New addition to our family!

[Mara]

update pictures on demand for nicrez...

these are from halloween and the first picture to the left is one taken about 3 weeks ago of portia and greg, so you can see how she's grown in the face since then to look more adult like. her little naked belly is from the spaying she had about 3 weeks ago as well, hair slowly growing back. she's about 15.5 lbs now and getting to be quite the little muscle around the house.

my FAVORITE is the one with her and the light-up devil horns on...they made a hilarious picture! also i can't figure out how to remove the 'green eye' from her pictures, so they just serve to make her look more like a spooky halloween dog that way.

 

[Mara]

and here are a few from yesterday...the local SF Bay Westie Club has events sometimes and it was their annual Tartan Games with both Scotties and Westies. it was the first time Portia has seen so many of her kind in one place together! there were about 50 westies and about 6 scotties.

they play games, so Portia did the lure which is what she is shown doing here in these bottom pictures on this collage, chasing a fake squirrel rat thing along this motorized string in a field. she LOVED it as most of the dogs do and the operators were impressed that she was only 7 months old, because her stamina and speed were very good apparently. i knew her long hours of playing with the big dogs in the mud outside would come in handy someday. she also did the doggie hurdles for the first time which she did VERY well at, she jumped pretty high on a few.

lastly we did the earth dog tunnel which is built to simulate what the Westies did hundreds of years ago, when they tunneled below the earth to find rats and hold the rats at bay until their owners could find them. for her first time, she was only a bit scared of the tunnel (though she went in halfway then backed out) and intrigued by the rat at the end. of course the rat was caged and safe, but the thing still looked freaked out by big sniffy dogs!

 

[FuFu]

Awww… Portia is adorable! And she’s stunning! I have 2 dogs myself and I adore them to death. I’m new on this forum and just wanted to say hello. 2 dogs are a handful though. They’re like kids. They take up ALL of my time, need constant attention, I’m constantly shopping for them, and they are expensive! So I guess it’s a good thing my mother sells doggy clothing so I can always pick up a few from her and it saves me a few bucks here and there.

 

[chantal990]

Oh Mara your puppy is adorable. She''s such a little cutie I bet she keeps you really busy I used to have a AustralianxCairns terrier and she was a little ball of energy.

I love the dogster site as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just had to register my dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mara]

Portia truly brings alot of joy to our lives, just like a child but less trouble! hehee. I already want another dog but Greg is saying a big NOT in this house (Portia has already taken our new house and made it look very lived in!) .... so we are considering fostering for the local Westie Rescue, as they do need short-term foster homes and I would love to have the opportunity to help out a westie in need and also give Portia some further experience with her breed. It''s alot to consider though because fosters come in all types of personalities, so I have to remember that chances are we will not foster a Portia-clone that is well-behaved and friendly...and with another dog in the house, it is something to consider. But hopefully we''ll figure that out and be able to assist our local Rescue...I donate annually to them, but I would like to be more hands-on than just giving money.

Here is her Valentine''s picture on Dogster...so cute!! and so tolerant!

 

[Mara]

and this one is hilarious to me because I was on the floor taking the picture and she is just staring at me like...''Mom, you are SUCH an idiot.'' I wish I could caption!

 

[AGBF]

Adorable!

Deb

 

[ilovebling]

so cute!

 

[yellowfan]

Precious Portia! She is a cutey!

 

[chantal990]

I put Miss Tess on dogster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She''s http://www.dogster.com/?116824 Mara once again thanks for the great site and your little baby is so cute

 

[Mara]

EG I love Dogster and your baby is adorable!!! Putting Portia into the V-Day Stroll was so much fun, to see those other dogs as well all dressed up. Such tolerance!

 

[Mara]

PORTIA TURNED ONE THIS WEEK! yep we have a birthday girl....we''re having a party for her at a doggie daycare local to us in a few weeks, all her friends from the park are coming, and they even get doggie cake...so fun. we can''t wait to take pix.

Today was the SF BayArea Westie Club''s annual ''Spring Fling'' in Los Gatos, so of course we went to that where Portia did the Lure Course again. The first time it was just being started back up after lunch and a few dogs snuck under the ''fence'' and the operator started it up...P went NUTS, straining and crying, so I let her go in and she was WILD. After a few minutes of wild running and panting and high screaming barks (as the three dogs chased ''the rat'' on the line), we retrieved her and then spent 45 minutes calming her down about a few hundred feet down the parkway and out of site of the other dogs and the course. She was really agitated!! So finally we took her back for the last run, we waited our turn in line, she was getting torqued again from the other dogs excitement, it was finally her turn. Greg said she turned into a writhing mass of energy, he let her go and she caught it twice, everyone was cheering her on. It is so much fun to see her do these ''terrier'' type things...sometimes people put their Westies into the course and they just stand there and look at the ''rat'' and/or wander around aimlessly. Not Portia! She got right to business. You can tell the lure operators love to see the dogs having a good time!

