The things they put up with!

As I am sure all us proud parents do it, I am not afraid to admit that the boyos and us have our own special lingo that we propagate. For example when Blessu wants attention we call him a “sook” because we deem him to be sulky.  Shihs (sh- it), is what we call the boyos or little “shihts” or too “shihty” (“shihty” being what we consider characteristic shih-tzu type behaviors) etc.

Due to the unfortunate sounding homonym of “Shihs” or “Shihty,” we, from time to time will get a cross look here or there on the streets.  This past summer we encountered a lovely little Shih Tzu girl and her owner in the Hamptons.  For various reasons or another, she refused to even call her dog a “Shih Tzu”- she merely said “my Tzu” over and over again, which we thought was a little too “proper” for us.

I mean every breed has a shortened version of their name such as “Newfs” for New Foundlands and “Westies” for West Highland White Terriers, “Dandies” for a Dandie Dinmont Terrier or “Frenchy” for a French Bulldog and the list goes on and on and on…  Hopefully no one will hold our affectionate little nickname against us.

Another non-technical term we use is “Boyos.” We simply use it because Lucy is Australian and the Aussies seem to like putting an “O” at the ends of words.

A “scoopy” is a baggie we use to pick up the boyos poop also called a “poopy scoopy” one of Blessu’s first t-shirts had the cheeky phrase “You Poop I Scoop!” on it.

“Smooshy” is both a verb and an adjective as in “Lets smooshy the boyos” or “smooshy faced shihts (ie Shih Tzus with pushed in mugs/faces).”

“Beddy Bye” is a phrase the boyos really love as it means its time to retire for the evening. They also like treat, cookie, out, o-u-t, You Wanna.., Dinni, Hungry, and Agua (one of Shuey’s favorites).

Lastly I would like to point out that in our home videos I tend to speak in a high or falsetto voice, this is because dogs tend to respond better to a friendlier non-offensive high pitched tone rather than a manly deep voice and so I just kind of go with it.

Mark wanted a blue ribbon…

What vocab do you use with your pet?

Blessu obsessed about the dancing robotic cat (we named him Humphrey)

As you may have noticed by now Blessu is a very cerebral boy and enjoys stimuli such as puzzles and challenges. One of his main pastimes, like many folks, is to watch television. In fact when we moved to our last apartment Lucy had to promise him a big screen TV for the bedroom- and got one!

Many times, he will actually jump onto the bed and look at the television then back at us, then the TV again until we acquiesce and switch it on for him.  He will rest his head on his pillow at the foot of the bed, just as I used to grab a pillow from the couch and lay in front of the TV to watch cartoons when I was a kid.

There are also certain programs and characters that catch Blessu’s interest- some more than others. He tends to get riled up, barking or growling (thus we sometimes think he dislikes) little old ladies or old men, any animals who are suffering- such as those on Animal Cops on Animal Planet although I hope that is just because the camera always does a close up on the victim. He also seems to hate Steve Martin.  I am guessing it is because of the unique tambour of his voice but when he comes on screen Blessu jumps up and howls! Oh and also Dr. Wilson on House isn’t particularly to his taste either for some reason..,  And lastly, of course, he hates anything cuter than him! It may seem like bad parenting but we tend to encourage this behavior as we just think it’s so darn cute!   When a cute animal (and Blessu isn’t picky, it could be another dog or a Panda Bear, although cats tend to be his favorite,) we would coo at the TV to get him to look at it and the more we cooed at how cute the thing on TV is, the more Blessu would growl or even, if we are lucky, the occasional bark.

Usually it isn’t wise to encourage barking or growling in dogs, but Blessu is just so quiet and sensible all the time- we just love hearing him sound like a real dog once in a while!  And don’t worry, we’ve been “encouraging” him for years and years, and he still as well behaved as an angel.

My favorite programs to watch with Blessu are documentaries such as Wild China, Planet Earth, and Life.

Blessu attentively watching TV

What gets your dogs riled up on TV?

The AdventurePups and us are thinking (so very much still in the wishing/dreaming stage) about possibly making a big trip to China.  I think the Boyos would just love love love to see all the different sites and smells of such a vast and varied land, and it would be great to show the Boyos what a real Panda looks like (Blessu has seen many on TV, but never in person).

“You have any Apples for me?”

So far, we haven’t dared to put the “dream” into practice yet..  it just seems so daunting, in terms of logistics and things.. But then again, Mark and I remind ourselves- nothing ventured nothing gained…

Forbidden Palace, China

What do you think?

Doggie Bags

Has anyone ever had problems trying to hail a cab while you have your pet in tow? Even if they are enclosed in a bag or something?

When we landed in Amsterdam, no one at the cab line at the airport would take us- even though both Boyos were safely tucked away in their Sherpa Bags!  We had to call someone especially to come pick us up!

In NYC most of the time it’s not a big deal but during rush hour, or times of high demand, it does become difficult (as I guess drivers can afford to be more picky during those times).  That being said, some drivers even open up and become much more friendly and chatty when we have the pups.

What’s your experience been like?

Blessu hogging the remote controls.

The AdventurePups have stayed at numerous bed and breakfasts around the world.  When it comes of small inns and bed and breakfast type accommodations, your hosts really make the world of difference to the enjoyment of a trip- as much, if not more so than a comfy bed to sleep in!

