AIEEEE!!!!

Coco's almost 8 months old now and I'd like to think we've got her toilet training pretty much down. OK she hasn't technically been taught to 'hold' her toilet in that with the availability of strategically placed newspaper, she'll happily toddle over to said areas when she feels the need to go rather than wait for one of us to be ready to take her outside.

Yup - More for our convenience really so we don't have to be out in all-weathers (when anyone with a pug knows that pugs are not all-weather dogs)...The training school we went to seemed mildly horrified at the idea of encouraging one's dog to make it's mess in the house, regardless of if it was on designated papered areas or not.

After the month or so I spent having to obsessively take Coco out every time she woke up from a nap in the office, spending up to 15 cold minutes standing outside waiting for her to pee (which she sometimes did, but otherwise just tried to eat rocks), I'm grateful that I no longer seem to have to do that anymore.

She sleeps for a few hours, usually right up until lunchtime. I take her outside for a little walk and she does her business then. We go back in, play, eat lunch, play, she goes back to sleep until almost going-home time and she'll toilet again (both numbers) on the way home. So I figure - we've got it all handled. Even at the weekends she follows the same kinda pattern of toilet around 6am / 9am / 1pm / 6pm / 11pm.

Then, yesterday - she peed on our duvet.

What do you have to say for yourself Miss Coco?

"Whatchoo gonna do about it, huh?"

Knackered

Just a quick one as I've not updated in a while.

5 weeks in to Coco's Demodex treatment...Tommy the Vet said she hadn't gotten worse...just not visibly better (like hair growing back) but she's healthy (her fur is softer and shinier than ever) so we're assuming she's on the mend. Almost 8 months old and 5.5kg. Just as well I'm back doing yoga to strengthen those core muscles for carrying her about.

She had a proper jaunt in the park with Stanley and Maude on Thursday - a true delight to watch. Though Maude (black female pug) was uninterested in Coco and just proceeded to wander about the park eating grass, Stanley (fawn male pug) seemed thrilled to have a nubile young lady pouncing on him. Didn't get a picture of their play time because Coco moves far too fast for my phone's camera to capture anything clearly so you'll have to make do with the only still moment Stanley and Coco spent together, looking over at what patch of grass Maude was currently munching.

Feeling inexplicably but wholly knackered this week. My body is CRAVING some sunlight...feeling rundown and getting miserable and restless. It's poo. Both KS and Coco are zonked out on the bed already!

Still waiting for our home to be ours. Stupid paperwork. Stupid waiting. Dum de dum...

L'Illusionniste

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to scour the interesting UK Broadsheets to keep any eye out for photographic usages. I also get to read the occasionally interesting article and - thank you very much Observer for bringing this newest animation from Sylvain Chomet, maker of one of my favourite films Belleville-Rendezvous, to my attention.

From Wikipedia:

"Chomet is currently working on the traditionally-animated feature film L'Illusionniste, which is due to premiere at the Berlinale in February 2010 after many delays (it was first planned for release in 2007) L'Illusionniste, like Chomet's previous work, has its roots in mid twentieth century popular French culture; it will be based on an unproduced script that Jacques Tati had written in 1956 as a personal letter to his estranged eldest daughter, and will be starring an animated version of Tati himself - it is estimated to cost around £10 million and is being funded by Pathé Pictures. It was originally conceived by Tati as a journey of love and discovery that takes two characters across western Europe to Prague. Chomet says that "Tati wanted to move from purely visual comedy and try an emotionally deeper story". "It's not a romance, it’s more the relationship between a dad and a daughter," says Chomet."

Just Call Her "Destructor"

It seems that if you withold a toy from a pug, they will relish the re-discovery of what has been missing with chewy, destructive glory.

She's been gnawing at her Rawhide for months now so she forgot all about her Nylabones for a while. However - she found one last night and tentatively (and sleepily for it was discovered whilst I was watching Glee and therefore, past her usual bed-time of around 9pm) had a little chew. So I figured I'd take it in with us to the office today.

This was her Chicken-flavoured Nylabone when we got into work this morning.


This is her Chicken-flavoured Nylabone after 2 and a half hours of chew-time.


I also bought her some (eww) Cow Ears to get her teeth into. Not only do they smell peculiar, I'm also pretty sure that they induce puggy ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) as the morning after the evening where she had been given one to chew - she was naughty as frick.

Wouldn't think so to look at her though would ya.

Jog On!

Having failed to wake up in time for Yoga yesterday and feeling rather guilty from the HUGE (and I mean practically fishbowl-size) TGI Friday's cocktail I had on Saturday night (it was huge AND it was made up of Vanilla ice-cream, Oreos and Baileys) I felt inspired (read: obliged) to go on my first run of the year!

It was dusk and it was about 1C but oooh I felt good as I pushed myself to dash faster in a bid to bring some feeling back to my ankles and fingers.

Also because I just spent a fair chunk of money at Sweaty Betty online, including a long-sleeved thermal running top for such runny occasions so I had to test the water to make sure I could actually still run.

Need to build up my exercisey efforts again in any case so as to avoid buddha belly and because I signed up to a 26mile bike ride for charity at the end of March so...I should probably make sure I have some sort of fitness level in order to make sure it doesn't end up being an epic 6 hour ride. Thankfully the marathon distance is on a bicycle and, therefore, sitting down.

Contemplating getting something along these lines for Coco to join in on the day...