treats!) and a shirt that says "Give Small a Chance." Girl's mom thought that was really funny and cute.

Here I am, checking out the goods:

Thanks again, Teeny!

Hashtags for Humanity (Pawmanity?)

2010-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Okay pals, this is very important. From now til October 24th, Iams will be watching Twitter for #BorisIH4TH and #TeenyIH4TH (Boris-Iams Home 4 The Holidays and Teeny-Iams Home for the Holidays). Use these hashtags for the next week and every time you do, Iams will donate 10 bowls of food to a participating shelter.

You can read more of the details at @BorisKitty's 4 Paws For A Cause blog and at @TeenysFriends Providing Toys for Needy Dogs blog.

I know a bunch of you chatterboxes get thrown into Twitter jail regularly...imagine how many hungry shelter anipals we can feed just by adding these hashtags #BorisIH4TH #TeenyIH4TH to our tweets!

Energy

2010-09-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

I like to try keeping this blog fun and lighthearted, but today I'd like to talk about something that's been on my mind.

Energy. Positive thinking. Prayers.

As many of you know, my pal @BigBoyBosco has been having some very scary drama at his house. So we got together with the #Barkbusters crew and set up a "patrol" around Bosco's home while he slept. Even though this patrol was done entirely on Twitter, the bad guy stayed away! Could this be because we were patrolling with our good thoughts, our prayers, our intention? I would like to think so.

Without getting too involved in the theory of these things, I just want to emphasize the importance of focusing on the positive when we do #pawcircles or #Barkbusters or anything like that. Rather than focus on what's wrong with a situation, it's important to focus our energy on the result we want.

My friend Rumblepurr's brother Inigo is unwell right now. I know Rumble's blog has many readers and he has many friends on Twitter praying for Inigo. But what I'm asking today is that when we think of Inigo --or any other anipal or person we're sending wishes for-- we think of Inigo as happy and healthy. Try to stay away from thoughts of "poor sick Inigo" or worrying about the worst case scenario. Please please visualize only good thoughts for him, because that is what you want to happen, that is the energy you want to send.

On a somber note, I realize that some things do happen for a reason, even if we don't know what that reason may be, now or ever. Sometimes all the prayers in the world don't affect a change we can see but we shouldn't be discouraged. But if we are going to hope for the best for our pals I'd like for us to truly hope for the best rather than worrying about the worst.

Write a Post, Help A Dog!

2010-09-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to help a homeless dog? If you have a blog of any kind, simply write a post to help a dog from now through September 19 and Pedigree will donate a 20-pound bag of food to an animal shelter.

It's that simple.

Just include the bullets listed here, and add the direct link to your blog post to our Blog Hop below so we can all see how big an impact we are making!

Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.

This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a "Fan" or "Likes" the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1 million bowls have been donated.

Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive through September 19, PEDIGREE will donate a bag of its new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It's simple: Write a post, help a dog.

Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19, the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers will host a Blog Hop to help raise awareness for the "Write a post, help a dog" effort.

Tell as many of your blogger friends as you can, so we can help even more dogs. And if you don't have a blog, please tweet about this using the hashtag #dogsrule, re-tweet this post, or share on Facebook to help spread the word even further!

Thank You

2010-08-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have some of the best Twitter pals a dog could ask for! So many of you have done wonderful things for me, sent me thoughtful gifts, exchanged helpful emails... and I realize I don't do the best job of sounding grateful for all you do.

So I'm writing this post because I want to shout a big THANK YOU to all of you super pals. Whether it's sending a package that brightens my day, hauling me around Barkworld taking funny pictures, commenting on my blog posts or wishing me sweet dreams when I sign off Twitter at night, I appreciate everything you do!

Thank you for being my friends!

Camping

2010-08-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

We went on a little camping vacation at our cabin in the mountains. We decided to go for a little hike...

J. Bear: Well, Maximus hiked. Bianca and I kind of "rode along."

Bianca: At the bottom of the hill, J. Bear tried to impress me with his tree-climbing skills.

J. Bear: Did it work?

J. Bear: We thought we'd take a little break before hiking back up. Too bad *someone* ahem, didn't think to pack a picnic lunch.
Bianca: I imagine The Girl neglected to pack lunch because we'd just had breakfast.
J. Bear: I don't see what just having breakfast has to do with anything.

Maximus: Here I am, hiking back up that hill. I don't really know why we hiked down it just to turn around and hike back up it, but whatever.

J. Bear: Dinner that night was chili with cheetos sprinkled on top.
Artie: SHIBBERING CHEETOS?
Bianca: No, Artie, just regular cheetos.
J. Bear: Um, Artie, I think that is my spoon you've got...

The next day...

J. Bear: Who's ready to go for a ride!
Artie: I'll drive!

J. Bear: What a peculiar landmark.
Maximus: The stick points North.
Bianca: Where's Artie?

J. Bear: Once again, it appears *someone* forgot to pack us a picnic...

Maximus is a professional adventurer.

This cow appears to be thinking, "What the hell is that in the sagebrush?"

Artie: WOW!
J. Bear: What do you suppose Artie's seeing through those binoculars?
Bianca: Nothing. The lens caps are on.
J. Bear: Well, I want to look!
Bianca: Go ahead. But I advise you take the lens caps off first...

