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Well this has been an exciting few weeks.  Last week my cousins Christina and Jessica came to visit us.  They were here for a few days.  I’m not really sure how many; I still have that counting problem.  We had fun playing and running around the house together.  Nalla had fun with them too.  This was the first time she met them.  She played squeak the toy with them.  I, of course, am too old for childish games like that.  After all, I’m going to be three years old soon, so I have to act my age.  But I do enjoy a good tummy rub on occasion… ok, all the time.  Nalla and I put on some of our favorite outfits to meet them when they arrived.  Here’s a picture of us.

The day after they left, my two other cousins, Jennifer and Danielle came to visit us.  Nalla never met them either.  Nalla likes to play fetch with them.  Me, I’m soaking up those tummy-rubs.  Life is good!  They have been here for a while now.  I wonder if they’re going to live with us forever.  That would be nice.  They play with us all day when mom and dad are at work.  Miss Nadene our Nanny hasn’t been coming around lately, so I’ve been wondering if our cousins are going to be our new full-time nannys.  That would make sense, since we Pomeranians require a lot of attention.  I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.  I just hope Miss Nadene doesn’t stop coming to visit us though.  Nalla and I would miss her.

Almost forgot to mention… Nalla’s birthday is this Friday.  She’ll be one year old.  I think I heard we’re having a party for her.  And where there’s a party… there’s treats!

Those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while know about Nalla’s bad habits.  If you’re not a regular here, check out my Who Pooped post.  Well, I’ve never mentioned this, but over the past couple months, Dad’s been training us using Don Sullivan’s training system.  I hate to admit it, but it has actually been working.  Yeah, I’m starting to give up some control and let the big guy be in charge.  Don’t get me wrong—I’m still spoiled and get my way most of the time.  But Dad and even my nanny are using this training on me, so I’m starting to give in.  Nalla gave in to it right away.  She is now very obedient.  You should see how she walks by Dad’s side and listens to everything he says.  Well, almost everything. 

So back to Nalla’s problem.  We were all eager to get Nalla potty trained.  But she just couldn’t seem to grasp the concept.  Out of desperation, Dad spoke to The Dog Father himself.  He advised shrinking the pen to be just barely big enough for us to get in and out of our crates.  Since we have our own automatic door to get outside, there was no reason for us to have any more space inside than we needed to get in our crates to sleep.  He said to keep it like this for three weeks before giving us more space.  So Dad did this. 

For three weeks, Nalla and I were stuck in a tiny pen together; side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder.  Of course we could get outside where there was a lot more space.  I ended up spending a lot of time outside.  The weather was nice and it’s good to get out of the house now and then anyway.  But the best part is, it worked immediately!  From the first day Dad shrunk the pen, Nalla stopped peeing and pooping on the floor.  She went outside every time.  After three weeks Dad started increasing our space by a few inches every day.  We were up to a pretty good size.  Then she blew it.  This morning she left a package on the floor.  Dad and I were very disappointed.  Dad shrunk the pen to less than half the size it was yesterday and said if she does it again he’ll make it tiny again.

So Nalla, if you’re reading this: Please, no more pooping on the floor!

Nalla and I just got our own nanny. Her name is Miss Nadene. She’s a very nice lady who runs a pet sitting service near here. Miss Nadene comes to visit us a few times every week.  She plays with us and walks us outside. We walk around the backyard, then the front yard and sometimes in the street. She’s an excellent dog walker. I never pull on the leash when I walk with her. After we walk she takes us back inside and rubs my tummy. 

It’s nice having a nanny. We get so bored sitting around the house all day waiting for mom and dad to come home. I mostly just sleep. Nalla usually finds something to chew on that she shouldn’t. When Miss Nadene comes it breaks the monotony. It’s nice having someone other than Nalla to play with. Before Nalla came along, mom and dad used to take me to daycare once a week. That gave me a chance to play with other dogs and people. But that place was dirty and I was always afraid I’d get fleas from one of those dirty dogs. This is better because I get to stay home.

Miss Nadene is also helping us with our training. Dad is home schooling Nalla and me. So when she comes over she teaches us all the same things like sit, come and stay. So we’re getting better at it.  I like our new nanny.  She’s my best friend.  And as a pet sitter, Nalla and I give her two paws up!

So I was surfing the web the other day, looking for online insurance quotes (yeah, I was really bored) when I came across this interesting blog post. It seems that thousands of humans end up in the hospital each year because they tripped over their dogs. Can you believe that? Those big oafs trip over their poor little dogs and they go to the hospital. What about their dogs? Just look at the angry dog in the picture. As a fellow Pomeranian, I can feel his pain. I read the whole post and it says nothing about what happens to the dogs. It just talks about people breaking bones and going to the emergency room. It’s so one-sided, making the human the victim. The post also refers to an article on an insurance quotes website that talks about the same thing—dogs getting in the way and people tripping over them. Again, the canines are the cause of human suffering. Unbelieveable! So let me give you the story from the dog’s perspective:

You’re curled up on the floor outside the bedroom because you’re not allowed to sleep in the big comfy bed. You manage to get a few minutes of shut-eye during those brief interludes when the big lug isn’t snoring. The snoring stops. As you start to close your eyes you hear something—slippers flapping, floor squeaking… Sasquatch is on the move! Your primordial instincts kick in: Run! You dodge left, then right, then left again. But despite your best moves he keeps coming. Nothing left to do but duck and cover. The rest isn’t pretty. Your seven pound body is no match for those gargantuan hooves. You’re kicked and crushed by a beast 30 times your size. Yet when it’s over, he’s the one lying on the floor wimpering like a puppy because he stubbed his little toe. Oh, boo hoo. Quick, call an ambulance before he cries himself unconscious! But because dogs don’t cry you have to lay on the floor hurting while he gets medical attention.

But is it because you don’t cry or because they can’t afford your health care? Sure, humans get health insurance for themselves all the time, but you don’t hear much about dog insurance. Actually, dog insurance—or more accurately, pet health insurance—is not too expensive and is available at various levels. I have health insurance. And whether you love your pet or you’re just a klutz, I suggest you get some too.

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday.  I don’t know how old he is, but he’s really old.  I’m 2-1/2 so he must be like 10 or something.  I gave him a card.  Mom picked it out, but I signed it.  I wanted to get him something nice like the blue bumpy bone he got me for my last birthday.  But I couldn’t figure out how to get to the store.  Usually we get in the car and it goes there.  When no one was looking I made a run for the garage. I tried getting in the car, but the door wouldn’t open.  So I couldn’t get him a nice present.  But I let him play with one of my squeaky toys.  He seemed to like it.  Nalla gave him a present—her usual package she leaves on the floor for him every night.  Pig.  I told her he wouldn’t like it.  Well, maybe by next year I’ll figure out how to get in the car so I can go to PetsMart and get him a toy.

Simba and Nalla – Easter 2009

This is a little late, but mom wanted me to post our Easter picture.  She got us some silly outfits to wear and put us next to a big stuffed bunny.  How embarrasing.  Nalla looked kind of cute though.  She wore a green and white dress.  I’d never seen her in a dress before.  She looked pretty—just like my mom.  I told Nalla she should wear a dress more often.  She said she’s not the dress wearing type.  Maybe some day when she grows up.