Meet Wrigley!

It's time for another installment of HERE'S...MY....DOGGY!!! *trying to sound like a game show host*

(BTW, thanks for the nice comments about my Mojey Pojey. And yes, absolutely, everyone should feel free to use this on their blog for their own dogs [or cats! or guinea pigs! or whatever!] I would adore that! It would be a hoot to meet the special little creatures in your lives.)

Wrigley 

(aka Wriggles, Wrigs, WrigaMaJig, Wrigaroo, and 

WRIGLEY JAMES!! when he's in trouble)

The 411

Breed: He's a Terrier Casserole. Can'tcha tell? (More Rat than Jack Russell, if you ask me. But others have disagreed.

Age: 3-ish we think.

Fur Color:  Mostly white, with a few liver polka dots...and some great freckles on his shnozz.

Fur Type: Short and wiry. He sheds the kind of hair that digs itself into your clothes (or upholstery) and then holds on for dear life. *sigh*

Eye Color: Brown

Size: He's smaller than MoJo but weighs more! He's almost 16lbs! He's pretty stalky...but we do watch his treat intake because the vet warned us he was getting "too round." Of all the nerve! *haha*

What's your favorite thing about your dog? Aw Wrigley. What's not to love? He really is quite a charmer...making every single person that enters this house feel as though they are the only person he has ever loved. He rolls over in your lap and gazes up at you as if you were singing him a love song. I also love how well he gets along with both MoJo and Cubby. I call him the "Glue Dog," as in the glue that holds us all together. (Obscure White Squall reference anyone?) It's so cute to see how much they both want to be with him. They almost fight over him. *haha*

What's your least favorite thing? The same quality that makes him so sweet: he's SO stinkin' needy! There always seems to be this extreme urgency in his desire to be near you. He doesn't respect personal space AT ALL.

Those are MY legs! Told ya, no personal space.

Background

Where did you get him? He's from a shelter right outside of Oklahoma City called OK-Save-A-Dog. We found him through Petfinder.com.

Runt of the litter?  Wish I knew! 

Any special details? Of course silly head! In February of 2007, we started thinking MoJo needed a friend. This time around I knew I wanted a rescue dog, but other than that the only qualification was that it be another male, young and close in size. Breed didn't matter to me.

We found his profile the week of Valentine's Day and I made a mental note of him, but I was still extremely surprised when I got home from work Valentine's Day evening and Jeremy met me at the door with a suitcase. He told me we were taking a little roadtrip to OKC and were going to meet Wrigley (then going by "Tyro") the next morning! He'd already bought another crate, leash, colloar...the whole shebang. So I guess you could say Wrigs was my Valentine's Day present. :)

The next day when we went to meet Wrigley, we were smitten with him instantly. It was a FREEEEEEZING cold day and the poor little guy was just shivering like mad. I picked him up and he nuzzled into my chest. He was dirty (there was mud and snow on the ground) and painfully thin. I know you're supposed to do a full-blown examination of a dog before you adopt them, to make sure you don't end up with a "lemon." But from the minute I held him I just wanted to sweep him off into the car. And that's basically what we did (after we paid the lady, that is). I wrapped him up in the blankets Jeremy had thoughtfully brought and blasted the car heat on high. He looked up at me with that patented Wrigley look...and I knew we'd done the right thing. Here are pictures of what he looked like when we first got him home:

So sad, isn't it?? And to think he's now being accused of being "too round!" That's what getting into our family will do for ya. *wink wink*

Where's the mother? Wouldn't really know, now would I? *haha*

Spayed/Neutered? Yes. The shelter spays and neuters every animal before it's adopted.

Any injuries or illnesses?  The only thing that's ever happened to this poor fella is when he ripped his dewclaw in half. (The story's here, if you wanna read it.) He was a super trooper about it, though.

Training

Does he bite? We've never been bitten by Wrigley. Now...if he gets really into a bone he will growl and bare his teeth and make all sorts of evil noises. But he doesn't follow through on it. *haha*

Does he jump on people? This is a yes on all our boys. :(

Is he house-broken? Yes! The best of the three. I can't think of a single accident he's ever had in the house...not even straight from the shelter.

