Scary Picture

I wasn't invited to participate (my invitation probably got lost in the mail), but somebody is having a Scary Eye photo CONTEST and I found one that might qualify. Owwwoooooh! Owwwwoooooh! Do I SOUND scary??) I think this was taken when I was on a midnight cat hunt and Mom found an infrared setting on her camera accidently.

I tell youuuuuuuuuuuu. The best pictures she takes are accidental.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

My New Boyfriend and Goodbye, Cooper

My VERY first boyfriend. Yup! OH OH OH! A real one. His name is Ben and he's a Rottweiler and he said that I am beautiful. He said I could share his picture with you all, too. Isn't he everly so handsome?? And a gentleman. And he's ENGLISH! (sigh)

OK....so it's an "internet romance", but it's almost as good as in person except I don't have to worry about getting stepped on this way - I mean LITERALLY stepped on. Probably much better, doncha think? Mom says I'm too young to get serious and that this is probably just "Puppy Love", but it sure FEELS like the real thing. My heart is just pitty-pattying away, and he's all I can think about. I have to focus....! Important things like dinner - naps - treats - chicken - ice cream - snacks - Grandpa - work - cheese - kibble - ..........!

GOODBYE, COOPER!

Cooper just left for the bridge yesterday. I got the news from my Dogs With Blogs News Bulletin. We didn't know Cooper personally but I thought it would be nice if we visited his blog to honor his memory. Boy, were we surprised to find out that us pups can blog from the "other side". My mom got sort of weepy (you know how ladies get?), but I was very happy to hear about The Rainbow Bridge.

Here's the link if you want to see Cooper (NOTE TO GRANDPA - Click on the pink "Cooper" to read his blog or the pink words "Ben" if you want to read about my new (swwwwooooon) "boyfriend")

(In case you were wondering, my mom's doing housework today and keeps taking time outs. That's how come I get to write so much today.)

Love and smoochies...

Mary-Margaret

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Sunday!!

This is the very first Sunday that I can remember NOT having to go to work. Me and Mom are both celebrating by doing absolutely NOTHING constructive. Yup. We're just hanging out, breathing. Maybe a little TV....a little internet stuff. Oh...and she DID make our bed. But other than that, NADA.

We called my cousin, Cade, to wish him a very Happy Birthday. He's officially a teenager now. Thirteen years old, can you believe it? Amazing. And he's still running around like a young pup, playing baseball, football, and winning a trophy in Tai Kwan Do. Mom says when my Aunt Rose was 13, she was pretty sedentary (new word...means she sat around a lot).
But my cousin Cade is a winner in everything he does. Yup! He even won FIRST place in a tournament yesterday. Woo hoo! We are EVERLY so proud of him.

Here's a picture of me doing absolutely nothing. Yeah...hee hee. I thought you'd like that one.

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

PS: I talk to my Grandpa every day now. Even if it's just me and him saying "Hello...how ARE you!" through my Mom, we still get the message across. He's a pretty nifty guy for being 12.43 dog years old. I can't wait to see him again. Yup!

My UNIFORM is HEEEEEERE!!!

Mom had a really tough time getting me to stand still, so she put the camera in "movie mode". Probably a wise idea, don't you think?

I just love my new pleated skirt, and white blouse with teeny tiny little buttons and my monogrammed blazer WITH LAPELS. I bet I'm the only pup in my neighborhood with LAPELS. Woo hoo.

I'm all ready for school. Now....er...Mom? When can I start?

Love, Mary-Margaret

PS - Thank you to Yvonne Tolley for designing and creating my new outfit. Isn't she the most talented lady ever?

Monograms? For MEEEEEE?

It's more than I ever expected. I am overjoyed and can't WAIT to get my new uniform. I will be the best dressed receptionist my mom ever hired. Yup. Oh boy oh boy! Check out the little buttons and the MONOGRAMS. "M M" is for "Mary-Margaret". I'll be the first one on my block with their very own monogrammed blazer.

Ben the Rottie (one of my new boyfriends) thinks I should have a straw boater hat and white socks. Hmmmmmmmmm! I wonder if Mom will go for that. Let me work on her a bit.

She hunted around and found these. Aren't they absolutely super? And they come with white socks. I hope Ben likes them. It's so rare to find a man with an opinion, you know. I kinda like that he's interested in shoes. :o)

Love ya....

Mary-Margaret

My NEW Dress UNIFORM!!!

Oh boy! I pawsitively LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I can't wait to show my friends. Isn't it gorgeous?
Yvonne Tolley (my Auntie Yvonne) made it for MEEEEEE. People kept telling me that I sounded like a little Catholic school girl and.....voila! I will look like one now.

Thank you everly so much, Auntie Yvonne.

Love and puppy licks..

Mary-Margaret

Children and Puppies

One of the ladies on my Mommy and Me Yorkie baby lists has an almost 4-month old Yorkie baby that bites her. She's all a-twitter about it and can't understand what's the matter with him. Well, geez! Silly woman. Never try to hide a potato chip from a Yorkie kid. A potato chip is not only food, but absolute divinity to us Yorks and Yorkettes. We will do almost anything to get hold of a potato chip. (See my Diary entry from February 6, 2008)

Mom and me talked about it and here's what we came up with. I think it's worth posting, don't you?

