Hi everyone! My mama asked me if I can write for her bloggy thing, because today is National Dog Day. Yay!

My name is Patches, and I’m a Shih Tzu. I first met my mama on New Year’s Day, 2008.  I came from her brother’s house, and since she said she wanted a baby doggie, her brother said I can come live with her! I knew she was my mama because when she first saw me she said, “Hi Patches, I’m your mama!” I also met my new family: I have a lolo and lola, my Ninang Tammy, Ate Chloe, and Tito Jonat.

I was scared that first night at my new home, because everything was new. My lolo said I had to stay in the extra room for a day because I had to have medicine for my skin from living outside the house. I barked all night and my mama wanted to take me to her room, but lolo said I had to stay put so the medicine would work. I was very sad when they all went to bed, but my Tito Jonat decided to sleep in the room with me so I wasn’t left alone!

The next day, my mama woke up very early in the morning, even though she hadn’t had much sleep because she used to work at night. She said she was excited to play with me. She even bought me my first outfit, and we took our first picture together! After that, I found out where my mama’s room was and I went there on my own, and now that’s my room too.

My first photo with my mama!

It turns out I have a really big family too! I have another Ninang, Ninang Gigi, and whenever my mama visits her, she takes me along with her. Ninang Gigi said I am always welcome at her house because I am a good boy. She doesn’t like dogs dressed as humans, but my mama doesn’t care and sometimes when we go she dresses me up. My Tito Bing also visits us sometimes, and my mama is jealous of him because she thinks I love him more. But that’s not true! He just likes to give me belly rubs and I like belly rubs a lot. I have a lot of friends too. Aggy is a baby like me but she’s a human baby. She likes to give me food and treats. Boomer and Bebe are Ninang Gigi’s babies. Ninang Tammy and Ate Chloe also have babies, but they’re cats! They’re named Duchess, Hamilton, O’Hara, Pippin, Irish, Simba, Keanu, Crookshanks, and Salem. So many! Duchess doesn’t like me much, but mama said O’Hara is my friend.

O’Hara is so silly!
This is Aggy.
That’s me, Bebe and Boomer, ready for New Year!

I like to play a lot, and my favorite toy is paper! My mama tries to buy me new toys, and they’re nice, but paper is the best because I get to bite them all day. My lolo even leaves his newspaper on the floor for me. They always say something about missing his crossword puzzle, but if he leaves the paper on the floor, it’s got to be for me, right? Anyway, my lolo never gets mad if I play with his puzzles so it must be okay.

My mama really likes my poop, because she keeps it in a bag and always tells me I’m the goodest boy for pooping. I don’t know where she takes my poop in a bag, but it seems to make her happy so I try to poop for her every day. Sometimes when she’s still sleeping, my lola will take me outside while I poop.

I used to be sad when my mama had to go to work because she left me every day. And she was sad when she had to leave me too, and we’d be so happy when she got home! Then my lolo and lola would bring me in the car with them when they picked her up from work, which made my mama even happier! But my mama was still very sad at work so she finally left that awful place. Now she works at home, and I get to spend the whole day with her! She doesn’t have to leave, and sometimes I stay with her while she works. She put a little bed for me under her desk and I sleep there sometimes. I’m so glad my mama doesn’t cry because of her work now, and she’s so much happier.

She also likes it when I sleep in her bed at night. Most times I like to sleep in my own bed, but it makes my mama happy when I snuggle with her. When she’s very sick or when it’s cold, I sleep beside her the whole night! And she says it makes her feel better. I think she likes to stay on the very edge of her bed, because that’s where I find her when I wake up sometimes. She never tells me to move, so she must like that spot a lot. So I try my best to sleep in the very center of the bed so she can dangle on the edge. I don’t know why she likes that, but my mama is a bit strange so I just accept it.

You know another reason my mama is strange? She bought me a stroller!

But we only used it once because the one time we used it, a dog chased me and my mama and Ate Chloe down the street, and we were so scared that my mama left the stroller in the street and called my lolo to pick us up in the car! That was scary.

My mama also calls me a lot of different names. I know my name is Patches, but she calls me Monkey, Fuffy, Poopy, Poopidoo, Boody and Piggyboy. Mostly she calls me her Potato. And then my lola calls me Pechay. My Ninang Tammy calls me Badoodiboo, and Ate Chloe calls me Patootie. And then my mama says I’m a little boy! So sometimes I get really confused. But it seems to make them happy so I just let them call me these different names.

My birthday is coming up soon! My mama throws a birthday party for me with balloons and streamers, and makes everyone in the family wear hats. My Ninang bakes me my very own giant treat too! I’m really excited for this year. One time my mama forgot my birthday and she was so sad about it that she cried. But that’s okay mama, I know you had a lot of things on your mind that month, and we had our belated birthday party so that’s okay!

I get a giant treat!
Ain’t no party like my birthday party!
Cupcakes for the humans

She brings me to the doctor when I’m sick, and my Ate Chloe and Tito Bing go with me too. So even though it hurts me sometimes when they poke and do stuff, I know they all love me. My mama tells me she loves me every night before she goes to sleep and kisses me so much! Sometimes she squeezes me so hard but I know it’s because she loves me. I’m also really cute so I can’t blame her. I love you too, mama!

 

Did I do all right with your bloggy, mama?