Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

I hope you had fun and got lots of treats!

Things were really special at our house yesterday,

as Batman (aka Alex, Sophie's brother)

rescued an authentic Chinese panda!

Our big brudder understood what was

going on early on and he learned to say

"Merci" to every generous person who gave him candy.

Fino and I wanted to be part of the event and mom was

thrilled about this until the very last minute.

She then got afraid that we might steal the show

in a bad way if we got too anxious and started barking.

We did meet Batman, though.

And Fino got to show part of his shiny Halloween t-shirt.

Me? I didn't really like my fluffy orange collar,

so I refused to parade in from of the camera.

Maybe next year with a better costume!

A very special day

Time goes by so quickly, humans say...

Today is a very special day for Mom and Dad:

they met baby Jerome for the first time exactly

one year ago.

Their lives has changed so much since that

precious moment!

Look a him, in their Beijing hotel room,

so small in his orphanage's clothes...

At the time, he was still drinking for the bottle

and he had very bad skin, but

he already was a sweet, curious and mischievous

little boy!

Look at him today, playing in grandpa's backyard!

He has grown up in so many ways!

He now calls me "Touty" and wants to know

where I am all the time.

His best friend is Fino:

Jerome is obsessed with trying to put

his harness on!

Little Fino is very patient (most of the time...).

Clearly, our big brother needs to go to

daycare next year!

Jerome still has many follow-ups to go to

at the hospital. We wish him the best!

Also, he has now officially entered his "no" phase,

which can be quite funny sometimes.

And let's not forget his endless energy.

He just never stops!

You are the best brudder we can have, dear Jerome!

Stars for a day

A few months ago, in early June,

Mom took us for a ride to the

doggie daycare where we sometimes go.

Another fun day at the gym?

Not this time!

Instead, we were welcomed

by a very nice man

who was starting a new career as a photographer.

We would be his models for the day.

Mom wanted to have a picture of both

Fino and I to use as a header for the blog.

It turned out that we were not

calm enough to pose together.

Strike the pose!

Fino, you go first!

My turn!

What a great experience we had!

What a Sunday!

Sunday morning, I was ready for

a great day filled with adventures, walks

and naps on the sofa.

The action started early:

Jerome's breakfast went

the other way and I got

stuck with eggs in my ears.

Not pretty...

Everything went fine until late in the evening.

Dad let us out to do our business one last time

before going to bed. Usually, he goes out with us,

but not this time.

Someone else was keeping us company, though:

a small black and white animal

that seemed quite friendly.

A skunk!

Guess who learned a valuable lesson...

The next day, Mom rushed Fino and I to the groomer...

and then to the vet because the skunk's urine

burned my eyes.

She was really worried for me...

Now, I no longer smell awful,

but I'm going to look like this for 10 days.

Stay inside, my friends!

Two days at the zoo

This week-end, mom received photos

from Jerome's happy days at the

Ecomuseum zoo and the Granby zoo, taken

by uncle Alex and grandpa Robert.

Here is a Siberian big cat that really

impressed our big brudder.

Jerome loved the train! He's been saying

"Choo choo" ever since!

Here he is, with grandpa, a bit unsure of himself.

He gained confidence as the day went on.

The otters made Jerome laugh! He kept

running from one window to another.

Seeing fishes, birds and lots of exotic animals is fun,

but running from one exhibition to the next

is still the best!

Back from our vacation

We are back from our vacation...

and from a long absence motivated

by our spokesperson's laziness

(yes, we are talking about you, mom!).

This year, Fino and I took a separate

vacation from the rest of the family.

The humans went to Kennebunkport, Maine,

for a week. They had a really nice time!

Jerome saw the ocean (and was a bit afraid of it!)

and he ran across the lobby of the hotel at numerous occasions.

Everybody got to know him!

His first time swimming in the pool went well,

so he's going to take a class with mom this autumn.

He's going to be a sea turtle!

Back home, Mom and Jerome visited a small local zoo.

Snakes? Behind a glass, they are OK.

Discoveries are fun!

While the rest of the family was away,

Fino and I spent a week at our trainer's house, Christine.

She's the best!

We moved so much (up to 3 hours of exercise every day)

during our stay that, at night, we were exhausted.

We even agreed to sleep in the same crate.

It was a first class experience!

We even got to swin in a pool, on leash.

Thanks Christine!

Have a great week!

Now that we are back, we'll keep you posted

about our adventures more often!

Another day at the dog park

Another day, another dog park!

Mom, Jerome, Fino and I

visited this one, located near our home,

twice this week.

Our brudder has lots of fun running in the grass,

in a section where dogs don't really go.

Mom had a harder time trying to catch Fino,

who was able to escape

by squeezing under the door...

Jerome is thinking about a great change that happened on Tuesday:

Fino no longer barks when Mom walk us

with our brudder in the stroller.

Way to go, Fino!

This gives us more opportunities to exercise.

Sophie is soon going to get arms of steel!

And please, don't worry...

Fino and I still find countless reasons to bark

every day!