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Seattle, Washington, United States
Dog lover!!

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Valentine Week Special: Walley's First Valentine's day with us!!

This is the last article of my Valentine Special Edition blogging and I am glad that I saved the best for last!! This year Valentine's day was all about Walley! Both Elwyn and I wanted to make Walley's first Valentine's day with us very special and memorable for the three of us, so we began the planning and preparations a few weeks ahead.

We wanted to get something unique for V-day to surprise Walley and so we ordered the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan's collection of food and water bowls, non-skid bowl-mat and treat jars as Walley's Valentine's day gift this year. On the morning of V-day, we presented to him a nice gift box wrapped in red, which he enjoyed opening as always. He was so happy to see all the good stuff!! Since then, he has been eating and drinking from his new bowls. Cesar Millan has a great collection of toys, feeding bowls, treat jars, beds and everything you might need for a pet; all of which are available in your local PETCO store so you might want to check them out if you have not done so already. We love watching Cesar Millan's show on National Geographic and off late, Walley has been enjoying his show too. Hence, we thought of this idea for his gift!

What can be a better Valentine's day gift for your dog than treating him to a relaxing Spa?? So we booked Walley for an Oatmeal Bath and Blueberry Facial ( one that he enjoyed over Thanksgiving as well). We took him to Unleashed Spa in the afternoon of V-day for a refreshing Spa treatment and then Kim took care of the rest for us! Kim at Unleashed Spa is amazing and she did a fabulous job with Walley. When we went to pick up our munchkin from the Spa, he looked awesome!! Kim had tied a beautiful red bandana around Walley's collar ( special for V-Day!). He looked just perfectly ready for what he was going to be treated to next!!

With the idea of making Walley's V-day really special, we wanted to give him the best we could. So we arranged a Playdate for him at the New York Dog Hotel and Spa. This was going to be his first Playdate!! We arranged for Walley's playdate weeks in advance so we were lucky to find a perfect match for him: a one year old black Labrador named Buddha! So after Walley enjoyed himself at Unleashed spa, we took him to the New York dog Hotel where Buddha was waiting for him. When we entered the Play Room, we were welcomed by Buddha who was a really cheerful boy and it was so nice to meet him! Labradors are very similar to Golden Retrievers in terms of temperament so they really get along well. At first, Walley and Buddha took some time to get to know each other. But once they got to know each other well, it was just "play and play" till the end! Buddha initiated the play as he was very excited or rather annoyed to see Walley's red bandana and wanted to really take it off. So we helped him a little. We took off Walley's bandana so they could both play more comfortably. Sometimes the play would get a little rough with Buddha getting a little overbearing for Walley ( considering Walley is the younger of the two) so we had to give both of them time-outs till they calmed down. They would sit in opposite directions during the time-out:-) It was quite a funny thing to watch! Then they would begin playing again with their toys. They were both really good with sharing toys and food. There was no fight over toys or treats at anytime during the play. That's the adorable nature of the two breeds! Buddha's Mommy (who was the only other person in the room apart from myself and Elwyn) also enjoyed the two puppies playing together as much as we did. We were glad to have found a perfect Playdate for Walley and could not have asked for a better one. Walley enjoyed himself thoroughly with Buddha and at end of the playtime, the two puppies were so tired, they decided to snooze for while. They both looked so cute together and we're so happy we captured all of their play moments in our camera.

Here are pictures of Walley's first Valentine's day:




















































































We can never be thankful enough for having Walley in our lives. He's such a cutie-pie!! He's our bundle of joy as you can see in all the pictures and he's our puppy Valentine!

I will be back to the regular blogging from tomorrow. Thank you all for reading the Valentine posts!!

It's only Monday and I can't wait for the weekend already! Sigh!!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Valentine Week Special: Some Quotes about Dogs (animals)

Our 2009 Wall Calendar was a really cute one with pictures of adorable Labradors on every page. Every month had a quote on dogs (or animals in general). I just want to share those 12 quotes with you today. I really believe these quotes are very true and thought-provoking. Dwelling upon these quotes has made my love for dogs even more deeper and I want to thank all the dogs in the world for who they are and the incredible things they do for mankind. Hats off to all the small and the big breeds, the sporting and the non-sporting breeds, the working and the herding breeds. You dogs just rock!!