Artie: Crikey! I don't know what it is, but it's HUGE!
J. Bear: Bianca! Bianca! Come look!
Bianca: Oh, that's alright. I have a feeling I know what you're looking at.

Maybe they were looking at the two bucks? Can you see them, the little pale dots in the picture below?

Artie: Hot dogs for dinner! Yay!
Bianca: And look, roasted marshmallows for dessert.
J. Bear: There are four marshmallows and three of us. So that means one a piece...
Artie: And two for me! *CHOMP*

After dinner we hung out on the deck for a bit...

If you're not a blind dog, this is the view from the deck:

Artie: Here, I'll read us a bedtime story!
J. Bear: But, Artie, it appears to be upside---
Bianca: *shh!* Oh, the Moomins, my favorite!

J. Bear: Sleeping by the camp stove isn't quite the same as sleeping by the campfire...
Artie: I like it! And I found this sleeping bag, so cozy and just my size!
J. Bear: Uh, Artie--
Bianca: Yes, it fits you wonderfully, Artie. Good night, boys!

J. Bear: All in all, it was a great camping trip, wasn't it, Bianca?
Bianca: Yes. It was wonderful.

Good Bye, Riley

2010-07-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

This morning on Twitter @Ri_Guy's mom announced that Riley had gone over the Rainbow Bridge.

I had been following Riley's tweets and blog about the problems with his eye and had been praying for him and cheering him on when he got good news. Today came as a shock.

I know that Riley is in a better place and free from pain but I still feel heartbroken for his family. I know he will be missed more than words can say.

5 Questions

2010-06-29T15:41:00.001-07:00

My pal @SpencerTeddy got asked some questions by @Kolo_Martin as part of a blog game...and now Spencer is asking me questions!

The rules of the game say I should answer these questions, make up five new ones, and ask them of five pals. I thought about it for some time and most of the pals I would pick have already been asked (from looking at other bloggers) so I think I will only do half of this game. What can I say, I'm a rule breaker!

Spencer asked me:

1. If you could meet someone famous who would it be?
I think I would meet @ZackRabbit!

2. What is your favorite cartoon?
Oh, we watch a lot of cartoons. So hard to pick a favorite. We like to watch He-Man and She-Ra.

3. If you were castaway on island what would you do?
I would probably sleep a lot. And cross my paws and hope they have wi-fi for my iPawd!

4. What is your favorite Twitter event?
Oh, I do love all pawties! Especially when the @ShibberingC play!

5. If you won the lottery what would you buy?
Mountains of treats and Play-N-Squeak toys! BOL!

If you are reading this and would like to play along, I've thought of some questions for you to answer. If you answer them, please leave a comment to let me know so I can read your post! :)

1) How did you get your name?
2) How do you feel about baths?
3) What is your favorite food?
4) If you could have any animal sibling, what would you pick?
5) On a scale of 1-10, 1 being "roses" and 10 being "kill you dead" how bad do your farts stink?

A Little Help From My Friends

2010-06-17T20:02:00.001-07:00

This isn't something I do often because I know there are squillions of animals out there looking for good homes. But my friend needs help and it's the nature of friends to help each other out.

The owner of this beautiful girl Patty

has to relocate for his job and can't take her with him. She's an older dog, good with kids, and really needs a good home. Patty currently lives in Alabama. I would really appreciate my readers getting the word out; with a little help from my friends, I just know we can find this girl a nice home.

Any questions/suggestions/interest in adopting, please contact me or my pal @marshallsheldon.

Thanks, everyone!

Sadness

2010-05-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't really want to write this post but I can't get it out of my head. So here goes:

I want to talk about sadness. It amazes (and saddens) me how many of my animal friends who seem so full of sunshine, who make me smile when I need it most, struggle with deep, dark, long sadness. Sometimes they tweet something so you know what they're going through. Sometimes they just disappear for a few days or a few months and all you can do is send a message, hope they respond, hope they're alright.

This is hard for us because we like to help-I think most anipals fit in that category. But this kind of sadness is a slippery, tricksy thing because while I think we all can relate to it, it remains unique to every person who goes through it. Meaning that the only person who can fix it, is the one whom it's affecting. Those on the outside are more or less helpless. All we can do is care, offer to lend an ear or a shoulder, and pray.

I think so many anipals experience this sadness because anipals tend to be a very open, sensitive group. I believe we gravitate toward the anipal community because it feels very safe and loving. However, once in a while there is drama or a misunderstanding or an intentional fight. It's hard for me to see this (well, it's hard for me to see, period, but you know what I mean) because it doesn't accomplish anything. Sure, there are times when I disagree with someone or heck, even know for a fact they are just plain wrong. But if I find myself about to tweet a response, I usually erase it. I'm not a milquetoast by any means, but what does it accomplish asides from hurt feelings? Is it worth ruining someone's day to prove a point? So unless it's a very big deal and/or is directed at me, I usually just keep my paws quiet.

By all means, if something is important to you, speak up. But please keep in mind that we don't always know what the other person is going through and so we can't know the impact our words might have.

Brofurs

2010-05-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Sooo today I was chatting with my pal BorisKitty and we were talking about how I became blind.

So we started talking about cats and claws and things of that nature. I told Boris about how sometimes the debil kittehs will swat at my ears or tail when I walk by (they don't use their claws, though).

