The Rumbly in His Tummy

We're finally done with antibiotics!

The days after Odie's graduation were pretty rough. It's only now that I'm slowly catching up on lost sleep, and the panic had already flown away.

My sick boy asking for belly rubs.

It all started on a Sunday night when he had really bad runs coming out on the other end. I thought it was a simple tummy bug so I gave him Yakult and let him rest for the night. On Monday morning he threw up his bile. Twice. So I contacted our veterinarian (pediatrician, according to my mom) to ask what it might be and what I could do about it, and was given advice right away.

By Tuesday morning, I woke up to the sound of Odie's Yaya April telling me that she saw blood in his poop. I rushed to Odie and saw the horrible (not to mention insanely stinky) mess, although it was still the same bouncy baby boy going all over me and humping my arm. This time I contacted the vet and we agreed to have her visit Odie at home in hopes of getting to the root of the problem. Doc Marose reached our place a little over an hour later. She was welcomed by a crazy dog who kept sniffing and jumping, who showed nothing wrong during the physical exam, making me look crazy paranoid for having called for help. We were prescribed some medicine and a bland diet and were told that the upset stomach was caused by something wrong that he ate, or a dewormer that failed to get rid of all the worms.

Since he was vomiting, doc put Odie on a super slow feeding program. I was tasked to give five teaspoons of food every three hours. IT. WAS. TORTURE. Odie looked very excited when I would appear with the food container in hand, and then shift to a forlorn face after the fifth teaspoon. For a while I also couldn't bear to look at him without shedding a tear.

That same night, Odie had another bloody run. Moments after getting in his travel crate (and while I was patiently cleaning bloody dog poop in his wire crate), my sister told me that Odie vomited his dinner! So that's two soiled crates and it's not like we have a third so we let him roam his play area while I cleaned. I also tried my luck in contacting doc at midnight. I couldn't be more thankful to have a vet respond that late, who agreed to do a follow-up house call first thing in the morning.

I put tequila in my coffee on Wednesday morning as alcohol is my coping mechanism for highly stressful events. Odie was given another check-up and doc found nothing wrong. She gave me a couple of antibiotics just in case the dog's excrements would take a turn for the worse, and while we were discussing, Odie showed doc that he did need the antibiotics so doc showed me how to make a dog swallow medicine. It wasn't so easy at first (perhaps because half a pill was too big) so I was shown a technique to activate his swallow reflex. I ended up not using that as Odie fell for the pill bombs that I made. I just divided the pill into quarters so that he would swallow it with the ball of food. Problem solved!

Doc's gloves, his meds, and
a prescription for MORE meds.

Everything went slow and steady since that Wednesday morning house call. Zero changes in energy, zero changes in appetite, but Odie kept blasting the wrath of his broken stomach. I kept him on the bland diet for the duration of his antibiotics sessions so that our house help wouldn't be confused with feeding kibble and cooked food. I had to work long hours during the weekend so even if I was unsure, I entrusted Odie's care in the hands of the house help and my siblings. But of course I did it in such a way that nobody would get it wrong. I left a couple of rules on paper which included my phone number as well as the vet's, measured and labeled Odie's food, and taped the medicine to his meals. Odie's yaya still got it wrong. OH WELL. He was able to shift to a different medicine schedule upon consultation with doc so that was easily fixed.

OC Attack! Labeled food and a sheet of instructions.

Fast forward to today, he's done with medicine and he's back to the crazy boy with a happy tummy! In a few days we will begin practicing for a sporting event so I hope he's ready for tons of action. Now I know how it feels to take care of a sick dog. Definitely not easy! I'm just grateful that I'm not alone in looking out for my weirdog. Doc Marose was quick to respond, has been very patient in answering all my questions, handled my panic well, and monitored Odie's situation throughout this tummy bug episode. Veterinarians must have such strong tummies to endure looking at poop! Thank you, Doc Marose!

Perhaps Odie never felt weak because we called for help at the first sign of discomfort. Some pet owners take their pets' concerns to Google or social media thinking they would save money by getting answers online. Times are hard, yes, but the Internet did not graduate from vet school! Besides, if you wait for worse symptoms to show, you'd end up spending way more.

I'm so glad it's over. I learned a lot from this tummy bug alone, and am more or less ready for the next one. I hope the next one happens in 10 years or so. It's also a good thing that this all happened after Odie graduated from Advanced Class, and before the event on the 29th. Thank you for the good timing, universe!

If You're Happy and You Know It, STAMP Your Feet!

This came around a month too late for Christmas, so I'll be using it in various times throughout the year, and fine, maybe next Christmas, too.

Alex Paredes was a classmate in high school. She doodled a lot, her books and notebooks had loads of extra drawings (which I envied), and teachers may have hated us when we sat right next to each other for talking too much. X years later, I saw on social media that she put up Rubber Ducky Stamp Co. and her art is now available in rubber stamp form!

