Hoping to get rid of the Itch.

2016 was an amazing year! Lots of blessings but same ol' itchings. We decided to get Bubs an allergy test because he won't stop itching! With his stomach problems in August, we fulfilled his yearly deductible so the test came out to about $105. 

Allergy results:

Foods

Milk

Beef

Liver

Lamb

Kangaroo

Grass

Perennial Ryegrass

Kentucky Bluegrass 

Mites

Dust Mites

Storage Mites

Turns out the grass at the local park AKA the place we walk Bubs the most has Kentucky Bluegrass and his treats including raw hides were all beef! 

We just cut out the beef and it's been raining so no walks at the park. I'm hoping that we will stop this serious itch problem ASAP.

We welcomed 2017 with a nice hike at Lands End in San Francisco with the husband. It was a crisp day, but we all warmed ourselves up during our 2 hour walk. Here are some photos of us a Point Lobos and along the trail.

Finding a cure for the itch!

I thought changing Bubs from Frontline would fix my itchy dog, but he's still itchy. I can say that I like NexGuard bc I don't have to worry about the medicine rubbing off on my carpet and bed when he lays down and I can also wash him when he gets into messy situations.

Maybe he has has allergies? I don't know what is is, but he's so itchy it's bothering us to see him so stressed out again. We've noticed tiny bites on him, but no fleas or ticks or anything on his actual body. I have a feeling that the meds are working, but we just have pests outside that aren't coming into the house.

I've also tried making some anti-ich concoctions:
Water
Vinegar
Green Tea
Lavender Essential Oil
Tea Tree Oil

(It didn't really work)

I'll just keep on trying until I can find the cure for the itch!

Pawington Hotel

Typically we board Bubs at the Wag Hotel in San Francisco, but we happened to find a facility that is a lot closer and offers competitive pricing.

Pawington Hotel is located in South San Francisco conveniently close to the San Francisco Airport off of the 101-CA Freeway.

Pros:
Each pet get's their own room, not a cage. Bubs stays in a deluxe suite:

• Each additional guest is 35% off
• Kuranda Orthopedic Bed, complete with plush cover
• Glass door entry with privacy blinds
• Comforting music
• Natural skylight

Including in the price of a nights stay is All Day Play from about 5:30am to 7pm. If for some reason your dog cannot attend all day play, they get 3 walks per day.
Dogs can be fed up to 3 times a day
Oral and/or Liquid medications administered
Free complimentary bath for a 7 night stay
Free parking during your pets stay. You can take uber or a cab to the airport.

Cons:
Strict Drop off and Pick Up times. Lobby hours are from 7am to 7pm. If you need to drop off or pick up your pet outside those hours, an additional nights stay is charged.
Increased price for peek / holiday schedule

• 2015: January 1-3, May 21-25, July 2-7, September 3-7, November 20-30, December 18-31
• During these dates, a minimum stay of 2 days is required for any boarding. For the peak periods in July, November and December, a 3 night minimum is required.

This facility is on a smaller size, so securing a reservation may be difficult if it's last minute.

We've had him stay here once already and he seemed happier to go. Bubs will definitely be coming back!

Pancreatitis Panic and Pet Insurance

On Friday, August 5, I got home from work and checked on the Bubs before leaving for dinner. (FYI- he wasn't at home alone all day, he was with his dad majority of the day) I went into the house and noticed that his food was untouched. I wasn't too concerned because I know that he doesn't like to eat when we're both not home due to anxiety, but the weird part was that he didn't want to eat from my hand before I left. I even distinctly told my husband, "he's acting weird, he won't eat the food." We still went to dinner and got home a few hours later and arrived to puke in 3 different places, and then he vomited again 3 more times in the kitchen.

He's gotten sick in the past and we've given him chicken and rice to help his tummy. He ended up vomiting that too. I also noticed that he started retching without anything coming out. I kept watch on him all night and was soooo sleepy the next morning. But I still took him to the Vet when they opened at 8am.

