Gone!

T'was the night before Christmas...and my freakin' laptop died a wheely death.

I was able to get to the "Genius" bar at Apple yesterday only to be told they're refurbish my laptop for free (which I'm taking to mean that this sudden death happens a lot with this particular generation of Macbook) but essentially the disk won't mount and all data is not up for recovery.

I'VE LOST EVERYTHING.

I was crying in the Apple shop. Not a tantrum - just really really REALLY sad that the last 3 years of photography (holidays / gigs / randoms / Coco's puppydom), music that I couldn't fit onto my iPod, my beloved shows, and all my miscellaneous links on Firefox - pfft! All gone!

OH MY GOD I JUST REALISED ALL MY DS GAMES ARE GONE TOOOOOO.

*sob*

I'm not entirely sure how big a tetrabyte is but I'm very much interested in the 2TB storage drives that Amazon has if it means I don't have to shed any more geek-tears in public again.

E.T.A. KS pointed out to me last night that I must have Zelda on my mind as it's actually a TERAbyte, not tetrabyte...hehe...

On the 4th Day Of Christmas...

...my true love gave to me - the gift of our freakin' first home!!!!!

How do I top such a gift?Why - with The Legend of Zelda : Spirit Tracks of course! =)

Coco is, of course, thrilled by all developments.

It's Snowing!

So - Coco's reaction to her first bit of snow (gentle sprinkle of, not really settling) was to sniff, slip, shake herself and pee.

Business as usual then. ^.^

In other news - we've been trying to sort out a Christmas e-card to send out seasonal goodwill to our clients and came up pics like:

























And my personal favourite:

Bzzz

Though imagine how much unwanted attention Coco would get if I were to take her out like this on a daily basis...

Commuting with Coco

And the crabbiness continues...

Coco was sleeping blissfully with her little tongue poking out and then some annoying woman sat next to me on the train home last night and proceeded to stare, wiggle fingers and make those annoying sounds that agitates Coco to a frenzied state.

I spent the best part of 20 minutes trying to make Coco stay put and not bite my hair / ears / chin or climb onto this horrid woman (though secretly I wished that Coco would take a bite of her chunky arm).

Having a pug, and an adorable one at that is akin to what I'd imagine being a celebrity is like. You get unwanted attention - people stop, stare, point, nudge each other, make stupid noises and generally invade one's personal space. As far as I know, no one's tried to photograph the little miss yet but oh my god the number of people who feel it's their right to be able to touch her.

There was a man in the newsagent that I popped into yesterday who, as I was lining up to pay for a banana, stepped out from behind till really slowly and in awe and proceeded to use not one hand, but BOTH HANDS to basically molest Coco's face and coo over her. Then he said "aww can I keep her?" to which I literally went "Ha. Ha. NO." Idiot.

Perhaps it's because having all the attention that comes with having a pug isn't a novelty for me because we have to deal with it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Most people probably just get it when they take theirs out at the weekend when they have the time and patience to say "Yes, she is darling isn't she", unlike our situation whereby people literally try to stop me as I'm late to the office / for the train.

Another examples was some flyer girl at West Brompton tube station the other day. There was a queue of about 3 people in front of me waiting to go through the ticket barrier and the silly cow came rushing forward "ohmygodit'sSOcute!!" at the same time as trying to touch Coco. And I didn't want to be vocally abusive by telling her to "f**k off can't you see I'm trying to get HOME?" so I just ended up giving her a withering evil (getting good at it!) and going through.

Yes people think I'm mean and bitter and angry but I just LOATHE it. I'm generally tired and grumpy on my commute! Don't try to talk to me and don't try to talk to my dog in that ridiculous voice! Especially do NOT touch her unless you have asked me first!! ARGH!!

Like I Care...

But I do admire the funny side of it...

Boss lady is in and was standing chatting to colleague on the next desk and Coco is attacking her lunch Kong, wearing a hoody and with her butt facing the world.

My Top Ten Christmas Movies

1. A Muppet Christmas Carol
2. Love Actually
3. Elf
4. Uncle Buck
5. Home Alone 1 & 2 (forget the horror that was number 3, and I discovered a number 4 was made today...wtf?!)
6. Edward Scissorhands
7. The Grinch
8. Any of the Harry Potters
9. Babe
10. It's A Charlie Brown Christmas

Run, Coco, Run

G-d dammit I need to get in the habit of wandering about with some sort of camera / video recorder when I walk Coco as I missed another great opportunity today! On her lunchtime park visit today, it was the first time I let her off leash.