Has he chewed up anything special? Nothing "special," but he is a bit of a chew monster. He destroyed the tray that used to sit in the bottom of his crate (which now sits on a plank of wood so he won't chew a hole in the carpet). And he shreds any blanket, pillow or towel that is put in his crate. Plus he can "kill" a stuffed toy and have the squeaker out in record time. I haven't been able to find a toy he can't destroy. But he's never chewed anything up around the house, like shoes or furniture or anything.

Does he bark? Yeeeah. The terrier in him demands that he bark at anyone who comes to the door or any furry creature that passes his way. He also barks in protest when he's first crated. But he's fairly easy to shut up.

Fetch? Kinda. He likes to fetch a few times but then decides he'd rather chew up whatever we're throwing. *haha*

Did he go to obedience school? No but I wish we would have. 

Does he play nicely with others? Yes! I can't imagine him not getting along with anyone. Oh wait....

When we first brought him home, he and MoJo were no love connection. I think it was mostly MoJo's fault, but it was still very frustrating! We had to keep them completely separated for the first WEEK. I was starting to think Wrigley was gonna have to find a new place to live, but then we saw on the Dog Whisperer a similar situation. Cesar (our hero) simply took the dogs on a walk together, conveying to them that they were "in the same pack." We decided to give it a try and AMAZINGLY it worked!  We brought them home and they ran around the backyard, playing like they were best buddies. It was nothing short of a miracle. :) This picture was taken shortly thereafter:

(Look how much he'd already fattened up. Just in a week!)

Has he ever humped your leg? No. But he does like to play that "game" with Cubby. Especially when we have company. I think he's just trying to get our attention, cause we always go nuts trying to stop him. 

Any special tricks? *haha* No. Wrigley is the sweetest thing, but he ain't the brightest crayon in the box. He can sit on command and after about 2 months we managed to teach him to shake. And anytime you try to teach him anything new...he just keeps puttin' that paw up in the air like, "I can do THIS! I can do THIS! I can do THIS!" :)

Preferences

Where's his favorite place to sleep? Curled up next to me, under the covers. During the day, since he's always cold, his very best friend is the portable space heater I use. He follows it wherever I put it and basks in its glow.

Favorite food? I think he'd eat anything...but lately he's really into apple cores. 

Favorite toy? Anything with a squeaker!

Favorite place to run around? Backyard.

Favorite owner? I know he has plenty of love for me, but I'd be crazy not to admit he's a Daddy's boy. The evidence is overwhelming:

Personality

Is your dog calm or hyper?  Fairly calm. We've coined the exceptionally clever name "Crazy Wrigley Time" for when he does go nuts. He runs up and down the stairs, around tables, on and off of couches...the whole time making these "Rooroooroooroo!" noises. It's pretty hilarious. He also enjoys a good romp with Cubby. They love the wrestle.

Explorer or Couch Potato? Couch potato. He's always the first one ready to come inside.

Does he learn quickly? Ahuh, no.

Stubborn at all? Not really. He's easily intimidated so he doesn't stick to his guns. And he's eager for affection so he'll stop whatever he's doing if you'll pet him.

Does he like to swim? I doubt it. He has come to enjoy bathtime, though. Being covered in hot water while being massaged can't be that bad, right?

Is he a cuddler? Yes! His joints are very stiff, though, which makes him awkward to cuddle sometimes.

Some Favorite Photos 

Happy face!

I'll do anything for you, Mommy.

Loungin' around in a t-shirt.

All dressed up with nowhere to go!

"If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of meeeee!!! OOOOOOOOH baby please don't gooooo!"

Meet MoJo!

So I found this dog survey...it's just like the things we all fill out about ourselves except you fill it out about your DOGS! Fabulous, right? Well, I thought it sounded fun. :) Plus I figured it would be a good excuse to post pictures of my little cuties. :) And, it will be a welcomed break to my usual gym and eating rambling, right? I'm going to break it into three posts, though, otherwise it could get a little too long (and take me all bloomin' day.)

 MoJo 

(short for EskiMO JO)

The 411

Breed: Alaskan Klee Kai (like a mini-husky)

Age: Almost 4. I can't believe it!

Fur Color:  Black & White

Fur Type: Fluffy and very soft. He sheds year round but he blows his dense undercoat twice a year.