Girl's been a little photo/video-happy since getting a new phone, and we just happened to find this video...

Of Mice and Massages

2010-05-09T21:22:00.001-07:00

I have told you some about my friend Wickie-sama:

Anyway, she is about five years old, I think, but she acts like an old lady. When she was little she did jump off a moving ATV and she hurt her shoulder. It never really healed properly and she has a habit of running around on just three legs. But lately it seems to be causing her more trouble...so much so that she doesn't want to go outside to potty because she can't get back up the steps and through the dog door to come back inside. We were all starting to worry about her because she seemed very stiff and stove up and acted grouchy and painful.

The Girl, I may have mentioned before, is a massage therapist. She signed up for a canine massage home study course a while ago and was super excited about it, but when she watched the video she didn't even make it through 10 minutes because the dog in the video kept trying to escape and it was too distracting. Girl didn't want to learn the type of massage a dog wanted to escape from! So she kept searching and tried a new class and liked this one better immediately. She couldn't wait to try it on Wickie-sama.

So Girl studied her video and picked Wickie up and to everyone's surprise, Wickie sat and let the Girl do the ENTIRE massage routine! This is pretty unusual because the routine is a bit much for a dog's attention span in the beginning so it typically takes a few sessions for the dog to get used to the whole thing. But not Wickie! Girl even did the gum massage and the around-the-eye massage and the leg range-of-motion...everything! She completed her closing strokes and Wickie looked at her, licked her hand three times as if to say, "Thanks!" then hopped off Girl's lap and took a nap (which is the result you kinda want).

Now you may be thinking this is nice and all, but what of it? Well, Girl has given Wickie-sama several massages now...and Wickie is going up stairs again and today she went on a walk with us for the first time in MONTHS AND MONTHS! We couldn't believe it! This was very exciting good news!

Girl is working on the last bit of her certification and she hopes she can keep massaging Wickie and that Wickie will continue to improve...and that she can help more and more dogs too! As for me, I hope Wickie gets all better soon so that way it's MY turn for a massage of these days!

Play-n-Squeak Montage

2010-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

So you already know I sleep with a Play-N-Squeak mousie every night and I love their toys. Well we hit the jackpot when the Girl got us three new fuzzy Play-N-Squeak animals from CatToys.com!

I got my squeaky raccoon this morning at work. I played fetch with it all day! (Don't bother with the sound on the videos, you can't hear the squeaks for some reason)

Then we got home and Kenshin had his turn!

Then Girl looked away for a second and Ein stole it. And got it all slobbery. Gross.

Again, it specifically says this is not a dog toy on the packaging, so I can't encourage other dogs to get them. But they sure are fun!

Cupcakes

2010-05-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

To welcome our new bear properly, we decided to bake some cupcakes today. (If you're a fan of cupcakes, I suggest you follow my friend @Poooldiii's blog "Fueled By Cupcakes." There are some really tasty recipes there for you to try!)

Before we could get to baking, we had to go to the store for some ingredients:

Back at home, the Bear was anxious to help

He insisted on supervising to make sure we got all the ingredients in mixer

Now to wait for them to bake

Oh look! The Girl even made some mini cupcakes that are perfectly bear-sized!

Whaddya think, Bear? Uh, Bear..?

Hmm. I guess he didn't want the little cupcakes.

Now that all the cupcakes are gone, time to do the dishes. I'm sure Bear will want to help, right? ...Right?

Happy Birthday!

2010-05-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sooo today is the Girl's birthday. I can't remember if I told this story before, but we celebrate my birthday today too. A million years ago, I was the Girl's birthday present! Or was she my birthday present?! (Technically I was born in February, but I'm a dog and don't count very well.)

For several days now, we had a package from designer extraordinaire @SnuffyNorton but on the outside it said "Don't Open Til May 1st." It was really really hard to wait. Girl and I are not patient and don't follow instructions very well...especially where our curiosity's concerned! (Must be contagious from hanging out with all those curious raccoons, huh?)

But we managed to wait...til midnight this morning, so it was "officially" May 1st. Hehehe. And what was in that box? Hmm...

It was a Bearmani Bear! And with his fashionable red hoodie and brown fur, I thought he looked a lot like my pal @i_am_fuzzy. But our bear had something special with him in the box...a card! He was a gift from our good friend @marshallsheldon (who I think is a brown bear himself)! We were so excited, but also kind of tired from staying up late to open the package...

But today we celebrated with an anime marathon...the Girl does love watching her anime. Bear started out just sitting on the couch next to her...

But then he decided to sit between us. I think he really enjoyed the anime...I enjoyed it too, but, well, anime marathons make me kind of sleepy:

So I think Bear enjoyed his first real day with us, celebrating our birthdays. If we can get the Girl off her lazy bum, we might make cupcakes tomorrow! I can't eat them, but teddies like cupcakes, right? I hope?

Oh, and his name isn't really "Bear." But we're trying to let him get acclimated before we all decide on a name for him. I'm sure once he gets comfortable here he'll think of a good name to share with us!

Thanks to everyone who tweeted birthday wishes! Thanks to @ZackRabbit who dedicated his cooking show today to the Girl. Thank you @SnuffyNorton for making us such a great new friend and a big thank you to @marshallsheldon for having him sent to us! What a great birthday!

