I'm not mean, I promise...

...but it's hard to tell with this picture! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYPUP!

(Hey Maggie - - I think my beard may be longer than yours!)

We hope that everyone has a fun and fantastic Christmas holiday! We plan to spend the day with our mama (who tried to be sneaky by hiding our presents where she thought we wouldn't find them!), eating wonderful food (cookies!) and playing with our new toys (ooop...let the cat out of the bag!).

Tear some wrapping paper. Knock down a few ornaments from the tree. Be Merry! We love you guys!

Keep the Treats Coming!

The weather outside is frightful - but inside it's so delightful! We've trained our mama well!

Where's Pandie?

After weeks of trying to welcome Pandie into our little family - she had to be re-homed. We were kinda sad about it, but truth be told, she didn't like our mama too much. We didn't help much though because ever time our mama tried to work with the little munchkin, Patches and I would become really possessive.

Luckily, one of our cousins stepped in and gobbled up Pandie Bear! She's healthy and happy and getting ALL the (proper) attention she deserves. We're a little jealous that she has a huge fenced-in backyard to play in.

So, we're back to a two dog household and everything is as it should be. Our mama only has two hands, so she shouldn't really have more than two dogs. (We think the Brat Pack's mama is secretly an octopus!)

Holiday Card Pics - a sneak preview

Last night was the worst night of my entire life. At least we got treats. Here is a sneak preview of what may or may not make it into our Holiday Cards this year! (There were literally hundreds of blurry photos to choose from.)

Get in my belly!

Most people like it when my mama bakes things for them...but I have to tell you, for us pups, it's torture. Sparky had the right idea when he not-so-secretly sampled her wares some time ago - but it's been a super long time since Mama slipped and left something tasty within our reach. Until yesterday, that is!

See all those banana breads? I can totally jump up onto that table and make her start all over if I felt like it! I didn't because I'm pretty sure that Mama would've fashioned my hide into a handbag, and I have way more living to do. However, I did steal one when Sparky and Pandie went outside to go potty. I had exactly 3 minutes to steal the loaf, unwrap it and hide the evidence.

Unfortunately, I didn't find a very good hiding place for the yucky wrapper.


I was sent to jail, where I did the time for doing the crime. I didn't even pretend to be regretful as I licked the crumbs off my lips for about 20 minutes as my mom kept asking "Why Patches, why?"

Oh! My tummy!


If I wasn't a boy, pups and humans alike might think that I was in the "family way!" My tummy was huge and moved on it's own! I took it easy the rest of the day - partly because I couldn't move very well. I can't wait to see if my poo smells like bananas.

Vote in our Poll!

My mama needs some help with Girl Puppy's name. We have three choices to the left for you to pick from. My personal favorite is Flower...she's black and white, like Flower the skunk in Bambi - plus her farts can clear a room.

Chiquita means "little girl" in Spanish.

Pandemonium (or Pandie for short) is a fab name for her, because she is so full of energy AND she looks like a panda bear in the face. (Edited to add: my mama has been trying this name out, and the puppy actually comes when she calls her...)

We just can't decide!

Our new sister

Patches and I are proud to introduce our new little sister! She doesn't have a name yet, so we are all calling her "girl puppy." Girl puppy is a beagle/pekingese mix (my mama obviously has a thing for beagles, since we are all 1/2 beagle!).

Patches wasn't exactly warm and welcoming when he first met her. In fact, his bark - a high pitched woman's scream, I kid you not - scared the crap out of her. Um. Literally. As it does most living things. I liked her immediately.

Girl puppy is a bundle of activity. Patches was very sick and sleepy when he came home, but this girl is healthy as a horse, and is keeping us on our toes! We played so much last night, running around our house, that we all collapsed into a big heap on our mama's legs at bed time!

Yes, Patches is totally spooning me. Returning the favor, now that he's the biggest pup in our pack.

Girl puppy hasn't had a single accident in the house, and has gone pee and poop OUTSIDE. (She's a good pile pooper - no 360 degree poops like me, or the walk-a-thon poop like Patches.) She's also doing a great job going into her kennel!