The Vet said that he could do some tests, but since they closed at 2pm, it would be better to go to Emergency since they're 24/7 and he didn't want us to pay him and then have to pay at the Emergency Clinic too. On the way to Emergency, Bubs vomited (again) but this time in my car. They conducted the blood tests and his pancreas test, and an x-ray (to ensure there was no GI-obstructions). They determined that he had an irregular reading on his pancreas and he was admitted for the day and prescribed medicines.

That day, I spent my time cleaning all our carpets because of the vomit around our home. We picked him up the same evening and he was so droopy and lethargic; he wasn't retching as much which was a good sign. The Bill ended up near $1300. We have 70% Coverage, with a $500 yearly deductible, and ended up paying $700 out-of-pocket. Hopefully if we need to utilize anything else, we'll be OK because we've hit our yearly deductible already. In the car, we noticed that he had a lot of diarrhea stuck to his fur near his bottom. I washed him up but let him out to do his business and found that all the fur was soiled, so I had to wash him AGAIN. Sunday morning, I shaved his bottom and let him out every so often to avoid poop all over my floor and furniture. He was also sanctioned to sitting on a blanket or towel in every room. I even attempted to put a diaper on him to keep the poop from getting on every surface. (Yuck!) His poor bottom was irritated from the diarrhea and him rubbing it on the floor outside and blankets. The diarrhea lasted all day and that night, he had a WET & NASTY  accident in my room, right next to my bedside table. We woke up to the splattering sound of it and I had yet another late night cleaning the carpets and trying to get rid of the smell. I called in sick to be with him on Monday.

Bubs had shown so much improvement on Monday that we were going to leave him to go to work on Tuesday. When they were taking a walk before the husband's work, he found blood in Bubs stool. They went to the vet and the husband called in sick to be with Bubs. Thank goodness the husband's days off were Wednesday / Thursday, and by Friday, Bubs was at about 95%.

Since then, he's been feeling a lot better and had his 9th Birthday!

Engagement Photos & Wedding Prep with my little helper!

I really need to get better at posting regularly. Now that the wedding is over, hopefully I can post more about Bubs and his misadventures!

This year has been blowing by so fast! After the skunk fiasco, the wedding planning went into hyperspeed which kept me AFK.

Later in February, we took our engagement photos in the Presidio of San Francisco and of course Bubs was included in our shoot. We had the best experience with our photographer, Jake Caumeran! He was great with Bubs and got along great with my husband.

In the months leading up to the wedding, I had a lot of DIY crafts to make and Bubs wanted to be in every picture!

Science 1 Skunk Smell 0

After our vacation, Bubs has been waking us up at 5am by scratching the door. He has successfully trained us to know when he has to use the bathroom! I'll take it over him going in our room though. I am NOT a morning person and I know that the closer to going to sleep I let him out, the later he'll let me sleep in.

Before taking a shower, the fiance attempted to let him out to do his business. Bubs didn't go. Around midnight, after my shower and before brushing my teeth and blow drying my hair, I let him out again, but this time I decided to use the garage door to the yard (instead of the sliding door). He ran down and I thought "hmm great! He's going and I'll be able to sleep in!" When he came back HE SMELLED LIKE SKUNK =(

I yelled for the fiance to come. Poor Bubs got it in the face (his left eye) and was trying to wipe it off on some carpet and cardboard boxes while we were in the garage. I was given one of Bub's towels and wrapped him up and threw him and the towel in the tub while trying to figure out what to do.

The fiance found solutions online. Since Bubs got it in the eyes, we were instructed to flush out his eyes with cold water. To eliminate the smell the recipe is below.

Skunk Smell Eliminator:
1 pint 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
1 tsp Dishwashing Liquid (Blue Dawn is great for pets)
1/4 cup Baking Soda

Directions:
Mix together and USE GLOVES to apply it anywhere the skunk sprayed. Use it right away and DO NOT store! The fumes will make a container explode if you try to keep it.