There was a lovely peppered Cocker Spaniel who was very cautious but oh so curious-about-Coco who slowly made her way closer to where we were wandering. Coco - on the other hand was standing at full alert and yapping at the Spaniel.

After asking her Human if it was OK to let them say 'Hello', they very nicely greeted each other (no yapping or jumping up from Coco - to my AMAZEMENT) so the Spaniel wanted to play chase and Coco was rearing to go - so I let her off! And she did so well. Well - apart from not being able to keep up with the leggy Cocker Spaniel puppy - which was most hilarious for her human and I to watch.

Then a lady came in with her chocolate Lab, which the Cocker Spaniel man knew by name and then all three were bounding about the little park. Coco had to take to barking at her new friends from between our legs after a few minutes though so as to remind them that she was still there as she couldn't keep pace with them!

Though I keep looking at Coco in amazement of her growth spurt and chunky Pug-ness - I was reminded today that actually?-she's a dinky pup and no wonder people keep looking bemused when I dismiss their opinions when they keep telling me she's tiny!

It's gotten cold in London so I've taken to putting her in a jacket for the journey home. I can't believe the grey fleece hoody actually fits her now...

Oh she loves it!

The Duty Of A Bridesmaid

Since I'm now of an age where being honoured with bridesmaid duties means making sure that all of the hard work and organisation pays off - I'm in the process of putting together the Emergency Kit to pack for the day for my Godsister's wedding this Sunday. This should include...

• Sewing Kit, including safety pins and small scissors

• Clear nail polish (helpful for stocking runs)

• Nail file

• Nail polish in the bride's shade

• Makeup (you'll probably have this there anyway!)

• Straws (for drinking without messing up lipstick

• Extra stockings

• Hairspray

• Brush and comb

• Bobbypins and hair elastics

• Tissues

• Lint brush

• Earring backs

• Baby powder (also useful for getting out last-minute spills on a white dress)

• Eye-drops (look for redness reducing)

• Contact lens solution

• Skittles (Brides choice!)

• Mints

• Perfume
  

• Tampons and pads

• Headache medicine (bring two different kinds in case one of the bridal party is allergic)

• Plasters

At this rate, I think I'll need my old D of E rucksack...

Think Positive!

...as I'm feeling like I'm having a progressively crappier time as the weeks are passing on (crappy commute, crappy targets at work, frustration at work, Coco attacking everything that moves (sometimes it doesn't even have to move), no time for exercise...this list could go on and on) I need to remind myself of some good things so here goes:

- Mum's yummy Spag Bol that we had last night.
- Coco's Pugtonas (how I missed them!)
- just over a month till Christmas!
- the prospect of being a home-owner and in co-habiting bliss with KS next year
- knowing there is a crumble waiting in the fridge
- having warm, snorty, snorey and inexplicably sweet oatmeal scented Coco in my lap as I write this
- the fact that is it Thursday and is, therefore, almost the weekend, a brief but much-needed respite from the general crappiness.

In other news - KS and I inspected Coco's teeth this morning and can see another row of teeth starting to appear behind her puppy teeth on her upper-front chompers...no wonder she's taken to attacking me with a newfound ferocity. Honestly - you'd never think to be a little frightened of a 20week old pug when she bows down in POUNCE! mode.

Aieee!

Had a fairly hassle-free commute into work this morning, despite feeling very reluctant to leave the house this morning due to having spent the previous two hours before having to get up hearing the elements raging - GALE force winds plus RAIN...

Fortunately I when I timidly stepped out of the door, holding Coco close to shelter her puggy eyes from the wind and leaves (and actually ended up with something in MY eye. And no, KS, not chicken) to find that it actually felt a lot milder than I was expecting.

Found a window seat (it minimises the chances of multiple people trying to pet at sleeping Coco and thus annoying grumpy-morning-me), train delays as per usual but didn't have to wait long for my line on the District. No seats on the District so had to deal with a backache from carrying Coco on front and a backpack to the rear...tried to relieve the weight from my back a little by leaning against the side of a door - was quite comfy to be taking the weight off the small of my back. Till I remembered that I'd popped my brand new iPod Nano into the top inside pocket of my backpack - right at the same point that my relieved back was putting all it's pressure onto 0.o

Fortunately, iPod Nano is unscathed and not horrifically cracked like I was worried it would be. *phew*

Discover Dogs 2009

Shame this wasn't during the week as it's just round the corner from my office, being held at Earls Court 1!