If anyone would like to make a suggestion for a name, please leave a comment! I went two weeks without a name, and Patches wasn't Patches until a full week after coming home. I can't let that happen to Girl puppy!

We're baaaaaack!

Lots of things have changed since our last post - over a whole month ago. (Can somedog please lick the egg of my incredibly handsome and slightly wrinkled face? Thanks!) My mama and pop have broken up just shy of 8 years together, and Patches and I are now living in another city with our mama. Of course we have been giving my mama lots of loving, in between barking at new sights and sounds!

We also found out that we are only .7 miles from the river! So - our walk has included sightseeing (and leaf peeping) along the waterfront.

I contemplated jumping into the water, but decided to sit and stay as told...the water is looking pretty cold, and I just had a bath.

Run dog, run

Part beagle, part cavalier king charles spaniel, part race horse? Funny thing is, he's not even breaking a sweat...he could run like that all day. I get tired just looking at this picture.

I've found the fountain of youth!

My mama came home with a new toy for me a couple of days ago - and since then I've turned into a completely crazy 4 month old puppy again!

This toy is grrrrrrrreat! It's called "Jolly Ball" and it's a soft plastic ball inside a tough outer ball, and it drives me absolutely NUTTY. Sometimes I stick my nose inside one of the holes and tongue kiss the inner ball, and sometimes I sit and bark at the whole toy until I go horse. This toy is evil and loveable all at the same time.

I even look more like a puppy! And, I didn't have to buy a jar of $1,000 face cream or go under a knife, or swim in some germy pool of water in a far off country.

Patches doesn't understand my love for this new toy, and that is A-OK with me - because it means I don't have to share. He does a perfect job of staying out of my way when I am rolling it around the house. Besides, he's still a crazy puppy and doesn't need that fountain of youth yet.

Not to worry - - we're simply relaxing

Sparky and I are both pretty upset that our mama has been spending so much time at work, because that means that she is not playing with us. We're terribly afraid that our friends at the dog park are going to forget us (or find new friends to play with)! Even worse, when she is home all she wants to do is nap. Lucky for her, I am an expert cuddler.

Really. How can you resist this mug?

No one can...it's impossible. See? That's my mama's thumb going in for a stroke on my nose. (I love my nose stroked, and so does Sparky...I also like kisses on my nose - right between my eyeballs, actually.) My pink parts are just as pink as my mama's nail! Cool!

Now you come here and let me return the favor. I didn't step in any poo today, so my paws are safe. Besides, I saw you pick that M&M up off the floor and eat it. On a side note - now everyone can see why I was named Patches...

My Party!

I'm one! I'm one! My vet lady told me that I am no longer a puppy, but my mama said that I would always be her little guy, even though I am the biggest canine in this house. Silly mama!

I asked my pawrents for a little brother, but my pop is a big meanie and said "no more dogs." I don't think that's really fair. Sparky got a little brother. I deserve one too. I did get a new collar and a new chirping bird stuffy!

Anyway, we did celebrate my birth in high style...

I posed with the traditional birthday hat. It was a little too big for me, but I'm not the kind of pup who relents to dorky displays of embarassment.

I starred intently at a Moo Tube.


And, I feasted on an Organic Frosty Paws in the dark (thanks to my grandma!) and used my own paw for balance, which every human thought was cute. You can't let a drop of those things go to waste, ya know?


Of course, I shared it all with Sparky. He did teach me all the ropes during my very first year on earth. Spark, you can thank me later by letting me win during our many rounds of bitey face tonight.

Pee S - Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday!!!! It made me very happy, indeed.

Birthday Party!

Guess who is turning 1 year old tomorrow?

My baby brother Patches!

Don't tell him though, because my mama is planning a little surprise for him with some frosty paws treats and pressies. Because I am the big brother, I will show him how to properly eat a frosty paws...it's hard to believe that Patches has never had one.

My mama is a little sad that her "baby" is no more.

It's so hard to believe that Patchy has gone from this sickly and sleepy pup of 4 pounds..

to this handsome and muscular stud muffin...

Where did the time go?