The scientific concotion makes the skunk smell go away! Bubs doesn't stink at all and we're so happy! I'm also grateful that we cut his hair bc it would have been such a pain to deal with hair last night on top of everything else.

One problem I faced this morning was that his collor still smelled after washing it in the machine. I am going to buy more 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and make more to wash his collar and my shoulder.. I was told I that smelled a little at work today! How embarrasing.

Nappy no more

The fiancee and I took a 3 week vacation and visited family in the Philippines as well as a stop over in Japan. Before we left, we were growing his hair out because it was so cold. California is in a drought but with El Niño, we've been blessed with a good amount of needed rain. While we were gone, Bubs got matted in a few spots from getting wet in the rain during his walks, so we decided to cut his hair short.

Before: Chewbacca

After: Handsome pup

Typically I groom him myself because he gets anxious and it's cheaper, but because he had matts I decided to bring him to the Petsmart Groomers in Daly City. Carlos did an amazing job despite Bubs being squirmy. Definitely going to request him next time I can't groom at home!

Happy Thanksgiving

The bf's birthday, then mine, then Bubs', and 2 International vacations later and I'm back! It's been really busy at work and life in general since June, but I wanted to post for Thanksgiving.

July- the bf got shingles for his birthday, but luckily for him, it we caught it early! We spent the day at the range and went to dinner with the select friends that have experienced chickenpox as to  not spead disease. Overall, he had a good birthday despite the sickeness.

August- we celebrated my birthday by attending a Renaissance Faire in San Jose and it was so much fun! We dressed up, but sadily, Bubs wasn't able to make it. Bubs celebrated his birthday with a walk to his favorite place, Fort Funston, but we didn't have any hats or pupcakes this year.

September- Bubs friend, Bay became a big brother to Baby G!! The bf and I went on a last minute trip to Greece. We enjoyed seeing all the dogs in Greece, but that place is not for Bubs. The dogs there were mostly stray but everyone on the island took to feeding them. There were many cats and the dogs got along fine with them. The dogs were also so smart as to know how to cross the street and stay on the side of the road. I was so amazed that there weren't any accidents! Oh and now the bf's new title is Fiance!

October- the fiance got called in for training at work so our schedules changed. We didn't get to go to the Howl-o-ween party this year, but we did stay home with Bubs on halloween. Too bad no trick or treaters came by the house. It was a quiet night.

November- it's gotten cold here and we need rain in California. Hopefully it will rain more this winter season and Bubs will enjoy that becuase he'll stay inside the house vs. staying outside.

Communication: Bubs has gotten very good at letting us know what he wants! When he's hungry and there is no food in his bowl, he knows to go to the large tupperware where his food is and scratch the bin to let us know he needs food. (no he's not being starved, nor is he overweight, but sometimes he wants seconds or a midnight snack) Occasionally, when his water is finished before we notice, he paws his bowl when there is no more water in it. Lastly, we have a new alarm clock; Bubs knows when it's time to wake up because he jumps off the bed and puts his two front paws on the edge of the bed and beats them like a drum so that we'll get up to let him out in the morning.

I just wanted to say I'm very thankful to have the fiance and Bubs in my life. They both love me unconditionally but if it weren't for the fiance, I wouldn't have Bubs. It is so nice coming home to Bubs wagging his tail whioe greeting me after a rough day and also being the occasional foot warmer! Everyone be thankful for your furbabies and how you came upon them. Happy Thanksgiving!

Bubs, ghosthead, and fiance's foot

Clorox- Life's Bleachable Moments

I don't think I ever wrote this yet, (and I'm too lazy to read back and check if I did or not) but I had to be convinced into agreeing to adopt Bubs. He was 6 years old, not potty trained, and has separation anxiety. This is our first time living together and I'm an A-type neat freak, so it was a big change from living alone to living with my bf and a dog. I don't regret adopting Bubs, he's a lot of work, but I love him.