My Favorite Toy

2010-04-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Zoooooom... Oh, that was too fast, I guess you can't see it in this picture.

How about this? Zoooooooom! Nope, still too fast! I'm just a blur! Because I love this toy SO MUCH!

I should probably start (continue?) by saying that this toy isn't *actually* approved for dogs. On the package somewhere it might even say NOT for dogs AT ALL EVER. The Girl bought these Play-N-Squeak Mice for the new kittehs but Ein and I kept stealing them and would not listen to "NO." Neither of these mice still squeak or still have tails and Ein did not to get to play with them very much because he doesn't know how to play nice and Girl was afraid he'd crunch them. (The kittehs eventually got to play with them, hence the absence of tails.)

I can fetch this mouse for hours. Sometimes I forget where I put it and when I find it again, I'm so happy. When the Girl throws it for fetching (which is why it no longer squeaks-they really aren't made for fetching) ToPu, Kenshin, and I all go running to get it!

*whispers* I even take it to bed with me now.

So if any of you need a really super fantastical great present for a kitty or kittIES, I give paws up to the Play-N-Squeak Twice the Mice! But there are lots of great Play-N-Squeak toys to choose from at CatToys.com!

(I happen to have my blind eye on that raccoon. You know my fondness for raccoons! Hehehe.)

Oh, and I should probably add if you're a dog who actually plays with dog toys instead of cat toys, there are at least a squillion great toys over at DogToys.com.

Calling All Cats

2010-04-16T20:41:00.001-07:00

My friend @BabyPatches did just have a funny contest about the terrible things we animals do. My other friend @ShawneeShep won with a bark-out-loud funny (and terrible!) story. But this all got me to thinking: those debil kittehs are getting more terrible-er by the day...and that Kenshin seems the most terrible...

I mean, this may LOOK sweet to you, but it's really a diabolical scheme to interfere with the Girl typing tweets for me:

Who is attacking the detailing towels while girl is trying to fold them? Hmm, it's that Kenshin again:

Who figured out how to jump up on the counters first? Why yes, it's that orange kitty again! (I know the pic is grainy-be glad! Hopefully the grainier it is, the less you can tell how cluttered it is! BOL!)

And WHO taught ToPu how to finally get on the bookshelf? (Again, ignore the clutter PLEASE!) As the Girl took this picture (instead of saying NO! BAD KITTIES! like she should have) she said, "ToPu wanted to get on that bookshelf from day one. Guess Kenshin finally showed him how."

And then he'll do something like this, which in my mind just proves how terribly terrible he is, because this is terribly terrible master "awwww" manipulation and shows he obviously has no remorse about being a bad kitteh on the counter, on the shelf, in the rags, etc.

Kenshin is also the one who "escapes" if you leave the door to the garage open. Or the door to outside. He is the one who fell off the banister today (gave us quite a scare, but he's okay). He is the one who every night wakes the Girl up by licking her face--she has to sleep with a spray bottle in her hand because he just won't be deterred!

What is the point of this highlight reel of Kenshin's naughtiness? I mean, there are TWO debil kittehs. And ToPu is pretty rotten for sure. But Trouble seems to be Kenshin's middle name! Today I heard the Girl say something interesting: "It's just an orange kitty thing, I guess. Those orange ones seem to be extra rotten!"

So, friends, do you think this is true? Are orange kittehs the terriblest of the terrible?

...or is Kenshin just extra-ornery because he's the one the Girl picked, and she has a knack for picking the orneriest?

Nah. That can't be it. Hehehe.

Super Duper Prizes

2010-04-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a while back I posted about how excited I was to win the costume contest at @BorisKitty's #SciFiPawty thanks to the costume @TrailerParkDogs made me. Well, not only did I win the costume contest, I also won a quiz so I got these pawesome Urban Legends toys donated by @scifislacker, who got them with help from www.dogtoys.com and @BabyPatches' www.nipandbones.com !

Note: even though he is an Urban Legend in his own right, Boris was NOT included with the three toys. I'm using this picture to show you the prizes because my own picture is almost as grainy as actual Loch Ness/Bigfoot footage! BOL!

There I am, trying out that Loch Ness monster. About a second later, Ein stole the Bigfoot and the Girl stole the Jackalope! He is still sitting on her desk! I don't know why she wants a dog toy but she said something about Wyoming being the home of the Jackalope and she just couldn't bear for him to get all dirty and slobbery. What a dork.

Speaking of the Girl, my prize for winning the costume contest was a gift certificate and free Webkinz of my choice from @CaramellaCandy! So I got on www.caramellacandy.com to pick out my candy (hehehe) and my Webkinz. Boris suggested this BorisKitty Webkinz but then I saw the RACCOON! And I thought, "Oh, the Girl's birthday is coming up, that would be a most perfect thing to get her!" But I looked and it said "Out of Stock." I was so sad. So I put all my candy in my shopping cart and per the instructions, typed a little note: "For my free Webkinz I would really like the raccoon, but it says he's out of stock so I will take the Grey & White Kitty."

My package did arrive and we opened it and what is the first thing we did see? (Well, I'm blind, so the Girl did the seeing, but you know what I mean.) IT WAS THE RACCOON! We were both so excited! So thank you, Caramella Candy! Thank you, Boris!

Please check out www.caramellacandy.com - they have some really neat stuff and great gifts for anyone!

