Pet quiz

Recently Pet magazine had a pet quiz to find out what kind of personality your dog has. Of course I tried it and found out that Brie has a dual personality of 'The Controlling Bossy Boots' and 'The Sooky Snuggle Bug'. Which seems to sum up Brie's personality as she can be a bit bossy sometime but at the end of day she just wants a cuddle and a tummy rub. The funny thing was that when my husband did it, Brie was only a Sooky Snuggle Bug. I think this is because Brie has him wrapped around her little paw. He caves in as soon as Brie does those puppy eyes. I think Brie knows that she is the boss of my husband.

Salad with Kibble

The bag that Brie's kibble comes in is rather big, and as she doesn't eat very much the bag never gets finished. I think this is because a bag which has been opened for a while looses freshness. So anyway, her kibble needed some spicing up. Brie loves veggies so I add whatever we using for dinner (apart from onions, potatoes etc..). This method sometimes works as she is sometimes encouraged to finish the veggies and the kibble, or she might just finish the veggies and leave all the kibble. She has a special talent of avoiding all the kibble in her bowl. Oh Brie its not that much, I'm sure you can finish it if you put your mind to it.

Gardening

Brie isn't a very good digger. This is mostly because her little paws lack power, but over the weekend we did a little gardening around our house and Brie was very keen on joining in. But all she ended up doing is sticking her head in a hole in an attempt to scrape up some dirt but ended up filling in the hole. She became the muddiest poodle in town, but she still had a very enjoyable afternoon. After her attempt to smell the water coming out of hose she was immediately picked up and removed from the scene by husband.

Sensing the danger

Recently in Auckland there was a medium sized earthquake, so I grabbed Brie and stood in the door frame in case there might be another one coming but luckily there wasn't. So we went back to what we were doing, and then something struck me. I thought animals were able to sense danger!!! Brie where is your ability to sense danger, aren't you an animal?

I think due to the lack of threats in her everyday life she isn't good at sensing danger, but she does happen to be really good at sensing cheese. So if I was to get crushed by a giant cheese I might get some prior warning. How useful.

Pad progress

Well to my surprise, the pad gel works pretty well. Brie only needed to use it a couple of times and on each application it only required a little amount. The reason her gel is mostly gone is that each time it is applied she decides to have a little taste. Her pads feel like little gummy bears, soft and squishy.

Intense gaze

Brie's method of communication is the intense gaze. This silent method is usually ignored by other members of the family, however for some reason Brie sticks to this method. I'm sure she is trying to tell me something, but usually I fail to understand what exactly she wants. This is when my attempt to decipher what's behind her gaze begins.

Usually, she is trying to claim a treat for finishing her meal, most of the time there is still some kibble left in her bowl, so this isn't the case. Then I open the door to let Brie out for a toilet break, and she just stays inside. This trial and error method is confusing for both of us which makes me wish that Brie could signal her intentions better. Today, she wanted a tummy rub, I do wonder why she didn't say that in the first place.

The squeaker

One of Brie's new toys is a soft rubber blue bone that emits a loud squeak whenever she bites it. The causes great joy in Brie, but greater annoyance in everybody else. She especially likes it when she is able to continuously create a series of loud noises by constantly and rhythmically chewing this toy. She must think that her music is greatly appreciated, as she is always willing to start the next movement of her concerto whenever there is a good audience nearby.

Sleep Barking

Brie is light sleeper most of the time, but occasionally she gets so into her dream that she sleep barks. It isn't a proper bark, it's more like a "poof poof" like a little puppy bark. It's so adorable when she does it as it's usually accompanied by her nose wiggling her tail wagging. She must be having a very enjoyable dream when this happens.

Ice Ice Baby!!

In this hot sunny weather what Brie loves to do is play with ice cubes, they slide along the deck as they melt so she can play chase with them, and when she catch it she loves licking it. She is always a bit disappointed when it melts down, and sometime she goes back and tries to find it. I think the concept of melting is bit too difficult for a little poodle like Brie.

Surviving the hot weather

Lately our fluffy poodle can often be found sleeping on her back. To the naked eye this must look like a poodle who has no sense of danger, exposing all the vulnerable regions of her body. However, what she is really doing is trying to lose more heat. I'm not sure how effective this is, but I'm so happy that Brie is not overheating. Because I am melting in this heat.

Happy Valentine's Day

Brie sends lots of love and tail wagging for your Valentine's Day. Brie got given a Greenie as chocolate is a big no no for dogs, and she is not really a big fan of admiring a rose, she prefer to munch on it.