The bf has loved this guy since he was a puppy, but I take care of a lot of his maintenance. I give him baths and groom him, pick up his poop in the backyard, buy his food and medicine, wash all his towels, collars, and dishes and make all his vet appointments. (Not saying that the bf doesn't do stuff, he walks, feeds, and takes him to the vet appointments, but I always have to do the dirty work.)

I've definitely shared several poop stories but he's gotten into shit (literally) for the past two days while I was at work.

Bleachable Moment 1
The call from the bf
Him: OMG he pooped right outside the door, jumped on it, and smeared it all over the door!
Me: hahahhahaha. I don't know why he poops there
Him: I had to give him a bath
Me: Did you hose down the walkway and door yet?
Him: Yes
Me: Ok don't forget to bleach the bathtub

Some background- the dog run has a door that leads to our garage and when we come home, he gets excited and jumps up and down against the door.

Bleachable Moment 2
The call from the bf
Him: Did you let Bubs out this morning before going to work?
Me: Yes, I tried to tell you it was raining, but you were sleeping.
Him: HE POPPED INSIDE HIS KENNEL
Me: hahahahaha. Did it get outside of his kennel?
Him: no, I smelled it as soon as I walked into the house and carried it outside and hosed it down and then I had to give him a bath again.
Me:  OK don't forget to bleach the bathtub.
Him: I did.
Me: Funny how you hate cleaning up his poop and bathing him, but he made you do it two days in a row.

Some background- Bubs doesn't like going out in the rain, sometimes he'll avoid pooping because of that. Also, we avoid leaving him in his dog run when it rains because he'll get muddy so we leave him inside his kennel in our dining room.

He's acting weird

It makes my life easier to follow a schedule. For the most part it's good for me because I get more things done in routine. Bubs even got used to our routines, but the bf's schedule now changes daily. For a time, he was on a regular schedulev and Bubs learned it. Now that it is sporadic, I noticed that he's acting weird. 

He sits and stares at me and is a little more restless. I mentioned it to the bf and he agreed. Bubs hasn't had consistent walks though he's walked everyday. 

I wonder if anyone else has said their dog is acting weird and if it was a similar situation. I'm not to worried though, one important attribute still exists, he still acts like a cat!

Dogs tug and play with toys

I have to admit that I haven't been taking Bubs on many hikes, but just walking him to the park nearby.

Last weekend, we met up Bay and walked from the Safeway at Fulton & Great Highway to Noriega to eat at The Devil's Teeth Baking Company. I was told that the had great breakfast sandwiches and they were! This place was nice because there are a bunch of benches configured into coves on the sidewalk where we were able to sit with Bubs and Bay. I wish I had taken some pictures but we had our hands full holding our sandwiches and when I was just about finished with my food, Bubs tugged the leash and made me drop the last of it. It was so sad! After breakfast, we walked back to the Safeway. It was a nice walk to earn our food and we always love hanging out with Bay!

At the Wag Awards we attended with Bay, he and Bubs were given free dog toys and they both really LOVE the ghost toys they got.

Brand New Ghost

Bubs and the decapitated ghost

Ghost is still smiling! 

We've been to Bay's house since and his is still intact but Bubs goes through toys by ripping the stuffing and squeakers out. The decapitated ghost is still his favorite, but it smells soooo bad from all his drool soaked into it! We've washed it a few times, but it always starts to smell again. Another problem that I run into is that the ball is all slobbery when I go to throw it for him and it's just gross. I happened to be at PetSmart and saw some Martha Stewart toys in the clearance bin that had the same ball shape as the ghost head but had a tope on it too. I found a mouse one and cut the ears off so that Bubs wouldn't rip them off. He loves it just as much as the decapitated ghost and now my hands don't get wet and smell from his drool! 

Pooped from playing fetch!

Coronado Way

I started participating in Bootcamp at the Crossfit box my bf goes to. Every Saturday morning, I go to my Bootcamp and then walk Bubs after. This past weekend was different though. I ran into my old neighbor from when I was a kid and she told me that her daughter, Gem, (my age) was having a baby shower and invited me to go. I reached out to Gem on FB and she sent me the invitation. The party turned out to be at a park so I took Bubs with me knowing that they were a very dog friendly family. Grundy Park is a great little park in San Bruno. There is a great play structure for kids, basketball court, large grassy field, and a small picnic area.

