Their first Christmas

Christmas was very different this year,

with Jerome and Fino.

Its magic was in full bloom!

Fino and I were left alone on the 24th,

but on Christmas day, we celebrated with the rest of the family

and everything went well.

We did bark a lot during lunch,

but we were told to stay in one room and as you know,

cavaliers love human company more than anything...

Our brudder Jerome received many fun toys and new clothes,

such at this warm pj.

He had a wonderful time!

His grandpas, grandmas, uncles and aunts, all wanted

to hold him in their arms,

but mom had to explain that

they'll have to wait a little more

because he has to form an attachment to his parents first.

After the family celebration, we needed some time off.

Mom relaxed with Fino...

And so did I.

The little one is settling well: he is very affectionate

and he loves to play with me.

See you all later this week!

Another turn on Santa's lap

As I told you before, I got to see Santa

twice this year.

This time, I was by myself with the big man.

I was a bit afraid because, as you know,

I'm not quite sure the "nice" out-weighted

the "naughty" for me in 2010.

It turned out very well:

I received a big bag of treats for free!

Santa, you gotta love him!

Exhausted

After chasing Fino, playing-fighting for toys

and watching after Jerome, I'm exhausted...

If you look closely at the little guy, however,

you can see that he is not ready to call it quit.

OK, I'll run after you one more time!

An early Christmas gift

OK, before showing you my 2nd Holiday picture,

I have to tell you that I received an early Christmas gift.

A BIG one.

See, the doggie daycare where I stayed while my parents were in China

phoned mom last week to inform her about a baby cavalier

who had no family.

Mom first answered that she had enough on her plate,

dealing with Jerome's adaptation

to his new environment and taking care of

one "naughty doggie"

(I must assume this is me...),

but then, she

agreed to give the little one a try.

How can you resist a face like this?

His original name is Pixel, but Sophie renamed him Fino.

So far, we get along very well... except when Sophie and Philippe feed him.

I think I should be the only one in the house to get kibbles, Kongs and treats.

You already know that sharing is not my strong point, right?

Other than that, we LOVE to chase each other, which makes Jerome laugh.

And we love to relax together.

Fino is really nice with Jerome. He lets him pet him, roll on him and play with him.

How does he do that?

I think 2011 will be really exciting with so many babies in the house!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everybody!

This year, I saw Santa twice.

This is the first picture, with my brudder Jerome.

I'll get the 2nd one this week-end.

Don't forget to read my list, Santa!

My first Christmas card!

Look at what I got in the mail:

my first ever Christmas card!

It's from my dear friend Remington and his owner Beth.

I'm so touched and happy!

What a great family!

SpongeBob is smiling for you this today!

Rem, I haven't forgotten you.

Mom ordered cards from on Etsy

from a nice US lady a while ago... and she has not

received them yet. The post here can be really slow...

She bought new ones locally

this morning and will mail them tomorrow.

It's beginning to feel like the Holidays!

All soft

Sleeping in?

After being washed, that's the best thing to do,

even UNDER my

very own pillow!

Yesterday, Jerome and I had our picture

taken with Santa. We'll receive it soon.

I had to look my best, so mom had me all wet and

applied some fancy shampoo and conditioner

from Isle of Dogs that Faith and Kosmo's mom,

the super nice Sara, sent her.

Sophie swears I've never been this soft!

I still have some mats on my chest...

Does that mean a trip to the groomer in the near future?

Nooooo!

Fascinating!

Who would have thought that my

toy squirrels would challenge

my big brudder?

He loves them as much as I do!

You know what?

I still can take them out much faster than he does...

but I'm watching my back!

I haven't seen much of Jerome this week

because he had to go to the hospital every day with mom.

He is fighting a virus that he probably caught in China...

We'll know for sure what it is tomorrow...

Mom says that he's been very brave.

I'm beginning to love this little guy!

I have to admit that I'm not always

on my best behavior around him, his food and his toys,

but I'm working on it.

We are both big babies with lots of energy!

And I feel we are both dearly loved.

Play time

My brudder Jerome loves playing as much as I do.

And as you know, we love the same toys !

Look what he did to Pouchie,

the neighbor's cat who spends her time in our home.

This poor man's persian is not to be trusted around

little ones because she's quite snappy.

But when she's not touched, she's game for anything!

Look! Jerome has fun with a part of his plastic storage unit.

There is a lot of action in Longueuil these days!

New look, old habit

Guess who got a great new haircut?

No, not me!

Cavaliers do not have their hair cut, people...

It's a major no, no!

Maybe a bit around the paws, but that's it.

It's Jérôme!

He looks much better now, doesn't he?

You can't see much on the picture,

but take my word for it.

Mom told me he just cried a tiny bit

while the hairdresser worked her magic.

Good boy!