Eye Color: Brown

Size: He only weighs 11 lbs! He's really lanky - all legs and fur! We've tried all kinds of things to make him gain weight. He's a good eater and gets lot's of treats and "people food." Wish I had his metabolism. *haha*

What's your favorite thing about your dog? He's so sweet spirited. I love it when he comes up and just LEANS into me so I'll pet him. He also has very responsive eyes. When you're talking to him he just stares at you like he's listening intently and cares about everything you're saying. He's a sweetheart. :)

What's your least favorite thing? When he gets into a heavy "argument" with the neighbor dog, he will NOT come when called. He's absolutely deaf to my voice. It makes me FURIOUS!

Background

Where did you get him? He came from a breeder in Springfield, Missouri.

Runt of the litter?  No. In fact he was one of only two puppies and his brother was born with a minor hip deffect. :( 

(I will post more puppy pictures of MoJo at some point after we get the scanner situation figured out. In the meantime, here's one from the breeder's website.)

Any special details? So glad you asked! *haha* We had been married for a year and it was the only period in my life when I didn't have a dog. It was hard. I started to get puppy fever really, really badly! Jeremy had never owned a dog, so it wasn't as big of a deal to him, but he knew how much it meant to me. But while I would have taken any ol' mutt off the street, he wanted to do a lot of research. 

So we spent a great deal of time at Borders, with stacks and stacks of dog breed books. He was really attracted to the arctic breeds, like Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes, but neither of us really wanted a dog that large. I vividly remember Jeremy saying, "Well maybe we could get a miniature version!" I laughed at him, in all my dog-lover-for-my-entire-life arrogance. "There's no such thing." Well lo and behold, in the biggest dog book in the store, was a two-page spread about the Alaskan Klee Kai. (It's still the only book I've ever found his breed in.) I still haven't lived it down, but I had NEVER heard of them! In my defense, it's a very rare breed that's only been around since the 80's. And they're not recognized by the AKC (yet).

After doing some research online, we found that the closest breeder was in Springfield. Oddly enough, we just happened to be going to Springfield the next month for Jeremy to bowl in a tournament! So we contacted to breeder and asked if we could come visit her dogs so we could meet an AKK in person. And we did! The woman was very nice and let us play and cuddle with all of her dogs. They were so beautiful and playful and affectionate! We were sold INSTANTLY. So we asked to be put on the waiting list for a puppy. This "kennel" works on a very small scale...only like two litters a year with usually no more than two puppies at a time. We were told we'd have to wait quite a while. But that was ok because we were still living in an apartment but looking for a house.

Well shortly after that, we received a call. She had apparently bumped us up on the list (I guess she was impressed by what wonderful people we are *hehe*) and wanted to know if we were interested. She told us she had a shy, subdued gray & white male...and a playful, ornery, kinda naughty black & white male. It's obvious which we picked. :) We told her to definitely reserve him for us...but were now panicking because we hadn't found a house and our apartment didn't allow puppies, only fully grown dogs. But we had faith that because this whole thing was falling into place so easily that the rest of the pieces would fall into place.

And they did! In fact, the weekend we went to pick MoJo up, we signed the offer on our house! (Literally. We drove back into town with our adorable new puppy and went straight to the realtor's office to sign the paperwork.) And when we pleadingly explained to the woman at our apartment complex that we were in the process of getting a house and could they please, please, please make an exception and oh, look how cute he is...she caved. :)

Whew! Are you still reading this? *hahaha*

Where's the mother? Her name is Kellika and she lives with the breeder. Isn't she beautiful? 

Spayed/Neutered? No, because there was a chance we could have bred him...but then his, erm, little boy bits never appeared. Not even by a year old. In fact, the vet had him pinned down on his back, feeling around for them for a good 10 minutes before he felt them. (It wasn't pleasant for poor MoJo.)  This was considered a defect so he was no longer eligible for breeding (though doubtful he would have even been able to) so we had him neutered (though the operation was more like being spayed *haha*).

