upside-down doggie

Wow, I thought Brindo was weird for sleeping on his back, but Pumpkin takes the cake.


Sleeping half out of her bed


Not very ladylike, honey...


Playing against gravity

I'm getting a neck cramp just looking at her.

btw, some fresh pumpkin...

What a bunny-bunny!

the irony of pumpkin

Yes, I know its been more than months since I've posted. Everytime I think of something to write, I get distracted by the adorable little puppy I have at home. Or, rather, distracted by something bad that she's doing, trying to do, or trying to pretend she's not doing.

(It doesn't help that my wireless has been down for weeks, so I'm tied to the LAN line - which is closest to my couch - and everytime I sit down with the laptop, Baby plants herself on the keyboard.)

One of the bad things Pumpkin has been doing is eating her own poop every once in a while. According to my Vet, is normal puppy behavior. But still - EW. So I've been trying different ways to get her to stop doing it. I've tried scolding her (associating negative consequences), spraying bitter apple on it, even adding MSG - which my vet said would work, and promptly induced a tummy allergy in the poor thing.

Finally, I found something non-toxic to add to her food that seems to be working. Yep, you guessed it... pumpkin!

It took feeding Pumpkin pumpkin to get her to stop recycling her food. The irony is beautiful.

pet travel is a nightmare

I swear, I never realized how much I love my little Pumpkin until last night, when I tried to book her a reservation as a carry-on for my flight back to PA.

First of all, can I just say that this new outsourcing customer service to India is NOT a good idea? I mean, no offense to India - we have fantastic engineers that either have come to the US, or work out of our Bangalore offices. However, when it comes to customer service, its probably not best to hire people whose English is not that great. I'm sure when it comes to 99% of reservations, its fine, but when it comes to complicated issues, it becomes a nightmare.

So the flight I was originally on didn't have carry-on room for my baby. I spent 2 hours on the phone with United last night, and then another 1.5 calling other airlines to find a flight that had availability. Apparently, Delta doesn't have the same information on their website as their phone agents do :-S

Finally, this morning, I demanded a supervisor (and had to go through 4 people and repeat my request!!!) before I got the deal settled. Luckily, it only cost $75 for me to change the flight - but this doesn't include the $85 each way ticket for Baby. So my grand total for this already expensive ticket - going home when I don't particularly feel like seeing the parents or traveling with a young puppy - comes out to $788.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

hi, from pumpkin

Arf! Its Pumpkin!

Its been 3 weeks since I've come home to Mommy. So far, its been pretty good, although today in particular sucks. Even though Mommy has been home all weekend, I've been stuck in my crate for most of it. I don't understand really what's going on - Mommy blathers on about "kennel time" and "going potty". I just cry and bark in my crate until I get tired of Mommy ignoring me, and every hour or so, I get let out to pee pee on the paper.

On top of that, I had to have my bath today AND get my nails clipped. But I got my revenge. After she cleaned me and my mat, and went into the shower, I poo'd all over the kitchen and rolled around in it. When she came out, smelling like fruit, she said something like "you suck". I'm not sure what that means, but I'm sure I'll get a treat.

I'm adapting well to my new home. At first I was scared, but then I discovered the Alpha female in me. Mommy thinks that she's going to be the pack leader. Right now, I'll let her think so, but wait until I hit my terrible two's! Oh ho! But I think she's very proud of me, because I've learned to be "Quiet", and to "Sit" before I eat or play. I don't quite understand this "Down" thing she keeps saying - all I know is that she drags the treat away from me and tries to push me down onto my elbows.

Sometimes we get to go out for walks around the building, and sometimes she puts me in a little bag and we go out into The World. I can stick my head out, but I can't go much further. I like The World - there's lots of people for me to kiss. I especially like it when people come over to my house and pet me. One time, a bunch of people came over and brought me treats. It was like a big kiss party! But I got tired after like an hour, and fell asleep.

Oh, I'd better get off the computer before Mommy finds me and gets mad. I already hear the "Ehn ehn!" and "Stop it!" coming on...

countdown to pumpkin

... only 4 days left!

I'm so excited! I've decided that Pumpkin is ridiculously cute. I can't wait :-) We're going to throw her a Puppy Shower. I've got a Baby Registry and everything.

If you want to get something for the little one, check it out. Everything is $20 or less.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/baby/1WYJNFJJZ9C30

Woof!

i can't help it - i'm in love

I look at Pumpkin's picture at least 10 times a day, and I can't get over how cute she is. So teeny! Nathan said that all puppies are cute, but he's wrong - Pumpkin is extra cute. Even cat people say so.

I love the expression on her face, so much like my silly-Dindle's. If they end up getting married, they will have the most confused looking hot dogs ever. And her eyes are gorgeous. But its really the nose that does it for me. That little nose - it kills me! I wonder if she can sense that, all the way across the country, there is someone who is already in love with her.

My anxiety has turned into anticipation, especially now that things are starting to fall into place. I figured out what to do with the house to get her situated, and I found an *awesome* pet sitter to take her out during the day when I'm at work. She lives in the building, loves doxies, and is doing it for $10 a day. Excellent! Even more important than the money, I'm happy that Pumpkin will have someone else around who will love her :-)

Not that I'm worried about this little one getting love. I'm sure she's going to be spoiled rotten. Rob is already searching for an A|X doggie sweater for her...

the baby! the baby!

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pumpkin... the most adorable baby ever! And she's all mine!