Ein: The Legendary Corgi

2010-04-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

So normally I wouldn't talk about Ein, because he's kind of a jerk, but he got nooootered today and so he's not feeling too good. On top of that, he got weighed at the vet's and is *drumroll* ... 54 pounds! Yikes!

But don't worry about ol' Ein - he's quite robust and *whispers* less fat than he was! It was kind of a boring winter but now that the sunshine is out, we'll get lots more walks and hikes and moseys in. Besides, I'm a 16.5 pound chihuahua! We're just a house where everyone is larger-than-life! Hahaha!

I thought I'd put some pictures up of Ein so you can see he does have legs and isn't completely round, to put your fears at ease...

This is Ein as a baby, the picture that made the people go, "That's the one we've been looking for!" As you can see, he was quite roly-poly from the beginning.

Wickie-sama and Ein this winter. See his svelte contoured figure? Hehe.

He is healthy enough and has plenty of energy to be a total dork!

He's quite athletic trying to climb the cat tree, don't you think?

He says if you think he's too fat, you can kiss his...

...sweet face!

Revised: Okay, so once The Mom heard about this blog post, she insisted we add her favorite Ein pictures:

The Mom went to bed one night and found Ein had already tucked himself in!

Ein has listened to too much hip-hop - he's "riding dirty."

Easter is for Everyone

2010-04-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Though filled with bunnies and eggs and chocolate, Easter is a religious holiday. Now, I'm a big fan of Jesus, but I wanted to share some Easter with people who are of a different religion or maybe no religion at all:

Easter is about second chances.

Most of you probably know my friend @BigBoyBosco. A little bit ago, Bosco's mom decided to rescue a dog that was featured on Twitter. Bosco's mom drove a million miles (okay, not a million, but a LOT) down to the shelter to pick up Ginger, who had been abandoned by her people. Ginger was very loving on the ride home, but hit a snag with her new family. She pottied wherever and wasn't getting along with the other dogs. We were all sad because Bosco's mom had done something so wonderful by rescuing Ginger and Ginger was stressing out the fam.

Ginger getting picked up from the shelter, starting the long trip home

But I saw a tweet this morning that Bosco's mom got her Easter wish and that everyone was getting along this morning and being nice and loving! This is great news!

And so I owe this blog post to Bosco and his family. They gave Ginger a second chance. I think she would be dead now if they hadn't saved her. It wasn't easy by any means, but now Ginger is a better dog for it.

Giving someone a second chance makes you a better person. And I hope that if you're lucky enough to get a second chance, you try to be a better person as well. :)

Ginger after seeing the vet & groomer in her (new) sweet home Chicago

Thank you, Bosco & Ginger! And Happy Easter, everyone!

Beautiful Blogger Award

2010-04-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Look what my friend @pirulofurry gave me! A beautiful blogger award! Piru is an expert on all things beautiful, so I'm quite flattered to receive this award.

This award is pretty simple: tell 7 things about myself and then pass it to 7 (beautiful) friends!

1. I love to wear clothes. People always said, "How could you do that to that poor dog!" But I like clothes. I'm always a bit more jaunty when dressed up.

2. I hate the vet. Nothing good happens when I go there.

3. I love to go camping. I'll just wander around outside for hours, smelling all the smells.

4. I love massages. I don't even need to GET a massage, I just love to sleep under the table.

5. I have a short memory. Which is why some of these are probably repeats from other lists/awards. Sorry!

6. I like to sleep. A lot. Sometimes I snore as loud as a person.

7. I love my twitter friends and all their blogs!

Now, for seven beeyoooooootiful bloggers:

JazzyDaCat - the epitome of glamour
MattieDog - beautiful inside and out and sideways
OllyTed - beary beautiful soul
MissBusyBiz - all beauty, all the time
BerniceBluJae - one beautiful sock monkey
Dogstoyevsky - beautiful Lexie has beautiful stories
Mookie - is there a guinea pig more beautiful?

One last thing...I know sometimes it's hard keeping up with all these awards-we are all very busy anipals after all. I don't mind if the bloggers I pick don't get around to picking up their award and passing it on, but I put a lot of thought into my picks so please please check out their blogs!

Tag! You're It!

2010-04-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

My friend @flicka47 chose me for this photo game. Here are the rules:

-Open your first photo folder
-Scroll down to the tenth photo
-Post the photo and tell a little bit about it
-Pass this on to five other bloggers
So...tenth photo...tenth photo...ah, here it is:
This is from our trip to the Hole in the Wall last summer. Some rancher friends of ours put on a trail ride and people came from all over the country to ride horses and wagons for several days. We went to help out setting up camp and shuffling equipment; girl actually set up a massage tent for the sore and weary riders! We ended up at the Hole in the Wall. This is me on the actual trail to the site. Girl kept saying, "What is this following me? It's a chupacabra!" She thinks she's so funny.

So now...who shall I tag?
SpencerTeddy - he's sure to have some very interesting pictures!
Niqqi - very photogenic!
Milo - this new friend already has lots of camera experience
BusyButtons - she's probably already been tagged, but I love her pictures
Kolo_Martin - great pictures and a great storyteller!