So after the 2nd run, we grabbed her and hustled out into the car immediately. She seemed more calm this time, I think she was tired...she passed out on the way home and then I fed her a few cooling grapes and some ice and then she sacked out on the floor.

An exciting day and a great way to commemorate the little darling turning ONE!

Enjoy the new pictures!!

 

[flower12]

Mara!! she''s such a darling

!!I always want to have Westies but we often travel so I am kind of give up.
now I am very enjoying to look your picture''s.

 

[Mara]

flower, our lives have changed alot since getting Portia...we used to go out alot more...now we still go out but we definitely would rather spend more time at home with her! pets are so much fun even though it is almost like having a child! a furry one.

Greg wants another dog...but I don''t know if we should mess with a good thing!

I think one is enough for now!

 

[widget]

Date: 4/18/2005 2:21:50 AM
Author: Mara
Greg wants another dog...but I don't know if we should mess with a good thing!

I think one is enough for now!

Mara I just wanted to jump in here and say that getting a second dog is a big step, and for me, anyway, did change things.

When I was a one dog person, I took him EVERYWHERE with me...shopping (I could tie him up outside the store), visiting friends, eating in some outside cafes, etc. etc. All that really changed when I got a second dog. Both of them had to stay home more often.

To me, the real advantage of second dogs (or, as in my case second and third dogs) is when Dog#1 starts aging and needs the stimulation of a younger 'sibling' to perk him up. And of course having a "bigger family" helps at that heart breaking time when you must bid farewell to your oldest baby.

But Darling Portia is just a youngster! You've got YEARS of fun and love ahead of you before you need to think about such things!

widget

 

[Mara]

widget I totally agree...Portia is enough for us now and we do love spoiling her with attention...but we also do both get pangs when we see families with two or more Westies, they are just so cute in packs. Esp at the westie events, some people have 3-5! Though Greg is convinced he wants a Scottie (a black westie), but their temperments are not quite as easygoing as our Portia so I don''t know about that...

honestly I think it''s just talk...I think two dogs would be harder to handle than one. As you noted, there are lifestyle changes, and some of our neighbors who have two dogs have problems walking them both together and/or keeping an eye on both if they are playing. aka one gets into trouble and she has to take the other over to rescue the first, etc.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

those pics are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!

Date: 4/22/2005 2:35:56 PM
Author: Mara
widget I totally agree...Portia is enough for us now and we do love spoiling her with attention...but we also do both get pangs when we see families with two or more Westies, they are just so cute in packs. Esp at the westie events, some people have 3-5! Though Greg is convinced he wants a Scottie (a black westie), but their temperments are not quite as easygoing as our Portia so I don't know about that...

honestly I think it's just talk...I think two dogs would be harder to handle than one. As you noted, there are lifestyle changes, and some of our neighbors who have two dogs have problems walking them both together and/or keeping an eye on both if they are playing. aka one gets into trouble and she has to take the other over to rescue the first, etc.

just a heads up: if you are thinking of getting another doggie dog in the future, I would recommend you do it quickly!

we have a 6 (nearly 7) yr old Westie (girl) but a couple of years ago, we got a rescue dog (a cute playful lil Westie boy who was too much for an old couple) but our Moll didn't take to him being on her patch

she is pretty jealous! of course, it didn't help that he kept deliberately winding her up

luckily the woman at the vet found him another great home

and she said that dogs, esp Westies, can be territorial, especially after so long being no.1 (and isn't she just?!)

so if you want another dog, don't wait too long

(oh, and don't get a Scottie, get another Westie!)

 

[Mara]

diamond geezer...i have thought about that too--aka territorial house attitude, the one saving grace for us is that Portia LOVES other dogs and that even includes them in her own home...she''s very easy-going, surprisingly enough for a Westie! when friends come over with dogs she could care less about territory, her toys, her water bowl etc..she just is happy to have a friend around. We went away for a 3 day trip with some friends over New Years and my friend brought her Jack and Portia LOVES him, we could have been not around for all she noticed as long as Elliott was around! When we brought her home, she cried for a whole day without him.

I guess it could change as she gets older...but I hope it doesn''t and she stays as easygoing and friendly as she is now, it''s a great trait and one of the things we love most about her, she loves EVERYONE!

 

[Mara]

So to commemorate Portia's first birthday a few weeks back, we decided to have a doggie birthday party for her...

Not at the park or our house

where we'd have to hide the breakables, but rather a local doggy daycare up the street who puts on doggy birthday parties for a small fee! We invited all of P's friends from the neighborhood park (10 of them came!) and also my girlfriend and her hyper Jack Russell...and met this afternoon for two hours, sharing off-leash play, doggy games and agility, human treats and doggy cupcakes, and lots of photos!!

It was a blast and I am so glad we did it...at first both us and others were saying 'Doggie Birthday Party...what?'...but it was so much fun for the dogs and it was great for all the owners to be able to see their dogs play off-leash in a safe environment and just have so much fun. The daycare got all the goodies and handled everything, and I put together doggie gift bags for them to take home with some treats from P's monster stash of goodies.