T'was our first visit to London's apparently biggest dog show - and boy are we KNACKERED. Learnt lots though (Coco's inherent cheeky, hyperactive nature makes her half-way to being a brilliant agility training dog and black pugs inexplicably have bald necks till they're about 8 months old) and bought a few bits - we managed to not go overboard but I did indulge in a Santa outfit for Coco...

Kien-sen felt the need to spoil our girl and bought her a lush new bed. We bought her some dehydrated carrot slices (love love LOVES them - and they make her breath smell sweetly carroty) as well as her very first rawhide - which she's been merrily, snortily chewing at by my feet for the past 20 minutes.

A great day out - though I almost cried when I petted the gorgeously chunky pawed Basset Hound and we now have one happy pug, with all her new treats!

Fal-Co

KS has decided that Coco looks like Falkor if Falkor was of black fur...

Head of Falkor.

Chest of a bear.

Body of a dog.

Tail of a pig.

This being the same man who (delightfully) said, as he was having a Coco cuddle "Her ear's in my ear!".

Draaaaag.

It's cold. It's dark. I've spent the best part of my day scanning from the Meat Loaf archive.

I'd like to go home now please...

The Start of Looking Like Crazy Dog Lady

...as I begin to literally dress Coco in baby's clothing.

It does the trick and it's about a quarter of the price of actual dog clothing!!

Got this fleece hoody for a newborn baby for £5 in Ethel Austin, need it be said that this seems to be an awesome way forward, especially as a cold snap seems to have hit London.

I bought it in preparation for her first trip to the park. We figured we'd take her to the creme de la creme of parks and take her to the beautiful Greenwich Park on a crisp winters' day. She enjoyed crunchy leaves, was lavished in lots of (annoying) attention and managed to thoroughly terrorise a dog whose neck reached my hip, it was that big. Yep - she is that much of bully that the poor dog was actually backing away from her.

As we enjoyed a double date in great company, Coco seems perfectly at ease and enjoyed a drink in Greenwich Market.

At this rate she'll need a muzzle...!

I've learnt 3 things in the past 6 weeks.

- Coco is very curious and more-than-a-little greedy (eats things that she shouldn't)
- Out-of-hours / Emergency vets service is expensive
- Pet Insurance is likely to come in very handy

We've had Coco for like...6 weeks now and she's been to the vets for three treatments already. Once for the wasp sting, again for gastroenteritis and on Sunday afternoon for another muzzle ballooning incident of unknown cause. With her little squooshed in nose I worry about anything affecting her breathing so we took her to the vets for yet another anti-inflammatory injection to bring the swelling of her face down. Vet reckoned she ate something in the garden that she's allergice to - only we have no idea what as she's pretty much always got something in her mouth. Poor pickle. At this rate, she'll need a muzzle just to go toilet outside!!

Also - the out of office vet was very grumpy and had terrible 'bedside' manner.

Unfortunately didn't manage to get Coco a Halloween outfit - I figure I'll wait till next year once she's grown to as big as she should get and just go nuts with clothes-buying.

Pugs As Heart-Warmers

I've noticed different sides to the people I work with.

There's my boss who is generally pretty stoic and mono-syllabic (the one who brought Duffy in the other week) will squat down and give Coco a little hug when no one else is about.

There's our production guy who is usually fairly quiet but he'll gladly play ball with Coco.

And the latest shocker was seeing our company's owner (female) who, in my eyes, kind of channels an Anna Wintour icyness, actually kneel down this morning to play with Coco and coo over her adorableness.

Colour me stunned!

Also - just found this interesting thread on PugVillage about telling how relaxed your pug is by the way it sleeps - interesting stuff!

Silly Question.

Last night, as I was avidly browsing Fifi Fashions for some fabulous winter-warmwear for Coco, Kien-sen asked me "why don't I ever see other dogs wearing clothes?"

...To which I had to roll my eyes and say "because they're obviously not cute enough to get away with it".

Pugs are just made for outfitting, especially given their inclination to not deal well in hot and more importantly cold weather and so they actually pretty much have to go out in clothes when it's single digit celcius outside.

Plus she'll look shockingly adorable.

Relieved.