Going for a Mosey

2010-03-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Most dogs go for a walk. But Girl calls it "going for a mosey" because with me, a little jaunt is a pretty slow process. However I was ready to go today! In fact, I was going almost too fast and Girl kept telling me not to run into the cattle guard and get stuck, not to run off into the pond, don't get pooped on by the geese, don't do this, don't do that, blah blah blah.

So while I was trucking around quite jauntily, she took some (crappy) video of our mosey around the pond:

Hmm...the video on the Barkberry just isn't cutting it. Perhaps I'll get the Girl a new phone for our birthday so she can take better pictures and video for my blog!

Superstar!

2010-03-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

I don't want you all to think I'm vain (thought that might be true) but my friend @BusyButtons wanted to see more pictures of ME on my blog! So bring out...the Maximus Photo Montage!

Hmm...let's start with my extensive collection of napping photos...

This was from our trip to the Hole in the Wall last summer. I was pooped and couldn't wait to get in the sleeping bag!

Sleeping with my head on the girl's pillow. Hehehe.
A quick nap in the middle of the living room floor.
Sleeping on the recliner in the therapy room at work, waiting for the girl to get out of the far infrared sauna.
Waiting for the girl to come to bed.

These next two pictures are from my "photo shoot" for @trailerparkdogs so they could work on my costumes.

And these are pictures of me chilling at the cabin! Sure beats sleeping on the tent floor like I used to do!

So that's enough pictures of me for now! Thanks for looking!

See ya later!

Thank you @BorisKitty and @TrailerParkDogs!!!

2010-03-15T17:01:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, March 13th was...
SCIFIPAWTY!

@BorisKitty, being the considerate cat that he is, threw this pawty in honor of his Human2's birthday. Not only did he throw the pawty, but as an extra birthday present to Human2, the pawty raised over $1000 (the original goal was $500!) for their local shelter! Isn't that amazing?! BIG round of appaws for the generous anipals out there!

The #scifipawty was a lot of fun, with great music, great food, and quizzes and contests with LOTS of pawesome prizes.

Speaking of contests...

I got FIRST PLACE in the Costume Contest! I was so excited, I just couldn't believe it! There were just sooooo many fantabulatastic costumes to choose from, never in a squillion years did I think I would win FIRST! ...But I should have known better, with those awesome dogs up North, those @TRAILERPARKDOGS as my costume designers! I can't thank them enough for making me look so pawesome! Since they are the reason I won, Boris asked if I'd like to give them my prize...and they immediately told me they'd come smack me in the head if I did any such thing! BOL! So to avoid smacks, I just want to say THANK YOU to Coco and Goose for my costume and THANK YOU to BorisKitty for all his hard work putting on this pawty.

I do want to mention the Best In Show prize that was for the Costume Contest...my pal @ZackRabbit won it and I was so happy! He worked really hard on his pictures and did an amazingazingazing job to please give them a look!

Sunshine Award

2010-03-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

A bit ago, my pal @mariodacat gave me the Sunshine Award:

It's taken me a while to blog about it and I didn't want Mario to think I'm ungrateful; it's just hard to pick the bloggers I want to pass the award to!

The point of this award is to pass it to bloggers who bring sunshine into your life. So if you're on my list, you're supposed to pass it onto 12 more bloggers who make you smile!

Drumroll please... (these are in no particular order)
1. OllyTed - http://www.ollyted.me.uk/ This bear specializes in smiles and sunshine!
2. Bernice Blu'Jae - http://sockmonkeyblues.blogspot.com/ Sock monkeys are all about sunshine and picnics
3. SpencerTeddy - http://spencerteddy.blogspot.com/ This little bear brings sunshine with his pictures of his adventures
4. Dixie_Belle - http://aprincessspeakshermind.blogspot.com/ Sunshiney stories ranging from everyday antics to the rehabilitation of Dixie Belle's sisfur.
5. Ri_Guy - http://rileysmisadventuresabound.blogspot.com/ I actually chose Riley because he NEEDS some sunshine right now! He's going through a very hard time so please go to his blog and give him your support and encouragement.
6. Dogstoyevsky - http://dogstoyevsky.blogspot.com/ Lexie's blog about her life on a BOAT is interesting and brings sunshine to my days.
7. Kolo_Martin - http://kolosworld.blogspot.com/ Kolo is a great pal who blogs about hugs AND donates very thoughtful prizes for pawties! Definitely sunshiney!
8. Aska_Alaska - http://aska-rabbit.blogspot.com/ She doesn't live in Alaska, but in Japan and her adventures always bring a sunshine smile to my face.
9. JazzyDaCat - http://jazzydacat.blogspot.com/ If Jazzy's norty step doesn't make you have sunshine smiles, well, I can't even imagine that.
10. LittleManFestus - http://www.littlemanfestus.blogspot.com/ Festus just recently started blogging, but his posts are sunshine-worthy!
11. BusyButtons - http://busy-buttons.blogspot.com/ Whenever I'm feeling down, I always hope Buttons has a new post up because her sunshiney antics cheer me right up!
12. BigSkyMonte & BigSkyKai - http://bigskybarks.blogspot.com/ My neighbors the Big Sky Siblings need to blog more and send me some of their Montana sunshine!

The Furry Friend Award

2010-03-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

My dear friend @pirulofurry gave me this award:

And this is what he said:

"Ola kala is a greek phrase that means "everything's good"; it's one of the etymologies that have been proposed for okay (OK). Okey?

