How to lose 10 pounds in 3 hours!

Hey guys, you are gonna be shocked! I had to wait around a year after I could overcome one of the biggest traumas of my whole life and be able to write about it and worst of all, show you these horrible pictures. Anyway, it's all part of My Pooch Life, so it has to be registered here.
I'm not sharing a quick and miraculous weight loss program here! Sorry, it only works for hairy people like me!
So, one year ago, Mama and Daddy decided to try a new groomer and a new summer haircut for me. They were thinking "puppy cut" but, one thing they didn't realize is that my neck is way too long and I'm a big Shih Tzu and no way a "puppy cut" would suit me but, I have no voice in this house so they didn't need my approval to go ahead and give me this awful haircut. After I left the salon, no joking, it looked like I lost 10 pounds in only 3 hours!

BEFORE: Fluffy and cute



AFTER: Looking sick and undernourished.



Daddy was so excited to see me that he asked Mama to wait at the salon near the train station where he gets off from work so they both could walk me home showing off my new cut. After they saw me, I don't think they liked the way I looked but, they tried their best not to make me feel bad, but it didn't work because I did feel terrible!
I didn't even wanna walk! I was sitting all the time! My butt was shaved so bald it hurt so bad!
My only consolation was knowing that my hair wouldn't let me down and that hopefully within a year I'd be back to Old Fluffy Me. And it did a great job of growing fast in just 3 months so I wouldn't look anorexic anymore!
Ok, right now I'm the hairiest and the cutest I've ever been and no more "puppy cuts" for me!
Do people think I'm hot in Chicago summer? The summer here is a joke! I'd better be prepared for the winter, because winters here are no joke! And nothing is gonna stop my hair from growing until I decide that I want a new look. Be warned Mama & Daddy, no more haircut decisions before my approval!

Here are some more pics of me. Mama put my sunglasses on in an attempt to make me look cuter but she failed BIIIG time. Sorry about the way I look in these pics but don't worry, I'm far from looking this skinny and I'm back to Old Fluffy Me!
Thank God for my hair!

"Wooftop" petting event

It was one of my exciting summer outings last year. The rooftop of the Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society hosted a summer event that both Mama & Dad, especially Dad got really motivated to go because he thought there was going to be a display of woofies for him to pet...
When we got there around 11:00 AM, it was nothing like Dad was expecting; it was just a lot of food stalls selling both human and woof foods and treats, some loud music, a radio station was there giving away freebies and of course, Dad got the chance to pet some friendly woofs, most of them were nice and let him do it.



There were several different kinds of woofies including a very strange one: a huge two-legged blue and white doggie that Mama found interesting and asked him to be photographed with us. She didn't need to speak WOOF to him, just English and he got it! He must also be a smart doggie!



Daddy got me some free doggie ice-cream and even though I was really hot and thirsty, I didn't care for it at all. So Daddy gave it to another woofie.









Then I saw a red bowl of water and thought Yipee! I'm gonna quench my thirst right there! Once I started drinking someone else got his face in there too... Hey mate, I can barely get a drink now that your whole face is in the bowl! I told him to wait for his turn, but he's not polite or respectful and carried on drinking... Some people just don't know how to behave in public... so rude!



Now that he's gone, let me get my drink very fast...



Before this sausage doggie gets in the bowl too!



Next, I saw some wet doggies and water on the floor so I went to see what they were doing.





They were cooling off in a mini swimming pool full of rubber duckies but, I didn't feel like going inside after I saw the Ballerina Poodle monopolizing the whole pool! How ridiculous!



Yuck, she was drinking that water.... ewwwww!



Look at her! Does she think she's sexy in this tutu? Poor lady...



Well, although I was bothered by some people during the event, I really enjoyed being outside for a few hours with my lovely parents.

My new house/observatory

I'm so happy it's summer! YAY! And I am so proud to show you guys my new house/observatory. Well, it's new to you but to me it's getting old. Mama bought this online for me last summer because she was sick and tired of setting up my old observatory in the balcony whenever I wanted to take a peek outside.
Now it looks like we've found a solution...only 2 little problems...
What was the house builder thinking when he attached those steps to it? That I am the size of a squirrel? Honestly, not even the tiniest tea cup Yorkie would be able to climb up those steps.



Now look at this door, how many pounds do I have to shed in order to walk through it? :(



So, we had to make some adptations and the first one was replace those ridiculously narrow steps with a decent, though made out of plastic, ugly-looking set of steps.

Ok, no I can go up to the rooftop and that's what matters to me. I don't wanna be inside this house and never will, once I have so many interesting things out in the street to look at from my own rooftop!

Or...just close my eyes and enjoy the sun... Oooh how much I looooove summer!
Have a great summer peeps and enjoy it while it lasts!

Wordless Wednesday: Shoyu rock star

Guess who's the new KISS member?



My Uncle SHOYU!

End of Spring/Beginning of Summer in Troy,MI

Hi guys, woofies and meowies! Long time no see! Sorry...
Just lazy I must confess. When I start something I wanna finish and I hate the idea of leaving something half done. However, I'm way behind my blogging posts and activities and I'm not properly catching up with other dear bloggers and involved in the blogosphere like I was some time ago but, I need to blog because I wanna make my book of memories so, when I'm older I can take wonderful walks down memory lane (sometimes not so wonderful...)What's more, I love writing...when I'm in the mood :):)

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who still pops in for a quick visit, leaves a comment and supports me and MPL. Thank you so much guys, you know who you are! You guys keep my blog alive, many thanks for your TLC! WOOF!

