Puggle on the loose!

A busy week for sure!  I participated in the real life chase of a Puggle (that's a dog) on the loose.

My mom let me sit in the front seat on this exciting Thursday morning. She even gave a ride to a man who was running along too. 

Picture a little dog running as fast as he could, chased by an Toronto ambulance and 2 cars (me in one of them). We wove in and out of busy main streets, along the city highway and quiet streets.
My mom said these words "Gerrard Street! Warden! Danforth!".

It was so exhilarating when the ambulance turned on their siren! There were so many cars going so fast! That sure made the traffic come to a stop. Didn't the dog know he wasn't supposed to run on the roads, much less going in the opposite directions.
Many times I closed my eyes because I thought for sure he would be a goner. Especially when a huge blaring Firetruck drove across one of the streets.


 At times, the ambulance would stop in front of the running dog on an angle which forced the dog off the busy street onto the quiet street. The ambulance sure looked like he had done this before. At the final stop I had to sit in the car while everyone else got out of their vehicles.
We all stopped in mid street on an angle, and my mom just left the keys in the car and went running on foot after the little guy,  through a hole in a fence into someone's yard... I didn't know what was going on til I saw her come back out and she was hugging him. He was panting so hard the Ambulance driver gave him some water. He said something about Puggle's feet being all worn down.
My mom nabbed this little nipper with that spare leash in the car. I knew it would come in handy even though I had chewed it a bit! 

After that the Ambulance driver took the little dog, and mom and I travelled north to visit an Australian shepherd dog who needed a new home because her family was moving and they weren't going to take her with them! Don't they understand that we are "family"?
I got to meet Panda. She is a beautiful girl, black tan and white and she was fluffy clean. We even got to play together! She is 8 years old and will be moving into a foster home with ARPH (that's aussie rescue!)
I hope my mom will put a picture of her up here soon!

 

Making Dog Food

Mom's Cooking! Why?... 'Cause a tree limb fell on our car. She calls it therapy.  

 

Look what she puts in it - eggs, yogurt, celery, sweet potatoes, turnips (she says i can dig these up). Then she adds beef, heart  and a bunch of something she calls supplements.  

 

I love her food so much I could bark out loud 

except of course my mom likes it when i am quiet so I am saving my barkings for our walk.

She says she cooks my food 'cause it's better for my kidneys (what's that?).      
All i know is I love her!  

She got the recipe from our friend Monica Segal who helped her during the dog food "recall" after I got sick from eating my crunchies. 
 

This is my brother Buzzy who wants a fly instead! 

I love how high he can jump but I will never, never, never share my food with him!

 

Hurry up Mom! 

If i am really good today will you make my favourite dog cookies?

Australian Shepherd Wants to Adopt Walking Partner

 Need someone the share those evening walks along the beach?

Then meet Helen, a  beautiful Australian Shepherd!

Helen is my foster dog for the Australian Shepherd Rescue (ARPH)  and needs a loving compassionate home who will adopt her into their home.

A true cuddlebunny who is looking for you to be her sidekick in life. 

You can also donate directly to Helen's care through ARPH; just mention Helen # 11933, Northeast Region.

Donate Now to Help Helen!

Helen  is incredibly sweet natured and would be a rewarding and dedicated companion. She would be the ideal pet for active retirees who have time to give her attention and reciprocate her affection. Undemanding, Helen loves to be in the same room as you, at your feet or quietly lying on a comfy bed or chair.

 She loves walking on the leash (and never pulls), trotting on the beaches of toronto, off leash, or wrestling with a friendly dog.. She loves to meet new dogs, and will try to entice them into playing with her. 


Helen's calmness would make her a wonderful therapy dog. She visited a seniors' home recently where she was the hit of the day, with everyone running their fingers through her soft wavy thick  fur.
 

Unfortunately unlike other aussies who can see, Helen is seeing impaired... she cannot gaze into your eyes to communicate but will gently paw you once to get your attention.

While it takes Helen a little time to orient herself with new situations, she would need a patient person who can accompany her while she learns new things, homes or walks,  But once she becomes familiar, as long as there are no physical obstacles in the way, she walks around confidently. Once she is familiar with stairs, Helen can handle the steepest of steps  and only needs you to help her with the first step.

She relies on her hearing and smell, and will easily walk on leash alongside either you or another dog. She just needs someone who can steer her clear of signposts or boulders. If she is leash free, and once she becomes familiar to the smells of the grass, park, or beach, Helen enjoys trotting along side of you; She will rely upon you to ensure that her path is clear and with a quick call of her name she happily walk towards you.

If you are a compassionate and patient person who would like to be Helen's seeing eye person AND if you  looking for a sweet, loving, quiet girl to join you on your walks and become part of your family, Helen is the dog for you. Helen is up to date on all of her shots and other than the cataracts she is a happy healthy girl.

Come meet up with  Helen and her foster mom, moi, just email me.

 
  You will also need to fill out an  ARPH Application  to be approved.

You can also donate directly to Helen's care through ARPH; just mention Helen # 11933, Northeast Region.

Donate Now to Help Helen!

 

more about Helen 
She was found as a stray by a friendly OPP officer on the side of the highway. After a short stay in a shelter, Helen came to ARPH so we are learning about Helen as we go. Her age has been estimated at 5-6 yrs old. Helen will be seen shortly by an opthamologist to determine the cause of her blindness. Despite her challenges in life, Helen is a loving and trusting girl. She is gentle and kind and loves every person she meets, especially children. She walks incredibly well on a leash ,  is quiet in the house and does not need to be confined when left alone.
Helen would do best in a quiet home with an older or lower energy dog, but would also be fine as an only dog. Helen would also be fine in a home with cats.

Dogs on the Beach

Although we had a little snow storm brewin' last night, here is one of mom's drawings to remind us that this is the tail end of winter. That's me up front... ask me why I am smiling!!!... This past weekend we had warm weather, all the snow and ice melted away and all my friends were out playing like crazy. In fact I even went for a dip in the water. Didn't you hear my mom yelling at me to get out! i like the fact that I bring the beach home with me in my fur...

Here is a photograph Mom took of me playing my favourite game with these feisty jack russell terriers.

Mugz the Wonderdog, the finished painting

A perfect situation for an artist is when your client has complete faith in you and allows you the creative freedom to trust your own vision.... 

Mugz the Wonderdog, Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 48"

We had talked about what Mugz loved initially when Mugz's people first enquired about getting his portrait painted.  So working from a few photographs, I made sure that these elements were part of the painting. Give this labrador retriever a ball and water and he couldn't be happier. 

However I was a little nervous when Mugz's people came to pick up their portrait of Mugz. You see they had wanted to be surprised (and not see the painting midway) so while I was painting I had to remind myself:  have faith in yourself and your creativity and all will be well. This mantra paid off... as they stood in front of it for a few moments they were speechless. Then their smiles just grew and grew. "It is Mugz and you have captured him completely!"

From time to time I get little emails saying that they "are sitting in front of Mugz and are so happy" or "Mugz greets me whenever I walk into the room".

Goodbye Mugz! We miss you...