There was a guy with about 5 small dogs / puppies playing in the large grassy area with both sunny and shaded areas. Every so often, Bubs and I would walk away from the picnic area where we spent most of our time.

Bubs enjoying the shade

When Gem and I were kids, we used to spend everyday with each other. We went to the same school and played at each others houses. We had a great time catching up and talking about our childhood. When we were younger, all of the kids in our neighborhood would play hide-n-seek on our street, Coronado Way. There were 10+ of us, and our mom's would sometimes sit on the steps of our houses on "heat wave" nights. It is sad to think that it's not like that anymore.. kids can't even trick-or-treat in neighborhoods, let alone play outside because of all the creeps and predators. Hanging out with Gem was great and I'm glad I went even if I hadn't seen her in over 10 years.

Gem 8 Months Pregnant with Aubrey Chase

Dog Run

I'm sad to report that we've given up on potty training Bubs because the anxiety of us leaving him while we're at work hasn't gotten any better.

Failed attempts:

• Positive Reinforcement (still goes when we're not around)
• Wikiwags (too expensive) 
• Baby diapers (slip off)
• Crate Training (pee and poop mess!)
• Limiting areas in the house (baby gates are too short)

Lucky for us, our carpet is a nice shade of mocha that hides dirt and stains very well, but we're still tired of having to black light search the house for urine stains and clean up the stains, not to mention he has broken 2 sets of blinds in the kitchen window, spilled a cup of coffee off of the dining room table, jumped into the shower and broke tops off shampoo bottles, and keeps jumping up on the counter.

My uncle had a dog run at his house, and my cousin had built one similarly at his house. We decided to give this a shot ourselves. On the side of our house, we decided to build a fence to segregate an area for Bubs. We would love for him to have the whole use of our backyard, but the back fence is so low that we're afraid he would jump over if he saw an animal and it's not too far from  the freeway. We went to The Home Depot and built a fence over the weekend. The bf did a great job!

Love Hiking

A few months ago, we were having dinner with some friends and one of them thought of planning a Valentines Day Hike. Knowing that Valentines Day fell on a Saturday and the BF works on Saturdays, I accepted the invitation.


My BFF and I have actually spent every single Valentines Day together since 2007 so I invited her to keep up the tradition! We were very lucky that the weekend provided amazing weather! (it was pouring last weekend) We headed over to our rendezvous point and met up with 2 other couples, Bay and Patti LaBelle, a small yorkie, and another friend. Patti and Bubs never met each other and when she caught wind of a new dog, she lunged out at him like a growling torpedo as her introduction. I'm happy to say that Bubs was nice and didn't get mad at her for that. We were a 2 car caravan to Marin with Patti's dad leading us in his car while I drove mine. I had no idea where we were hiking and was told to just follow his car. We ended up taking a surprise scenic drive on Conzelman Drive in the Marin Headlands. Following the scenic drive, we headed further into Marin County and found that the exit to our trail was backed up. We stopped at a gas station and all decided to take the Rodeo Ave. trail.

We were able to take Bubs off of his leash and Bubs was complimented the entire day for his good behavior. (They had no idea that before we got home the day earlier, he had managed to jump into my shower, knocked over his 75% full bottle of dog shampoo, rolled around in it and spilled a lot of it on the toilet seat.)We started off leash and Patti kept running ahead and walking at the pace of strangers and Bay kept getting distracted and smelling stuff which left him far behind. Bubs stayed right with us.

smart boy! hiding in shadows to keep cool!

 We went off the main trail and climbed up some of the hills and Patti's dad warned us to check for ticks and I found one on Bubs back and flicked it off. Patti had a bunch on her face because of how low she was and Bay wasn't checked. We kept on and ended up at this great view.