As said on their Facebook Page,

"Rubber Ducky Stamp Co. is a handmade venture and a love affair with rubber stamps.Each stamp is drawn, carved and assembled by hand, featuring a unique artwork mounted on a tanguile wooden handle. Each design is one-of-a-kind and will not be repeated."

I don't know what crossed my mind but I asked if she could make a stamp of Odie's paw so that my "celebrity dog" can make "pawtographs" (term mine) without soaking his actual paw in ink. It just seemed like a fun idea, and I'm so happy she agreed to do it!

The instruction was clear and simple: take a photograph of Odie's paw, then measure the actual size. Waaaaay easier said than done. I had to do my best to clean Odie's right front paw, then I made him play dead so I can capture the photo I needed. It wasn't as clean as I hoped it would be because he kept running in the dirt. Sigh. When I got a photo with relatively good details, I gave the dog a break before measuring. I didn't bring a ruler with me for safety (I KNOW he's going to eat it). Instead of measuring the paw itself, I made a water stamp on paper then measured the paper impression. Of course it took a few tries because paper is fun to chew!

Dirty Paw!

Of course he ate the paper! Twice!

I gave the information to Rubber Ducky and received details regarding pricing and payment, paid for our commissioned work, then finalized the look of the stamp before having it sent to me via courier. Odie's paw is a mix of pink and gray so I wanted the pink details to be seen, so those parts were given stripes in the stamp itself.

The wait wasn't very long. I received the stamp in a cute little cardboard box containing the handmade rubber stamp mounted on a tanguile wood handle, as well as a small sheet of care instructions. The stamp looks really meticulously made, smooth finish and all. I was so excited when the stamp arrived! But then I searched high and low for a stamp pad at home and we didn't have one, so I had to go out and buy the next day. I bought a blue stamp pad so we can play Blue's Clues. I also currently use it to label Odie's food containers since I store his treats in the fridge, and am planning to use it for gift cards and such. The stamp with the handle is 2x2 inches, and is a little over an inch tall.

I'm more than satisfied with the purchase and am so happy to have Odie's paw immortalized by Rubber Ducky Stamp Co. Visit their Facebook Page to check out other designs and/or order a custom made stamp like I did. Support handmade!

Odie's paw. Thank you, Rubber Ducky Stamp Co!

A Day in University

Oops, looks like this entry is way overdue!

Photo courtesy of Pedigree Philippines

On November 24, 2013, my siblings and I brought Odie to his second Pedigree event: Pedigree University. The event was originally scheduled on November 10, but was postponed due to the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan. I woke up early on the 24th to make sure we're ready for a long (but fun) day out. I gave him a bath, packed his going out things (collapsible bowl, water bottle, waste bags, toilet paper, two meals' worth of kibble, and DentaStix) then made some freshly baked liver treats to last us the whole day. Registration was at 10am but he might get too tired so we decided to go after lunch.

In Love with Lupine

After months of lusting over it and another couple months of waiting for it to land in Manila, I have to say, this is one of the happiest purchases I've ever made for Odie.

Yay!

I learned about Lupine when I read about it in Boo & Bon's blog. Love at first sight. It was the perfect set I was looking for! Matching leash and collar made of webbed nylon, with a choice among 1/2-inch, 3/4-inch, and 1-inch thickness. Lupine is proudly made in New Hampshire, USA, and comes in different patterns, each one tickling the fancy of dog owners since 1990. Oh, and the best part? They offer a lifetime guarantee, even if chewed.

Lupine products are being sold in Hobbes & Landes' Petropolis, and I did consider just buying from there. Their prices are pretty steep though, around $45 total for a lead and collar set. I have this (stupid?) habit of not buying things when I know I can get them somewhere else for much less. On the Lupine website, the whole set was gonna run me around $26. It was sometime in August when I saw an ad on the side of my Facebook newsfeed. LivingSocial US had a deal for half off on a Lupine collar and lead set. Half off. 50 percent. Thank you, America! I spent $14 for a medium collar and a 6' lead, both in the Wet Paint pattern. I had to add $4.99 flat rate shipping, bringing my total to $18.99 instead of spending $45 if I bought it locally. Not bad at all!

Lupine 6' Padded Handle Lead in Wet Paint pattern

Lupine medium adjustable collar in Wet Paint pattern

The lead and collar set finally arrived after nearly two months as there was a delay in shipping due to a typhoon. Odie has been using it for a little over a month now, and has endured daily walks, a trip to Pedigree University (saving that for a different blog entry), and a few training classes at Pet Centrics. Maybe that's more than enough of a test run for me to review it.

I already knew that a 6-foot leash would be too long for us, especially since we go to public places with relatively thick crowds. It was the one advertised as part of the deal though so I got it anyway. I already commented on the Lupine website that they should also offer the 4' leash because that's a safer length for most dogs who live in the city. Shortly after, I got an email from them stating that they could replace the 6' lead with a 4' lead if that's what I wanted, at no extra cost. Too bad the item was already delivered at my cousin's place and I didn't want to trouble him with sending it back and all. But wow, I forgot how great the US is in terms of consumer rights. Sigh. If only it were the same in the Philippines.