Ah, what do you think about it? Here are the rules:
1. This award will be given to bloggys of furry friends that do or have done things to make the world around them a better one. Those actions don't have to be big ones. Sometimes small things are what we need to be a little more happy each day.

2. Each furry friend that receives this award, have to tell 3 things that he or she does or have done to make the world around them better.

3. Each one has to pass it on to another 5 or more furry friends (as many as you want); those furry friends can be cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters or any other furrything."

So now...what do I do to make the world better? Hmmm...I beg The Girl for a bite of her food whenever she's eating. Oh wait, that makes my world better, not THE world better.

Okay, how about this:
1) I write this blog to bring smiles to my readers. Or try to bring smiles.

2) I make The Girl donate to charities and pawpawties on occasion when we have a few cashes to spare.

3) When The Girl is sad I do extra funny cuddly things to make her laugh. I know that's only making one person's world better, but without her, I wouldn't have a world at all. Yipes!

Soooo who should I give this to?

1. http://mattiedadog.blogspot.com/ He was the first anipal to come to mind; heck the name of @mattiedog's blog is A Little Dog Making A Big Impact! This award is perfect for him.

2. http://poldiscupcakes.blogspot.com/ @Poooldiii makes my world better with great recipes!

3. http://somebunnyscreation.blogspot.com/ @ZackRabbit does so many creative things to make people smile.

4. http://frugaldougaldog.blogspot.com/ When I think of anipals who make the world a better place, I think of @FrugalDougal!

5. http://www.ollyted.me.uk/ @OllyTed worked tirelessly to put on the Teddy Olympics and bring smiles to anipals, even non-teddies.

As my friend Piru always says...
Ola Kala!

What What WHAT?!

2010-02-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday was kind of like Christmas; I got a new squirrel toy, Ein got a skunk toy, and even Wickie--who doesn't play--got a little bitty bear toy. But also in the boxes were kitty toys. Why?

Sigh. Because we have KITTIES.

They had never seen a dog before coming to our house so it's been a little bit of an adventure. They must not be too ascared of us though, because they sleep in bed with ME (and they try to eat my dog food!). Sigh.

Okay, so that picture was on the couch, not the bed, but you get the point. And they don't sleep all the time, but if they're awake they don't stop zipping around long enough for the Girl to get a picture of them. So for now it's sleeping pictures on the crappy cell phone camera.

That little orange guy is named Kenshin...technically "Kenshin Himura the Battousai." You know how The Girl is with her long names for things. She said his orange hair and cheery personality match Kenshin's from the anime "Ruroni Kenshin." (Orange hair? Isn't Kenshin's hair kinda red in the anime? Whatever.)

The black one is named ToPu. That doesn't actually mean anything. The Girl's dad named him because when The Mom and The Dad went to pick out of the litter, the black one came out and *whispers* had poo on his toes! But they couldn't very well call him Puto because that is a bad word in Spanish. Soooo *rolls eyes* he became ToPu. (I think Kenshin got off pretty easy by comparison in the naming department!)

Oh, I should probably talk about their ears. They aren't freaks (well, they ARE, but that's just my personal opinion); their ears are supposed to be like that. They are called "American Curls." Kind of like the Scottish Fold only...not at all. Hehehe. As, uh, dramatic as their ears are, the Fambly wanted these cats for their famous personalities.
*mumbles* Which so far seems to be pesky, bossy, and hungry...

Honest Scrap

2010-02-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

@BrutustheDane honored me with the Honest Scrap Award.

It's a blogging award for people to say 10 things about themselves that no one knows and then to pass it on to 10 blogging friends. (I want to say that I did receive this award before but was too lazy to do it, so if you are one of the anipals who asked me to before, I'm sorry! No hurt feelings intended!)

Also, I know several of my nominees have already received this award, but I love their blogs so much I put them on my list anyway.

Alright...ten things you didn't know about me. Ummmm...*thinking thinking thinking*

1. I was a pet store dog. I know the cool thing is "adopt, don't shop" or whatever the saying is, but if I hadn't been bought from that store, I would have ended up in a shelter most likely. So I like to think we just skipped the middle-man.

2. When I was little, I quack-barked. The first time I started crying, my Girl couldn't help but laugh because I sounded more like an angry duck than a puppy.

3. Despite having "papers" (whatever that means) I'm 3x the size of a normal chihuahua. Girl thinks I'm half min-pin or something. Or maybe half Great Dane?

4. As a puppy, I had a penguin toy as big as I was that I used to hump. I don't hump things anymore though.

5. I sleep on the bed every night. My first night in my home Girl thought I would sleep on the floor, but I cried til she put me in bed with her. That's been the arrangement ever since.

6. I bring toys to the UPS and FedEx delivery people so they give me cookies.

7. I hated leashes even when I could see and never really learned to "go on walks." I meander.

8. I'm afraid of flyswatters and measuring tape. Even though I can't see, I know when they're near.

9. I love burritos, even burritos smothered in chili. And pizza.

10. I get to go to work with the Girl every day. She says, "Are you ready for work?" and I roll on my back so she can pick me up (even though this actually makes it harder for her to pick me up). "Go to work" is the only trick I really know.

Whew! Sorry so long-winded! And now I'm passing this on to...