Downtown SF can be seen if you look closely

 

we never did get a complete group photo but here are most of us

After we reached the top, we decided to turn around instead of heading down the other side of the mountain. We walked back on the main trail which ended up being longer than the small trail we took to get there. We ended up doing 5 miles which was great!

After the hike we did another final tick check before getting into the cars and Patti had a lot more on her face, Bay had a few burrowing into his ears, and Bubs had 2 more on his feet. I tried to get a group photo of the dogs, but never managed to get all of them to look at the same time.

 

Take 1 Bubs

Take 2 Patti

Take 3 Bay

Sunday Rain

This weekend's forecast was rain. I stayed home on Sunday all day with the Bubs. The bf likes to pin me down and let Bubs get me.. today he didn't have to pin me down though.. I let Bubs get me and it was caught on video.

Be safe out there in the wet weather everyone!

Mattress Distress

Bubs sleeps on this awesome raised bed that I had made for my non-existent dog (before Bubs), but before Bubs moved in with us, he slept at the foot of the bed at his old home. He's been really good about not going onto our bed and is used to sleeping on his bed and knows it is his, but the BF wants him sleeping in our bed. I compromised by agreeing to allow him on our bed if we get a King. I successfully sold my old bed (from our guestroom) on Craigslist and are using the money to help us pay for a new King.


I've done a lot of research online and found The Old Bed Guy and decided to go to the local Sleeptrain last night to check out a few mattresses before committing to the bed I have chosen to buy online and pass by the market on the way home. We left Bubs in his kennel since we were only going to be out of the house for a few hours and when we got home, the BF was bringing in the groceries and asked me to get Bubs. I let him out of his kennel and I went to check if he peed inside (last week he had an accident inside his kennel) As I got closer, I realized he pooped inside his kennel!

He had ran past me and out the door to the garage and into the front yard as I began to yell to the BF "don't let him back in! He pooped!" I picked up the kennel and brought it out. Bubs was running around the front yard as I discovered his blanket and kennel smudged with poop. I then ran Bubs into the tub and washed him. From there, I discovered poop spots covering the distance between the kennel and the door which I scrubbed. (The BF did help clean the kennel AFTER cooking dinner since I was cleaning the dog and floor)

Mattress Education:
The Old Bed Guy has guided me to purchase a Charles P. Rogers mattress as it was one of the preferred manufacturers. These mattresses are well built with quilted tops and bottoms (even if it is a one sided mattress) and low profile foundations (that are covered in material and padded). The one thing I wasn't sure of was softness vs. firmness. We headed over to sleeptrain to try out some beds and liked the firm better than the plush. As for frame, we wanted a platform and learned that beds are OK as long as they're made of hardwood with slats at the maximum of 2.5 inches apart. According to the Old Bed Guy L&P make majority of the frames that are sold in the various mattress stores. This same frame was more expensive on all of the other retail sites and I found it on Amazon.

We purchased the Leggett and Platt bed frame and are going to order the St. Charles mattress after we assemble the Frame.

Belly Rash and New Bowls

Since my last post, Bubs developed some sort of irritation on his underside and we have a strong feeling that it is from him laying down in the grass as seen in the last post. I started reading about dog rashes and have found that there are several causes: food allergy, irritation from pesticides, fertilizers, or pests to name a few.

I wish I had photographed his rashes because they started off small, increased in size, and then started having open sores because he was scratching himself. On a side note, can you imagine being so itchy that you're up scratching at night and have to be silent about it other than your scratching? Poor guy! Luckily we had some of a medicine that had been prescribed to him called Gentocin. It is a topical antibiotic spray. After using this for 1 day his rashes significantly improved and after 2 days his rash is completely gone! We have now decided to wipe him down with baby wipes when he goes into long grass to avoid any future rash flareups.