Where is Brie??

Lately there have been a lot of "where's Brie" moments, where all of a sudden, Brie is nowhere to be seen. Usually, this is a bad sign, as she has probably run off with something she shouldn't have, like tissues. But now she's usually just laying around under the bed. Maybe it's because it's cooler down there, or maybe it's because she keeps her secret stash of contraband hidden away down there, who knows. She doesn't even come out when called. But one thing is for certain - she always comes running as the slightest hint of a treat, like the pantry door opening, or the crinkle of food wrapping. As she knows, the finest hunters always keep one ear to the ground.. or failing that, sit nicely and make a cute face when food is around.

Suspicious feeling

Brie isn't a supportive dog when it comes to applying her pad gel. She often thinks that we are playing and she decides to twist her paws away. But yesterday I was applying Brie's pad gel, and the next moment I saw that there was a big chunk of gel missing from the container, I have this suspicious feeling that Brie might have been involved. I guess it's safe to lick so it's probably safe for her to have a little lick, but it's a little bit annoying. I know it's you BRIE!!!

Filling out her frame

Brie has mostly stop growing in terms of her height and has now moved on to filling out her frame. Under her fur, she has a muscle structure that even a pro body builder would be impressed with. All her working out must be paying off, like lifting all those weights to work out her guns... I mean more like all the jumping and hopping that she does when she wants to express her happiness. Thanks to that she has sculpted thigh muscles which allow her to jump like a rabbit. However, all this is hidden under her fluffy fur, and I like to give her little soft curves when I trim her legs, so what she ends up with is thunder thighs like in this picture.

Napping

Its a nice warm day and Brie has been napping all day. She occasionally searches for cooler and more comfortable comfortable places, and then continues her nap. From the above picture one might think that Brie has found the perfect comfortable spot, and I bet she's thinking the same thing. However where she really decided to fall asleep is on my mouse!! How am I suppose to post a blog entry like that? She should know better and be more supportive, after all, we are trying to win some fans for you Brie. Brie you don't have to be that annoyed that I moved you. After all, it is my mouse and I am kind of using it.

Soft as puppy pads

This pad moisturiser was recommended by my mother, who also has a toy poodle. I had to get it as the description said that by using this cream, pads will go as soft as puppy pads (I assumed this is just like a me buying moisturiser expecting to get skin as soft as a baby's bum). Recently I have noticed that Brie's paws are getting bit rough around the edges, which I think must be from walking on our hot deck around the house, so I thought 'how perfect!!' Also, it is safe for dogs to lick, which is excellent as Brie loves licking her pads. I have to start using it, and hopefully we will get some results (fingers crossed Brie is going to be a paw model some day with the smoothest, softest pads).

New Bowls

I have been noticing these doggie tables around when I look for new items for Brie. They are made to raise bowls off the ground to reduce strain on her back, or so I have heard. Lately I have been trying to get my husband to create some doggie tables for her bowls to go on, but when it comes to DIY he tends to take a long time before he makes a start. So instead of waiting forever I decided to buy these new ice-cream bowls for Brie. They are made of plastic, but they aren't too light, and they also have little legs to keep them off the ground. Brie has two matching ones - sky-blue for water and pink for kibble. So far, they have worked well, and I'm very proud of my ingenious idea if I do say so myself.

It was a good idea at the time

It's a common concern in our household that Brie's nails are a tad bit too sharp since I haven't mastered the art of filing the nail smooth after she has been clipped. So I purchased a new item for Brie's wardrobe (which is now filling up the guest room closet), dog socks. They are so gorgeous and it even has a paw print grip pad on the sole. Imagining how cute Brie will look cute with it on, I convinced my husband they were a necessity, we purchased it. Despite how ecstatic I was to try the socks on Brie, when she tried it on she continue to trot around in an awkward pose whilst trying to bite the socks off. Then we she realised her attempt ended up as a failure, she just look a bit confused and unhappy (this is when the photo was captured). Don't worry Brie, I may have gotten the sizing wrong, next time I will buy you the right size and you will trot around with your cool and hip new socks!!!

Poodle vs. Machine

Brie is a proud lap dog, and when my husband uses his laptop on the couch it is always a little showdown over which gets the lap. Usually Brie will try to get up and squeeze on to his lap then when that doesn't work she will just sit and nest on the laptop. I have to admit that the laptop has no chance it gets removed to the side and my husband reluctantly types away in this awkward position of having Brie on his lap and the laptop by his side. She does this also when I am reading a book, she will sit on top of it or using her fluffy bum she will find her space on the lap.