New Year's Eve

Well, it's New Year's Eve already, a time to reflect on the past year. What better way than to tell you about a special book we got on Christmas Eve this year.

Leah wrote it and put it together. It's a book about someone that many of you may remember; it's about Sadie, our cocker spaniel who my family had before I came to live with them. I was born in the middle of July and Sadie went to Rainbow Bridge at the end of July.

Motch called her Say-Say Luv and said she was the most gentle and patient dog she ever knew. Sadie was Leah's best friend. Fig liked her a lot, too, because she never snapped at Fig, even when Fig was a psychotic puppy. And of course Tad liked Sadie, because by the time he met her, she was very old and spent most of her time sleeping, so he was never afraid of her.

This is the first page of the book. Page after page shows pictures of Sadie and our family. Leah included the tribute she wrote to Sadie about how much she loved her. Some of you from DWB are quoted in the book, because you brought a lot of comfort to Leah and my family during this sad time.
We got a memorial stone that marks the spot where Sadie is buried.


She is in our yard, right under a tree. I never knew her, but I like to think that we would have been best friends if we had met. If you look closely, you can see me standing in the background. I never go potty in this spot.

On Christmas morning, Leah gave us another book. This is a book about ME and my first month living with Motch and PA! This book brought alot of smiles to my family.

I'm so glad that I got to come and live here. I know that I will never replace Sadie, but I will stand right beside her in the hearts of all of my family.

christmas giving

This was my first Christmas, and I just didn't realize how busy I would be. It was so much fun giving presents to everybody. I gave Fig a blanket, one just like mine, because she likes to snuggle to keep warm.

And I gave Tad a sweater because the little naked chinese guy gets cold so easily.

And guess what? I got a bully stick from Fig & Tad. I didn't know what a bully stick was, but I soon discovered just how good it tasted.

And our afternoon nap was heavenly, too.

wheeeeeeee...!

Look what else my new bed can do!

a gift from Tad

Fig and Tad came over and brought me another bed. It used to be Tad's, but he didn't sleep in it and it just kind of became a toy box. Massah thought that I'd like it. As soon as she put it on the floor, I jumped right in.

It didn't take long to realize that I can roll around in it, and turn it upside down. The bottom even comes out so that it becomes 2 toys to play with!

And it's pretty good for sleeping, too.

Merry Merry Christmas!

Well, it's finally here -- Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day! Motch has been busy like a bee running around the house getting ready for the family to come over tonight. I'll get to meet aunts and uncles and cousins and all kinds of new people, so I'm very excited.

So from our house to yours, we all wish you a very merry merry merry Christmas!

real giving

Since we're getting so close to Christmas, I've been looking at my list, checking it twice each day. I must admit that I set some pretty high standards, and it's been hard to live up to them. But this is how it's going: I gave up pooping in the house and only forgot twice, but that's cause Motch hasn't figured out when she's supposed to put me outside. I've tried to give Fig my bones but she doesn't really like the kind I have (she's very picky). One of the very hardest things to do is to give up chasing Tad. I've been doing better (with the help of Massah who says to leave him alone). I'd gladly give up my tiny baby bowl from which I get to eat, but I don't know where to find a bigger one. Since I'm not doing as well as I could, I thought I'd better start making up for it. So when Fig came to see me yesterday, I decided to share my most favoritest thing with her. Look at this puppy give!

observation

Do you see this? He took it off.

Ah....my favorite!

My Giving List

Because it's Christmas, I, Petra, do hereby promise to give the following things:

1. I will give Fig some of my bones.
2. I will not steal them back.
3. I will give up chasing Tad (how long does the holiday season last?).
4. I will give up pooping in the house.
5. I will give lots of licks to everyone I know.

7. I will give up my small feeding bowl in exchange for a bigger one -- maybe one that looks like this (great idea, Joe).

a christmas lesson

This is such a fun time of year! Presents appear like magic under our tree every day! Motch says I've been spending too much time trying to figure out how many presents are MINE, so she sat me down and we had a little chat.

"Petra, she said, "Christmas is more about giving than receiving."

"Oh yeah?" I questioned. "Why?"

So she explained. The very first Christmas present came from God. He gave Jesus to the world and that's why we sing Joy to the World and Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. But it wasn't very holly or jolly for the baby when he came.


You know why? First of all, when it was time for him to be born, there was a "no vacancy" sign on the hotel, so he had to be born in a barn. But my animal friends did what you and I would have done; they gave him a place to sleep. He slept right in their feeding trough.

He wouldn't have fit in mine.



But before his mom put him in that manger, she gave him some swaddling clothes to wear. They must have felt soft and warm!


Some men who were wise found him and gave him gifts of....um, gold and frankincense and myrrh? That's stuff to eat, I hope. He was probably hungry after traveling so far to get here.


