The Importance of 'Bucal Hygiene'

We came to visit the ranch. Mommy Patsy, Daddy Devin, my little sister dog Olive and I. Once here, Mommy Patsy took me to the Veterinarian. I was going there for a 'tune-up'. I heard Mommy Patsy tell Daddy Grandpa this.

At the vet, they shaved my arm, they poked me with a

big needle and then....lights out. Who knows what

they did to me. At first I did not know, but then I did...when I woke up! My head hurt. My tummy hurt. My feet hurt. My mouth hurt.

Now, I am taking medicine for 'the infection' and 'the pain'. At least that is what Mommy Patsy says.

So I heard that at the vet's, they trimmed my nails, they cleaned my teeth, they removed two teeth that went bad (thus the purpose of this article), the

y 'put-me-under' with anesthesia and, there you have it...that is why I ached all over...

So, take care of your dogs and cats. Don't let their teeth go bad because...it hurts! But, I did get a free toothbrush and free toothpaste too! I drew them here:

I got online and researched bucal hygiene (oral hygiene, hygiene of the mouth) and this is what I found out at wisegeek.com:

"Poor oral hygiene in pets is more serious than most pet owners realize. Roughly 70-80 percent of cats and dogs develop periodontal disease by the time they are three years old. That’s a significant figure, especially, since poor oral hygiene is also linked to shorter life span.

The first stage of poor oral hygiene in pets is, typically, the accumulation of plaque near the gums. Otherwise known as gingivitis, this condition can be treated, but animals will likely require teeth cleaning, with anesthesia, in order to scrape off the plaque. Signs of gingivitis can be evident through an examination of the animal’s mouth. A red line along the base of the teeth, instead of the bright pink color that signifies a healthy mouth, is an indicator of gingivitis.

Gingivitis is actually a bacterial infection. When left untreated, the bacteria begin to move under the gum line, infecting the teeth at their roots. This is periodontal disease, and it has numerous symptoms. These include bad breath, excessive drooling, yellow or brown tartar deposits on the teeth, red gums, and loose or missing teeth.

Periodontal disease is not curable, but it can be treated. Treatment generally involves extractions of severely infected teeth, regular cleaning appointments, and antibiotics to help reduce the infection. If left untreated, the infection can enter the blood stream where it can cause damage to the liver, heart, and kidneys.

Poor oral hygiene in pets can be forestalled with a few steps. Dry food is always best for cats and dogs. Wet food and people food actually helps plaque develop more quickly. Dry food, conversely, should help keep a pet's teeth from developing significant plaque.

Poor oral hygiene in pets can also be avoided, or at least diminished, by making tooth brushing routine. This can be challenging with an older animal that is not used to it. Tooth brushing habits should start early, using a bit of gauze to wipe the teeth, so the pet gets used to activity.

Once the pet has this down, buy a pet size toothbrush and pet toothpaste. Do not use people toothpaste as this can make your pet sick. Try to brush at least once a week, although three to five times a week is ideal."

A trip to "The City"

So...I have told you before that my Mommy Patsy is a scientist. Well, she just got a new job and had to move to "The City".  Well, she kind-a-moved...All her stuff is still at Grandma Rosario and Grandpa Daddy's house. Until she gets her own house, she'll have to leave the stuff there...

So, we are lucky that she took us with her - that is my little sister dog Olive and me. I would have missed her soooooooo muuuuuccchhhh if she had left me behind. There is one small problem: I miss my Brother Christy and Grandma Rosario and...guess what? Grandpa Daddy is home again, so I miss him too!

This is a picture I drew of "The City", as I was able to peek through the car window as we drove here:

We've been in "The City" more than five days. That is a loooonnnngggg time. I miss the ranch and Sahdow, the evil cat. Where we live it's peaceful. Daddy Devin and Mommy Patsy work all day so Olive and I get to sleep a lot. We do get to take them out for a walk every afternoon...At least, this is the same as back at the ranch.

I have learned a lot from being in the city...here are a few gems I have picked up...You know your from The City when:

*You're paying $1,200 for a studio the size of a walk-in closet and you think it's a "steal."

*You pay more each month to park your car than most people in the U.S. pay in rent.

*You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.

*You say "the city" and expect everyone to know that it means San Francisco.

*You think $7.00 to cross a bridge is a fair price.

*The most frequently used part of your car is the horn.

*You run when you see a flashing "Do Not Walk" sign at the intersection.

I miss the ranch...

The importance of family...and adoption...

I mentioned on an earlier post that I came to live with Mommy Patsy three years ago. I never really thought of if this way...I was adopted by Mommy Patsy. I really never thought anything of it. She was my mommy and that was it. Until now...

I guess the technical term that applies is that I am "adopted".

Adoption is defined as "the permanent legal transfer of parenting rights and responsibilities from one family to another." The word adoption, however, has different meanings to the people touched by it. To an adoptee, the word implies that a choice was made with the forming of his/her family. To an adoptive parent, it describes a parental relationship that was made legally, not biologically. And to a birth parent, it recognizes the loss associated with giving up parental rights.