Children and puppies want to please, to be praised, to be cuddled and loved, to feel appreciated, to belong, and to be part of a family.

Children and puppies become sad when they displease their parents, or cause anger or sadness, or feel unloved, feel like an outsider, or feel alone without a support system.

Humans have families; puppies (and dogs) have packs. If puppies live with humans, the humans become their "pack".

Children and puppies become angry and act out if they are physically hurt, abused verbally or physically, are left alone for extended periods of time, are unsupervised most of the time, if they're belittled and berated, and/or can do as they please without limitation. If the only time they receive attention is as a result of negative behavior, then they will exhibit negative behavior in order to receive your attention.

A four-month old puppy is like a 2-year old child. They both will constantly test your love and your patience because they are learning that they have a will of their own and are looking for guidance and boundaries. They will come through their childhood/puppyhood with flying colors if you are kind, gentle, and consistent in your directions and your responses, and treat them with respect and with love.


This is written by my mom, Michele, and approved by MEEEEEE, Mary-Margaret O'Brien.

This is how my mom raised me and my sisters, andI think we turned out pretty good.

Love, Mary-Margaret

Back to "The Pantry"

This is me and my mom, P-Nut and my Aunt Shelly at The Pantry. Aunt Vicki was taking the pictures. It was pretty funny when she was taking pictures and it didn't click or flash and everybody thought the camera was broken. Like...uh, people? It's in "movie" mode? True to form, though, these professional investigators figured it out in just a few minutes. Like....hello??

But let me go to the beginning. Tuesday, me and my mom went to GrandPapa's house. We helped him run "ear ends", you know, stuff that has to get done. First, it was lunch at Carrows, where we said "Hi" to all our friends that work there. Then, we got a really pretty lamp that looks like a votive candle to put next to my Grandma's picture. It's very respectful. We got Grandpapa some dark glasses clipper-ons, and we went to Bob's Market to buy some takeout for dinner.

Oh guess what? Hmmmmmmm? They FORGOT MINE! Yup. That's true. We got home and Grandpapa says "Oh oh!". But it worked out ok. I got some chicken pieces from a casserole, cheese, pasta, and it was good, but portion-wise, it just didn't cut it. Not very much, so I figured I'd tell the grown ups what I thought. I went and picked up my little pink dish and carried it all by myself into the dining room and stood there, looking a bit hopeful, until my Grandpapa took pity on me. It paid off big time. I got...(oh this is BIG YUMMY!)...PRIME RIB! That's right, folks, and dessert - my favorite - vanilla ice cream. Can't complain. Almost worth getting forgotten, huh?

Then we went to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Janet's house. And I got busted again. They finked me out. I now know better about the white carpet in the living room, so the last time I was there I found a very pretty flower garden in the form of a beautiful rug under their dining room table. It's taking me a bit, but I'm learning there's just NO PLACE in a house that won't be found. The only bright side was that my Uncle Michael thought it was absolutely hilarious about my Aunt Janet finding my "faux pas" with her bare feet. I thought he'd laugh all night. Yup. Aunt Janet didn't feel the same, though. Mom kept insisting that it couldn't possibly be me. That it must be the cat, Zooey, setting me up for a fall. Hey...I'll support that theory, too.

(double click on the picture to enlarge)

Here's me and my VERY GOOD FRIEND, P-Nut Daniel, and her mom, my Aunt Shelly. Doesn't P-Nut look really beautiful in her pink rhinestone glasses? And she gets her nails polished? Hmmmmmmm??? Our moms all hugged good bye and said that we should plan a play date. I'd really like that. Someplace where we can run around without clothes or uniforms, and get really stinky. That would be such fun.

That's all for now. Love you guys...REALLY!!

Mary-Margaret

PS. I almost forgot. This is sooooo kewl. At CVS Pharmacy there was a lady with FIVE pups. A pit bull and four little ones. Nicholas Ryan was the pit, and the others all had two Irish names, just like MEEEEE. And they weren't on a leash, either. Their mom gave them directions, like "stop" (and they did), and "turn right" or "turn left" and they did. All in a pack at the same time. When their mom went into CVS, they ALL lay down on the concrete by the door and just watched and waited. Now THAT's really good training, I'd say. The kid named Frankie and the big guy, Nicholas, sorta forgot their manners and came to get to know me, but otherwise my Mom said they were absolutely PERFECT children.

My new dress!!

OHMYGOODNESS! I am so very excited. I....I.....well, oh rats, I can't tell you. But I am getting a NEW outfit. Made especially for MEEEEEE by Yvonne Tolley who makes the most gorgeous clothes for us pups. Mom says to "keep my trap shut" (and that's a direct quote) and we'll post a picture when I get it. Oh gosh, darn!! Fooey! Piffle. I want to TELL you.

Sheesh! You'll just have to wait.

But it's really neat and I am grinning from ear to ear. Yup!