Summer Photo Session

These pictures were taken this weekend at my grandma's house. Afterwards, we went for a walk to the park, and ate ice cream at the riverbank. It may be 95 degrees, but we are two cooooooooool pups!

Frisbee

I'm trying to teach my mama to play Frisbee with me. Of course, she is playing it all wrong! She wants me to try and catch it while it is in the air, and I say "no, no, no!" The proper way to play Frisbee is more like tug o' war. I grasp the side of the Frisbee with my sharp puggle teeth - pretend that I want to give it to my mama, then refuse and growl my cool gremlin play growl. Eventually, she'll learn.

Athletics

Remember pups - - the key to a good workout is a good stretch, so pratice your doga!

Tether ball. Who knew that game could be played so marvelously by a pair of puppies? My pop held the ball and swung it around at our level, and Patches and I batted it back and forth. As you can see, we really got into it. Patches started with the trash talk right away, but my mama put the kabosh on that real fast! (He's been testing his boundaries lately.)

While I consider myself a great team player, I have to admit that I can be fairly clumsy. My puggle legs are short and I often trip over myself in the heat of a match. Patches on the other hand, is a total jock. He'd be first string on the varsity team, while I would be a bench warmer on JV. He's also fearless, and doesn't mind being stomped on when hangin' with his team.

Check out his awesome b'ball skilz!

Going in for the steal...Mission accomplished!

Moments after this photo was taken, Patches was ejected from the game because he received his 5th foul. While in the locker room, he got his nails trimmed.

Night at the Drive-In

Patches and I took my humans to the drive-in last night! It was fantastic. We saw two movies: Indiana Jones and Iron Man. Now, I am an expert at behaving at the drive-in, but this was definitely a test for Patchy. This was his very first drive-in movie! My mama was a little worried because Patches barks at anything that moves - and sometimes he barks and howls just to hear his own voice. Crazy Beaglier.

He was actually really good! I think it was because we were hangin' out in mama's new car! (She got the Honda Fit Sport, in Tidewater Blue. The front seats lay flat, so we all snuggled in the back like one big happy family.)

Do we really have to wait until it's dark for the movie to start?

I was really inspired by Iron Man and his ability to fly. Then, I realized that I also know how to defy gravity as well! Look, I'm going so fast that my tail is uncurling! If I had Patches' helicopter ears I probably could've soared even higher...maybe even to the moon.

Naught is as naughty does

This is why my mama calls ironic:


That's her copy of Marley and Me. Somedog in this household plucked it off of the bookshelf, while mama was in the shower, and ate it!

Don't tell anyone, but it was ME! Marley was a very naughty dog, but I'm pretty sure I could have given him a run for his money. I totally would've gotten away with it too, if there wasn't a chunk of paper caught in my teeth.

Sharing is Caring

Hey kid...what do you have there?

It's a stick! Wanna share?

I didn't get this big dude's name, but he is one cool dog! His human allows him off leash as soon as they enter the park, and this guy makes a bee-line to the fenced in dog area in a flash! It's really funny. He's incredibly social and a great tug-o-war contestant. Plus, he always wears a fancy bandana.

The puggle grind

It's a well known fact that I destroy toys. It really doesn't matter the shape or size or make or model...I will rip into it and take out it's guts. Then I will eat the guts and poop them out. It's kind of like that whole "circle of life" stuff that the Discovery Channel talks about.

Now, Patches is a chomper. I keep telling him that chomping down on something doesn't bring on the destruction. He doesn't care, and probably figures that I do enough damage for the both of us.

Let me show you what I affectionately call the "Puggle Grind:"


Place the toy (in this case it is a brand new flying squierrel frisbee thingy that set my mama back $9.99, plus tax) deep into the corner of your mouth. Bite down. And, grind like the humans do when they are stressed. I promise, you don't even need strong jaws! (Feel free to change sides from time to time...you don't want to wear down one side of your mouth because that will make eating treats tricky.)


In about 2 minutes, your human will take the toy you are biting, look at your handiwork, sigh, shrug and give it back to you since there's nothing they can do anyway.