Guess I'll have to get back to my old habit

(stealing stuff!)

to get noticed...

Take a guess

Mom had a great idea this morning, while Jerome was sleeping.

She said: "Rouky, let's upgrade your blog and take it to a whole new level.

We'll create a quiz!"

"Great idea!"

OK! It's time! Let's play Whose poo smells the best?

Yeah, that's really the game! Mom is that tired!

1- Cavalier poo

2- Domestic cat poo (Misha's for example)

3- Human toddler poo (let's say after a meal at Pizza Hut in Beijing)

I can't be the judge because they all smell good to me...

Let's the expert weight in: Sophie, your turn!

And the winner is:

Domestic cat!

Bye bye!

Bye bye Vanille...

My mom has always said that my sister Vanille would be

the first cat in the family to reach 20.

It was not meant to be...

Although she still hated every animal on the planet with

a passion that forced admiration, at 14, Vanille was

a shadow of her former self...

She, who used to run, jump, and purr on my mom's pillow at night,

had been reduced to sleeping... and not much else.

She was just skin and bone and she could not keep any food.

Was it the right time to say good-bye?

The vet said yes, because she was too sick, but we'll never know for sure...

Bye bye Vanille! I hope we'll see each other again in a long, long time...

l

Supervisor in chief

My big brudder sure runs around a lot!

When I'm not chasing his toys or the food

he drops on the floor, I'm in charge supervising him.

See, he never leaves my sight!

And when mom puts body cream

on his dry skin, I try to lick him all over!

"But Rouky, what about those pictures from China?"

Well, if daddy would take the USB key out of the bag he brings to work,

that would help me!!!

Our first walk together

I'm back home again! Finally!

I was treated very well at the doggie daycare.

In fact, mom thinks I put on a few pounds...

What a big surprise I had when I entered the door:

a big brudder, with shiny brown eyes and a lovely smile!

Life will never be the same.

He's still on "China time", playing at night

when I'm trying to sleep on my pillow.

Jerome is a lot of fun: he already learned

to share his human food with me and

mom must have given me 100 treats

to leave his toys from my mouth.

We are going to have a great time, it seems!!!

Yesterday, we took our first walkie together.

Don't be fooled by this picture: he fell asleep for 2 minute at most!!!

Mom is still trying to manage us without looking like a fool.

She'll get it, don't worry!

Would you like to look at pictures taken in Beijing?

Mom showed them to me on her laptop.

As soon as Jerome is asleep, she'll share her best with you.

Exciting news!

Mom has been home all week with me. I'm so happy!

Lots of strange things are happening, though:

new furniture is being delivered, my parents are making lists all the time

and two large suitcases are opened in the bedroom.

Are we going to the beach again?

"No, answered mom. This time, daddy and I will be by ourselves...

We are going to China,

which is too far away

for you to come.

Starting tomorrow, you'll be going to the doggie daycare

for 3 whole weeks.

But don't worry, the nice owner will take you to her home at night,

because your are her favorite...

Lucky boy!

And when we'll come back, we'll have a big surprise for you!"

"What is it? What is it?"

"It's a long and complicated story for such a little dog.

You already know there are cats and dogs in shelters looking for a forever home.

Well, there are also many human babies without parents who want to grow up in a loving family. Philippe and I had to wait a loooong time and fill out many papers, but now the time has come. We are finally going to meet baby Jérôme!"

"Wow! Now, I'm really excited! I'll finally have someone to play with.

But wait a minute, does that mean I'll have to learn to share toys?"

A friend for Miss Kodee

I like to think that I have a special place

in the beautiful Miss Kodee's heart...

This lively tricolor is such a special girl!

Check her blog at barknabout.blogspot.com

I know that she has a soft spot for pinecones.

Here's for you, Kodee!

Outdoor fun

You know how I love summer...

Yesterday, it was like my favorite season was still going strong.

To celebrate, I ran super fast in the dog park.

In honor of my friend Pinot (www.momoandpinot.com),

who just turned 3, I also played

with his favorite toy.

Guess what it is?

It's cold outside...

For all of us, doggies of Quebec, September means colder weather.

It's that time of the year when my mom has fun

dressing me up.

Can you tell I miss summer already?

Me, jealous?

Yesterday, I had a surprise visitor: the elegant Julio,

a long-haired Dachshund,

who came from Montreal with his parents, Nathalie and Hans.

We were both shy at first, but soon enough,

we started to chase each other around in the backyard.

After a while, we came back inside for a little snack.

Mom gave me my himalayan chew... and she gave

a half-chewed old bone of mine to Julio.

Bad idea!

Hey, I'm an only doggie child. I'm not used to share...

I barked a lot to signify my indignation.

Julio, full of himself,

barked in return.

Mom, you should have known better!

