I'm feeling a little stressed, maybe I should chew on some of these for a while???

Recently, I have been noticing that this dog has been developing more and more “human traits”.  In addition to the endless hours I spend on the computer and talking on the Iphone…

I wonder who that could be??

I wonder what I'm up to today?

I have developed the most peculiar habit of “stress eating”.  Yes, stress eating.  It seems as if every time a stressful event occurs…such as an unknown car pulling up in the driveway….in addition to barking, I run over to my food bowl, grab a few pieces of kibble and start chewing and I’m not even hungry??  I mean, come on, what dog eats when they are not hungry?  I mean could you picture a pack of wolves, sitting around the fire “all stressed out” about where their next meal might be coming from and chewing on some kibble.  Unimaginable!  Yet, I do it.  I’m not sure how this all came about.  Perhaps,  it crept up on me slowly.  I think it all started back in puppyhood, when mom would throw kibble across the floor to encourage me to eat.  (Another human like trait, “Blame parents for bad habits”).  After all,  I was so young and innocent at the time, how did I know that this simple act of chasing kibble would lead me to a life of full blown kibble chewing addiction!

Look at that kibble over there, I think I'll go chase it.

I can’t blame mom entirely, I mean I was a problem eater from the start and I only weighed two pounds.  I guess she figured I would perish if she didn’t make eating fun.  Fortunately for me,  that was in the past and according to Cesar Milan dogs live in the NOW.  So I need to focus on what I can do today.  Maybe since this is a human like problem, I will handle it in a human like way.  I heard that there are other dogs facing this very same challenge and they are meeting next week.  Although since I am still not fully comfortable discussing this “problem of mine” with strange dogs, I’ve decided to go in disguise.  It would go something like this…

Hello Everyone...I'm Tiffy the Yorkie and I'm a Stress Eater.

There.  That wasn’t so bad.

But what if Fido magazine gets wind of this!  I might end up on the cover and my bad habit exposed for all the world to see!

How do I explain this to the dogs at daycare??

Is this really necessary?

Well, yesterday was “Bath Day“.  Yes, “Bath Day” that dreaded day that strikes fear in the hearts of many dogs across the world.  Why do you suppose this is?  Is it that we are opposed to being clean? Probably Not.  Is it that we don’t like getting wet?  We don’t seem to mind the rain.  What is it then about that litte phrase, “Are you ready for your bath?” that sends us running in the opposite direction?  And we employ many strategies to avoid it such as:

The hiding technique….

Did someone say Bath Day?? They'll never find me here!

The “Pretending to be asleep” technique…

She wouldn't wake a sleeping dog!

The “I’m too busy” technique….

Can’t you see I’m working on my blog?

and the ever popular “distraction technique”….

Yet, despite all our best efforts, the inevitable always comes to pass.

A bath! Really????

We endure our bath and blowdrying (in my case) and come away from the experience looking and smelling even better than before..

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful:)

So, you may be left wondering “Why do dogs go through all these antics to avoid getting a bath?”  You, like many great scholars in the past, have pondered this age old question from time to time, but there’s really only one answer……..

Because we have so much fun watching our humans chase us around:)

Check out some great blogs and join the Monday Mischief Blog Hop like we did:)  Happy Monday!

Valentine Dog

Fuzzy Little Valentine:)

Hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine’s Day…Tiffy did:)  Join the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop at Blog Paws!

I thought I would wait for “Monday Mischief” to write this post since it seemed fitting.  Last week sometime, someone in my family…..no, I’m not naming any names here, thought it would be interesting to see if they could make a cute dog outfit out of an old sock, “yes, you heard me correctly “AN OLD SOCK!!!”.  Now don’t get me wrong, this dog is all in favor of “repurposing”, “reusing” and “recycling”, why heck I’m even a member of Green Dogs but I think that this may be taking it a bit too far!  Let’s investigate this outfit shall we.  First the hat or beret as the French call them…

Heel of a sock or Cute Beret...You decide.

Next the outfit itself.  A carefully constructed garment consisting of four wholes for four legs.  Fits a little snug I think.  Maybe I need to lose a few pounds before this dog can start modeling any French couture…  Take a look…

A little tight...hmmmm....Maybe I should cut back on all that Brie Cheese?? Or not.

Now at this point I’m sure you would like to see the outfit when it’s all put together.  Well,…here it is.  Tiffy the Yorkie presents Tiffy the Yorkie modeling sock as clothes.  Drum roll please…..

Hmm...On second thought, I think I do look rather stylish.

Well, there you have it.  This Yorkie’s version of Monday Mischief.  Happy Monday:)  Join the Monday Mischief Blog Hop like we did!

Doing well with my New Year's resolution:)

As many of you know, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to walk every day regardless of the weather and I’m happy to report I’m sticking to it:)  Yesterday, however proved to be quite interesting.  It started out the usual way, mom convincing me that I must get out of bed and put my leash on.  Not the easiest thing to do for this canine diva.

Do we have to go right now? I was just getting comfortable...

But, with a little encouragement, I was out the door.  Our walk started out the usual way with my usual stops (bathroom breaks, etc…)  and then we get into the zone.  This little dog gets focused, picks up the pace and avoids distractions.  I’m a workout wonder actually.  When I’m in the “zone”, as I like to call it, I can pass by barking dogs, running squirrels and even the occasional cat sitting on its porch which is very convenient because almost every day I pass a rather loud friendly Golden who runs back and forth barking at me from behind his “invisible Fence”.  Wow, talk about the power of suggestion.  Does he really believe there is a fence stopping him from running over and saying hi to me.  Does he actually see a fence in his mind?  Maybe he was hypnotized into believing he actually has a fence.  Well, whatever the reason, I’m just happy he stays on his side of the “invisible fence” so he doesn’t interfere with my workout.

