Past Few Days

A Pocket Full of PipSqueak!

PipSqueak is learning pretty well. She's still having a hard time responding to her name but she almost always comes when I say come. She's handling potty training pretty decently, especially since the last few days we haven't been home to remind her. Honestly it looks like she does better when we're not there than when we are... This weekend (well today, Wednesday 11/24/10 through Sunday) is a long Thanksgiving weekend so we're going to have a lot more 1 on 1 time with her. We're going to try the doggie door today, see if she can make it through. The steps outside our door might be hard at first but I think she can handle it... She jumps over us pretty well.

SMILES! Give me a hug!

We had to give her a couple baths already, which I think may have dried out her skin, because she's pretty itchy. She sat in her poop the other day, so that had to be cleaned up. And the next day we were told to wash her with Dawn Dish Soap, because she has these little bumps on her neck that may have been from flea bites. She hasn't had any fleas since we brought her home, but I did find one or two on her at the breeders. I took them off of her and killed them and threw them away, but something is bothering her. I'm hoping the Dawn bath will help, and once her skin develops some oils again she'll stop being so itchy. Could be the cold too. We're not really sure.

We're going to take her to the Vet for her overall puppy check up on Dec. 4th so wish us luck that we have a perfectly happy healthy puppy!! :)

Coming Clean to the Parental Units ;)

     Once we got back from PetSmart my neighbor came over to say hi and meet PipSqueak, and we decided it was time for me to come clean with my parents. Chrissy offered to come with me for "Moral Support" which was nice, because I already had knots in my tummy. We walked over with Pipsqueak tucked away inside my sweatshirt. Giggling and taking deep breaths (or at least I was) like we were in high school and were about to come clean about getting drunk at a party or skipping school or something. It was weird. I don't hide much from my parents so it was a little intimidating.
     We rang the doorbell and my mom answered, and instantly saw the lump inside my sweatshirt. "What's that?" she asked.
     "It's a surprise, where's daddy?" I cheerfully asked. He was in their bird room so we walked inside. And I started my speech I had prepared in my head... "So, I have a little surprise... (start unzipping my sweatshirt)
     Daddy sees fluff and cheerfully exclaims "OH a Chinchilla! (then quickly changes his tone as quickly as he says the words) No, its a puppy...." And gives me the look. Quick! The Speech The Speech! I thought.
     "So, I did a bunch of research and found a breed that is hypoallergenic and I already tested with her so I know I'm not allergic, she's a Maltipoo....." I instantly handed her over to my mom (who I was worried about the most), she was excited THANK GOODNESS. And she tried to give her to dad, and he said no, and looked at Chrissy, and said, "If something happens and she can't take care of it, this is your dog, not mine, I can see that I am out numbered." Chrissy explained we already talked it all through, and if for some reason I start to develop an allergy and I just can't take care of her that she had already offered to take her. Dad didn't really hold her until that evening. (He just didn't want to get attached, he wanted to show he wasn't happy with what I had done) But my daddy is a lover, and Pipsqueak broke through the wall he had put up when he saw how happy she made me and that I was well prepared for her.
Phew, that was a relief.... now on to potty training. :)

Pipsqueaks First Weekend Home

PipSqueak taking a nap

     Pipsqueak's first day was a busy one. When she woke up at 6am Jeff took her to go potty and played with her until I woke up, about an hour later and gave her breakfast. It was as cold and rainy day so we snuggled a lot in the morning. Honestly I probably would have done that anyway. She's just so lovable.

     First thing we did was start teaching her "Come" and "Stay" I would put her down on one side of the room and tell her to stay and then walk over to the other side of the room and tell her to come. She picked this up pretty quickly. Not bad for round 1 of doggie training. :) We did this over and over all around the house. I would put her in one room and tell her to stay and I would walk into another room and tell her to come, and this bouncy uncoordinated fuzzy ball would come hopping in right too me, then we'd walk around the room so she could check it out, and then move onto the next room.

     Jeff and I had been discussing looking into getting the Potty Patch for her potty training, thinking it might be an easier transition from fake grass to real grass outside. So we headed to PetSmart to pick up to check it out, and boy were we the center of attention! I had her tucked into my sweatshirt because of a few things, 1. I didn't want her close to the other dogs walking around the store because she's only had one set of shots, 2. It was still cold and rainy, and 3. I wanted to cuddle her. LOL :) Some people would just catch a glimpse of her head poking out of my sweatshirt and Aww at her, and others would out right almost stick their hand down my shirt to pet her. That kinda took me back a bit. We ended up buying the Potty Patch and a harness, a brush, a new leash, and some treats. This little girl is already burning a whole in my pocketbook. :)

    
     This is about the time I broke it to my parents but I'm going to skip that and post it next because its kinda a long story on its own.



