November 19, 2011

I can’t believe that I’ll have had Cupcake for 3 weeks now and he’s changed and grown so much in that time.  He’ll be heading to the Vet on Monday for his next round of vaccines.   I expect that he’ll get another glowing review by the vet saying he’s just perfect.

I’ve been trying to take pictures of him on a regular basis but he’s hard to photograph.  He’s a lively, jolly, little fellow and it’s hard to get him in shots without his just being a blur of fluff.

See what I mean?

But we’ve been practicing all the different commands that he should know reliably.  I think he has a fair grasp of ‘sit’ and he definitely as a handle on what ‘come’ means for him.  We’ve been practicing ‘up up’ so that I can better grasp him when he wants to be picked up.  Thursday he actually managed to climb onto the sofa by himself.  It’s more like a clinging scramble up rather than a graceful hop but, given his size, the latter will come along when it’s right.  Next we’ll be tackling the harder ones of ‘stop’ and ‘stay’.  Cupcake is wonderfully bright so I have no doubt that he will pick these up as quickly as all the rest.

Cupcake has also begun liking going on walks.  We’ve taken a daily one for the past few days and has managed to go potty outside a few times.  It’s not a regular thing but I need to discipline myself as much as him in taking him for walks at the right time for him to go to the bathroom.

My greatest fear about seeing Cupcake grow up is that I’m afraid that’ll get that ugly little underbite some shih tzus get.  I know that is it silly to worry about that one trait but I look at his handsome near teddybear-like face and I don’t want it to get ruined by ugly teeth.  His teeth have been steadily coming in and I will just continue to hope that they won’t ruin his cuteness.

I shouldn't worry too much, though... right?

 

KittyCow and Cupcake November 18, 2011

Whenever I mention Cupcake to people who have known me far longer than I’ve had him, they always ask me the same question.

How is the Cow taking it?

I have to say, the kittycow has been handling the situation far better than I ever imagined she would.  Sure, they will not be snuggling up together during naptime anytime soon.  But I do have hopes that they will become friends.  Cupcake is in playful puppy stage and the kittycow is a mature cat.  She has never been one to be playful, friendly and outgoing.

She's usually more than a little stand-offish, liking to keep her distance.

I don’t expect the KittyCow will ever change her ways and I wouldn’t want her to.  I love my Cow so very much the bitchy way she is.  It would be unfair for me to expect her to go against her nature and she truly hasn’t.  She still demands to get fed and in the times between pretends as if she’s being starved.  She sleeps all day but likes to remain close by.  The only difference now is that there’s a galloping Cupcake monster on the loose.  Every now and again they will get around to playing but it’s a rare occasion.  Cupcake has learned never to trifle with the kitty when she’s all growly and hissy.  He’ll definitely learn that he’s not the alpha in this apartment.  But I know that I could leave them in a room together without my supervision.

They keep a safe distance from each other when left to their own devices.

 

A girl with a Cupcake November 10, 2011

For the longest time, I’ve just been a girl with a KittyCow.

Just the 2 of us.

But when I moved into a place of my own, I could not help but feel as if there was space for one more.  Initially, being the consummate cat person that I am, I thought maybe I would get another cat or kitten to go along with the Cow.  But the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of getting another cat.  My kittycow has been an only child and I didn’t think I would enjoy having another cat as much as I enjoy having the Cow around.

Plus, being a single girl, I really didn’t want to be that single girl with tons of cats around.

Much to everyone’s surprise, I began to wonder what it would be like to have a dog.  Once the idea got into my head, I found it hard to shake it out.  So, instead I spent weeks scouring the internet trying to figure out just what breed of dog might be right for me.  Then I began looking through local shelters and online ads offering dogs of all ages and sizes.  My major criteria were that the dog was of a breed that would remain small and that it had to be fluffy and cute.

Then I saw a pic of this face.

And quite honestly I can tell you…

That I fell in love.

I had the name of Cupcake picked out long before I got him.  The second name I had been considering was Sprinkles but I thought Cupcake sounded more masculine.  Not everyone agrees with me on this but that’s fine by me.  I got to choose the name and I knew from the start that I wanted a male dog.

So, 2 weeks ago, I brought home Cupcake, a shih tzu mix puppy.

With every day that goes by, I have to say that I’m surprised by how much I love him.  He’s sweet, playful and a truly jolly little fellow.  The Cow doesn’t like him but she doesn’t really like anyone.  He tries to play with her and she sometimes plays back.  I have high hopes that they will get used to one another but I’m not rushing it nor am I forcing them to like one another.  There is a large learning curve ahead for me as I have to house-train the puppy as well as train him in all the little things one likes their dog to know.  But I know he will be a good boy.  He learned his name in a couple of days.  The rest… will just take time.