The PANDATESE

Did you hear I won 3rd place

in an extreme grooming contest?

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                                                 APRIL FOOLS !

Little Farm by the River

Our camping season finally began this weekend with our first trip to Little Farm by the River RV Resort near Rising Sun, Indiana.

Our campsite was right on the Ohio River.  That is me on my picnic table with a view of the river -- and across the river is Kentucky.

The weather was a mix of rain and sun and wind and cold!

I ditched the long-john pjs I have been wearing all fall and winter, in favor of my new (store-bought!) designer wear by Martha Stewart.

Last time I had my hair done, Mom told Angie I was growing my bangs out and not to cut them. This picture shows that I might need to reconsider having the bangs trimmed and styled a bit -- or opt for a top-knot bow to keep them out of my eyes!

We're home now -- but I fear there is a bath in my very near future!

The End of the Line

It's a real problem when there is only one tree!

Patron of the Arts

I have always been a fan of the arts  -- 

especially when the subject is yours truly!

"Hold still, Charlie, hold still!"

"Somebody get a comb and fix that hair!"

"Put that ear back up, Charlie!"

No wonder I prefer the camera over the brush!

Up a Tree OR Out on a Limb!

I have no idea why I enjoy being up in a tree, or posing on a ledge, a wall, or a rock so much! It started on an extended camping trip to the National Parks of the Southwest: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, Petrified Forest and Capital Reef. Mom would carefully set me in position, and I would see the camera -- throw up my ears and hold the pose!





Mom is sometimes afraid she will be turned in for animal endangerment, but most people looking at the pictures can tell that I love what I am doing!

A New Twist on an Old Trick!

Some dogs do the "dead dog" trick by flopping down on the floor and playing dead. I prefer to play dead dog while my mom holds me in her arms! 

A Dog's Purpose

Ever since my mom read me this book by Bruce Cameron, I've been trying to figure out what my purpose in life is!  I wonder if driving Scout the pomeranian crazy counts as a purpose in life? Or, barking at the mail man? Or, giving my mom a good foot-lickin'? Or jumping in the dishwasher and giving the dirty dishes a good cleaning before the door gets shut?  Anyway, if you're looking for a good book that will have you looking at your doggie in a different way, get this book!

Talking about DESIGNER Dogs

As mentioned before -- I'm a Papitese, a mix of a Papillion and a Maltese. Here are a few other mix-breeds that are popular!

Pointer + Setter =
Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet
 

Kerry Blue Terrier + Skye Terrier =
Blue Skye, a dog for visionaries
 
Great Pyrenees + Dachshund =
Pyradachs, a puzzling breed
 
Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso =
Peekasso, an abstract dog
 
Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel =
Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle
 
Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever =
Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists
 
Newfoundland + Basset Hound =
Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors
 
Terrier + Bulldog =
Terribull, a dog prone to awful mistakes
 
Bloodhound + Labrador =
Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly
 
Malamute + Pointer =
Moot Point, owned by....oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway
 
Collie + Malamute =
Commute, a dog that travels to work
 
Deerhound + Terrier =
Derriere, a dog that's true to the end
 
Cocker Spaniel + Rottweiller =
Cockrot, the perfect puppy for that philandering ex-husband

Bull Terrier + Shitzu =
Bullshitz, a gregarious but unreliable breed

TOP DOG!

In our little town we don't have anyone that does micro-chips or that even has a micro-chip reader; so mom started looking for other alternatives. Of course, I have my dog-tag with name, home phone number and cell phone numbers for when we are traveling. That is a very quick way to find me if I would escape and get lost.

Then, Mom found a product called Top Tag Pet ID: http://www.toptagpetid.com/   

 It is a little USB computer thumb drive that is housed in a waterproof clear plastic case. Insert it in a computer and the program pops up with all my identifying information, as well as detailed information about my likes and dislikes and how to care for me until I am reunited with my family.

see the little Top Dog case hanging from my collar?

The neat thing is that this little tag will help someone get in touch with with mom immediately, instead of having to go to a place with a micro-chip reader.

I KNOW............... I keep telling my Mom I need to get the micro-chip just in case I would lose my collar.

I've Got the Camping Bug

In this family, you better like camping because that is where we spend  most of the summer months and many fall weekends. Our little camper is called a TAB, and it is just my size.