Zane is SO Excited to meet her



Kaidin giving Pipsqueak Kisses



     That evening my nieces and sister came over to check out the puppy and say hi and then we went over to my brother's for dinner. Where she was the she of the show. My nephews, Zane (3yrs) and Kaidin (2yrs) both were all about her. She slept most of the night tucked inside my sweatshirt or in her crate, but anytime she'd poke her head out Kaidin hurry over to give her kisses, and Zane kept asking to hold her, which I explained to him that she is a baby and he's still too little to hold her right now, but soon enough she'll be ok to be held. Zane settled for petting her "nice and easy" and giving her kisses. 

In Zane's words "I like Squeak Squeak. I'm going to be able to hold her tomorrow"

Checking out the new digs

Playing with everything all at the same time!

PipSqueak and I stayed up until about 1am so she could check out the house and meet my boyfriend (her new Daddy), and my roommate (her new Aunt). She played with every single toy we had gotten her, and chased our fingers as we scratched them on the carpet. I initially took her outside to try and let her go the bathroom, but 1. she's too small to get through the doggie door, 2. she's too small to climb up and down the steps outside out door, and 3. it was rainy and freezing (we stayed under the eves so we didn't get wet) and she just stood there shaking with a look of "what are we doing out here?" So the decision of PottyPad training her first and then teaching her to use the doggie door later, was made.

The first night went Very Well. She slept until 3am in her crate next to my side of the bed, until she started to cry and I got up and carried her to the potty pad we had set up for her in the living room. She did her business and I held her until she fell back to sleep and then I put her in her crate, and she was out cold until 6am. Jeff, my boyfriend, got up with her this time. He usually wakes up around 6-7am anyways so it wasn't that big of a deal. I didn't sleep much longer though, only until about 7am. But I was thankful for the extra hour.

Picking up Pipsqueak (11-19-10)

(Sorry I'm a little late on the updates... See I told you I would slack off ;) )

So Friday. Friday seemed to take forever to get here, and took even longer for the day to be through so I could start the 3-4 hour road trip to get my PipSqueak.  As soon as the clock turned 5:00 I was out the door, literally tripping over myself to get downstairs and into my car. Yes, literally. I actually stepped on my pant leg while hurrying down the stairs and tripped. I only stumbled down a couple steps, but I tweaked my ankle and wrist, but they're fine now. I finally get into the car and text my friend to see if he's close.... I can't wait to get going. I get a response back and he's still about 30 minutes away. UGH. Ok fine. I get to play the waiting game again. I turn on the radio and play a couple iPhone games to try and distract myself... Ok bored- look at clock- seriously?!- only 11 minutes had past. Jeepers this is going to be a long car ride. My friend gets there and we head out, I took a different route than last time and got there about the same time, 8:00pm. But keep in mind last week I left at 4 and this time I left at 5:40+/- and we made one stop to grab a bite to eat and stretch our legs.

On the drive home

We got to the house and Pipsqueak is in a basket with her some of her litter mates a pretty maroon bow tied around her neck. She was just so happy and energetic. After a quick chat about shot records, and a few last minute questions, we got back into the car and headed out. This time, I didn't drive. My attention was 100% on this cute little furry bundle wrapped up in a cozy pink and green flowered blanket (my neighbor had made).

She was curious at first, and then she just settled down and fell asleep on me. Which just made me swoon. I was already attached, Big Time. :) The car ride went smoothly, no big hiccups. It got a little rough when my friend and I got back to his car and he took off. Pipsqueak apparently wasn't too comfortable on my lap with my attention on the road and not her anymore, but she did good all things considered.  I got home around 11pm and I was tired and so was Pipsqueak, but she had her new Daddy and Auntie (my roommate) to meet, and of course she wanted to check out her new digs.... :)

Beans almost Spilled!!

     Last night my mom asked if she could come over. (Think fast- my house if full of puppy stuff) Luckily for me, not so lucky for him, but my boyfriend's knee was hurting him so bad that he took off work, so I used him as an excuse. "Sorry mom, but Jeff isn't feeling well, and he's pretty grumpy. You want me to go over there?" (FYI my parents recently moved 6 doors down from me-so visits are easy and often) So I head over... phew she won't find out by seeing all the puppy stuff around now... only 2 more days until I don't have to keep the secret anymore.