So, where did we leave off? Ok, my last post was about our time in Detroit,MI. In this post, I'll tell you about my time in Troy,MI ,which I liked much better. Mom & Dad couldn't carry on living in that hotel apartment with that horrible kitchen so, they started their search for another woof friendly hotel and were only able to find one in Troy, MI. So, we came back to Chicago for about a week to celebrate Mama's B-day and also to drop some stuff and repack to go to Troy. Mama's B-day this year fell on Memorial Day and her friend B, who graduated with her in London, came over from the Big Apple to visit with us on Memorial Day weekend. E also came all the way from STL but, no singing this time :):) Here is me and Mama on her B-day last year. We didn't take pics together this year, the weather was gloomy and cold and she was not into taking pictures this time.

We stayed at the Residence Inn in Troy for about 3 months and it had a huge green area, a backyard where I could play and run freely. The kitchen was much better than the one at the Holiday Inn in Detroit.

I also enjoyed staying out in the "porch" but, Dad had to improvise a fence by putting their largest suitcase to block the passage to the staircase so, I could be protected. I think they thought I could run away but I'd never do that.

At this hotel, there was no corridor for us( me and Dad) to do our tradition but, I was happy with so much green and many trees around me. There was a swimming pool and a gym in the common area but woofies were not allowed in those facilities. In spite of that, one day late at night Mama & Dad took me to the gym to see if I'd enjoy working out but I didn't like it so much. First, I tried the treadmill which I needed help from Dad... Pathetic! Then I moved on to the stationary bike but my arms and legs were too short to reach the handle bars and pedals(even more pathetic than the treadmill!)

I already got my driver's license so, I thought I'd give it a try at the wheel,and it'd be a good chance to practice since I was completely useless on both treadmill and bike and Troy was a quiet town. Once in a while, I'd give Mama a ride to the Sommerset Mall not far away from our hotel. In the beginning, it was not easy to drive without Daddy's help but, as time went by I learned to steer the wheel like a pro. Now I drive even better than Mom & Dad. Woof!

Even though I enjoy driving there is something that I like much better :Blogging!!!

That's it folks, that was our time in Troy. I hope you guys liked it!

Heading to Detroit

After 6 weeks at Grandma J´s and the kindergarten playground episode, we finally made it home! Mom & Dad did their research and found a woofy friendly hotel in Detroit for me! YAY! This time I was able to join them for their second phase in Detroit ( 6 more weeks ). So, we barely had time to pack everything, including pots & pans and had to hit the road and endure the long 5-hour drive from Chicago to Detroit. We stayed at a hotel downtown close to the Tiger Stadium and Greektown for the first couple of days, since we didn´t find availability at our permanent hotel. Dad and I didn´t miss the opportunity to do our tradition again. Then we moved to our hotel downtown Detroit, which was within walking distance to the COBO Center, Detroit Red Wings(hockey team),Detroit Riverfront and GM headquarters. When we got there, our room was not ready yet so, Mom & Dad ordered lunch at the hotel restaurant and ate outside while I sat under the table in the hopes of getting some food they might accidentally drop on the floor. No luck :( but, the weather was beautiful that day!
Along the Detroit river, where I always went for a walk, we could see the city of Windsor, Canada across the water on the other margin. To get to the riverwalk we had to go down a lot of steps and go up on the way back. I enjoyed going down as you can see below,but neither me nor Mama liked going up.



Mom & Dad didn´t like the kitchen there because when they used their own pots and pans to make dinner, the electric stove got so hot that the room got all smoky and the fire alarm went off. So they swtiched to the proper crockery found in the cabinets but, the performance was poor. To prepare a meal in that kitchen was hell! So we only spent half of the time there,cooking everything in the microwave for 3 weeks, and then we moved to another hotel in Troy,MI. Good thing I never need to cook my food :)
Even though my parents were not happy with the hotel, I was pretty happy with my daily walks along the river especially after the Detroit´s Downtown Hoedown, a huge country music event, when I could find loads of chicken and rib bones on the grass which made Mama´s face look really panicky. She kept an eye on me all the time and I was safe from swallowing those bones but, she missed the piece of chewing gum that got stuck in my hair under my right foot. Gross!!! She cut part of the hair and got rid of the remaining gum using olive oil. Also gross but, my foot got very smooth.
That was my time in Motown. Next, I´ll tell you about our time in Troy. Stay tuned!

Trouble in kindergarten playground

Last year in April on the way back home from Grandma J´s, we stopped at Grandma A´s for the night and the next day Mama took me for a walk around the neighborhood. We passed by a day care facility and saw a bunch of kids playing in the playlot and when they saw me, they started to wave at us and asked Mama to come closer to the fence so they could see me better. They begged Mama to put me on their side of the fence and their teacher said it was ok... Why did you do that Mama?

Once on the other side of the fence, one boy asked Mama for the leash so he could go around with me, then all the kids wanted to do the same and they started to fight for the leash and scream very loudly : It´s my turn, it´s my turn!!! Uh-Oh!

While she and Mama tried to calm the hysterical kids down, others started scooping sand and pouring it over my head and that was the end of the fun for them. I got pissed off and so did Mama. She picked me up, I shook all the sand up from my hair and we carried on with our morning walk.

I bet Mama and that teacher regret what they did; now I stay away from kids´s playgrounds. No more sand or loud kids for me!

I miss Mommy and Daddy!!!

Just letting it all out: I miss Mommy and Daddy! Especially when they call and I hear their voices on the phone. I know they are far away but I look around for them in the house anyway and this drives me crazy! I feel kinda sad today, to top it off, for no reason, Uncle Sammie peed in my head when we went for a walk with Grandma. I need my treats!!! I need Mom & Dad! Woooooooooof!