Apparently my little guy is full of problems. (he's worth it!) LOL He tends to swallow his food and sometimes throws up. He loves his new food Blue which is great! At first, we were letting him eat out of an up-side-down plastic freebie dog bowl we got from the pet store, but it was sliding around and he would tip it over trying to get the last bit of food out. I didn't like the mess or difficulty he was having as well as the sticky and sliminess from his saliva. I did a lot of research on metal vs plastic vs ceramic bowls weighed the pros and cons and settled for a slow feeder no tip bowl. They're a little pricy but worth it! I initially ordered a 16 oz water bowl and the slow feeder bowl, but found that 16oz. was wayyy too small for him and upgraded the water bowl to the 32oz size. We're very happy with the slow feeder as well as the new water bowl. He's eating slowly, they don't slide around or tip over, and they're so easy to clean!

Everybubs needs love

I've been busy and I feel terrible that I haven't been able to take Bubs out as much. My Lola (grandmother in Tagalog) is a hoarder and we had to go to her house and clean it out. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring Bubs with me because her house is infested with RATS x_x. I know that he loves to chase things and I didn't want him getting into anything in fear he'd get sick. I was able to go last weekend but that meant leaving him at home. I noticed since then he's been acting up (he pooped and peed in places he normally doesn't) so today I made time to take him on a new walk.

We went to San Mateo for the Bay trail off 3rd Ave. and he LOVED it! We walked on the paved trail on leash because of all the runners and bicyclists. We also happened to find a small beach area where there were some dogs playing fetch in the water. Too bad I wasn't prepared with a towel otherwise he would have went for a swim too. He did lay in the grass and watch the bigger dogs play in the water without fuss though. For some reason he hates skateboards (probably the sound) so he got all crazy when a guy passed by on one, but other than that he had fun.

Post Workout Nap

Bubs the cat

We've really been struggling with him peeing in the house. We were using Wikiwags, but they were getting too expensive and now we're using Target Brand Diapers but I bought a size 5 which is way too big. I'm not going to waste them and can't return them b/c the box is gone, so we're using them up but sometimes his penis comes out b/c the diaper is too big. (We bought size 3 for next time and they fit better) Last night, I used our black light again last night to find a bunch of "spots" where he's been marking so I started looking for 'anxiety aids' as well as "doors / fences" which got me to thinking: Yeah right he's not a typical dog.. actually he's more like a cat!

If you've been reading this blog you'll notice that Bubs acts like a cat. It's quite funny when I think about it. He can jump really high for his height (I've seen him jump 5 ft. high without a running start), he has scaled a 6 ft. fence and walked on top of it, he has a mind of his own as much as we've tried to train him, licks himself esp his paws, loves to chase birds and mice, and last night he was caught balancing on our windowsill which is no more than 4 inches wide. LOL


I've seen doggy and baby gates with a picture of a Yorkie (his breed) and even larger dogs but Bubs will just jump over that thing even if it's "higher" it's still only 4 ft. high. We have a baby gate that I use when my nephew comes over; Bubs can jump over the gate on level ground, so putting it in a doorway won't do any good at keeping him in / out of rooms. We also have stairs that go down to a lower level of our home. First we realized that he went through the railing on the side to get around the gate when placed at the top of the stairs. We then moved it a few steps down and realized that he was still going through the railing and balances on top of the gate and then jumps down. Now we place the gate lower on the steps and sometimes he can still get over it depending on how well it's put up.

This Yorkie is smaller than Bubs..

This Fence is shorter than 5 ft.

Some of the deterrents made me laugh too.. scat mat or even electronic mats to shock your pet if they go to an unwanted area.. Bubs would just jump OVER the mat if he really wanted to go to an area or even MOVE the mat.This determined and sneaky guy really acts like a cat.

My special little cat

New Year More Hiking

On January 1, I had the day off so we went to Bub's favorite walk, Fort Funston. Since then we've been there two more times.

The BFF invited me on a hike at the Presidio. Did you know that leashed dogs are allowed EVERYWHERE that pedestrians are allowed within the Presidio? We took the Park Trail from 14th Avenue and walked to Inspiration point. Here are a few photos from that day.

Stairs to Cemetary

Bubs posing with our Veterans

Bubs and Suki

Hiking crew

Inspiration Point