Oh and P got some fun gifts too!

Now both Portia and Greg are sacked out downstairs...here's a few pictures...some are blurry since my camera is getting old AND it's hard to capture the little darlings at play.

Anyone else done a doggie bday or are we the only freaks?

I am hoping our neighbors will do them too since it was so much fun.

If the below pictures could be captioned...it would be something like a) Portia smiles for the camera before her party starts...b) the dogs at play on the agility ladder with Portia in the lead (which took some doing, there was also a jumping ring/hoop...c) Portia doesn't look quite so happy once she's got the bday hat on her head...d) About to blow out her carob cupcake candle!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Anyone else done a doggie bday or are we the only freaks?

I am hoping our neighbors will do them too since it was so much fun.

You and Greg are definetly freaks

lol!

The first year after I adopted my cat, I bought her a can of tuna, but since then she's been fed tuna all the time and I've sort of forgotten about her official birthday dinner party. . .she's very spoiled

 

[AGBF]

Date: 4/24/2005 8:24:27 PM
Author: Mara

Well...I never hosted one, but I have a cousin who did. She had a Golden Retriever at that time and she gave her a "coming out" party. I do not recall if it was black tie, but I do recall there being an ice cream cake. (No, I was *not* invited!) This cousin was (and is) unmarried and has no children, though. Once one has children and is *obliged* to do so many children''s parties, the dog events become less fun...unless the dogs are *entertaining* the children, of course!

Deb

 

[Mara]

Date: 4/24/2005 9:16:19 PM

Once one has children and is *obliged* to do so many children's parties, the dog events become less fun...unless the dogs are *entertaining* the children, of course!

Sounds like the perfect solution is to not have children.

Then the dog events are always fun!

There was an article recently about how for this generation, dogs and pets are starting to become the 'children'. How many are opting to not have actual children and therefore the dog or cat or other pet is IT. Aparently, the sales for pet related businesses are huge now and much of that is from specialty pet items, aka the bed for every room or the wardrobe for the pet, specialty foods, etc. Pretty interesting when you see the stats and especially when we can see it going on around us....my parents lament that the only grandchildren they may ever see will have 4 legs.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 4/25/2005 1:30:53 AM
Author: Mara
Sounds like the perfect solution is to not have children. Then the dog events are always fun!

It is, indeed, the way to go unless you cannot live without children! Children are a major commitment and I firmly believe that:

a) many people can not only be happy, but happier without them

and

b) that those of us who chose to have them may have a lot of satisfaction from them, but will also have major angst!

For me, there was no choice, though. I needed that baby more than anything in life!

Deb

 

[yellowfan]

Portia looks so happy and cute! I think its great you gave her a party.

 

[MissAva]

He he, dont feel bad. Ava my lovely Boston Terrier had a birthday party on her first too! We did it at my houes becuase her birthdya is Jan 1st and there was snow everywhere! But it was great fun and I have all these cute picture of Ava running around with dogs that are 10x as big as she is....the next dog up was a german shepard. As for the kids thing I have Ava what more could I want? Besides this way there is no college tution. I figure my parents had their own grankids by having one that was 20 years younger then my sister and I.

Dont feel crazy Miss Mara, I am glad to know that I am not the only one who refers to her puppy as her baby. Yea for you!

And Happy Birthday to the lovely Portia

 

[3hearts]

Hi Mara,

Your baby is adorable, but when I read what you wrote:

"I fed her a few cooling grapes and some ice and then she sacked out on the floor"

I thought I''d share this with you. I have a Norwich Terrier and when I told a friend about giving him some grapes, she said it was one of the "no, no" foods to give dogs because its bad for their kidneys.


http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=grapes

just my 2 cents,
Lyn

 

[Mara]

thanks Lyn...I didn''t used to feed her grapes since I had read online they were bad for dogs, but then I was told that was grapes with SEEDS that were toxic. So I give her seedless grapes infrequently, she LOVES them.

funny thing is that I also read online that garlic was toxic and yet many dog treats have garlic as an ingredient.

I believe I asked the vet re: the grapes and garlic and was given the okay...but I will definitely ask again.

 

[MrsFrk]

Oy, Portia's b-day party is tooooo cute!!

My stepdad is a vet- grapes, raisins, garlic and onions are absolute No-Nos. Along with chocolate and any bone that can be shattered with a hammer. Many dogs do fine with small amounts of garlic, but many do not, so he just counsels avoiding it entirely. Grapes and raisins, even in very small amounts, have been implicated in some very mysterious renal failures. UC Davis is studying the phenomena, but it has nothing to do with seeded or seedless varieties. So to be on the safe side I would avoid them.

 

[Mara]

thanks for chiming in with extra knowledge MrsFrk!!

I will nix on the grapes, boo hoo Portia!! she loves em!