     I spend time with my parents and chit chat for awhile, during the visit, they told me a short story of what Bo (their dog) did the other night... Thought I'd share (and does tie into the rest of the story). My neighbor made a bunch of sugar cookies for the Christmas Season (yes, she got an early start lol). She brought a gallon sized Ziploc baggie full to my house and to my parents the other night. Apparently that night Bo was acting strange. He kept jumping up on my dad, running in circles, and yipping randomly. Not normal for him. My parents couldn't figure it out. Later that night they decided to go to the kitchen and have a couple of Chrissy's Christmas Cookies, just to notice they were all gone. Including the Ziploc. Bo had eaten the bag full of cookies, he was acting strange because he was on a sugar high. Not only had he eaten all the cookies, they still haven't found the Ziploc. Don't worry, you'd be surprised what that dog eats and can pass through. The list is long and impressive and includes things from wood chips, to socks and underwear, even to printer ink cartridges. I'm sure the Ziploc will be no problem. That dog's belly is hearty- but of course my parents are going to keep a close eye on him just to make sure.

   So I start walking back home, and my dad comes with me to carry something to my car for me, and we decide to pop into Chrissy's house to tell her the story of her cookies. Now, remember she's making a carrier and a blanket for Pipsqueak... We go there and I see the sewing machine is out and I look at her with a huge grin. Yay she's making them!! Dad tells her the story and we start to head out, and she stops us to show me the progress of one of the blankets. ITS SOOO CUTE!! She did a great job and I love it... But it's small like a baby blanket or a PUPPY blanket. LOL And she continues to say "You can't have it yet, but I wanted to show you!" Uh..... she catches on, you can see on her face that she's thinking "Shoot I shouldn't have said anything with her dad here!!" Luckily I don't think he caught on... or at least he ignored it. I'm not sure which. For all I know both my parents may already know or at least suspect, but are just waiting for me to come clean.... I thought it was funny though. Like I said, I'm not really hiding it from my parents, I'm just not going to outright bring it up until she's here, so if he figured it out its really no big deal.

ONLY 1 MORE DAY AND I GET TO PICK HER UP!! Yay!!! :)

Surprise!

This cute little guy was left on my desk by a coworker for Pipsqueak. Aww! It's belly squeaks and the feet make a crinkle sound. What a nice surprise, she'll love it.

Prep-work

Only 4 more days!! Thank goodness work is going to be busy this week, hopefully it will go fast!! LOL. :)

     So this last weekend I did a lot more cleaning and organizing, and removing of dangerous plants to prep for the arrival of Pipsqueak. Seriously may be the only time in my life I was more than willing to clean up anything in my path. It's actually been like this for a week now. My super (sometimes overly) clean boyfriend is thankful for this. No nagging needed.
    
     Mom almost caught me this weekend, but I was able to dodge the bullet a bit... She saw a picture of Pipsqueak on my phone, and asks "Is that a puppy?" "Yes," I told her, "She's a hypoallergenic dog, I played with her for hours and had no problems, she's adorable." Then mom gave me a look of suspicion, "Where is this dog" "Riverside" I said, and then changed the subject. I did not lie, she is in Riverside, I just didn't tell her she'll be coming home with me soon. Oh I hope this doesn't turn into a big heated mess, but it probably will.

     My next door neighbor (and one of my best friends) Chrissy, like I said before, is making Pipsqueak a blanket and a matching carrier, she showed me the fabric she had chosen. There's a couple. One is going to be hot pink on one side and on the other, its a pretty green color with pink and orange flowers all over it. Super fuzzy fabric and Chrissy says its really easy to wash. Good to know. The other fabric, actually might be my favorite :) Its white with these super happy monkeys all over it, and on the other side it will have a patch work design of white and red polka dot material and brown fabric. I'm really excited to see how these turn out!
:)

Snag in the Satin

     So kinda a snag in the “everything is going to be perfect when I get my puppy” scenario that I’ve been swirling around in my head these past weeks, is.... My parents don’t want me to have a dog. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue. BUT. I live in a house I currently rent from my parents. My rent goes to buying the house from them, but technically I am renting, and they are the owners, and they don’t want dogs in the house. The reason there is a no dog (actually pets) rule, is because of my allergies, and that every time my brother has ever brought an animal home, my parents ended up with it. They currently are the now parents of Bo, my brother annoying Beagle dog. He’s a good dog, but not so smart, and not trained very well, and is LOUD... but all in all he’s a good dog and he's learning so things are getting better, and I’m much harder on him than is probably needed. Probably because I was replaced by him but that’s a whole other story I might get into another time. (Not kidding by the way I was totally replaced in my parents home by a dog) Back to parental units not wanting dogs. I’ve told them in the past that I really want a dog, and they say no, I’m allergic, and I always rebuttal with, But there’s hypoallergenic dogs. They rebuttal with “There’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog” Ok... call it what you want but I don’t have allergic reactions to this dog, so Magical Dog Breed..or whatever.
     My hopes, is that it’s not going to cause too much of an uproar. It’s not like they’re going to kick me out, for it, and once they see how cute she is, and that I don’t have reactions and how happy she makes me, they’ll get over it. And I’m not my brother so that argument is unfair and unrealistic. I know this isn't the smartest way to introduce them into the idea, but it worked with the birds... (yes, I just bought them and said "Hey! Look what I bought" followed by :grumble grumble: from the parents and then a "Yes, they're very cute." All better! ................................Keep your fingers crossed for me. :)