As for usability, it's really difficult to work with a longer leash because I already got used to average length. I hardly use the padded handle, and I fold over the excess leash. Sometimes I even coil it around my hand even if I know it's bad. I should have had it replaced when it was still in the US. Oh well, gotta wait for Odie to destroy it. The length is good for wide, open spaces though, which we don't really have a lot of.

Now he's even more handsome

Prior to making my purchase, I already had questions about the lifetime guarantee. In the US, you just go to a store to have it replaced, or mail the return label and the destroyed leash to Lupine. I knew that the Handyman hardware store also sells Lupine products, so I asked them if they will still honor the lifetime guarantee if I purchased the product in the US. Sadly, Handyman will only replace Lupine products if you bought it from their store. I then asked Hobbes & Landes about it because I really wouldn't want to go through the trouble of returning the product to the US on account of shipping costs. They told me that I could totally have any and all broken Lupine products exchanged in any of their Petropolis stores, no questions asked, no need for receipts. That's customer service right there. Suck it, Handyman!

I have no qualms about the collar because it does the job, and it looks pretty. What I'm happiest about Lupine products is that the patterns are all made entirely out of webbed nylon. A lot of patterned leashes are just printed so they peel of easily. This one may fade after a while, but the pattern will not get destroyed and look shabby. It also makes the dog and the human feel more confident when going on walks because the medium and large leads have bigger gate snaps instead of regular snap hooks. There's a bit more work involved in getting the leash on and off the collar (I had to practice getting it on and off, and teacher took a while to figure it out during training class), but it looks a lot more secure.

Lupine gate snap for 3/4" and 1" leads
Photo courtesy of Lupine

To sum things up, I think that the Lupine lead and collar set is a great investment. I wish I could have gotten another set to serve as backup when one set gets destroyed, but I do have a backup leash right now which works okay, too. I'm a lot happier that I was able to get it for half the price, and am very pleased with the customer service that both Lupine USA and Hobbes & Landes provide. Now I don't have to worry about replacing broken leashes and collars! Although I would love to also get a matching training tab to use in agility training (and maybe eventually, competitions), as well as a 30' training lead for use in parks and open spaces. All in due time. But maybe Odie's godparents are reading this. Hello!

Lupine 3/4" training tab in Wet Paint pattern
Photo courtesy of Lupine

Lupine 3/4" training lead, 30' long, solid blue and tail feathers
(Odie wants the solid blue one, just so you know :D)
Photo courtesy of Lupine

Food Heaven!

As part of Dental Care Month in May, Odie and I (well, mostly I) joined the Pedigree Philippines' Doggy DentaDash game on their Facebook Page. It's an app wherein we had to answer two questions each week, and were given corresponding points for each correct answer. The promo ran for eight weeks with new questions every Wednesday.

Odie was able to get a perfect score of 32000 points because I'm a tiger parent. I wasn't sure how the winners were selected (and I'm guessing lots of dogs got perfect scores as well), but a few days later, I got a call from a Pedigree Philippines representative saying that Odie and I were among the 20 winners of the game! We were notified mid-July and were told that we would receive the prize in 6-8 weeks.

While waiting for the real prize, those who got 12000 points and above were given 15 pieces of DentaStix to munch on. Yum! Well, yum for Odie, I guess! The last time we were given a free sample of DentaStix, it was literally just a free sample. As in, ONE piece which came with a cover letter, which their delivery guys struggled to achieve. We received it on August 19, and Odie's trying to finish what's left of it. I don't know any dog who doesn't like DentaStix. From what I know, its X-shaped structure guarantees to prevent plaque, and that it tastes really good. I'm usually on the receiving end of jumps (leading to bruises) when I open a pack. Some say this is crack for dogs. I'm gonna have to agree.

Yesterday morning, a truck arrived at our house. The house help called me and said that there was a package for me. Unfortunately for me, it was for my dog. But hey, I gotta admit I waited for it, too! The delivery man unloaded a huge bin from the truck, which had my name on it!

Storage bin with all the goodies!

I thought we were just gonna unload the bin so I was happy to know that we get to keep it, too! Odie's belongings used to be in two containers that were already deteriorating so now they're all here, neatly arranged. I was told to sign some paperwork and had my photo taken as proof that the package was delivered to my home. Sadly, the delivery guy also asked me for Php100 because our village has a toll fee when trucks enter. Ugh.


There was an envelope taped to the bin containing a cover letter from Pedigree Philippines. It was a thank you letter of sorts for joining their contest, and an instruction to take a photo of Odie and the prizes, upload it, and tag Pedigree Philippines on Facebook. Craziest minutes of the day.