@JazzyDaCat - her blog has a "norty step"...which I'm on.
@MattieDog - a very wise blog, which might surprise you coming from such a silly dog
@OllyTed - Olly always makes me smile
@ZackRabbit - I'm always excited to see when Zack has a new post
@BorisKitty - Boris' posts range from squirrel-watching to helping shelter kittehs
@BusyButtons - I love the pictures of Buttons' perpetual mischief
@FrugalDougal - does tons to help animals and is currently up for a Shorty Award
@PiruloFurry - my pal in Puerto Rico
@SidtheCatahoula - one of the best pals you could have
@RascalBCool - what's cooking in Rascal's kitchen?

My Family

2010-01-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

I live with a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Affenpinscher, and a Cat.

The Affenpinscher is named Wicket, after the Ewok, because when she was a baby she looked like this:

Now she's a bit scruffier...

Wickie belongs to The Girl's parents. She is very crazy and thinks she's a hunting dog. One of her favorite things is hunting birds, which is funny to watch because they are bigger than she is.

I also live with a Corgi. He thinks he belongs to The Girl, but he actually belongs to The Girl's brother. His name is Ein because he is a data dog like Ein from the show "Cowboy Bebop." At least, that's what people tell me. Ein used to be cute:

But now he looks like this:

Ein loves...everything and everyone. We don't always get along because he can be a big jerk sometimes, but I put up with him because he doesn't realize he's a big jerk. He does a lot of dumb, funny things to make the people laugh.

I also live with a cat. Sometimes I forget she lives with us because she's so quiet and sneaky. Her name is Devo. She's a Manx with a stubby little tail and ever since she was a kitten she'd try whipping her tail around.
This is a picture of her loving on the laptop. We thought maybe she wanted to Twitter:

So that's my fur family!

Christmas Video

2009-12-10T14:35:00.000-08:00

This is a video of my very first Christmas years and years ago. It's special to me because I spent that Christmas with my first-ever best friend Gourry. Enjoy!

Speaking of Christmas, please don't forget to check out Santa Paws Drive and donate if you can!

A Sad Day

2009-12-04T20:37:00.001-08:00

Today was a very sad day in the anipal world. The bad news just kept piling up, one shock after another. I have not been on Twitter very long and I surprised myself with how heartbroken the news made me, how attached I had become to these anipals in such a short amount of time.

I don't know why I should be surprised...we're animals and that's what we do: snuggle our way into hearts at record pace!

I wish I had something inspirational or soothing to say, but I don't. :( They will be missed and no words will make that fact easier to bear. But I can say that although losing an anipal causes such pain and tears, I wouldn't un-know them for the world.

My Story

2009-12-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am, as my blog title suggests, blind. People assume it's because I'm "old" (hey, I'm only 7!) and then The Girl has to go on her long explanation of what actually happened.

So, for the record, this is what went down:

When I was very little and visiting The Girl's family, the cat whapped me. I didn't do nothing-I was just walking by and the crazy cat smacked my face. I yelped really loud but there wasn't anything The Girl could see wrong with me. A month or so later, I got a white dot in my eye so we went to the vet and the vet said, "Oh, it's just a corneal scar, animals get them all the time, it'll go away and he'll be fine." And he gave me a shot and sent me home. But it didn't go away so we went back. And back. And back.

Finally (too latedly) The Girl realized the vet was crazy and took me to the other vet who said I needed to get to the Dog Eye Specialist ASAP. So we drove down to Colorado and saw him and he did some tests and said, "His optic nerve is completely shot and we have to take out the eye. We can either take it out and stitch it up or we can put an implant in that makes it at least look like he has an eye." She opted for the implant because she knows I'm vain.

Then when I was about five-ish, The Girl came home from work and I was hiding under the bed. My GOOD eye was all gooby and she FREAKED out. We rushed down to Colorado again where the doctor fit us in as an emergency. After tests, he said that it looked like another cat got me and The Girl said, "Hmm. You'd think he would've learned after the first time." But doesn't she know I was protecting the homefront and no lousy neighbor cats should come in MY backyard? Anyway...I had surgery. I didn't know about this at the time because I was asleep, but I guess the doctor told The Girl in the waiting room that I wasn't waking up from the sleepy stuff and they would keep trying to wake me up. I imagine The Girl was a wreck.

Finally I woke up and the doctor wrapped me in a towel and took me to The Girl. He said, "It's not really our policy to let them out so soon, but we figured there's nowhere he'd rather be than with you right now." Boy, was he right! I looked like hell--stitched eye, drool coming out of my mouth because I was still woozy, I even...I even peed a little on the towel and on The Girl's lap. But she held me tight and kept her fingers on my heart because she wanted to make sure my heart was still beating. (Silly girl.)

So that's my story. After that surgery, the doctor said I would be able to see...but I can't. I run into things sometimes. I get turned around outside sometimes and go the wrong way and fall off the sidewalk now and then. But for the most part I'm alright...I fetch, I usually can go outside and come back in all by myself. I follow The Girl everywhere.

That's my long and winding story for anyone who wants to know how I became Blind Maximus.

Hello There!

2009-12-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hello! My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius (yeah, The Girl is a big fan of that "Gladiator" movie) and I decided to start a blog. The Girl had a spare account she wasn't using so I, uh, offered to use it for her.

I'm a dog so don't expect too much but I do appreciate you stopping by!