Today marked our third trip to the vets in the space of the four weeks we've had Coco...her belly just was not right and she was out of sorts all day so I took her in and three jabs and a thermometer up the butt and she's on the mend - yay! My mind is at rest =)

She's finally sleeping on my lap (she seems to have gotten clingy to me since her dodgy belly started, as she usually sleeps on my Mum in the evenings) after almost 3 hours of hyperactivity. Loco Coco is back...and I'm SO glad for it. Assuming she doesn't yak up her tablespoon of boiled rice and chicken dinner.

Having Coco seems to be a preview into what parenting will be like, especially after the first bout of ill-health that she's experienced whilst in my care. I will most likely be concerned over every little thing, be on edge in the night for any sounds / lack of sounds and possibly get a bit focused on the lil one(s) for a while.

There's been a bit of adjustment for KS and I as we've never had this much responsibility before! I'm glad of it as I look forward to sharing our life with my gorgeous girl...though I had the feeling, over the weekend, that it was all kind of testing KS's patience. And I thought I was going to be the uneasy parent.

Cuteness Personified...With Proof!

In her only bit of clothing (thus far) which dearly needs to be added to as it's getting chilly in the UK. Growing girl though, I swear she's lengthened in body by an inch in the past 10 days.














It's so chilly that she needs to wear these lovely socks my Godmother bought for her in Hong Kong. Hehe I joke, she'll only wear them if I put them on her when she's fast asleep and she pulls them off once she realises she can't move her feet quite as usual.

















Apres breakfast of kibble and a teaspoon of non-fat organic pro-biotic yoghurt. Oh the mess!!

But in other news, I hope she gets back to normal soon as for the past few nights, I've had crappy sleep from worrying myself to tears as she's been squitty overnight. Poor thing. But she seems to be better today (active, playful and always with appetite)so here's hoping she's more robust than I am.

Things I Can't Wear With Coco...

From spending most of my time with Miss Coco, I've found that I have to (hopefully temporarily) say goodbye to wearing:

- Heels (she prances about when we go walking, cannot abide the thought of heeling her little paws)

- or any pretty shoes for that matter as she chews leather and laces.

- Skirts, and therefore, tights (pawing + tights = ladders. pawing + skirts = hideous scratches)

- Necklaces (biteable)

- Anything with pom-poms

- Anything with a belt

- Anything with fuzzy furryness (e.g. Uggs)

- Cashmere (the girl go NUTS for the feel of it wodged in her mouth)

...thinking about it, I can only safely wear my old ballet pumps, jeans and a hoody and not worry about her tearing holes or scratching up or pulling out stitches of my clothes. Sometimes I can just be wearing a t-shirt and she'll bite through the material and OWW!!!

Coco-less

It's the first time at work without Coco (she's playing 'therapy dog' to my still-in-a-leg-cast Mum). I miss her.

Her 'office / travel' crate has arrived. After a bit of a kerfuffle with the stupid frame, I finally managed to snap the top bars into line and it's sitting there all set up and woefully Coco-less under my desk. Looking at it now, I kind of think that her home crate is way too big, given that her new one fits under my desk nicely and she can twirl about in there as she likes. Her one at home seems to be double the size, she could probably tire herself out in from running about in it...Oops!

Ordered her little crate from www.petplanet.co.uk, cheaper than the Pet Gear one at home, same sort of quality (though I guess letting Coco attack it will be the true test) and also with free delivery (as it was over the requisite £30 for free delivery after my little shop.) Also ordered her a nice little harness that will hopefully stop her from making those awful gaggy snort sounds every time we try to tug her away from closely inspecting pebbles, poo and snails. Fast service, only got dispatched yesterday afternoon!

Like how I came in today and my colleague said he missed Duffy...What about my loco Coco?!

My Boss Is Awesome

...Not only did he give me the all clear to get Coco, he actually brought in his friend's 2.5 year old (neutered!) boy Duffy. I came into the office today to be greeted by my bossman pointing to the end of the corridor where the most adorably sweet-mannered boypug was waiting for Coco...and then she jumped up at him.


Ray (her breeder) did mention that she was the bully of her seven littermates but I haven't actually seen her properly interact with another dog, let alone another pug to play with yet. She can certainly hold her own!! Apparently, after some frantic reading on PugVillage as to what to do when pugs fight (she's jumping up on his gorgeous face and biting his ears....) girls are more likely to start fights.