Any injuries or illnesses? Besides the problem mentioned above, MoJo has been quite a "firstborn," always giving us some kind of scare. I've taken him to the vet more for weird symptoms or accidents than I have the other two combined. Most notable:

I once hit the wrong button when sitting in the car at a Sonic drive-in and rolled poor MoJo's head up in the window. *ashamed* It was terrible. For that afternoon and next day he was hacking and couching and whining. I finally called the vet and they freaked me out, saying I could have severely damaged his windpipe and he could be struggling for air. So we rushed him in for immediate observation and X-rays and all kinds of expensive tests. Anything wrong with him? Not a darn thing. (MoJo is a bit of a drama queen, just so you know. My fault, for babying him too much. You can merely skid your foot across the top of his toe and he yelps like you just amputated it.)

About a year ago MoJo started doing this HORRIBLE and frightening wheezing/snorting/seizing thing. His whole body would go stiff and he would sound like he was about to hack up some kind of alien being. It was freaky! I recorded it so I could show the vet when we took him in, since I didn't know quite how to describe it. But Blogger is being a pain and won't allow me upload the video of MoJo. Amazingly, there are dogs all over YouTube that have the same problem. *haha*

Turns out, it's a very common occurrence in dogs called R.S.S. - Reverse Sneezing Syndrome. Reverse sneezing? What the heck kind of syndrome is that?!? It can be caused by allergies or dust...or by nosemites (which they ruled out in MoJo's case.) Anyway, since this incident, MoJo still does it periodically and Cubby has started doing it too. But as the firstborn, MoJo got to be the case I freaked out on. *haha*

Training

Does he bite? Only on accident. I've pulled him away from furiously barking at the neighbor dog and my hand got in the wrong place at the wrong time. Otherwise, he's very good. I can give him kisses on his nose while he's chewing on a bone and he doesn't even growl.

Does he jump on people? *sigh* Yes. It's a habit we haven't worked hard enough to break.

Is he house-broken? Yes, but good luck getting him to do anything outside if it's raining. You may as well get a towel cause you're going to be cleaning something up from somewhere.

Has he chewed up anything special? Even as a puppy, he was never very bad about chewing anything but his toys. The ONLY two incidents we've ever had with him were a brand-new (and stinkin' adorable) pair of lime green flip flops with a sparkly daisy on the toes...and the transmitter for my iPOD. I about killed him that time. Jeremy taped it back together and it still worked...for a while.

Does he bark? He's not especially yappy. He does love to go after our neighbor dogs, but they start it, I swear. *haha* He's more of a "talker." Like when we get home or when he gets really excited, he runs around going "Ah ah ah ah ah!" like a monkey or something. 

Fetch? Only if he's really into playing with something and you throw it. And he'll only do it once before he's like, "Dude, nevermind. It ain't worth it."

Sit on command? Like a champ! And with impressive posture.

Did he go to obedience school? Yes, he completed Puppy Preschool AND Kindergarten at PetsMart. *hehe* 

Does he play nicely with others? For the most part. Jeremy and I joke that he doesn't realize he's a dog. He doesn't seem to quite know what to do when Wrigs or Cubby wants to play with him. He likes to be chased or play tug-o-war, but that's about it. And sadly with new, "doggie strangers," he tries to dominate them right off the bat and if they won't allow it, he gets snippy. 

Has he ever humped your leg? No. He did with a toy almost immediately when we got him as a puppy. I was so shocked! I practically drenched him with the water bottle and he's never humped anything since. *haha*

Any special tricks? MoJo is smart as a whip. In fact, he had us thinking we were pretty good dog-trainers. (Then we got Wrigley and that myth was busted.) Combined with the fact that he was our "firstborn" means he can sit, shake (with EITHER paw), wave, lay down, roll over, BANG! (he rolls over and stays on his back), spin, dance on his hind-legs, Pick-Which-Paw (you put a treat in one of your hands and make him guess which) and Leave It (ignore a treat until told to take it). And if he's in the mood, he'll speak, but even then it takes a lot of coaxing.

Preferences

Where's his favorite place to sleep? On the nights Jeremy works, he gets under the covers on that side of the bed and stretches out. Needless to say he's a little annoyed when Jeremy's home. *haha*

Favorite food? Hands-down, no question, it's cheese. He only needs to hear the wrapper and he comes runnin'!

Favorite toy? Anything he can play tug-o-war with. That's his favorite game.

Favorite place to run around? Well the only place he's allowed off-leash is the backyard.