Also, according to adoption.com, "Adoption is an issue of extreme importance to the persons most directly involved in the adoption triad - the child, the adoptive parents, and the birth parents. However, there are the siblings, extended family members, neighbors, teachers and doctors who are indirectly touched."

While these terms apply to persons, I too am adopted. And, it is OK. I love my family. All of them: Mommy Patsy, Brother Christy, Sister Alyssa, Grandma Rosario, Grandpa Daddy, mi little sister dog, Olive and Shadow - the cat. But it is so cool to know that I also have a 'biological family' - a doggie mom, a doggie dad and a doggie sis. these are their pictures:




This is my doggie mom, CeeCee.
I have her nose and lips.
She is beautiful, like me.





This is my doggie dad, Kiko.
I have his hair (notice the white streak).
I sit like him.
I lick my lips like him.
He is handsome, like me.




This is my doggie sis, Mia.
She is tiny.
She has beautiful eyes.
She is my little sister.
She is cute, like me.





I heard Grandma Rosario say that my doggie family lives in Ukiah, a town that is about three hours away by doggie carrier. Then, I heard that some day, they may take me to see my doggie parents and sister. That would be cool. I would love to meet them and sniff them, and lick them!

Until then, if you know someone who is adopted, make sure that they are being loved as much as my person family loves me.

I just realized that my little sister dog, Olive and Shadow-the cat are also adopted, like me. I wonder what their biological families look like...

The importance of wisdom

I heard today that my sister Alyssa went to the doctor to have her 'wisdom' teeth taken out...All four of them. Immediately, I wondered why did she have them taken out? Am I going to have my wisdom teeth taken out too? Here is a picture of my sister Alyssa before and after she had her wisdom teeth removed:















What is wisdom anyway? According to wisdomcenteredlife.org, " We looked through Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations and the Dictionary of Quotations and found a long list of fragments from poems, stories, and other works employing the word ‘wisdom.’ Among the positive qualities mentioned in the same breath as wisdom in these quotations are self-knowledge, kindness, caution, silence, patience, humility, hope, judgment, and knowing the cost of choices that are to be made. What wisdom is not is also of interest. It is not associated with money, power, strength, passion, excess, impulsiveness, or even knowledge. For the most part, agreement exists that wisdom comes with age."

So,does this mean that my sister Alyssa had too much wisdom? Is this why they took the wisdom teeth out? So she could be more balanced like the rest of the persons in my life?

According to the definition, above, my grandpa Daddy must be very wise since he is over 7 (dog) years old! Grandma Rosario must be wise as well! Oh, and by the way ---HAPPY BIRTHDAY, grandpa DADDY!

I hope that as I grow older, I can also become more wise. I know that my little sister dog, Olive, has a log way to go before she becomes wise...then again; she's just a puppy!

Heat Wave Tips

"Heat kills by taxing the human body beyond its abilities.In a normal year, about 175 Americans succumb to the demands of summer heat. Among the large continental family of natural hazards, only the cold of winter - not lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or earthquakes - takes a greater toll. In the 40-year period from 1936 through 1975, nearly 20,000 people were killed in the United States by the effects of heat and solar radiation. In the disastrous heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died.

And these are the direct casualties. No one can know how many more deaths are advanced by heat wave weather - how many diseased or aging hearts surrender that under better conditions would have continued functioning."

Can you believe it? and that is just people - humans - persons...You wonder how many dogs and cats also die! Stay inside I tell you...Stay inside!

This is what I have done most of the summer. I mean, I would not want to walk grandma Rosario and see her pass out in the middle of the street, or at the park.

Speaking of the park, I don't know how to draw myself, so I asked grandpa Daddy to put up a painting of me here:Aren't I beautiful?

This painting was done one day when it was not so hot and I took grandma out for a walk. We went to the park where the children play and I even got to go on the swing...yeeeppppeeeee! It was great.

Back to the heatwave. So, if you live in an area where there is a heatwave, make sure that you do all the hard work stuff early in the morning, when it is cool. My little sister dog, Olive and I always go out to the back yard to take care of our business early in the morning.

Also, drink lots of water or other liquids. Brother Christy, sister Alyss and mommy Patsy are always drinking water from a bottle - and they're not even babies! hahaha. Grandma Rosario likes to drink water from the big machine that keeps things cold. It also spits out ice and water.

Lastly, if you must work when it is hot and the big fireball is high in the sky, wear a hat. I know that grandpa Daddy always wears one when he runs in the desert. Then, he also drinks lots of water.

So, to recap: 1. Stay inside if you can. 2. Work in the morning if you must. 3. Wear a hat if you are going to be outside and 4. Drink lots of WATER!

Stay safe...

Olive gets 'fixed'

So, it is now after July 4. That was a noisy night. All the neighbors were making such noise with the bang-bangs! They were popping everywhere. It sounded just like when Grandma Rosario makes popcorn. bang,bang,bang,bang.