PV's LuvBean25 very aptly said "they don't call them bitches for no reason"!!

I Was Having A Bad Day....

Coco woke me up at 6am.
Left the house at 7:15 to get 7:33 train to work.
7:33 train was cancelled so had to wait to get 7:50 train.
7:50 train got diverted due to fire at Brixton.
8:10 jumped off at Beckenham Hill after a horrifying moment when I realised I'd left my train pass and Oyster card in my coat pocket from yesterday.
Train delays meant the 8:15 train back to Orpington was delayed till 8:30.
9:10 got back home in a huff.
9:33 got train to London.

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATE to work. And through it all my little Coco was happily snoozing hahaha...If she hadn't been with me, I know I'd have been a whole lot more stressed but having her to cuddle and watch as she just huddled up to me was soppily heart-warming (on this cold and grey day).

Coco Meets Other Pugs

Our girl is a feisty one. The last time she met a neighbouring dog (at the office), despite his being 3 times her size and double her height, she still managed to scare him off (so he now runs away from her) by jumping up at him.

Today she met the other two pugs on the estate - and boy was she put in place! James, the owner has a 4 year old black pug and a younger fawn and I think the fact that she had two much larger fellow pugs being VERY interested in her, she was reduced to lying flat on the floor and trying to run under my legs!

Bless her cottons. We had to laugh as the boy pug Stanley essentially nudged Coco over on her back and begun to snuffle at her belly. No barks or whines - just intense looks of "BEHAVE" from her elders hehe....and ever since then she's been docile as a...well a sleepy Pug.

If I'd had my phone on me, I'd have taken pics of them frolicking together as it was so funny. I'm also mildy scared by the fact that she'll end up being about 3-4 times bigger than she is now - how ever will I carry her in my arms?

Then again - if Jessica Alba can manage to wander about holding her mahoosive pug, I'm sure I can manage to hold mine.

PS - I don't want to gripe but I am absolutely loathing the people on the street who think they have the automatic right to stop Coco when I'm trying to get her to walk properly / concentrate on toileting (c'mon you know how hard it can be!) to play with her, or get her excited by wiggling fingers in her face. I shot such a dirty look at a couple earlier who went to each other :

Woman: "Oh look at the little pug!"
Man: "Aww - do you want to stop and pet it?"

...I was like - errm yes she is amazingly cute but who the F**K do you think you are to ask your girlfriend if she wants to touch someone elses pug. Not even a "May I pet your puppy?" just an assumption that they can. I am incredibly crabby over such incidences as I feel that it's invading our personal space. One would not expect another person to go petting one's child, so why any different for a puppy? ARGH!!

Note to Self:

I knew all this before I got her, so just to remind myself, I found this info here...:

The dog is friendly, affectionate, boisterous and playful. They are extremely mischievous and quick -witted.

They are whimsical. They are excellent watchdogs and are a very intelligent breed. Stern handling can be harmful for pugs since they are extremely sensitive dogs

Pug puppies require a lot of care. First and foremost these pups should be provided with a soft collar and comfortable crates,which should be soft and cozy. Owners should never try to confine their puppies to the crates since they require adequate amount of exercise through out the day.

Pugs are alert and intelligent and can be easily trained. However, they lack patience and hence repetitive training techniques often bore them. Hence, owners should patiently deal with Pugs. Training techniques should be changed occasionally in order to make them disciplined. Obedience and potty training should be imparted from a very young age.

The breed is active but they should never be overexercised since they can develop health problems.

They should get regular exercise like walks with owners. They are robust, enthusiastic, and playful and should receive ample scope to play.

OH TO SLEEP AGAIN!!!!

I cried last night. Not out of unadulterated happiness at being a pug mumma, but out of sheer frustration over Coco's insistent puppy playfulness after she'd spent a very naughty day with me at work in the office and I was knackered and instead of concentrating on toileting (she owed me poo) she was biting my jeans and my shoes and my fingers when I went to pull her away from my feet.

Nobody said it would be easy. But I had no idea she would be so much hard work...it wouldn't be a problem if I had more time at home with her. I can handle the early wake-ups so long as I can get to bed early. However I struggle when she won't settle in her crate when I want to go to sleep for the night. I struggle to concentrate on work when she is biting everything but the array of toys I have for her in the office.

Lack of sleep and never having much patience just leads to the frustration. Then you look down and notice that she looks like Yoda when she's sleeping and you kind of melt inside.