Little sniffer performing an inspection. Wannabe police dog!

April and I arranged the products neatly for the photo. It was Php5000 worth of Pedigree products! The package contains seven 3kg bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition, six 400ml cans of Pedigree Home Style in chicken flavor, two 80g packs of Pedigree Meat Jerky, two 175g packs of Pedigree Tasty Bone, and one box containing 36 individually wrapped Pedigree DentaStix. 

Upon letting Odie out of his crate, I had a treat with me in hopes of having him keep his attention on me. I failed miserably as he took his time sniffing through the goodies that he received, and even knocked the cans down, grabbed a Tasty Bone pack and took it to the far end of the yard, and he just kept stuffing his face in between the bags of food! The photo below was the best we could do.

We didn't have time to rearrange the cans because I know he would start inspecting his new treats if I didn't stop taking photos. But yay! We finally got him to "look at the camera" and strike his signature poster-boy pose!

I haven't really tried feeding Odie Pedigree dry food (I usually buy pouches of wet food) so I sought the opinion of our veterinarian about switching to Pedigree. I learned that the most obvious manifestation of the dog's reaction to the food is through his skin and coat. Obviously, good food results in good skin. I opened one bag and am trying to transition him to it, hoping the results would be favorable. We filled 1/4 of his dish with Pedigree and 3/4 Holistic Recipe. He sniffed the foreign-infused food for a few seconds before devouring it like he does with all the food we give (and all the objects he manages to eat). We're also going to donate some of the food to a local shelter because it's pretty overwhelming to have so much, we might as well share.

All in all, the 8-week wait was worth it. We have food and treats to last us quite a while and the best part is that it was given to us for free! Thank you, Pedigree! I'm a happy parent with a really happy dog!

The Birthday Cake!

I mentioned in earlier posts that I'm determined to bake a cake for Odie. At the back of my mind though, I was already allotting budget for the cake I would be ordering because I was so sure my cake wouldn't turn out well. I was sooooo thankful things worked out!

I chose a banana-carob-oat doggie cake recipe and was looking for carob which isn't available in grocery stores! I sent a message to Healthy Options to ask if they sold it and they do carry both carob chips and carob powder. I just wasn't told how much it was, but was also informed that it wasn't available in their SM North and Trinoma stores at the time.

Fortunately for me, our family went to Singapore for the weekend and I read somewhere that there was carob powder being sold at Jason's Market Place in Raffles City. Lo and behold, Raffles City was right across our hotel! The entire basement was food heaven. It also houses the best macaron place. Ugh, I miss it already. The actual market wasn't very big, probably the same size as Rustan's in Katipunan, but they had lots of organic stuff.

Bob's Red Mill Toasted Carob Powder
(S$7.70, Jason's Market Place)

I found carob powder and looked for other things I could get for Odie. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of products for pets, and the few that were there were pricey and are being sold here. I ditched the idea of getting him treats and settled for the bag of carob powder. I got back in Manila by afternoon on the 9th, spent the rest of that day resting, and went to the supermarket the following day.

Ingredients haul (sweet potatoes not in photo)

I went to Shopwise the following day to look for whatever else I was missing. I got a dozen eggs at P65, a small packet of baking powder at P11, cream cheese at P109, rolled oats at P70, a banana at P15, and sweet potatoes at P60. My mom was lucky enough to have spotted a baking supplies store in the Don Antonio area so she got a kilogram of whole wheat flour for P68. I spent roughly P650 on cake ingredients, the same price as a cake from a barkery. BUT I still have loads of raw ingredients left so the actual cost of the cake is... much less (don't trust me with Math, really).

Cake batter ready to be baked

I just measured and mixed all the ingredients as instructed in the recipe. Still no KitchenAid mixer, but our stand mixer did the job pretty well. I don't know where we got the aluminum pan but I'm just happy it exists at home (in three different sizes!). I planned to make more cupcakes for neighbors and friends but the cake pan already used much of the batter so I managed to make just 6 cupcakes. The silicon muffin cups are the only ones we have at home, my sister bought them at Ikea in Hong Kong for roughly HK$40 for 6 pieces. I only filled the pan and cups halfway because I thought the batter would rise. It did, but not as much as I expected it to. Oh and I lined the pan and cups with virgin coconut oil instead of butter. For serious, Odie is a much healthier eater than humans!

BAKED (HEAVY) CAKE!

Frosting

The peanut butter I give Odie isn't like the American peanut butter that holds up well. Plus, those things have so many complex ingredients that scare me, so I opted to mix sweet potatoes and cream cheese to make a faux fondant (fauxndant?) and may have gone overboard with the ratio, but I'm not so sure. It was very easy to mould though so I didn't have problems frosting the cake and cupcakes.

Newly-frosted cake and cupcakes. Ready for icing!