Favorite owner? He's equally overly-attached to both of us. *haha* But he does love his Daddy time. (As they all do.)

Personality

Is your dog calm or hyper?  Visitors never believe us when we say that 99.5% of the time he's totally chill. He only gets really crazy when we have people over or when we first get home and set him free from his crate. Otherwise, he spends a lot of time sleeping and lounging around. Seriously!

Explorer or Couch Potato? When given the choice between the two I'd say he prefers exploring. He loves to "run the fences" in our backyard and go on walks.

Does he learn quickly? YES. Like I said before, he's very bright. Sometimes TOO bright, we're convinced. 

Stubborn at all? For sure.

Does he like to swim? NO! He hates the water!

Is he a cuddler? Absolutely. He loves to curl up on you, next to you...whatever you'll allow. :)

***ADDED***

What are his nicknames?

Mojey Pojey, Moje, MoJoHoSoPhat, Mojers, MOJO BUTLER!! (when he's in trouble), 

Some favorite pictures

Trying to figure out if Cubby is a stuffed animal or an actual dog.

In his favorite spot- the pillow by the front door/window.

Bein' nosey.

MoJo & SnowJo

In his element. :)

I read a book!

Yeah, so? I read a book. Big deal! But you don't understand...I NEVER read books! Well, that's not entirely true. I read devotional and Christian living books and my Bible...but I can't remember the last time I sat down to read a regular ol' book. So c'mon! Celebrate with me! *haha*

The book? The Amazing Adventures of DietGirl. 

It's written by Shauna Reid, an Australian woman who weighed 351lbs by the time she was just 21. She started Weight Watchers in 2001 and decided to blog about her journey (dietgirl.org). (I actually first discovered her blog and that's how I found out she'd written this book.) She ended up losing half her body weight: 175lbs! 

Things I Loved About "DietGirl"

1. It's completely real. She's open and honest about her struggles and anxieties and obsessions. I may have never been as heavy, but I completely identified with almost everything about her. This whole unhealthy preoccupation with food...what can I eat, when I can eat it, I want more than that, when can I have seconds, is there any left, can I have some of yours, why isn't he finishing his, I think there's some chips still in the cabinet, ooh that ice cream on TV looks good I think I'll go get some...you probably get the point. 

Or the fact that with every approaching special occasion or vacation, the only thoughts in her head were of whatever foods were associated with that event or place. 

I also deal with the same insecurities and ridiculous self-loathing body image. ("After all this time, the days in which I like me and feel attractive are starting to outnumber the DIE You Fat Ugly Cow! days. I don't know what happened. I think I just decided to stop telling myself such rot all the time. I've wasted so much time convincing myself I am the rolypoly incarnation of the devil.")

I also particularly liked the part where she was explaining to someone that she didn't have a "sweet tooth" or a "savory tooth," but instead she had both. "I've got many teeth." *haha*

2. It shows the ups & downs. She didn't lose it all on the first attempt. She didn't even lose it all with Weight Watchers. It took many tries and there were a few times when she had to "restart" after gaining back some weight. 

3. Because she's Australian, she uses lot's of cute, unfamiliar words. I find myself wanting to use them too. (If you watch this clip of her on the Early Show, it's even more fun to read what she writes because you've got the accent in your head. I think she's just adorable.) She talks about clearing the cabinets of the "dodgy foods" that were tempting her, or feeling like "rubbish." And of course there's "bloody" this and "bloody" that. 

4. She has a wonderful writing style. SO easy to read that I was half-way through the book before I even knew what'd hit me. She makes every page come alive with her funny descriptions of things, like trying new classes at her gym or struggling to squeeze into those "serious undergarments" in order to "achieve maximum foxiness."

5. She overcame. Through the course of the book you get to watch her completely transform. Not just because she loses the weight or wears smaller sizes...but because she gains confidence, tries new things and really starts to experience her life. And she's learned how to live healthily without being obsessed about the scale or constant calorie counting. I want to get to that place. It's all very inspiring. I wanted to cry with pride for this real life superhero. And look at her! She's stinkin' adorable!