Here are the quotes for you to ponder:

1. Animals are such agreeable friends- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.
- George Eliot

2. The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
- Gandhi

3. A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.
- Josh Billings

4. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself. But I think I have a right to resent, to object to, libelous statements about my dog.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

5. One reason a dog is such a comfort when you're downcast is that he doesn't ask to know why.
- Anonymous

6. Animals are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time.
-Henry Beston

7. In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly dog.
- Edward Hoagland

8. The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too.
- Samuel Butler

9. Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.
- Milan Kundera

10. The dog has got more fun out of man than man has got out of the dog, for man is the more laughable of the two animals.
- James Thurber

11. Our dogs will love and admire the meanest of us, and feed our colossal vanity with their uncritical homage.
- Agnes Relier

12.The greatest dog in the world....is a companion who does all but speak. He will be gay or serious; he will console you in your lowest moods.
- Ludwig Bemelman

Happy Reading!!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Valentine Week Special: A puppy's unconditional love!

I hope you enjoyed the video I posted last night! That video just shows how unconditional a puppy's (or for that matter even an adult dog's) love can be. And sometimes we just can't capture some of the precious moments in pictures because they happen so instantaneously or we're just too indulged enjoying those loving moments. That's why I thought of writing about some of those special moments today. They're numerous so I am not sure if I can even type them all in just one blog post! I'll try my best to do a good job with this special Valentine article and I hope you enjoy reading this.

So here it goes:

The first time we met Walley, we were just spellbound to see him with his brothers and sisters. They were all snuggled together and making all sorts of puppy noises. But the cutest thing was how they would sometimes stand on top of each other to get a better glimpse of us. The love that litter-mates have for each other is such a beautiful thing to see and so heartwarming! We were awestruck when we met Walley and his siblings. They were such a cute pack! When we met Walley for the first time, he was just a couple weeks old, but he had all the love in the world to share with us. He showered us with his kisses and cozily laid in our arms for warmth and affection ( it was raining so hard when we met him). His love for us began the day we met him and he won our hearts instantly with his pure, flawless, unconditional love.

When we brought Walley home, a few weeks later, it was like bringing home a package full of infinite love; love that just never ends! Elwyn and I can never stop talking about Walley's love for us because it's so perfect just like God's love. There are no questions asked, no judgements passed, no terms or expectations and there is always instant forgiveness for every wrong doing. That's a dog's unconditional love towards mankind! Can we say the same about ourselves? God who created dogs (no matter what breed) was so kind to give us the company of dogs and enjoy it, cherish it and realize some day that we have so much to learn from a dog and it's love and in the process of learning, appreciate their love for humans and thank God eternally for creating this amazing species of life. Walley's love for us changed our lives for the better. The world we live in is just so demanding, at times we felt it was so overbearing. But with Walley at home now, all is well in the world! His love towards us has in many ways taught us to take a chill pill when things get too rough and we can't even think straight. Here are just a few examples of how our Golden Retriever pup, Walley doesn't even have to try too hard to straighten out our day:

1. The Morning madness vs Walley's kindness

When we wake up in the morning, Walley is already awake and wagging his tail to greet us "Good Morning". Could we have asked for a better kicking start? Even a cup of coffee can't charge us the way Walley does. He's full of energy even before we give him his breakfast. Elwyn and I are usually rushing in the morning, running around the house, putting things in place and getting ready for work. All through this time, Walley sits patiently, watching us get ready and you must remember that he hasn't even eaten yet! After we are dressed for work, he eats his food and we walk him outside to do his business. Patience is Walley's essence. It's as if Walley knows that we have a hard and long day ahead of us and his patience will make our morning more smooth-running. Did we train him to be this way? No! He is just a very understanding and caring pup by nature and both of us have been forced to learn the art of patience and understanding from him. If he could speak, he would tell us, "Slow down and take it easy guys, I'm in no rush here. I can wait. " And all we can tell him is "Thank you Walley for being so kind to us early in the morning although sometimes we can't even spare ten minutes to play with you before we leave to work".