I originally wanted at least two colors for the icing but I didn't know what else to color the potato with. Later on I found out we have moringa in the empty lot across the street where our driver plants veggies. Oh well. So I got the leftover frosting and mixed some carob powder to give it color and a faux chocolate (fauxcolate?) flavor. The carob powder I used was roughly 2 tablespoons and believe me, a little carob goes a long way. I don't have a piping bag so I went on YouTube and learned that a resealable bag can be a good piping bag substitute. I used around 3 bags because they kept breaking (the icing was too dense, apparently) and wrote the dedication.

There are brown smears because I could no longer erase my failed letters without leaving a brown mark. I thought of them as the dirt and soil that Odie loves to eat from the front yard. Lame excuse, I know.

The pupcakes were easier to ice because I watered it down a bit for easier icing flow and to keep the bags from breaking. This was supposed to be a pack of 6 but the container couldn't handle so I settled for five. It kind of looks like a bone so it makes sense somehow. I gave one cupcake to Toby and Max who live next door.

All in all, the cake turned out pretty okay in terms of taste. Took me around 6 hours to get it done because it was my first time ever to bake a cake, my first time ever to frost a cake, and my first time ever to draw on a cake using icing. The icing looks so bad though! Gotta work on that. For now, we have to live with ugly icing. Let's call it "rustic" so it doesn't sound as bad. The cake itself turned out really heavy. I took a bite and it was DENSE! It tasted like a really dense but really bland banana bread.

But we all know that Odie is forever hungry. Maybe that's why I love cooking and baking for him - he just excitedly eats everything he's given and doesn't tell me what tastes right or wrong!

Odie Bubble Boy

A puppy's overall health could easily be seen through his coat. I know that I'm doing my job well and feeding Odie good food because when I get the chance to stroke his fur, it feels soft and smooth even without professional grooming. I used to supplement this by using Bearing shampoo which smelled like typical shampoo, but then my sister brought home a different bottle last month and told me to try it out. When I saw that it's by Human Nature, I was sold, and I'm never going back.

Human Nature has been our go-to source for natural products. It's a relatively new company by the same family behind Gawad Kalinga, a nation-building movement that has given homes and jobs to the less fortunate (which was brought up in almost every Christmas Homily by Fr. Ben when I was in college, haha). Their products are all-natural which is pretty evident in the mild scents of their products such as soaps, shampoos, deodorants, dishwashing liquid, bug sprays, etc.

Furry Kind Natural Cocomutt Shampoo is their first ever product dedicated to pet care. It was launched just this March as a collaborative effort between Human Nature and their global ambassador, Rachel Grant (yes, the Bond girl). The shampoo comes in a 500ml pump bottle, is 96.4% natural, and 100% safe.

Pre-bath happiness.
Furry Kind Natural Cocomutt Shampoo (P349.75, Human Nature)

We opened the bottle that night to take a whiff of the tangerine scent and the moment we did so, a sleepy Odie suddenly stood up, looking so excited and alert. He must have loved the smell as much as we did! I thought he was going to actually want to take a bath!

I gave the shampoo a test run at a time when Odie's nanny was on vacation. It was a hot summer day and I didn't get to buy a kiddie pool. I wanted him to try taking a swim though so I brought out the biggest basin I could find at home. I filled it up, took Odie out, then tried applying the shaping exercise we learned from our classes at Pet Centrics. He managed to get all four paws in the basin, but would exit right after receiving his treat. Darn! Gotta work on durations in water. Remind me to buy a kiddie pool!

Mid-bath. This puppy doesn't look too pleased.

When I started pumping the shampoo onto my palm, he kept jumping to reach for my hand. Maybe the orangey smell made him think it was a treat? Although he does eat everything so I couldn't be too sure. It was a bit hard for me to see the shampoo lathering up. This is usually the case with natural/organic products - lather means chemicals, I guess. It did work its way through Odie's coat after some scrubbing. While he likes to run around and away when it's rinsing time, he absolutely LOVES being scrubbed and would stay still for a good massage.

It was rinsing time so I encouraged him to get back to the basin for another swimming attempt. He went in and soaked himself in the water for a few seconds. Upon getting out, he started drinking the water which already contained a good amount of shampoo! I ditched the swimming idea and just started rinsing so we could finish the bath.

I left a message on Furry Kind's Facebook Page and got a reply later on, from none other than Rachel Grant herself! I asked if there are any signs of discomfort I should watch out for because Odie liked licking his coat and the shampoo-filled bath water. Fortunately, since it's 100% safe, I had nothing to worry about. Although of course, that doesn't give Odie the license to keep drinking the shampoo!

Post-bath exhaustion. He went in his crate and
slept like a baby right after this photo.

More than a month later, there's still quite a good amount of shampoo left. His skin now hardly has any pink spots (he had contact dermatitis when we were still using his old shampoo), his coat is very soft and even has a bit of a shine to it. Hugging Odie after a bath is something he hates but something I love. He smells so good and orangey! I want to bite him!