It's not a particularly positive post, no, but it's the honest truth! I don't feel good about writing about this but I can't write about all the goodness of having a little pug of my own. Even my much more patient and easy-going Kien-sen is getting frustrated which scares me cos if that's the case then it must be a not-so-good situation.

My solution at the moment is to knacker her out when I can, heaps of praise and reduced-size treats when she's good (I think she's fattying out from her treats for toileting outside all the time so I've had to make her treat sizes smaller) and to marvel in her cuteness when she's sleeping. There's always her training classes to look forward to!!! October 17th cannot come fast enough. We may even have to ask the nice lady about her home-training sessions in the meantime. Coco's not naughty (at least, not in anyway that could be deem unusual for a puppy) but it's the pressure for me to have a well-behaved pup so my boss doesn't kick us out of the office that's putting me on edge!

Happy Saturday

The sun is shining. Mum's back home post-op with what Kien-sen is calling an elephant leg cast and Coco seems to be adjusting to her new life with us.

Strange thing happened which I hope isn't a fluke. She was hating her crate, showed no interest in going in and definitely did not like sleeping in there. Kien-sen moved it so that the narrow side is pointing towards the room, rather than the widest side and now we've covered the sides a little better so it's dimmer and she seems mildly happier to go in of her own accord. She still whines to come out when she wakes up in there during the night but for the first time this morning, I was awake at 6:50am and not a peep from her to be let out (never mind the fact she was yipping for what seemed like ages at 2am and again at about 3am).

She's been so good today, I somehow took 63 photos of her in the space of 3 hours. My personal favourite being this one:

Whoever Says It's Not Like Having A Baby...

...is playing silly buggers. Losing sleep...can only sleep when she's sleeping...getting up VERY MUCH EARLIER than I've ever had to.

Coco's been going nutso in her crate at all hours of the morning since she's been with us, she just cannot settle in it and it's frustrating as it's obviously a patience game.

She can't go from having her 6 littermates and a big pen to sleep and run about it, to being on her own in a comfy crate of her own and not have a tantrum about it (Every. Time.) when she's in there. I think we must've rushed it but we've no other choice at night as she can't be trusted to wander about our room!

I have bought two packs of earplugs and plan to spend a good portion of the weekend getting her to love her crate a bit more....

As Mum Has Surgery...

We love Coco to bits but she is definitely testing my patience when it comes to her hyperactivity and the in-house, on-carpet toiletting that often results from her playfulness. I know to take her out after naps but I'm never sure when I'm meant to take her out when she's being super-playful until she's already let us know!!

So I'm worried about my mum who's just gone into surgery today for her torn Achilles tendon. My grandma was scaring me even more with tales of the pain that has to be endured post-op with the physio etc...so I get v. upset at the thought of my little mother in any pain whatsoever. So I'm just hoping that we can train Coco well enough so that she doesn't add to mum's discomfort when she's home with all of us!


Rest up Mum and please be good Coco!

Pug + Pug Papa = Wasp Haters

Now our girl Coco and her pug Papa have a shared hatred of wasps. Over lunch in garden, the wee one was innocently having a wander about the garden, face down in the grass as usual. Suddenly she yelped and came dashing over to me, cowering and sitting with a paw up (the sign I take to mean she wants to be picked up) to be held on my lap.

So I picked her up and sat with her in my lap on the grass and she started to try and hide in my cardigan, going so far as to actually get in the gap of cardigan between my back and the outside world, like her own makeshift pouch.

Realising that she was shaking and closing her eyes, I took her upstairs to our room when I also realised that her muzzle was swelling up and worried that her wheezy breaths were indicative of constrictive breathing, I legged it to the vets (I think they thought I was a bit crazy as we'd only been in there yesterday for her registration / vet check).

All good! Slight muzzle swelling, vet said her heart is strong and no throat swelling, so he gave her a little injection and she's since been cozied up to me. *phew*

Other than today's little trauma, she's been very hyper when she's awake, which I'm assuming is a normal pug puppy thing. Playbiting and charging about with the occasional indoor, on carpet whoopsies. Sometimes she'll remember we'd prefer her to toilet on the newspapers laid out for that very purpose should she not make it outdoors in time.

