Pawpawty presents!

Hiya pals!  Many of you know that I like to offer my services as late-night quizmaster during #pawpawty events so @FrugalDougal can get some sleep.  The prizes I get to give away are always so fabulous that sometimes I wish I could answer my own quizmaster questions. :)  But I'm always happy to lend a paw and help raise $ for anipal charities.

I was so very surprised to receive a special package via Royal Mail this week:

Hey...I recognize that little dog! It's Dougal!

Oh my dogs! TOYS!

We hit the jackpot!

This toy has LONG legs

Oh no! The legs are attacking me!

Mugsy to the rescue

Oooo...this is a cool green ball.

*sigh* Mugsy stole it

All the great presents came with a note from my pal Dougal - he said he wanted to send me something to thank me for quizmastering.  What a sweet doggie he is!  Thanks for all the pawsome presents, Dougal!  You sure are a good pal. :)

-SylvieDog (and Mugsy too!)

No thank you, PooTrap

I am adding this to my list of products I do not wish to test, review, or own at any time in my life. This question & response from the FAQ is particularly nice:

Can owner use the "PooTrap" always when walking their dog out?

When dog is having diarrhea, or if the owner just don't feel like taking the "PooTrap" off the dog, feel free to keep the "PooTrap" on the dog.

Guh.

-SylvieDog

Calling all detectives

I have two mysteries on my hands, and I need help from my pals to solve them.

1. Why does Mugsy sleep like this?

2. What (or who) bit my tomato?

Any and all theories are appreciated.

-SylvieDog

Bark for Life

I had a lovely time joining Mama, Papa, the boy kid & Mugsy for the American Cancer Society's Bark for Life mini relay today! I thought I'd share some pics from our adventure.

There were lots of dogs & people there

We got to meet Jersey - a cancer therapy dog (he visits with kids while they're going through treatment to help them feel better)


Mugsy tried to steal Jersey's water bottle. So embarrassing.

Here we are walking...it was super hot out today.

Mama gave us fresh water after we finished our walk

They had a musical sit contest - we had to sit when the music stopped & the last dog to sit got kicked out. Guess who was kicked out first? That's right, Mugsy. I, on the other hand, came in 3rd place. Here I am with my prizes! Notice that Mugsy is now sitting.

Mugsy was so tired after all the excitement that Papa had to carry him to the car

Thanks again to my anipals who sponsored me & Mugsy. We've raised $85 so far! I know I'm done walking, but you can still chip in to help me reach my goal by visiting my personal fundraising page.

-SylvieDog

Together we can make a difference!

Mama was diagnosed with cancer last summer when doctors found a tumor in her kidney. She had surgery to remove the tumor and part of her kidney. Her doctor declared her cancer-free, and now she just has to go in for annual scans and tests.

Mugsy & I took very good care of mama while she was recovering from surgery. So I was excited to see that the American Cancer Society has a special event to honor the care giving qualities that dogs like me offer to our families - the “Bark For Life” Mini-Relay. I'll be joining Mama, Papa, the boy kid, and Mugsy on this special Mini-Relay on August 9th to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Every dollar makes a difference!

I hope that my anipals will use their furpower to help me reach my fundraising goal of $150 in honor of Mama and all cancer survivors.

Please visit my personal fundraising page to make a donation.

Thanks pals!

-SylvieDog

It's a celebration!

On Saturday, August 1st, I turned 12 years old. Now I'm almost a teenager! My family threw a little party in honor of my big day. And some of my twitter anipals sent me some lovely cards, birthday wishes, and presents.

That's my birthday cake there - isn't it pretty? I mean, of course it is. My picture is on it. It was a special treat from my pal @LaineysPawtique (baker of my very favorite cookies). Here's a look at the rest of my birthday celebration.

My haul of presents! Thanks @LaineysPawtique, @Fergusthedog & @CosmoHavanese!

Someone sure knows me well...check out these barkarita cookies. YUM!