I hope that Furry Kind would release more products within the year. I'm a freak for natural pet products. I bake most of Odie's treats and I could go as far as making dog shampoo from scratch, but Furry Kind already does the job. Plus points for being a lot cheaper than most dog shampoos as well. Maybe they can make a soap version for those who'd prefer it. Maybe they can make treats! Or maybe other herbal treatments like in dog spas. Or other shampoo scents like lavender to calm down a very active puppy like Odie. Well, whatever they come up with, I'm sure we're going to try it out!

This post is not sponsored by Human Nature! I just really support their products and their cause. Check out their site for a list of stores and dealers that carry their brand. I know their products are also available in Rustan's, Shopwise, Robinsons, and Landmark supermarkets. We're just so lucky their flagship store is quite near our village :D

MisadventureS.

It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm still up and about, vigilant until the household wakes up in the morning so someone else could watch over Odie.

A few hours ago, I let Odie out of his crate and he zoomed past me, past the front yard/garage gate, and basically went around the perimeter of the house. While doing so, he stole a sponge that was about to be thrown. It used to be the dishwashing sponge, a small, round one, about 3 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Our house help was the one running after him as I dug through Odie's things to search for a squeaky toy to lure him back. Recall didn't do us good. Upon finding his Kong Wubba, I squeaked it multiple times and told him to get it. He ran very excitedly past the tile steps and made the huge leap to launch the game of tug! I saw his neck touch the floor on the way and was surprised to see that while tugging, his collar was around a foot away from us. Darn it! His only collar finally gave up.

I made Odie wear his harness while waiting for the temporary collar to arrive.
I was telling him that he's a very naughty boy and that I'm worried about how the
sponge incident would end. He responded by giving me this face. ARRRRRGH!

Of course, I was more concerned about the sponge than the collar so I didn't think twice about contacting Doc Marose right away. I asked if there's anything I should watch out for because I've read lots of things about intestinal blockage. Doc willingly gave me advice and told me to monitor Odie's trips to the bathroom, and to watch out for signs of pain.

So here I am doing exactly that. It's been nine hours since the incident and Odie is happy as a clam, showing zero signs of discomfort which is hopefully a good thing. I'm really just waiting for a sponge to come out of the other end. Yuck! Odie has eaten two cigarette butts and two Christmas bulbs and survived all four separate hullabaloos without having me bring him to an emergency vet. It's the first time he's eaten something pretty big though so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the sponge gets out of his system within the day. Funny how having a dog makes you do things you never imagined, like watching for objects in dog poop.

It's pretty interesting, though. I was telling Doc that I wasn't so sure how clean/dirty the sponge was (it's definitely gonna be dirty now!) and she told me that the soap and dirt doesn't matter as much, what's important is that Odie passes it. Weird how a dog's stomach is strong enough to handle dirt, but it can't tolerate food like grapes and chocolate. Sad how we can't share a jar of Nutella. Doc also told me that the contents of a dog's stomach go out on the other end every 10-12 hours. Gotta admit, it's quite fun to learn about how a dog's system works and how they behave and how we play a part in their health and behavior. Who knew I'd actually be interested in Science, right?! Good job, Doc and Odie!

About the collar, my sister was on the way home and stopped to do a bit of groceries. She also thought of getting a temporary collar because it's hard to put the harness on and take it off when Odie goes in and out of the crate. In the supermarket, she saw just two kinds of dog collars and zero leashes so she thought of just getting a collar to last until I go out and get a legit collar, or a Lupine (whichever comes first). The collar she got had no price tag so she proceeded to checkout without asking. To her surprise, the collar cost her Php400 and she didn't want to go through the fuss of returning so she paid for it and took it home. When she got home, she put the collar on Odie and told me the story. I got upset when I found out how much it was because oh my god, just a bit more and we could have gotten a Lupine! So yeah, I checked it out and ended up laughing so hard because NO SHIT, THE COLLAR HAS BLING BLING! I couldn't photograph the buckle but it's the most studded part of the entire thing! Can't wait til Odie gets to school on Saturday. The boys might tease him, but I've resolved to think of it as his way of promoting gender equality. NO H8, right?

Odie's new collar, in detail. So gay, just like mommy!

I'm hoping to find a Wet Paint Lupine leash when I go out because that's the only leash that would match this collar :D

Because yes, he broke his leash in class on Saturday. He was tethered to one of the posts in the court while Doc was telling me and May what to do as humans sitting in at the Basic Obedience (Beginners) class. A Belgian Malinois went in and Odie wanted to greet him, he made a huge leap forward, causing the leash to break! That was the only day I didn't bring any of his backup leashes. Good thing Doc had an extra leash or I would have been forced to just crate him for the rest of the class or just go home. It got us through the class, and his backup leashes at home are getting worn out so yes, it's time to get a legit leash.

