Friday, August 28, 2009

Ok...Ok... Why a blog?


So, I realize writing a blog about my dog is wee bit ridiculous, but let me tell you why I started this...



My old dog Zoe has been my companion and friend since I adopted her as a 7 week old fluff ball 14 years ago.

Since then I have watched her lie her head in the lap of crying mom's about to hospitalize their children. I have seen her greet long lost friends with a gratitude and excitement I only wish I could replicate. She has been with me through some of the saddest days of my life and has celebrated with me on the happiest. Most amazingly, she has accepted Rosie Mae into her life. She has reached down and given her love and has done it with an ease and comfort that we should all aspire to. I fully believe she has done this because she loves me and she knows I want her to love Rosie.

This is why I write this silly blog. These dogs are a part of my family. I have watched them make people stop crying and smile. I have watched them give people peace and at times, I know their comfort has saved my life.

So - here is to cuddles, long walks, and moments of wonder with our dogs...our lives would not be the same without them.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Dreaming of Vacation

On rainy and dreary days like today (and if you lived here you would know what I mean), I start dreaming of vacation and remembering vacations past.

Here I am curled up in Santa Fe back in January. After walking around town all day, it was so nice to warm up by the fire while we all relaxed.

I am a hearty Alaskan pup, so I tolerate the rain and the cold - but I do dream of sunshine and warm fires. I hope my family figures out a trip soon, so I can look forward to warming up and drying out - as I think it might be a wet one. Until the next time, good night friends.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

A Wet Day - A Wet Dog

I was horrified to learn recently that there is a lot of information out there telling people that Chihuahuas don't need much exercise. This is NOT TRUE! I need as much exercise as the next pup and when I don't get it, I feel on edge and find myself nearly unable to control my urges to do things I know I shouldn't do and that seem to upset my family and the cat (but honestly I don't mind upsetting the cat much...even though I know I shouldn't).

As you can see from my photo, yesterday's walk was in the pouring rain. Fortunately, I have a good coat to keep my core warm and dry and I enjoyed tromping through the woods with my big sister, Zoe and my mom. Zoe is 13 years my elder, and much bigger than me, but we love to walk together and I admire her for still trotting through the woods when she is so old. She doesn't hear so well anymore, so I help her out and let her know when I hear something in the woods and we go check it out together. It is very fun! It is also super great when mom gives us tiny treats along the way and it really helps me to remember to go to her when she calls me, even though there are so many cool smells and sounds in the woods.

When we got home yesterday from our very wet walk, my mom toweled us off and gave us each a yummy treat, then I got to curl up in my favorite red down blanket on my mom's lap. I warmed up and dried out in no time and I can't wait to go out again!

Friday, August 21, 2009

A Word on Food

Tonight, as my family gets ready to cook a Julia Child Braised Salmon recipe, I find myself pondering all the delicious things I love to eat. Here is a great pup recipe I eat for dinner a lot that you might want to try out too.


Ingredients:

2 free range and or organic chicken breasts
2 small organic sweet potatoes
1 handful chopped organic chard leaves, about a cup or so
1 cup organic quinoa
2 tablespoons or so of chopped fresh organic parsley

Chop the sweet potatoes into small bite size bits (for me that is really small, but if you're a bigger dog, bigger is fine). Saute in olive oil. Let cook, stirring regularly until the bits just start to get tender. Take the chicken breasts and set them right on top of the potatoes, cover and let cook, stirring the potatoes from time to time to keep them from burning (you should have your burner set to medium heat). As the chicken gets cooked, break it up in the pan, add the chopped chard. Keep covered and let everything keep cooking until done.

Separately, cook the quinoa according to directions. Mix in quinoa with finished chicken and veggies, sprinkle entire thing with the chopped parsley (great for pup breath). Make sure it's all chopped up into tiny bits if you have a pup like me who eats as fast as possible (tricks for how to deal with that later) and sometimes chokes on her food...

Let thoroughly cool and you have a delicious dinner for many nights to come!

**You can substitute really any veggies for the chard. You can also use brown rice instead of quinoa if it's what you have in your cupboard. I have a tendency to get a lil' porky (or at least that's what my family says) so my mom uses quinoa because it is high in protein and lower in carbs. Sometimes she uses old fish from the freezer - we do live in Alaska after all - I REALLY like that - it is a super treat.

That's it for now, off to hang out in the kitchen and see if anything wonderful falls in front of my mouth! I do love Julia and salmon!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to Little Dog in the Big North.

This blog will tell the story of a sweet lil' Chihuahua living in Juneau, Alaska. Rosie Mae is 8lbs of fearless fun. She kayaks, she hikes mountains in the snow, she cuddles and loves, she does hilarious tricks that make most anyone with a heart smile, and mostly...she is a part of a family.

As anyone with dogs knows, they are a full member of the family. This little one is not only an integral part of our family, she might have more friends in Juneau than we do! Rosie is excited to tell you about all she has learned in her one year of life and is looking forward to sharing future adventures with you!

Living in Alaska isn't always easy when you are 8lbs and meant to live in warm climates, but Rosie has learned a few tricks she think other's might want to know. She loves her pals and all the fun things she gets to do in the big north! We hope you will read along in the tails of Rosie's life. She hopes to share yummy pup recipes, warm and dry clothing tips, fun adventures and much much more! Thanks for taking a look and stay tuned...