And these look like lovely Ultra Cosmopolitans & Niptinis


These cookies have my name all over them. Seriously. My name is on them.

Look at these cute cards from my pals

After we opened presents, it was time to eat cake. The boy kid blew out the candle for me.

I kept an eye on papa while he sliced my cake. Those slices look a little small...

Mmmmm...ice cream cookies to go with my cake!

HEY! My plate is empty! Papa forgot to give me any cake or cookies *wiping crumbs from mouth*

More presents! Mugsy is very, very excited.

I tried my best to get the toy before Mugsy...and failed.

I had a fabulous birthday. Thanks to all my pals for the birthday wishes!

-SylvieDog

Liver, shmiver

So I went to the vet today for a regular check-up, and they told mama & papa that I have slightly elevated liver enzymes. Papa claims it's because I've been drinking too much. He also claims that this is photographic evidence:

For the record, papa lies. So now I have to take this fancified supplement to balance my enzymes. I'm not exactly sure when I became a new age dog, but I suspect it started back when I joined twitter. And it only intensified when I started writing my own blog.

-SylvieDog

p.s. the vet says it's no big deal, so don't start worrying about me. I say my liver is plenty strong to keep sipping barkaritas for the rest of my days.

Mugsy's ears: a tribute

No words can fully capture the oddness of Mugsy's ears. I know some of my pals enjoy looking at them, so I've put together a collection of new Mugsy ear pics. See if you can make any sense of them.

-SylvieDog

Caught in the act

Just sniffing...

Certainly not trying to escape...


Not me, not escaping...

What are you doing out here, Mama?! I'm just relaxing by the gate...

Sigh - who put that board there to block my escape gate?

No more fun for me.

-SylvieDog

Escape!

Last summer, I snuck some cookies to the fella who built the fence around our yard in exchange for him suggesting to papa that we add a gate back behind the garage. He told papa it was so he could get out and get to the utility easement area if he needed to. But really, it was so I could bust the gate open without mama & papa noticing. See, the gate is hidden from view unless you are actually behind the garage.

After nearly a year of laying low & playing it cool, today I finally found the perfect opportunity to sneak out through the hidden gate (papa had just woken up, so he wasn't really perceptive enough to catch on). Oh what an adventure I had! I sniffed lots of neighbors' yards, I peed in lots of new spots, and then I heard papa calling me. So I decided to cross a busy street. And then I realized I was next to the forbidden railroad tracks! Of course, I had to go across the tracks to explore the other side. There wasn't much to see over there, so I decided to just walk on the tracks for a while. I really don't know why papa was freaking out so much. Something about a train coming. I got bored after a bit, so came back over to our side of the tracks. And then papa grabbed my collar and carried me home. Sigh. At least I got the chance to laugh at him in his slippers.

When I got back inside I realized that Mugsy was the one who tipped papa off to my adventure. While I was out exploring the world, Mugsy was standing in the back yard staring at me through the fence & looking all worried. So papa came outside & looked through the fence to see what he was looking at.

Moral of the story: best to wait until Mugsy is inside before I sneak out the back gate.

-SylvieDog

p.s. I think papa's on to my secret gate...I saw him screwing boards into it in an attempt to permanently close it. No fair!

Where's my spinach?!

Three weeks ago I helped mama, papa, and the boy kid plant a lovely row of spinach in the garden. Two weeks ago, we thinned it out so we'd have some nice lovely plants. This weekend, I went outside and to my horror discovered that all my lovely spinach was gone! Can you believe it?!?!

I have some theories about who might have eaten my spinach, but I need help. I've put together my top 5 suspects:

1. @ZackRabbit

2. @PerrytheBirman

3. @JedBramwell

4. @LouPeb

5. @MugsyDog

If you have reason to believe that one of these anipals is guilty, please vote & let me know:

http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1734467/

-SylvieDog

p.s. a bitey on whoever ate my spinach.