Meet my new friend Zeena!

Well, it's official. Mom and I are going to Orlando! I LOVE Florida. She has a client out there she needs to visit. And she said I can go this time because the client knows me and doesn't mind if I come along. We'll be planning the trip this week and I'll keep you posted on my adventures, as usual.

Mom was going to make me do a boring - but important - post on the importance of dog tags and tell you about my microchip. But I have exciting news to share about a new friend so she said I could do the other post later in the week.

We got an email this week from our human friend, Teri Dempski. She was so excited to share the news - she had a new baby! Her name was Zeena! Mom laughed and said that was an unusual name for a baby. Then we read further and discovered that Zeena is actually a Chihuahua! Zeena, Warrior Chihuahua Princess! I think it's a perfect name! Don't you agree?

Over the weekend Teri was having a yard sale. On Sunday, a Mexican family stopped to look over all the baby items she had for sale. They didn’t speak English, but the son (maybe 7-8yrs. old) came out of the car clutching something tightly to his chest. Teri heard squeaking, and asked if she could see, in her best broken (poor) Spanish. The boy spoke enough English (with Teri's broken Spanish) and said Teri could buy the puppy for $100.00. Teri said, when the baby is old enough she wanted it. The boy talked with his mother, and she said the momma had 8 puppies, and the momma would not take care of them. The family had been hand-feeding the babies every 2-3 hrs. and wanted someone to take over, so was only letting the puppies go to someone who would be able to devote time to care for them. Once Teri held the baby, whose eyes were barely open, no teeth yet, tiny little whimpers, she fell in love at that moment. Zeena nuzzled Teri's neck and sucked on her baby finger—then happily fell asleep on her chest. The family got the $100.00 and Teri got a new fur baby. **Note to dogs looking for homes - that's how I made Mom fall in love with me! I was not the cutest or the smartest in the litter, but when I curled up on her chest and went to sleep, after a good night kiss on her chin, that's all it took. I'm telling you it works every time!

Teri has never hand-raised a puppy. But she is quickly learning all she needs to do to help Zeena grow strong.

So now I have friends all over the country! Aspen the Yorkie in New Jersey, Pixel in Arizona, and now Zeena in Colorado. Wouldn't it be fun if I could travel to see each of them and tell you all about our adventures? MOM, Hey MOM! I have an idea!

The Best Dog Collar!

I overhead Mom tell Dad she may be going to Houston in a few weeks. She really seems to like Texas! I don't know if she is going to be able to take me but I hope so. It's been a while since we have been on a trip. I'll keep listening and if so, I'll tell you all about our trip when we get back!

Meanwhile, I'm going to continue with my recommendations for the best of the best items on my packing list. That way, when it's time for you to travel with your Mom and Dad, you'll know what to have them pack for you.

Last post, I shared with you my favorite leash. But a leash is useless without a collar! But before I recommend MY particular favorite collar, I want to share some tips. There are so many different types of collars to choose from that it can sometimes be overwhelming.

1. Make sure the collar is right for you. If you are a big dog, you need a big collar. Smaller dogs can wear smaller, lighter collars. Puppies should wear soft nylon collars so you don't get hurt. A buckle collar is best, especially for puppies, because they are least likely to come undone and fall off and they are easily adjusted if necessary. Choke chains and pinch chains should NEVER be used for your everyday collar. You should only wear them when you are training your human! In fact, Mom has never put a choke chain on me. There are other types of training collars that are much easier on my neck. Choke chains put pressure on my neck and that is scary so I don't always behave as well just because I'm scared. My training collar doesn't hurt me and so I can focus more on showing Mom my newest trick instead of trying to figure out how to get away from the choke chain.

2. Once you have the correct collar, make sure Mom or Dad know how to put it on correctly. It needs to be snug so you can't lose it, but not so tight you have difficulty breathing or swallowing. Mom always puts two fingers between my collar and my neck. She says if she can do that, then the collar is just right. And since there is always some collar left over after she has put it on, she cuts the end of it off so I can't reach it. I wish she wouldn't do that. I have a nice leather collar and the end of it would have been great to chew on. But she said I could possibly chew it off and choke on it so she cut it off and threw it in the trash. Darn! Guess I'll have to settle for one of those "greenies."

I also have a red nylon collar which is my favorite and it is the one I am going to recommend for most dogs. The red color looks good with my black and white fur. And the nylon is soft and doesn't fray so it always looks good - not old and worn. It is a buckle collar, like all of my collars. Mom bought it at Petco, but I think it might be made by my friend, Aspen the Yorkie. Mom says no, but the collar is called the Petmate by Aspen Pet Single Ply Nylon Dog Collar, so I think she might be wrong. Aspen, did you know you have a dog collar named after you? Mom paid $5.00 for my collar but she checked online and said that Petco is having a sale and you can get a collar just like mine for $3.99. What a deal! You can't have the red one because it's mine. But they have lots of other colors to choose from. If you want to tell your Mom or Dad where to get it, tell them to go to http://www.petco.com/.

By the way, Mom told our friend PopArtDiva, that it was time for her to do my PopArt rendering. So keep checking back, because once it's ready, we'll be posting it here and launching my Squidoo lens. Mom helped me build it and it's cool! And we are working on some other projects together as well - all of which will have my PopArt picture from PopArtDiva. It's all very exciting. Stay tuned!

And here are my recommendations so far - 5 bones for both of them!

Leash: The Best Leash (www.bestleash.com)

Collar: Petmate by Aspen Single Ply Nylon Dog Collar from Petco (www.petco.com)

The Best Leash is - Best Leash!

As promised, I am going to give you a heads up on some of my favorite things. These are all part of my travel kit. Each one gets a 5 bone rating!

Today I'm going to tell you about my leash. Normally, I don't wear it. At home I have a big fenced in yard that I can run free in all day long. But when I travel, I have to be on a leash. Mom says it's a law. It's annoying because I like to chase squirrels and birds and being on a leash prevents me from doing that! But I suppose it does have it's good points. One day when we were out walking a car suddenly veered toward us and Mom was able to use my leash to pull me out of the way. Whew! It was a close call but Mom - and my leash - saved me! And I always feel safer knowing she is attached to the other end and can't wander off and get lost.

If I have to be on a leash, then I'm glad Mom chose the one she did. Appropriately, it's called Best Leash. What makes it so great? Well first, it's 9 feet long. Most other leashes are only 6 feet long. That's 3 feet longer so I have more freedom to move around. Mom often just ties the leash around her waist when we are walking and with 9 feet, I still have plenty of space.

You can order Best Leash at http://bestleash.com for $25.99

Mom says I should also share some leash safety tips with you. So here goes!

1. Never leave your dog unattended while on his leash. A dog can quickly chew through leather or nylon. Or a leash dragging behind a puppy can get snagged and choke the him.

2. Use a leash that is the correct size for your dog. Smaller dogs like me need thinner leashes with smaller hardware, while large dogs may require leashes of a slightly thicker width.

3. Never pull or drag your dog with a leash. If he is reluctant to come, simply backup & call his name in a happy voice.

4. Yanking or jerking a dog leash can injure your pet, especially younger pups and senior dogs.
If your dog likes to pull, consider using a no-pull harness.

5. Keep your leash in good shape. If the snap seems unstable or broken, replace it immediately.

I hope this information will help you and your parents choose the best leash for you. Despite many tales of dogs finding their way home when their humans get lost, it is certainly not the norm. Having a missing human parent is a heart wrenching experience. Mom and I wish all dogs the healthiest and safest life possible. Please use a durable collar and leash combo whenever possible.