2. The Grand Evening Welcome

Ah! I always wanted to write about this one but today's story has the perfect place for it. I come home earlier in the evening than Elwyn does so I get to experience this first:-) When we come home, Walley is always ready, standing up and wagging his tail to say " Hey you're back, I was so bored without you, thank God you're home, I was waiting for you!" His tail and smiling face says it all!! First thing when I let him out of his crate, he has a ritual stretching of his whole body, followed by the immense love and affection he had saved for us all day! He makes all sorts of puppy noises to show how much he missed us during the day. Now he has learned to give us " High Fives" along with various other paw lessons ( that's a whole another blog for me) so his welcome also includes giving me a "High Five" and showing me his paws to kiss them or sometimes to clean them (considering the mess he makes of himself in his crate on some days, usually Mondays! , I don't have to explain why). Of course by now, he's very hungry so I give him his dinner. But after he has eaten dinner and has walked outside, he's ready for a round of play. He fetches his favorite toy to play with me and the play goes on until Elwyn comes home. When Elwyn rings the buzzer from downstairs, Walley leaves all his play ( no matter how much he's enjoying it) and runs towards the door to greet him. Both Walley and I wait at the door to welcome Elwyn when he arrives home. When Walley hears the elevator ring on our floor, he's already leaping with joy! He runs swiftly towards the elevator to greet Elwyn. His tail wags in a unique fashion when he sees Elwyn and I just love watching them exchange emotions. Elwyn calls Walley "motor boat" because his tail wags like a powered motor when he sees Elwyn and until Walley feels like he has had enough, he just won't let go of Elwyn! Such a heartwarming sight! Elwyn tells me how he always enjoys Walley's way of greeting him when he comes home; of course I can just see it on Elwyn's lit up face:-) He does not even have to say a word! Elwyn and Walley are the only two best buddies in my life and they are my source of inspiration for writing this blog! What would I have to write if it were not for these two boys in my life? The grand evening welcome by Walley is something Elwyn and I always cherish and both of us wait to come home to our puppy's unconditional and infinite love. Sometimes, it's not even possible to express what we feel in words because it's just so amazing!! Although, we never spent any quality time with Walley in the morning and left him all by himself at home with his toys when we went to work, he never once asked us "Why" when we came home. He is just happy to see us! Dogs teach us so many lessons that man can only preach and never follow. Dogs rule!


3. "I will wag my tail only when you are happy"

This is our Walley! He's merely our reflection when it comes to feelings and emotions. He's happy when we're happy and when we're sad or sick, he's down too. He wags his tail only when we're happy and I really mean that when I say it. It's like a secret promise he made to us when he joined our family and like a true friend, he always keeps it! When someone said that Dog is Man's best friend, it was no joke! It's the most true thing anyone has ever said!! Dogs are the best companions humans could ever ask for. A young innocent baby or an old dying man can trust a dog completely because it is so truly loyal and loving. Our Walley just lays down quietly for hours together when either one of us is sick or drained out after a heavy work day. He will intermittently and without us even knowing, lay next to us and begin kissing our pain away. Walley just knows how to turn our bad days into good ones. When we're having a difficult time and it does not matter how difficult the situation is, Walley does not run around playing or wagging his tail and having fun with his toys. He sometimes does not even eat his food properly if we are not doing great. He wags his tail only when we're happy, joyful and when he's assured that we're doing fine. Did we train him to do that? No!! He was just born to be that way. He's our best friend. Elwyn and I could not have asked for a better companion. He's always there for us during the good, the bad and the ugly. Walley's love for us does not change. He's like an angel that God sent to us. How great is that God Almighty who created such life? There is just so much to learn from dogs!

I can just go on and on writing this blog for days together because there is so much to write about a puppy's unconditional love but I will wind this off now and save the rest of the heartwarming stories for another time. All I want say before I sign off is that we may never be able to show our love in the unique way that dogs do, but we can at least appreciate them for who they are and give them the best we can: All they need is love; our love and it doesn't matter to them if we are imperfect, they accept us just the way we are! Spend time with your dogs whenever you can and they will always give back selflessly in an unmatched proportion; that's a guarantee!