That being said, we made peace soon after

and we left good friends.

Now, it's time to run after the cats again!

The beginning of a beautiful friendship

Last week-end, my mom had the house cleaned

(yes, she needed help!) while I was on a mini-vacation at Aya's in Montreal.

"Rouky again?", asked the Bernese Mountain Dog

to her parents before I arrived.

Yes and I was going to live in her domain for 3 days!

At first, I thought nothing good of this.

I growled a bit at the big dog...

and I stole her bone.

But after a while, something changed.

We started to love each other!

We played, we ran and we even kissed!

OK, enough is enough!

I'm a small companion dog after all, not a large, energetic,

Swiss beauty!

Thanks for the nice week-end Aya!

My Maine vacation - Part 3

I'm back, later than expected because of computer problems...

Do you want to know the highlights of my vacation?

Meeting other beautiful dogs, like this majestic rescue greyhound.

Seeing other cavaliers, like Nigel, the ruby, and Nicky, a blenheim like me.

Walking near the beach, in the sunshine.

And eating a frozen delight made for doggies.

This whole week was super fun, as were the past 7 days, relaxing at home with mom.

She has to go back to work tomorrow.

See you soon!

My Maine vacation - Part 2

A week at the beach can be exhausting,

with all that walking and running.

At the Hounds Tooth Inn, our b&b,

I played it cool,

most of the time. I did bark a bit too much, but I couldn't help myself.

I'm a guard dog, right?

During breakfast, all the other dogs played together outside.

Not me!

See, I have to be close to my mom all the time. She tried to put me on leash next to the door.

It worked the first morning, when my crying was not too loud, but to my greatest horror, I had to stay by myself in the car at breakfast time the rest of the week.

It was only for 10 minutes each day, but still, what a treatment for a diva dog...

I did play with the other canine guests in the afternoon, but honestly, my favorite part of the stay was to meet the human guests. They were all so nice with me!

Look, here are our hosts, Randee and Norm.

Thanks for all those treats! They were yummy!

Mom and dad had a great time in your beautiful home.

Ready for Part 3 of my vacation? Come back on Thursday!

Take care!

My Maine vacation - Part 1

Last week was fabulous: I went to the Kennebunks, in Maine,

with my parents.

Bye bye Vanille and Misha!

I spent 6 hours in the car, but it all went OK because we stopped every 2 hours. Look how comfy I am!

The very first day, we went to the beach.

We had to wait until 5 pm to actually run in the sand

because doggies aren't allowed before that.

Mom and dad already knew this, so it was OK.

We walked a lot...

... and when it was too hot, we relaxed a bit.

We stayed at a great pet friendly b&b, where I made some nice friends,

both canine and human. I'll show it to you tomorrow.

Who's going on vacation?

An hour ago, daddy brought 2 big suitcases up in the bedroom

and mom started putting clothes (like the pair of socks I just stole), shoes and books

in the biggest one.

Are we going on vacation?

Yes!

We are going to spend the week in Kennebunkport, Maine.

I'm going to see the ocean for the fist time!

See you again next Sunday!

Until then, Sophie and I won't be able to visit your blogs,

but we'll start reading them again as soon as we arrive.

Bye bye friends!

Already one year!

Wow! Time goes by really quickly. Today, I celebrate the

1st anniversary

of my arrival in my human family.

For the occasion, mom opened a bottle of wine

and I got a raw bone. Super!

As for dad, even after a long week at work, he happily walked me around the block.

Have a great week-end!

Meet the cats

I think it's time for you to meet my older sister, Vanille.

I cannot say she welcomed me with open paws

when I arrived a year ago,

but she seems to tolerate me more and more every day.

This fiesty feline is old: she just turned 14.

She's really skinny now...

and she's forgetting where is the litter box and what to do in there.

"Downstairs, to your left, dear!"

Misha, 7, loves 2 things in life: eating and sleeping.

He was afraid of me for months,

but early this summer, he started to sleep on the floor again and he's calmer.

"Big boy, I may have fun chasing you, but it's just play!

I wag my tail non stop when I see you!"

Although I love both of them very much, I have to say that there is 1 thing that drives me crazy: Vanille and Misha get 3 - yes 3 - meals a day, while I am fed only twice.

OK, I do get treats and they don't, but still...

Mom tells me that they were here before me and she cannot change their routine,

but my answer is: it's not fair!

Kibbles before going to bed: that would make my life perfect!

Sweet dreams!

My father is a mouse!

Did you know that my father is a mouse?

No, I'm just kidding!

It's just that his name is Mickey. Yes, like Mickey Mouse!

He's a blenheim, like me, and he was born in the USA... unlike me...

That's about all I know about him.

I'm sure he would have loved that tasty bone!

Thanks, uncle Alex, for that cute t-shirt!