Chihuahua Stowaway

Dad wrote this on his blog. I've been away for some time from blogging as I have been exploring Buffalo. You know, wings, beef on weck, good trees, parks to run in, snow. All that. I may start up again. We'll see.

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.

So I finally got home after a 9 hour train ride. It was a nice ride albeit long. We had flown down to NYC but our return was cancelled, so we had a decision to make. We had paid a bit extra to fly Haze, our dog, down on the flight in his airplane approved carrier, which goes under my seat. He's such a good dog, not one bark or yelp. He just sleeps the whole flight without any tranquilizers or anything. My father really loves the dog, so I wanted to bring him there to see him

But now, we had to think about how to get home with a dog and while some trains allow dogs in carriers, others do not.

Now I didn't want to drive. I'm a new driver and didn't feel confident with driving in the city to get to the thruway. It was dangerous on the roads and quite a mess and often there are serious icy conditions on the highway up around Syracuse or Rochester in general. I could've waited to fly a few extra days, but then I'd have to pay additional hotel fees (since we stayed at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown) that I can't afford.

Now I usually follow rules and regulations. And I take directives that restrict animals from certain places very seriously. But we needed to get home. So....we decided to make Haze our Chihuahua stowaway. I was hoping we wouldn't get caught because I didn't want to have to hitchhike home from Schenectedy. We got on the train very early and got into our seats with Haze's carrier on my lap. Amazingly for the first 6 hours, he didn't stir or make a peep. We had fed and walked him just before we took off so as to create an optimal condition for his travel. He's only 9 pounds, so he only eats a quarter cup of kibble twice a day and gets walked three times a day.

He gave a small "yip" at one point. I stuck my hand in the carrier and began to pet him. That was what he wanted. For nearly an hour I did that. Head scratches, belly rubs, neck strokes. Whatever would keep him calm. 7 hours down.

Then one of the times I wanted to make sure he was OK, he wiggled his head out of the carrier. I thought we were doomed. The lady behind us saw him. Oh no!

"Oh he's so cute! He wants to get out!"

Marion whispered, "No! Don't say anything. Don't say anything."

The lady was hip to our jive and said "Oh OK, I get it, I get it."

Whew! I quickly got him re-situated and then he calmly went back inside and rested quietly. A couple of doggie treats went a long way.

I thought he was getting a bit warm so I snuck into the bathroom and removed his doggie sweater. That kept him cool. We stood there a bit longer than usual to get some air and then back to our seats. 8 hours down. I gave him his second meal at that point and we had been giving him some small amounts of water every once in awhile in his carrier. A content dog. When we arrived at our destination, I got him out of his carrier and walked towards Fr. Jack's truck (it's awesome when people pick you up after travel!). I let him walk a bit and pee. We drove home and took a nice walk and he finished up. He snuggled up next to me on the couch after that. There's no place like home. We had an absorbent dog bed in his carrier but it wasn't needed. Good dog!

Regardless, I know people had it much worse than we did. I hope everyone got home safe and sound. Here's a quick pic of the snow in New York City.

J-E-T-S ... JETS! JETS! JETS!

Clearly I was the good luck charm! Believe in the power of the doggy jersey!

I Moved...To BUFFALO

Sorry for the lack of blogging. I've been under boxes for months now and have just gotten adjusted to a new home. You dogs all know how out of sorts that can get us. I just got used to being in NYC and now...BANG... we move.

You can take the dog out of the city but you can't take the city out of the dog.

So that's the big news! I moved with Mom and Dad to Buffalo. I'm not quite sure what Dad was thinking here. It's freakin cold for me here! I can't control my body temperature and have taken to refusing to go outside from time to time. I mean you have to put your paw down now and again with these humans and that's where I draw the line. It goes below 30 degrees and I'm not budging.

So... I have lots of new things to sniff in Buffalo and most importantly, we have a carpet in our new home which I really love. My paws sink right into those fibers and ahhhhhh, it just feels marvelous. I roll around for hours.

I haven't exactly gotten used to my new surroundings. I've marked places that I know I'm not supposed to. Dad asked me if I was confusing his new office area for a toliet the other day. I quickly reminded him that no self-respecting dog would ever use a toilet. I mean please... I'm not sitting anywhere where anyone else's butt has been.

I have some new friends too. Sr Jeremy has become the new world class dog sitter. She lets me sit on her lap in the car whenever we go somewhere new and lets me sleep all curled up next to her. What a neat pal she has become!

Now the one downside to dad's new job as a Campus Minister is that Fr Jack, his new boss, has not only one but two absolutely huge english sheepdogs! Ripley and Quigley haven't run into the likes of me because dad thinks they will intimidate me way too much. I think he's right. I'd get way too afraid of those, those....monster dogs!

Ot oh, Dad told me to be nice just now because he likes both Ripley and Quigley. At first I was jealous when I'd pick up their scent on dad's hands or clothes, but he still makes me feel a lot more special than those two who just get occasional attention from Dad. I think they really just remind Dad of how much he misses me when he's at work and the result is that dad is spending a lot more time at home with me and mom.

I'm also smarter and cuter. Hee-hee. I'm so ...what's the word....? Catty? Hell no! Gosspy! Yeah that's it!

But if those dogs start getting treats from Dad instead of me--we're gonna have a rumble.

Mom also likes her job at the school for the deaf. And she's home at the end of her day and we walk after dinner for a long time in the bitter Buffalo cold. Actually, it hasn't been too bad. For a long time it was above 50 degrees and I didn't even need a coat. However, in recent weeks, it's gotten cold and we got about 6 inches of snow last week. So I've been a shivering pup from time to time. But all in all I like it here a lot more than Woodside where I was too attracted to garbage bags and litter.

Dad's also been driving and I can't wait to stick my head out the window of his new car! Have you ever stuck your head out the window going 45 MPH? WOW! What a rush!


We'll blog more frequently from here on out. I've asked dad to bring his mac home every night so I'll have more opportunities tp blog. He recently bought that mac but he often leaves it in the office and I just can't bear to use a PC anymore. You know what they say..."Once you go Mac..."

So I'm back and I hope you all enjoy our blogging escapades in Buffalo.

From Dad's Blog...A Dog? In Church

Dad got a huge response when he asked if people thought it was appropriate to have a dog in church?

So what do you think?

And check back later today to see my video of my parish's blessing of the animals service.

That's right...I said MY parish!

My New Lullaby

And dad will sing it to me every night now.

I am much more fashion savvy.

Auntie Michelle loves to give me some of her water

And her dress is fabulous!