The LONGEST two weeks of my life!!

    Well actually one week, so far. Still have one more week to go. But JEEZ man. It is seriously taking forever. Last Friday, (11-5-10) is when I met the puppy and now one week later, and I’ve been ready for her for days. Pretty much went out right away to get things for her, all while trying to come up with names. My boyfriend comes up great names sometimes, other times, its like What are you Thinking?! My roommate however, was stuck on Harry Potter. (The new movie is coming out and I think she’s obsessing lol) Every name she came up with had to do with Harry Potter. I like Harry Potter, but not enough to name a pet after it. Names we came up with: Nanna, Voldemort (guess who), Toodles (guess who), Twinkie (guess who), Tic Tac, Squirt, Cupcake, Tootsie, Oatmeal, Hufflepuff, Thumbalina, Runt, and finally Pip-Squeak. Winner. My boyfriend came up with Pipsqueak, and my initial reaction was Awwwwwwww!! Bingo. Name picked. I instantly texted the Breeder so she could start calling Pip-Squeak by her new name. This was Sunday. Seriously two days after meeting Pip-Squeak and we had a name for her.

      Monday comes around, and one of my best friends (I have 3 you’ll probably hear about all of them) who is also my neighbor too me puppy supply shopping. I got her crate, and a pad, some toys, a fluffy red bed, and food. Yes. I bought a bag of dry food and a case of canned puppy food, and I don’t even have the puppy yet. Apparently this was funny or weird because I’ve been teased about it since I bought it, oh well, I call it prepared. My neighbor bought her a couple toys too, a green teether pacifier toy, a cute soft little piggy, and a cupcake squeaky toy. She’s also going to make her a puppy blanket and a matching carrier. She’s going to end up spoiling my little Pip-Squeak. :) And I’m ok with that. She made a joke, that it’s like having a baby, and I think she’s right. Its weird.  I’ve been thinking non-stop about her, and been cleaning and reorganizing, and making sure everything is puppy-safe and/or out of reach.  I’m even planning on removing a bush that is by my front door this weekend, because it’s poisonous. Apparently, I’m ”nesting” LOL. :)

Deciding to look for a Puppy

After awhile I was still feeling the need to have a pet that I could care for and love, and that would love me back. So I decided it was time to look into those Hypoallergenic Dogs I've been hearing about. I did my research. I went online and narrowed down my choices of breeds to fit into my lifestyle. I work full time so a big energetic dog was out of the question. I settled on the Bichon Frise or the Maltipoo. I honestly was pretty sold on the Bichon Frise, almost strickly because I liked the breed’s name. (WARNING BAD LANGUAGE) I was going to name the dog “Bitchin’ Fries” if I ended up with one. (OK NOW ITS SAFE AGAIN) I didn’t so don’t worry... I still think it’s funny though. I chose a few breeders and contacted them through emails and asked them a bunch of questions and then started scheduling visits. I went to the first breeder, and BAM I was stuck. I spent hours with the puppies, nuzzling them and rubbing them on my face, trying desperately to see if I would get a reaction. NONE. Not even a sneeze or a sniffle. No wheezing, no couching, not itchy eyes or skin. I was thrilled.  Ok. I’m sold. Now to choose my puppy. I had 3 to choose from. The biggest was all champagne colored. She was very cute, and I liked that she was bigger than the others. Then there was the runt. She was also very cute, but she looked more like a lamb to me that a puppy. Then there was this cute fluffy light caramel colored puppy with big brown eyes and light colored feet, that was climbing all over the others. Her face was adorable. SO FLUFFY and had this cute little white streak down her forehead, like someone dripped icing or paint on her. I held each of them. But when I put the third down she immediately tried to climb the basket and was making the cutest wannabe bark (sounded more like a chirp than anything else). She wasn’t done being held. SOLD. I handed over the deposit and after an hour or so later I finally put the puppy back and headed home. I couldn’t stop smiling. In fact I think some of the drivers next to me either thought I was nuts, or I was smiling at them... I got home, a lot quicker than the 3.5 hours it took me to get there, and tell my roommate and my boyfriend. “2 weeks and we’re gonna have a puppy!” :)