One day, Mommy Patsy took my little sister dog, Olive to work with her. I did not know what to think...I was happy because I was going to be alone with Grandma Rosario - I really like being alone with Grandma Rosario because she 'babies' me a lot. She says ' come here chiquito, I have something special for you...' Then she gives me a snack. Later, we go for a long walk all by ourselves. I really like this because I get to walk her at a very good pace. We stroll through the park, she puts me in the swing, I drink water from the sprinklers...What fun!

But I was also sad, because I have never gone to work with Mommy Patsy. She must do very important work because she is always wearing her scientist outfit! Maybe some day I go where she works and I will surprise her!

So my little sister dog, Olive got to go with her and she did not come until night time. That was a long, long, long, long time! When they finally came home, I was all excited because I was hoping to hear all about the day at Mommy Patsy's work from my little sister dog, Olive...BUT boy, was I surprised when Olive came into the house! She looked like this:Her head was stuck in a cone!

I asked my little sister dog Olive what had happened to her but she could barely talk; or walk! She was in a daze and barely told me she wanted to go to sleep; which she did right away.

After Mommy Patsy had dinner, she was telling Grandma Rosario that she was glad that 'Olive is now fixed!' She also said that little Olive was going to be in the cone-head for two weeks - That is half a moon! Can you believe it? I also heard her say that little Olive had to take her medicine for two weeks and that she had to be careful not let the stitches on her belly come off.

I remember when Bear's stitches came off. I was playing with him (He is stuffed) and an accident happened. I bit into his belly and the stitches came off. All his guts spilled onto the floor. Grandma Rosario was quite upset with me. She did not call me 'chiquito' for a couple of days! But she fixed bear by 'stitching him up' and I can play with Bear again.

So I wonder how my little sister dog Olive got broken. Maybe it happened when she ran into the big glass door. Or maybe she fell down the stairs. Or maybe she ate something bad. Or maybe she got into a fight with Shadow. Or maybe...

I'm just glad that she is now fixed and that she is stitched up so her guts don't come flying out like Bear's. Funny thing is, I do not remember how she got broken...But I am glad she is now fixed! I will make sure that she does not take her head out of the cone. Mommy Patsy says it is for her protection. That way she won't bite herself...Hahaha. That is funny. Why would she bite herself? It hurts. I know. I did it one time! Hahaha.

Any way, it is getting late and I am tired of writing. I need to take a nap. Circle, circle, circle, lay-down!

The importance of a good education

I have told you all about my little sister dog Olive...She is a baby and must learn how to behave. She has no clue. All she wants to do is play, play, play. Even when we take grandma Rosario or mommy Patsy for a walk, Olive does not pull them smoothly and evenly to give them a good walk. All Olive wants to do is play, play, play.

So, the other day grandpa Daddy came to visit. He met my little sister olive for the first time and I was worried that he may not like her because she did not behave properly (like I do). Luckily, daddy Devin was also visiting and he showed grandpa Daddy that Olive could learn! Olive actually was 'fetching' a tennis ball!

But, my little sister Olive has so much more to learn. Like when to mark the light posts and fire-hydrants when we walk. Like how to use the 'diapers' that grandma Rosario puts out on the tile floor for us to use when we have-to-go-peeeeeee. And so much more...

If my little sister Olive wants to grow up to be a decent dog (like I am), then she should follow the example that mommy Patsy, brother Christy and sister Alyssa have set for us. I heard grandpa Daddy telling grandma Rosario that the girls have all done so well in school. They have been going for many years! All of them, he said, have made it through 'kindee-garden', 'lementary school', junior 'hi' school, 'hi' school and the universe-i-tee... That is a lot of school.

No wonder they are all so smart!. Sister Alyssa always walking around typing on her little baby computer. She loves it! She calls it Rumplestilskin or something like it. It is a little white box that she can talk into. Sister Alyssa is going to be very smart. She has gone to school for over 14 years!

Mommy Patsy knows everything about food! She's always telling everybody how to eat healthy. She says it's duck and potatoes for Olive and me. She even works in a hospital where she tells sick people what to eat so they can get better and stronger - quick! Can you believe how smart mommy Patsy is? She went to school for 18 years! This is a picture I drew of mommy Patsy. She is wearing her new glasses she just got...cool...Notice her nice scientist coat - - - and name badge!
So that leaves brother Christy. She must also be very very very smart. Not only is she in the universe-i-tee, but she also studied art and is almost as good an artist as I am...She also went to school where she learned to suck blood out of people (I don't know if she is like a vampire...) I heard one of them say it was flembotommy school, or something like that...She's gone to school for like 20 years, I think - maybe more! This makes her the wisest person I know!

The whole point is...school and a good education are very important. I hope my little sister Olive can understand that she also has to LEARN to become a good dog....like her BIG BROTHER HOWIE!