The vet yesterday (Vet Tommy - vaguely grumpy) "recommended" the James Wellbeloved dry food for her, rather than the Pedigree Chum for pups food that Coco's litter were on (which I'm kind of glad to get her off of as I find the smell repulsive). She hadn't been finishing off her lunch time feed of the Chum / Dry food mix but today, with the usual Chum amount, half usual Dry food and half James Wellbeloved, she yammed it all down, leaving a well clean-licked bowl!

You Know You're A Dog-Lover When...

...even your own dad knows you're wake-up-at-a-silly-time excited about picking up your pup. Was woken up at just before 6am today by a long-distance text from my Dad giving me a wake-up 'call' hehe...

So we are most knackered...4 hours drive to Wales at the end of a long week, after work. 6am wake-up for a 9am pick-up and another 4 hours drive back home.

The day's been spent rejoicing every time she's peed outside (and the most ecstatic I'll probably ever get about a creature crapping in my back garden) and slightly less rejoiceful when she pood in her crate when we attempted to shut her in for the first time as a training practice. We giggled as she licked her bowl clean and then proceeded to stand in her bowl to better angle herself to lick the bowl even more. We stifled giggles at her funny squeaky snores, so as to not wake her and spoil our fun. Her favourite finds in the garden seem to be any sort of dried leaves, and the petals of any pink flowers she can get to. We gasped in horror as she ran into the patio window with a "bonk!" and then giggled as she appeared to try to stare it down (and look a bit bewildered at the same time). BIG kisses on her noggin.

Now to SLEEP! For we are new to this pug-parenting thing and it's been an action-packed day. Time for us to rest as peacefully as our new little one is right now amongst her many bed-toys!

Maxwell

Before I embark on the very exciting venture of welcoming Coco into our lives, I just wanted to make a post dedicated to my dog of days gone by. I mean - the reason why I've started up this (yet another) blog is because I want to be able to easily chronicle life with Coco. And Kien-sen. The means to do this wasn't available when I had my one and only other dog Maxwell and as such, it saddens me that all I have are vague memories of him and a few pictures. Coco will be so loved and SO photographed and all her funny little Pug-isms will no doubt be recorded here.

I vaguely remember that I was about 7-8 years old when my parents decided we should have a dog. Our beloved Basset Hound was 8 weeks old when we collected him from a dog show where his Mum was being shown. His full Pedigree name was something like "Brackenacre James" and we called him Maxwell. I sat in the boot with him all the way home, all long velvety ears and the chunkiest softest paws imaginable. He was good all the way home until we parked in our drive and he toileted on the towel in the boot!

After that I remember being annoyed at his constant nipping at the ankles. When I had socks on, he seemed to think they were moving, playful toys playing hard-to-get.


He squashed down a once bountiful bush by making it his garden resting spot. He killed the grass around the laundry pole with his wee. He rescued baby birds that had fallen out of their nests by scooping them up in his mouth. He fell into the pond one year when it had apparently frozen over and he thought it safe to wander across! He LOVED food and would slip and slide and trip over his ears dashing across the kitchen tiles to get to it. He was petrified of baths so everytime he came back from the groomers he'd be oh-so-beautifully soft but would stink of old lady. He was scared of my rabbit. He used to love sneaking upstairs to be with me whenever anyone forgot to close the stair gate properly. He was stubborn as hell - whether due to breeding or lack of training, who knows! We like to think it was just in his character. ^.^

His ears were so gorgeously soft so I was always upset when, in later years, he kept developing blood clots which would make parts of his ear bubble up. He was on the smelly side...which I now think is because back then we had no clue about the need to express anal glands. I don't think I wandered about smelling of dog but who knows - you kind of get used to it when you live with it! I remember him eating a sharp rock when he was still quite young and he had to have an operation to have it taken out. So many times I remember him with shaved squares on his body from having to have something done but he always bounced back, tail wagging and all. My Mum says the vet bills were extortionate but who cares about money when your beloved companion is in pain?!

Despite all his health problems and greying hairs and old-age incontinence he lived till the age of 13. Remembering that day makes me sad as the last time I saw him was him sitting on his bed in the hallway and giving him a quick kiss and pat on the head as I left the house to go to my then-boyfriend's house. About 6 hours later as I was having dinner I had the call from my mum and I remember dropping to the floor in grief (dramatic oooh) but I was so upset and crying for hours (and the then-boyfriend was absolute pants at consoling me as he'd never liked dogs, let alone Max so that was totally doomed in the first place really). The guilt I feel for not being there still weighs down on me, even 6 years on. It may sound faintly ridiculous to want to say "goodbye" to your dog but you just do, so that he could go with the people who loved him most around him.