What's all the barking about anyway? Can't he see I'm busy.

So, you may be wondering why I called this post “Shih Tzu” day.  This is because during my walk, I met not one, not two, not three but four Shih Tzus.  I couldn’t believe it.  I didn’t even know there was that many of these little dogs in my neighborhood!  The first two I encountered were a brother duo and the older one ran right across the street just to meet me.  Fortunately for him, it was a quiet cul de sac and no cars were coming.  His younger brother, was a tiny puppy named Armani.  Armani was on a leash and walked over to help collect his escapee brother.  After a brief meeting, I said good-bye and continued my walk when all of a sudden I saw two more Shih Tzu’s jogging with their human and they were really “in the zone” jogging in unison.  Just perfect!  I thought that maybe they were practicing for some doggy workout video or maybe their person had hired them as personal trainers.  They were too busy to stop and chat, so I will have to ask them another time.  So we passed by and continued home.  All in all,  it was a very interesting walk, I love meeting new dogs and their people as well.  Looking forward to todays adventures…that is if I manage to get out of bed:)

Is it time to go already???

I could lay here all day....

Let's see what's on Animal Planet:)

It’s the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop !

Making Mischief in the Kitchen

Mom and I, well….mostly mom, have been making lots of mischief in the kitchen.  We have taken on the “New Year’s Challenge” of lowering our every-increasing monthly food bill (for a family of 4 + one small dog) from $800/month (yes that is not a typo) to under $600/month (maybe even $550 if we are strategic enough) and have made some great progress (so far this month we’ve spent $640 in total (That’s a $160 savings!).  We will be sharing our progress, on a monthly basis.  We are curious if it is even possible (given where we live in the country) to achieve this goal without giving up everything we like.  If you have any tips you would like to share to help us in our quest, feel free to leave a comment:)    In our other blog, The French Italian Chef, we have been sharing our low cost, family friendly recipes.  Most under $12.00.  Here are a few we’ve made this week…  If you would like any of the recipes, just click on the photo…  Enjoy:)

Savory Sausage Soup $9.80

Budget Friendly Chili for 4 $11.97

Frugal Fahita for Four $11.73

Join the Monday Mischief Blog Hop:)

Before Picture

Not exactly the image this success-oriented Yorkie wants to project to my fellow dogs.  My appointment yesterday was at 9:00 a.m. and I arrived on time.  I was greeted by the friendly salon owner, as well as, a couple of friendly, furry clients in the process of getting coiffed themselves.  I was a little nervous at first, but eventually I settled right in.  What I like most about my groomer is that they do not use any cages and I am free to roam around until it is my turn and that they do an absolutely fabulous job getting my hair to stay pin straight, I do have a slight wave you know.  It must have been Yorkie day at the salon because I saw not one but two other Yorkies and one Yorkie mix.  The Yorkie mix was a very interesting character.  While we were waiting our turn she decided she wanted to help answer phones and without asking anyone if it was okay, she jumped up into the chair by the reception desk and offered to help.  Now there’s a talented dog and a self-starter as well.  I wondered what that dog might do for a living but didn’t ask.  I was too busy checking out the other dogs.  One interesting pair were a fur family that was made up of one Yorkie and her sister a Great Pyrenees.  Talk about a size difference.  I’m sure you can guess who the boss was in that household….the Yorkie of course:).  So mom dropped me off and went to run some errands.  She told me later that the house felt too quiet without me.  I didn’t realize I was so noisy:)  Anyway, after 3 hours I was ready to go home.  Mom hardly recognized me “in a good way” whcn she came to pick me up.  Glamour dog once again.  What to see the results?

Presenting the newly coiffed Tiffy the Yorkie….drumroll please:)

The bone you see in the picture was my treat for being such a well-behaved customer.  The groomer always has good things to say about me and I just love going to the pet store after my grooming visits to pick out a tasty treat and show off my new hairdo.  I must have looked chic because a woman asked mom where I had my hair done and I was more than happy to tell her:)  Happy Thursday…enjoy the day…

Tiffy the Yorkie

Haircut Day has arrived! Finally! I have an appointment this morning!

It’s the Wordless WednesdayBlog Hop:)

Wow! What's all this white stuff?

Over the weekend, this dog had two surprises!  First of all, my dear Yorkie friend Scrappy at Yorkie Tails nominated me for a Pawsome Blogger Award!!

Scrappy had very kind things to say about me and my blog and I am very honored to know that I share the same name as her mom’s first Yorkie (Hey I am my mom’s first Yorkie too, what a coincidence:) .  I recommend checking out my friend’s blog and my super cute Yorkie friend.

My other surprise is pretty obvious from the above photo.  We got snow and lots of it (6 inches or so).  And while this may not be a problem for all you taller dogs out there, this does present a definite problem for ones my size or smaller.  First of all during my bathroom breaks outside I end up looking like the abominable snowdog by the time I find an appropriate spot for myself and my walks get cut short because my paws get cold.  I hope my dog friends are enjoying more seasonable weather where they live.  This dog is hoping for an early Spring:)

Happy Monday,

Ah!! Now this is more like it:)

Tiffy the Yorkie