Excitedly yours,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

Puppy Mills and Oprah Winfrey

My mom couldn't watch. Neither could I (but that's because I only get to watch what my mom watches). But we heard all about it. A TV show about the horrible conditions in "puppy mills".

For those of you who don't know me, I was born in a "Puppy Mill" in Elkland, MO owned by Thomas and Jean Rippee on September 19, 2005. Before I picked out my mom on November 25, 2005, I'd been shipped from Missouri to California, had an operation to repair an inguinal hernia; poked, prodded and examined and tossed into a glass kennel at Pacific Pets pet store with a young Maltese whose bark could shatter glass. All this before I was nine weeks old.

My Certificate of Pedigree is just a family tree. Nobody on it has "CH" (or champion) in front of their names. My birth father's name is "Dandy Agustus Bush" and my birth mother's name is "Sissy's Tootoo by T and J". On November 21, 2005 I was given a physical and my "report card" (that's what it says) has "appears normal" x'd by every checkpoint. And four days later I met my mom. That was the very best day of my life. It was the best day of hers, too, but she didn't know it for a couple of hours. I just hung in there while she played with everybody, including that annoying Maltese, until it was just me and her. Yup. I used every ounce of telepathic energy that God gave me until it hit her. WE ARE FAMILY!!

I am loved for who I am, which is pretty lucky. I have a grade 4 luxated patella on my left leg, and maybe a grade 2 on my right. It doesn't hurt but it will cost Mom about $3000 to fix it someday. I was 2.1 pounds when she adopted me, even though I was 2.4 pounds only 4 days earlier. My body is maybe a bit long, and I am sorta round in the middle. I cough sometimes when I get excited....like maybe I have a little problem with my "trachea". Some of us pups do as it's congenital.

My whole point on writing this is to tell you that you have to love with your heart and not with your eyes. If you go to a shelter, a breeder, a pet store, or pound you're going to be adopting somebody that will love you for absolutely ever no matter what you look like, even if you get sick. There are no guarantees like what comes with a new car. We are companions, not trophies. All we want is to love and be loved...in our forever home by our "foralways" family.

Off my soapbox for now...

Mary-Margaret

Good Morning, GrandPaPa & Good Evening

Hi. It's MEEEEE....Mary-Margaret. Not my fault AGAIN that I haven't been posting. My "secretary" has been otherwise occupied. I'm getting better at typing but my spelling is a bit off, and it takes forever due to lack of thumbs. Everything is everly so much easier with thumbs, you know? That's what Mom says, anyway. I don't speak English all that well either because of the way my mouth is made so things come out like "grrr" and "wrrrr" and stuff. But I understand it absolutely perfectly, so nothing gets by MEEE.

Not that I've been doing anything really exciting, though. Like...OK, here's an example. Doing laundry in the basement of a high rise apartment building in Santa Monica. The first time was ok. I got to meet some ladies from Guatamala and Honduras and places I can't pronounce. This was my THIRD time. I can't reach the machines, I'm not allowed to rifle through the trash, I'm hooked on my leash and there are NO windows. Get the idea?

So....I try to find someplace soft and comfy to sleep. I have two choices and one of them is either reading or hopping up to check the wash. The other is reading but at least he doesn't move as much. So I get all snuggly and......well, I must be cute, too, because here comes Mom with the camera. Personally, I think me and my Grandpapa were perfectly happy snuggling as we were. But she's just got to get a picture.

Here ya go!

Good Evening! I figured I'd just add a bit to what I already wrote. This morning I went to my "dogtor" and got what Mom calls a "booster shot". (ow ow ow) But she says it'll make me stay well. Then I got weighed. Ick. 9.0 pounds. Oh wait, Mom said. And she took off both my collars with all my "blings", and I dropped down to 8.8 pounds. My collars weigh 0.2. I think that's a lot, but it's "me". You know?

James took me in the back to draw blood and do a heartworm test. That might sound ok to some of you but it means that they jab a needle into me and pull a thingy back and out comes MY BLOOD. I hate it when I have to leave my mom. I put my arms around James and won't let go. He remembers me from Puppy School. Nobody thinks I have heart worms but Dr. Bach likes to check every so often to make sure my "pre-vent-a-tive" medicine is working well. She is so nice. She even remembers my name and says "Oh, hello there, Mary-Margaret!". I made several new friends, too.

"Two Shoes" is a chihuahua that has pancreatitis and had to go into the hospital. He didn't look like he felt very well and his mom was crying when she left him. But they are going to try and make him better. I met a Pomeranian who was still a baby so he didn't speak very well and he was pretty active. My mom told his mom about Miss Lynne at "Cool Dogs" and she had already planned on calling her. So he gets to have a teacher, like me, to be a better citizen. Citizenship is very important in our upbringing, dontcha think?

Then we went to our accountant. After Mom gave Marie all the stuff I walked over to the table with the cookies on top and just stood there looking up at the tin of cookies. I remember how good those vanilla wafers taste. Being that I was very good, Mom let me have one. I just LOVE those cookies.

So that's my day. If you want to know, anyway.

I love you, GrandPapa! I really do!

See you soon......

Mary-Margaret