I frequently get dirty and wet hiking on the trails or around the campground loop. But, once I dry off and have a quick brush, I'm back to being pretty again.

Of course, I have all the equipment and clothes I need for camping.

My backpack -- I carry my own poop bags!

My pink camo long-john PJs for cold nights





Snow suit and booties for cold-weather camping



Summer Jammies









Best of all, sometimes I get to go camping with Annie, my Papillon friend.

Sometimes I sit in my chair and watch all the action around the campground. Sometimes I go in the air-conditioned TAB to chill out. Somemtimes I run around in my own little private screen room.



"Trick or Treat', "Be Mine", and don't "Pinch Me"

I was just getting used to the home routine when Halloween came along. Mom was sure that I needed a little costume for Trick or Treat, and I was happy to pose in my little witche's cape on the woodpile. The outfit had a little pointed witche's hat, but it wouldn't fit between my ears!





Mom also made me a little black leather coat decorated with pink princess hearts and skulls! And, of course I had my Ohio State outfit to wear during all the football games.

In February '09 I had my own valentines that I passed out to my best friends.

In March Angela dressed me up for St. Patty's Day. Nobody had to pinch me!

I guess you could say that I got used to being dressed up and really enjoy it.

Camera -- lights -- action --  Nothing gets my ears up like a camera!

Bad Hair Day

Being used to grooming Pomeranians, mom just couldn't figure out what was going on with my hair! It was fuzzy -- more like an Angora bunny than a doggie. At my first vet visit mom asked about grooming and was shown how to use a slicker brush to keep mats from forming. This turned out to be part of my routine several times a week.

Like a poodle, I do not shed and my hair continues to grow and  must be trimmed. Less than a mile from my house we discovered Angela's Grooming & Doggie Spa, and I've been going monthly ever since. Mom stills combs and brushes me a lot, but Angela treats me to a monthly spa treatment with the works: wash, trim, groom, nails, and teeth, and a treat if I am good.

Meeting the Competition!

Missy

At home I was greeted by the resident Pomeranians,  Missy and Scout O'Doubt. Missy was old and sick, but sweet and kind to me. One morning I woke up and she wasn't with us any more. Scout was 6 years old and was only tolerant of puppy play to a certain point. When he had enough, he retreated to his kennel, and I knew that was off limits to me.

Scout

Pretty Tricky!

Life was nice and calm the first 10 days that I was getting used to my new home. Then my mom got the idea to teach me a bunch of tricks!

I had ideas of my own, and figured out that I could do the same trick over and over, regardless of the command, and everyone would think I was the smartest puppy around!

Check it out out YOUTUBE:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9UL6o_lSIM

Pap-a-WHAT?

When mom bought me she didn't know about "designer dogs"; the practice of deliberately breeding two pure-bred dogs to get a mix-breed puppy. A lot of people don't agree with this practice, because there are already enought mix-breed puppies needing a home without breeding more! Too late -- mom certainly wasn't going to take me back!
When mom started reading up about designer dogs, she found that "hybrid vigor" is a term that is used when a puppy's parents are from two completely different gene pools eliminating some of the  problems of inbreeding. That made mom feel a little bit better about her impulse buy.

The moral of the story:  DON'T think you can walk into a store with puppies for sale and walk out empty-handed. Plan in advance and DO consider a mixed-breed, but look first through reputable rescue organization or at your local pound.

http://www.maltesemaniac.com/maltese-papillon-dogs.html

Here is a Maltese website where mom has been able to look at other
Papitese doggies.

How much is that puppy in the window?

When my mom woke up August 25, 2009, she didn't have any intent of buying a new puppy! On a spur-of-the-moment whim she drove 9 miles to Garwick's "just to to look" at what Dorothy had. It was love at first sight, and the deal was done in less than 15 minutes.

I was (11 weeks) old and weighed less than 2 pounds. I was a mix of a Papillon mother and a Maltese father -- Mom calls me a Papitese!

Even though I was a little girl, my Mom thought I looked like a "Charlie". On my butt I had a black spot -- thus the name Charlie Button.

I was so tiny, I couldn't even

climb the step to get in  the house.

Everything was so strange and new

and Mom was a bit nervous as she had to think of some way to introduce me to the rest of the family; "It followed me home" just wasn't going to work!