So I can see her point. There was a lot of giving going on back then. God started Christmas by giving his son and the animals gave the baby a bed and his mom gave him clothes to wear and the men from the east gave him gifts. And the giving just keeps on going. Today, Santa Paws gives presents to us and we give presents to those we love.

So now she's got me thinking...what will I give this year?

winter wonderland

So Motch woke me up today, all bright eyed & bushy tailed because she's a morning person and loves to greet the day most of the time before the sun is up. She pulled the covers off me and said, "Oh Petra Pie, wake up! Come and look outside!" We got like 4 or 9 inches of snow, or something, and she thought it was beautiful.

And I had to agree, it was pretty.

And as I was enjoying the beauty of the moment, she suddenly picked me up and shoved me out the door! Out on the snowy ground in the blustery wind, out where no one wants to be and she forced me stay outside until I did my busines.

So old Motch can have the winter wonderland of snow; give me the sunshine and a soft bed. I opt for a long winter's nap.

Proof Positive

Come on, Motch, feed me. I'm HUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGRY!

It tastes so much better when I don't have to lean into the bowl or eat the food off the floor.

My new year's resolution will be figuring out an easier way to quench my thirst.

Tagged!

Visions of sugarplums were dancing around in my head (sigh!) when Motch woke me up to tell me I've been tagged by my friends Patches and Stella. They want me to tell you eight things about myself. So here goes.

1. My doggie mom (Roxy) and grandma both weighed just 7 pounds. I think I'll get bigger than them, though, just like my niece Figgy got much bigger than her mom Morgan.

2. I have 2 chin hairs!

3. When I potty outside, I do not go on the grass. I squat on the landscaping rocks but it's really hard to get my footing when ice covers the rocks. And ice has been covering the rocks A LOT lately. Then I go potty inside. Taddywack showed me how to do that but he never showed me how to hide the poo so that I wouldn't get caught. I think he eats his poo but I don't want to do that.


4. I love anything with straps and strings --- especially shoelaces and hoodie ties. At this time of year, though, what can be better than a Santa Paws hat strap?

5. I only eat food when Motch puts it in the palm of her hand. Yep! She really does this!

6. I have 2 BLACK TOENAILS!

7. I was almost named Mabel, Olive, Peppercorn and many, many, many other names.

8. Motch sometimes calls me Petra Pie and Little P.

So that's it! I'm supposed to send this to 8 other friends but you've probably all been tagged before and Motch isn't very good at doing hard things like learning new things when it comes to blogging. Don't tell her I told you, but this is her 3rd try to get this post done!

bah humbug

So I thought this was supposesd to be the best time of the year when all of my days were merry and bright.


Well, now I know how Peanut feels. His mom attached a leash to him to take away his freedom and Motch banned me from the upstairs.
Tadpole could poop up there, so why can't I?


Some holly jolly time it is over here...

What's in it?

Take a look at this picture. There are 3 shorter stockings there, not 2, and ONE OF THEM IS MINE. And MINE is in front. When I saw it, I begged Motch to take it down.


Hark the herald angels sing! There was a snackie candy cane in it and it had a red strap all the way around it!


It tasted sooooooooo good! A bright colored snackie tied up in a string; this is one of my favorite things! I chewed it all night long. Before Motch knew it, I had swallowed the big long red string. She was worried that it might get stuck inside me and she might have to get a scissors to cut my poop because she called Massah & sissy Massah told her that she had to cut Fig's poop once when she ate some string. Motch braced herself to be prepared for the inevitable and hoped it would happen during the day instead of at night so it would be easier to see.


But she shouldn't have worried. I'm a tough 7 pound boston and I had a very peaceful, calm and bright night.

Sigh!

santa paws strap

After seeing Joey Claus, Motch decided to dress me up in this santa paws hat. It didn't work.

She didn't understand that this hat was made to be chewed, not worn.


I think I resemble Joey a little here, though. It's the eyes, you know?


It's amazing how many things around the house have straps. They are my favoritest of all.

Yea!!!!!!!!

We have some new decorations at our house. There's a big tree standing in the corner and above the fireplace there is a short stocking hanging with the others...

One of my favorite things I've discovered at Motch & Tom's house is called a TREAT. At first I thought it was a toy to play with, then I realized I could eat it, too.



Woo! Life is good!

whee!

I'm trying to build my endurance so I can run around the house with Fig when she comes to see me. We'll fly up and down the stairs, in and out of closets, up and over couches and who knows what else?!

I don't get it...

So at Thanksgiving, I got to meet my counsin Coco. She's a yorkie, and I thought we would have fun together.


But she didn't want to play.


She acted just like Taddywack.


What's a girl to do?

favorite things

I like to chew toys


and give kisses


and eat hair