The Whys and Hows

            I’m getting a puppy, as of today (11-12-10) I will be getting her in one week. Seriously, the 19^th of November can not come soon enough. This is my first time owning a dog on my own. I had two dogs growing up with my family. We got them as puppies but I was like 2 years old, so I only remember them as dogs. I don’t remember the puppy stages. Our two dogs were Hansel and Gretel. They were indeed brother and sister. They were mutts, mostly Cocker Spaniel and Terrier mixes. I was allergic to them so they were strictly outside dogs. I would take care of them, along with my brother and parents help, but after any contact with them I had to shower or wash thoroughly right away or I would get horrible allergy reactions that would trigger my asthma. Now that I’m grown and have a home of my own, I wanted to find my companion; you know OTHER than my boyfriend, a more, cuddly stand in ;)

            So this is where I guess the story or blog should really begin. Over the last few years I’ve been wanting a dog of my own so badly. Unfortunately being that I’m so allergic to almost every breed out there that was always a hard request to fill. I’ve hung around many “hypoallergenic” dogs and have come out sneezing with red watery itchy eyes. Not fun. So forever, I thought, a dog was just not in my cards.  With the growing craze of hypoallergenic dogs (even our President has one) I started researching. These few breeds tend to not shed, have little to no dander, and have hair instead of fur. Interesting. Still wrote it off. I decided, try other animals.

            First I got a hamster (actually bought two) then one ate the other, I was horrified, needless to say the remaining hamster now bigger and fatter than before he turned to cannibalism, wasn’t ideal for the cute and cuddly pet I wanted, we had him for awhile but eventually he passed. Then I tried birds. My boyfriend and I got this Albino Cockatiel. We named her Marshmallow Fluffernutter. She was a doll, great personality and loved everyone. Totally satisfied my need for a pet until one night she had a seizure while we were sleeping. Unknown to us, Albino animals especially birds tend to have horrible neurological problems. We were heartbroken and decided to take a break from pets but after a very sad mourning period, we decided to try again. This time with a Senegal Parrot. We named her Oswald Cobblepot (before we knew she was a girl) after the penguin in Batman. The name fits her personality, trust me. She was great for awhile, but she soon grew enamored with my boyfriend to the point where she growls when I walk by or she’ll run off of him just to bite me. Again. Not my ideal pet. Great for my boyfriend but not so satisfying to have a small green bird to come to attack you just because I wanted a hug from my boyfriend... Later some friends gave me their Senegal Parrot, his name was Beeker (we named him after the Muppet). He was a cutie and very sweet and smart. Then (see how these stories go...) One day I was leaving for vacation, and I gave him a kiss goodbye he knew something was up and he bit my nose so bad I had a hole in it, a BIG one, thankfully it closed, but if I wanted my nose pierced, all I had to do was slip a hoop in it. Unfortunately my reaction to the biting was not one I’m proud of. I screamed and grabbed Beeker and through him off of me, continually yelling at him. (I didn't throw him hard but yes, I threw him) I scared him. I scared him so bad, that he’s now still scared of me. And he started to get defensive. I totally understood, but I couldn’t take it back, and he wasn’t willing to forgive me. He was just getting more and more distant to the point where he was obviously unhappy. So we decided to give him back to our friends since they asked from the beginning, if anything should happen and we couldn’t care for him or whatever, to give him back. We didn’t feel that it was fair to keep an animal where its not happy. Now through other circumstances he’s living with my parents, and I still see him. But he’s still not over our traumatic incident, and I'm doubting he ever will. :(

         

Intro

Hi everyone. So right off the bat, I have a confession. I have a horrible memory. I mean HORRIBLE. I forget things before they even finish happening at times. I like to blame it on being A.D.H.D. but really, I think it’s an excuse more than anything, I’m just plain forgetful. That is the sole reason I’m writing this blog. This is an exciting new experience for me and I don’t want to forget. I know there’s going to be happy, funny, sad, and even boring times but I want to record it all, so whenever I want I can look back and hopefully remember. I figured hey, someone else might get a kick out of it too, so why not blog it instead of just journaling. I’m not sure how long the updates will last, because frankly I will probably forget to update, but I’m going to try with all my might to update this every day. Or, at least once a week. Or, frankly... when I remember. :)