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Valentine Week Special: A heartwarming video!!

This is a treat for all my readers and an even bigger treat for those crazy dog-lovers!

So just sit back, turn your speakers on and enjoy this really heartwarming video we created this year for Valentine's Day. This is our tribute to Walley's unconditional love for us!!

Enjoy:-)

Monday, February 15, 2010

134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show-Dont Miss!!!

The stars are going to be out there shining bright and happy, showing off their best skills at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Madison Square Garden, New York. For those of you attending the show in person, I am sure you're going to have a fabulous time. For everyone else, don't miss it on Television today and tomorrow at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time on USA. Characters unleashed!! The three of us are going to be glued to the TV at 8 pm tonight and tomorrow!

Here is the You Tube link to the really classy Ad info for this year's dog show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq14D4ET5D8

And here is the link to USA's official website creating excitement for tonight's star-studded night:

http://www.usanetwork.com/sports/westminsterdogshow/


Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day yesterday. Ours was one really special and memorable day with Walley. I also want to ask you to look forward to this year's Valentine special edition blogging from me all through this week!! Some really heartwarming blog posts to follow!!

Good luck to all the dogs getting geared up for tonight's show! May the best dog win!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Teething, Teething, Teething and the teeth fall off; Ice and Ice cream simply rock!!

It feels like it's been ages since I blogged!

But now that I am back into the blogging world, you can expect a couple of blog posts this weekend; its a long weekend with President's day being a Holiday. I love long weekends because that's the only time I actually feel completely refreshed for a hectic week ahead of me. Just one extra day can make such a big difference!

Our Sweety-pie has been teething for nearly two months but during the past three weeks we felt that he was in the peak of his teething phase. He constantly felt the urge to chew; nooooo...don't even think about it! Our Walley doesn't chew on the "bad" stuff like furniture, clothes, shoes, uh...um...no way! He's very well-behaved and thanks to crate training and the easy-trainability skill he possesses as a Golden Retriever, it's very easy to distract this chewing pup. We give him Kongs and Nylabones that he can chew on, all day long. That's the "good" stuff!! The Kongs are amazing because we can stuff little treats in them and Walley will just sit focussed on getting the treats out of them to make his tummy happy:-) The Nylabones are great too because they are made to smell like bacon so you can just think now why Walley could be so obsessed with them!

Two weeks ago, we saw Walley playing with something white, tiny and looked like a marble chip. When I took a closer look in his crate, I saw a little blood on his paw and the Nylabone Key Ring he was playing with (His favorite toy right now, by the way). The marble chip was our munchkin's canine tooth! His puppy teeth have begun falling off one by one and he's getting his adult teeth to replace them. We have noticed a couple of his teeth fall off over the past few days. I am sure he has lost some of his teeth during the day when we're gone to work. And I am even more sure that our munchkin plays with the fallen tooth and eats it ultimately:-) Gross! I haven't spotted a tooth hidden in his elimination so far though. Maybe he has not lost any teeth during the day.

Walley was always fond of eating ice but now the craving is even more. He's teething after all! I think the ice soothes his gums as he chews on it. He loves ice! He also loves Ice Cream. It's an occasional treat he has been getting since he began teething. We gave him some Vanilla ice cream the other day; because we were having Banana Split and he is not supposed to have that stuff. He nibbled and nibbled the ice cream until he finally licked the bowl clean. After he finished licking the bowl, he rolled his tongue out and in, over and over again to let us know how yummy he thought that Ice Cream treat was! He doesn't know that it was Ice Cream; he just knows that it was super-delicious:-)

With that sweet note, I am signing off to sleep now..I can barely keep my eyes open!

With that snow-storm we, New Yorkers got hit with since last night, the three of us have been staying bundled up and cozy at home. I just want to snooze now; it's so late already and I have to rise and shine early tomorrow..Sigh!

Stay warm New Yorkers!