That Saturday was also the class where Odie did a demo of tugging with teacher, and he got really excited (they were using his Kong Squiggles which is STILL his favorite toy) and he ended up biting teacher's hand. When Doc returned Odie to me, she told me that he bit her hand and I only processed the information after 30 seconds or so. I apologized and offered baby wipes to at least cleanse the wound but Doc declined and told me it's okay because she's had much worse. Still, I felt bad because Odie would usually cut and bruise no one else but me. This one happened to his teacher, in front of the class, while doing a demo. I made a mental note to always bring alcohol and a pack of band aids from now on. I hope Doc's hand is okay.

We've had a couple of misadventures in the span of less than a week! I don't know what's happening, if this is adolescence, or if I'm raising Odie the wrong way (I hope not). It's pretty stressful for me as a human, because while I am very good at handling nerves and showing a calm disposition amidst emotionally charged situations, I do have a tipping point, too. Besides, expenses like a new leash, new collar, and (again, I hope not) a trip to the vet are something I am prepared for, but I try my best to avoid them so that we could just happily go shopping for new toys and treats. But if all these things are necessary, ah well, we have no choice but to put one foot (and paw) in front of the other.

After all, Odie might be YOLO-ing, but I still love him too much.

Squiggle-Dee-Doo-Dah!

Odie finally has a Kong Squiggles! SQUEEEEEE!!!

Kong Squiggles (large) in elephant design from Pet Centrics

Doc Marose went to the park after last Friday's shoot with a big box in tow. When she opened it, I could swear, Odie and I just got transported to Kong heaven! See, during graduation, we were given gift certificates with different amounts instead of material prizes. The last two graduations, Odie placed third in class and got two of the same toy, the Kong Classic. That proved to be quite helpful though because Odie's Kong Classic was left in teacher's stuff last Friday so at least we have another one while waiting for Saturday's class to come around.

Odie saw the toys laid out on the table but couldn't reach for them. I guess he got really overwhelmed and just wanted to get one already because he focused on the items on the table and started crying, seemingly confused. I settled for the elephant Squiggles and am still deciding on one other item to consume the amount on my GC.

Odie already grabbed the toy when I got it, but I didn't let him have it because he might get hurt playing with it with the label still on, and so that I could take a proper photo first. We formally tried it out when we got home and Odie just went CRAZY! It's very soft so he likes biting into it, both ends have squeakers which he could sometimes squeak, and it's pretty durable for a plush toy. It's been four days but we rarely play with the Squiggles to keep him interested in the toy. He now goes into a frenzy when he hears a squeak, jumps to try getting the toy (of course, he never wins that one!), and behaves to get the toy. He loves it so much, he latches on to it every time it's within reach. I could very well use it as his leash! The toy is also very friendly to humans because since it's elastic, it's easy to relinquish when I end a game of tug. When I use other tug toys, I always make an effort to keep most of the toy close to me to end the game. Point being, it's a really good toy!

Now the only thing I have to do is to decide between a large Wubba or a small Wobbler. Welp!

NEEDS and wants.

I finished the trick videos tonight and I have a bit of time to spare. It's late and we can't do homework right now so I went to my favorite online stores and looked at all the things I cannot buy.

I mean, not yet. But if I did have a balikbayan box to fill with whatever I want from the US, I think half of it's gonna be filled with things for Odie. I'm posting a few of them, just so that when I finally decide to whip out that credit card, I already know what purchases to make. Two of Odie's self-proclaimed godmothers are actually based in LA and are asking what pasalubong they can bring Odie when they go for vacation in Manila. Here's an idea! Haha, but talk to me first to avoid duplicates in case I can't wait for you guys.

Disclaimer: Allow me to be a total ditz because my brain cells are tired.

Pet waste bags from Downtown Pet Supply ($49.99, Amazon). I keep buying waste bags from Ace Hardware at around P80 for a pack of three rolls, so that's P26 for each roll. This is a box of 110 rolls and it's gonna last us a couple of years! I might also want to give some to irresponsible humans who don't know how to pick up after their spoiled dogs. Oh and yes, I want it in many colors because it looks so happy!

Martha Stewart Pets waste bag dispenser ($7.99, PetSmart). I know, I already have a dispenser and the item before this one also comes with a dispenser, but just LOOK at it! It's made of leather and it attaches to the leash, and most of all, it looks absolutely pretty. It's like dog poop sophistication! It also comes in brown but this color is close to Tiffany & Co's blue, and I love Tiffany & Co.

Lupine 3/4" medium adjustable collar ($10.99) and 4 foot padded handle lead ($13.99) in Wet Paint design. The lead is available at Hobbes and Landes at High Street for Php1049.75. Although Lupine products are sold in Manila, my needs are very specific and they don't have this set here all the time. What I like about Lupine is that they have a lifetime guarantee so they're gonna keep replacing your lead and collar if your dog chews it up! How amazing is that? Their prints are really pretty and the material is strong. And the gate snap looks real secure.