Pretty much the only negative thing I could think to say about this book (or her blog) is that she tends to have a bit of a potty mouth. (I know some of you think I'm a prude for even mentioning that.) Wish she would have used ALL Australian-born slang. *haha*

Overall I'd definitely recommend you take a look at this book. Especially those of you who are on a similar journey. You'll be inspired!! 

P.S. I want to thank all of you for the wonderfully encouraging comments and e-mails since my last post!! I can't convey how much they helped. I think I'll print them out and make a scrapbook page to carry around with me...or maybe post it on the cereal cabinet to keep me focused. You're the BESTEST!

Wake Up Call

Well this morning's weigh-in wasn't good, but it also wasn't really a surprise. I was up 2lbs. Not terrible, but definitely enough to get my attention. 

For the past week I've let a lot of things slip. Portion sizes have gotten a little sloppy...just taking "handfuls" of things instead of actually counting them. Sneaking extra little nibbles here and there...Oh I think I'll have some banana chips...or some grapes...or a few crackers...and then not counting them into my calories. It's little things like that, but they add up. Then there was Jeremy's Birthday dinner on Wednesday night where I ate more (and naughtier) than I'd planned. And that popcorn I had at the concert on Saturday night. And I'd rather not get into last night. *sigh*

It's kind of a pattern I've had in the past, too. This is usually where it starts, but then eventually I start cheating here and there in other ways. Rationalizing, fudging, bingeing. It snowballs. But this time I really can't let it! This time I need to get myself under control before it's too late.  And if the scales have already noticed that I'm not trying very hard, then I need to get back to taking this seriously again. 

So there...that's my personal pep-talk for the week. It's a new week...a new month...a new start. I'm ready to give it my all again and see a better result next Monday.  :^/

(P.S. Anybody out there in Blogger land: Is it possible to go back and add labels to old posts without screwing up the order of the posts? Like, I don't want it to tell my "followers" that I've added a new post, when all I've done is added a label. Has anyone tried this? Thanks!)

I've got a headache...THIS BIG!

I think I've already established that stairs are not a friend of mine. (Exhibit A and Exhibit B) But today I found a whole new way to make them dangerous.

I was vacuuming the upper flight of stairs with the hose attachment. We live in a tri-level so there's a mini flight going up and another leading to the basement. I had just finished the upper level and was making my way downward.  Well the vacuum was sitting at the top of the stairs and I was hunched over, vigorously combing and brushing (because, as previously mentioned, my dogs shed and it ain't particularly easy to vacuum up their delightful assortment of hair). I initially had planned on moving the vacuum to the bottom of the stairs once I was midway through.  But I was so engrossed in the hair removal that I lost track of how far I'd gone.

Then all of the sudden....BAM! The entire 15lb vacuum (yes, I weighed it) came crashing down on top of my head. OUCH. I sprang to my feet and shouted "OOW! OWOWOWOWOW!!!" so that my sleeping husband would hear me and come to my rescue. (Poor guy, but honestly he needed to get up anyway.) My head was throbbing like mad and I think my vision was even a little blurry...but that was probably just because of the tears in my eyes. *pout*  In what seemed like ages later, Jeremy popped out of the bedroom with a "Wha'? What happened??"

"I pulled the vacuum down onto my head!"

"Huh?"

"I PULLED THE VACUUM ONTO MY HEAD!!!"

"How did you do that??"

*overdramatic pulling motions* "I PULLED...THE VACUUM...DOWN...ONTO MY HEAD!"

He was so groggy, he really didn't get it. "How was your head lower than the vacuum?" *sigh* So I positioned the vacuum back at the top of the stairs and showed him exactly how it happened. His loving, gentle, caring response?

"Well that was retarded! Why were you doing it like that?" 

Thanks babe. Thanks a ton. That's really what I needed to hear right now. That kind of thing really should have been reserved for AT LEAST an hour or so later...or for me to say myself. *haha* Well he quickly realized the error of his ways (probably because of the piercing glare I gave him through my tears) and came and hugged me and apologized. Then we both kinda laughed...and he went and showered and came out in his "I Love My Wife" t-shirt. He's so cute. *haha*

I don't think I need to tell you that I have a massive headache and a goose egg about the size of my nose on the back of my head. They really should put a warning on the back of vacuums. (That way sane people like my husband would look at it and say, "Well that's stupid! Who the heck would do it like THAT?")