Wordless Wednesday

Just enjoying this beautiful stretch of weather we're having.

Our friend King

Sparky and I took our human cousin to the park with us to hang out because he loves dogs, but can't own any because his mama won't let him. We try to visit him as often as possible, and let him take us for walks and stuff.

King is a huge Great Dane that we met just the other day. Believe it or not, he's only a puppy at 14 months...older than me, but younger than Sparky! King just loved our cousin, and slimed him a gazillion times with sloppy Great Dane kisses! (Our mama got slimed too, but she made sure to stand up when King came around for some love, so the slime didn't get all over her face.) I hope he doesn't have morning breath!

Look how gigantic his noggin' is! I think King may be bigger than our giant friend, the ever-handsome, Mango. He may even be as big as Kaiser!

King liked us medium sized pups the best and tried to trounce on us, in the nicest way possible, of course. Sparky does this thing where he barks in dog's faces to try to get them to play...he's harmless and you can totally tell that he is playing because he doesn't show any teeth at all (and that's hard for the Sparkster, because he has some serious jacked up teeth). Usually the other dogs (and humans) make fun of him...but every now and then one of the pups will give chase! Sparky runs so fast that his curly tail un-curls!

Here's Sparky pulling that trick again...only this time, we all ran after him!

Long walks = gigantic tongues

The lengths of our walks is directly related to the length of Patches' tongue! The longer we walk, the more obscene his tongue becomes. I don't even know how he fits that thing in his mouth.

I tried to tell Patchy that if he listened to mama, and didn't pull so much on his leash he wouldn't get pooped out so fast. I mean, I could walk all day if allowed...because I take my time and stick by my mama's side...who let's fast it, doesn't walk that fast in the first place. Patches and me are a like the tortoise and the hare. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out who wins every race!

Oh, and I finally found this "Spring" that everyone is talking about! I don't know Spring so well, so I ate it.

Tag Team

We saw our very first (large) cat up-close and personal this weekend! I don't think he liked us much. Patches was a howling fool, and if he wasn't there I probably would've gone a little closer and introduced myself.

A constant state of destruction

Here is an example of yet another toy that it not puggle proof.


Other items on this growing list that died way too soon:

• Loofa dogs, or all stuffies really.
• Rope 'bones' (I can untie the knots)
• Squeakers
• Kongs (I keep them for a short time, but then just have to chew them apart!)
• This thing was pretty much a joke.
• And, this freezer chew stick was demolished, but not before I untied all of the little knots and ate the strings.
• The fleece ball is only really held together by one tiny string, so once that was untied - fleece pieces were everywhere!
• My mama thought this toy would last, since it says "hardcore" right on it...but they were wrong. My super scissor teeth broke through the stitching in about 3 minutes.
• I had fun with the nylabone key chain, but soon found out that nylabone is NOT DIGESTIBLE.
• Mama's couch.

Sigh.

My pop jokes that he is going to make me something out of real car tires, or Kevlar.

It's dog park time!

Dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park, dog park

My subliminal messages totally paid off, because yesterday we got all harness up thinking that we would be taking another walk - and instead we went to the dog park! It was so exciting! There has been some speculation about Patches being naughty (like constantly barking, or running away) but he was such a gentleman to all the other boy and girl pups and their humans, and he listened so well to our Mama when she called for him. I was very proud of him.

Patches found his twin to hang out with too! Well, they are not really twins, or even the same breed - but they acted the same (CRAZY!) and had the same colors in their coat. Their playing made everyone laugh.

Wait...I'll zoom in for you...


I grew a little concerned when this little girl came in...I thought she was one of Nanook and Pooka's baby sheepies! I was only half wrong, she is a baby - and I was told that she definitely is not a sheepie, but a dog...a poodle mix of some sort. She was a snippy little creature.

We stayed at the dog park until it started to get dark. Apparently, when the night falls and we are outside, we turn turn into aliens! Just like our new so-called alien friend, Walter, who is being remade into the glorious dog he should be by the Brat Pack.

Don't be scared everypup!!! We're still the same loveable puppies underneath our glow-in-the-dark eyeballs.