Lupine 30-foot training lead in blue ($29.99). Since our training lead problem has already been solved, I definitely want something better than our current training lead which I just cut off of a retractable leash. This can also come in Wet Paint to match the lead and collar I want, but maybe going for a solid color would lessen the risk of it being a potential distraction. Like Doc Marose said, getting a training lead is more of for my own peace of mind. Having a Lupine training lead would give me peace of mind because I know that Odie won't get lost, and because I know that having him run (almost) freely with a Lupine lead is a pretty sight.

EzyDog Vario 6 Lite in blue ($25). This is also available in Pet Express for around Php2000. A dog can never have too many leashes and collars. What I like about the Vario 6 is that although it lacks a fancy schmancy design unlike the Lupine, it can function as a long/short leash, long/short tether, a hands-free leash, and a double dog leash. I want the lite one because the regular one looks too thick. I also only want this because I want a good harness.

EzyDog Chest Plate Harness in blue ($25). It's also available in Pet Express for Php1250. This is the only reason why I want an EzyDog leash. I know we've learned loose-leash walking and heeling in class, but I still kind of feel bad whenever Odie pulls. Lupine also has harnesses, but this looks friendlier to a dog's body.

Outward Hound Quick Access Treat N' Training Bag in pink ($10.58). It looks like it can hold a lot of stuff, which is great because I don't want to keep lugging around a bag bigger than mine whenever I take Odie out. It's also a legit treat bag (I don't bring my makeshift treat bag in class because Odie shoves his face into it) so it should do the job. Although hmm I'm not too sure. Odie does shove his face into teacher's treat container as well. Oh, and it's pink because I'm the one who's going to wear it!

Ollydog Sipper in blue loops ($12). We have a resealable travel bowl but it gets pretty hard to use because it's narrow and it's too light. This one looks nice, is foldable, and it can hold food and water. Oh my god, I can only imagine having all these things in Odie's bag. Speaking of which, I've yet to find a pretty bag that could carry a long leash, this bowl, wet tissue, toilet paper, and some toys.

Kong AirDog Squeakair Balls ($6.30). I mentioned that Odie lost his tennis ball and yup, I still haven't bought a new one because I haven't had some "me" time and with hell week in our midst, it looks like I can only go shopping after Odie graduates. In class last Saturday, the dogs had some playtime with teacher's tennis balls. When Odie got the ball, he started running REAL FAST that the bigger dogs had a hard time catching up. He kept the ball in his mouth the entire time! He must have felt so ball-deprived! I saw some Squeakair balls in Trinoma but they're too small, he might choke on them. Ew that sounded dirty. So for now I'm gonna have to go with legit tennis balls first. But this Squeakair is gonna be perfect for fetch games which Odie loves!

Kong Flyer, large ($10.10). We haven't worked with a flying disc before. I do have two Ultimate Ultra-Stars because I used to play ultimate frisbee, but it might be too heavy for Odie, plus the material might not be too friendly to his teeth. At least if it's a product intended for dog use, I'm sure it's safe.

Pet's Double Laser Chase Toy ($48.83). Well we don't really need this, but it looks like a fun contraption. Odie's gonna go even crazier and I think it's gonna tire him out. Heeheehee! And look! It's a beagle and a cat! Maybe Odie can finally play with the cat that always comes to our house!

Intex Metal Frame Pool Set ($147). I'm sick of the endless search for a swimming pool in Manila that allows dogs. I've always wanted to know if Odie could swim! I don't know where my brother's kiddie pool from x years ago went. This is the ultimate goal, but if not, I'm good with any kiddie pool that isn't inflatable!

Pet Dreams Plush Cratewear Set in Wedgewood Blue ($67.44). I had a crate cover made for Odie a few months back. It was made out of fleece. Sadly, he kept on pulling it in so now it's all tattered. Sigh. I just want to prettify Odie's crate so that he doesn't get too cold in the Christmas months. I really like how this comes with beddings, and even the sides are also lined! Amazing.

The Drinkwell 360 Pet Fountain ($59) looks awesome! I put water on Odie's dish when we finish playing, but I still let him keep his water feeder in his crate just in case he wants water at night. I'm scared that the water there might not be fresh come morning so I think a fountain would be cool. Literally. HAHA. My only problem here is that he might not stop drinking water!

And last but not least, a Kuranda Standard Dog Bed in almond frame with a smoke-colored Cordura surface, small size ($56.95). This bed was one of the examples of dog beds that Doc Marose showed us during orientation. It's a really good orthopedic dog bed, and this is the most sensible combination I could find because their colors are quite limited. Based on what I saw, it has a really nice bounce which means great back support! And it's elevated so Odie would be kept cool and comfy.

If I actually bought these things, my grand total would be... a lot. That would mean no more food, treats, schooling and health care for him, and maybe, just maybe, no more house for me.