So with that hovering over me, I've read up and studied and am now rearing to be Pug mumma to Coco to give her the plushy life I couldn't give our Maxwell.

Since we had Max and in the years since his passing, I've strongly felt that a house is not a home without a dog. So with Coco I hope to bring the wagging warmth and unconditional love that Max brought to my home during his time with us!

End indulgent sentimentality =)

On Being A Good Samaritan

On my journey home from work today, I got stopped on two occasions by people asking for some sort of help.

Both times I thought they were about to mug me. Ah, London life.

Fueled by Ramen

I think that's the name of a record label...but also very much what KS's younger brother will be once he's up in Uni.

And I bet it'll only last him a month haha...

You Know You're A Dog-Lover When...

...you get squealingly excited about an ID tag arriving in the post.

Having looked in places like Pets At Home, I was distinctly unimpressed by the lack of quality / awesomeness offered in their range of pet ID tags...unfinished and seemingly rough-edged tags in the shapes of either circles or bones were not what I have in mind for Coco. So I found this fabulous range on an Australian based shop called Pawprint Pet Tags

You don't have to pay extortionate amounts (or even anything) for P&P and I found they were very efficient. I ordered it on the evening of the 8th, an email arrived shortly after processing my order to confirm details and payment telling me to expect delivery from anywhere between 7-14 days. 8 days later (and considering the Royal Mail is having dodgy sporadic strikes at the moment) and here it is - complete with complimentary engraving too. I'd tried to order a similar design on an American site and not only did they want to charge something silly on P&P - they'd also made it so that the line of text where a phone number should go can only fit the digits of an American phone number... (PS - I've photoshopped out my number for paranoid security reasons, but yes - it fits UK numbers perfectly!)

Last Minute Worries

3 days to go till we motor over to Wales to collect Coco and I'm building up a steady stream of first-time pug mumma nerves and worries. Let's see...there's the worry of:

- the daily commute she'll have with me (is she timid? Is she barky? Is she going to poo-pee on the train?)

- London assholes who don't give a crap about a petite woman trying to make her way about the transport system, let alone a petite woman holding a teeny pug.

- tiring and letting Coco walk about as we're commuting and her getting trampled / shoved into harm's way.

- getting into fights and being arrested for Assault and battery upon the London assholes.

- letting her walk on the pavements around Fulham, where my office is, which is frequented by litter, turds and broken glass. Yick.

In other news:

Been listening to Biffy Clyro on Radio One since I've been in the office and I'm loving their rendition of JT & Ciara's "Love Sex + Magic".

Also loving the look of Chanel's new Jade nail varnish.

ALSO very much looking forward to the new series of Peep Show starting on Friday, but alas I'll be halfway over to Wales at 10pm that night. Thank G-d for 4oD.

Pug Puppy Prep.

Eight days and counting till I finally become a pug mumma. Honestly, preparing for Coco has been something like how I imagine preparing for one's first child to be like.

And what a joy it's been :)

Crate, vet bed, Nylabone puppy chews, soft toys, the most adorable little heating pack for her to cuddle up to as some type of security toy, hair brush, toothpaste, food and drink bowls, wrinkle cleaning tools (i.e. cotton wool, baby oil and Vaseline)...waiting for her ID tag to arrive from Australia. Don't ask me why Australia - it was a sweet but simple design and was about three times cheaper (and free delivery!) than the similar tags on the American sites.

Everyone's really excited. My Mum and her boyfriend, my boyfriend Kien-sen, my aunts, my colleagues (Coco will be accompanying me to my office because my boss is cool) and even old buddies on Facebook who I haven't spoken to much in recent times. She will be so well loved that I'm worried she'll be overwhelmed and spoilt. And possibly fat.

Kien-sen and my mum's boyfriend are becoming increasingly concerned with the number of squeals coming from me as I look up cute dog outfits to the point of being called a Dog Pervert. Hmph. Amongst a whole host of other goodies - this -> is still my favourite, cute and practical outfit. At least my Dad backs me up on this hehe.. :)


I've yet to order anything from the Trixie & Peanut site...I LOVE all their stock, but am slightly scared by the $25 p&p to the UK. Why can't the UK have some decent doggy shops?!