We were very lucky to meet Barbara and Richard- some of the most lovely and accommodating owners of a bed and breakfast we have ever encountered.  They took such pride in their work, and didn’t mind going the extra few miles for their guests, such as waking up to fresh, home baked, warm scones for breakfast everyday!

Most of all, Barbara and Richard enjoyed the AdventurePups themselves.  Often, if  Mark and I had to leave the Boyos for an hour or so on an errand or something, Barbara or Richard would come and sit with the Boyos and watch TV in the living room of the guest quarters.  It made us feel comforted, and certainly much less guilty for leaving the Pups once in a while!

“Bovther, where did you hide the remote?”

We would love to hear from our readers about their Bed and Breakfast experiences- the good, the bad and the ugly!

Please forward on any recommendations for great places to stay too!

When you are traveling to exotic, fun and beautiful places, it’s not hard to find things that delight the senses.  One of our all time favorite delights would have to be an amazing restaurant called Zaza right in the heart of Tuscany, in Italy (and I would say the Boyos would definitely agree with that)!

Often we would go on a 3 plus hour detour drives just so that we can drive through town and eat at Zaza once more!  If you ever have the good fortune to visit, please try their 3 Soup Tasting menu, all the 3 soups are fantastic, but one of them- and I can never figure out which one, despite having in probably like a hundred times by now, is AMAZING!!  It’s the more “orange” colored one.. if that is any help =)

The owners are super friendly, and the Boyos always have a great time!  What dog can say no to Tuscan styled Zaza steak!

Zaza, we miss you, and hope to see you again soon!

“We want more steak!”

What’s the best restaurant that you have visited with your own Pups?  We would love to hear your recommendations!

A walk in the Park

As many of you may have noticed this is one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record in the last fifty years and it has only been technically winter for a month. This apparently has to do with the “Arctic Fence” being breached by our carbon dioxide output which has caused the Arctic winds and fronts to slip passed below the 49^th degree parallel and enter New York and the rest of America leaving the poor far-northerners with much less ice paths for their races and festivals.

Anyway, the Boyos being tough little Shihts braved the trek through Central Park a couple of times but Lucy and I have deemed it to be too much for us and therefore the Boyos have not had a proper walk in weeks! Last week during a snowfall we had them look at the balcony in order to see for themselves that it would be too cold and unpleasant outside. They took a look and ran away from the door in agreement but then we needed to do something to keep their minds active and bodies limber, so we came up with a game.  We threw a bunch of liver treats onto the powdery snow piles on our balcony- the Boyos were reluctant at first, but eventually lured by the treats, stepped gingerly out onto the snow and dunked their little heads into the soft snow to get at the treat.

Being Shih Tzus they are not entirely equipped for Arctic hunting, they barely have a muzzle to pierce the snow yet undeterred they plowed on, after a few moments they had a face covered in white chilly powdery goodness but no treat! Blessu being clever eventually figured out it was easier to wait for Shuey, who is an excellent digger (must have some St. Bernard in his gene pool as he loves to “rescue” things in the snow), dig up the treats only to then, (attempt to) quickly snatch it up before Shuey could get to it- sometimes successfully but not always.

Blessu waiting for Shuey to dig up the next treat…

After about five minutes of this I figured they would have been frozen solid and be ready to call it quits- little did I know!  Once they had gotten a taste of victory (literally, but finding, extracting and gobbling down a treat) something primal must have been switched on in their little heads.  They just kept looking and digging and searching and refused to come inside! They remained sniffing and digging for what seemed like ages (another five minutes) until I finally had to bribe them with more treats in order to get them to come back in!

So our little scheme to give them a little stimuli and a little exercise has now worked so very well that you can indeed say it has backfired. Now instead of coming home to Blessu sitting on the couch watching Animal Planet, I find both boys sitting at the balcony door staring at the snow. Now when I get up in the morning the first thing Shuie does is race to the balcony door in hopes to snag the next treat- mind you, I haven’t put anymore treats out there since the first test. I suppose that’s what the first prospectors must of felt during the Californian Gold Rush- once you got that first high of finding the precious metal- you come back again and again to try for another. So now my Boyos have Treat Rush Fever and I need to find a cure. I reckon it is as simple as taking them for a long walk in the park in arctic winds and a couple feet of snow.  Maybe I will bring the sled…

The Boyos after the treasure-treat hunt- Shuey has snow balls stuck to his chest!

How do you entertain your dogs when you are in a bind?

Boyos all decked out in Christmas gear

Lucy and I love Christmas.  Therefore, we like to stretch out our enjoyment of Christmas for as long as possible. So, instead of rushing out first thing Christmas morning to open Santa’s gifts, we went out for a nice brunch.

I know what your thinking… well yes, we did leave the Boyos momentarily on Christmas Day, but, only for a short while and we had the nanny cam on them most of the time not to mention the nice Kobe-beef bribe we brought for them from the Japanese BBQ restaurant!

Yummy Kobe Beef!

After a relaxing day, we popped open an old bottle of wine and began the commencements. Now, as many NY dog lovers know, after a few years of getting Christmas gifts for your pups, you quickly realize that you live in a New York apartment and that there is limited space for legions of stuffed toys!  Our simple, space and cost effective solution was to momentarily take away  (without them noticing) their favorite toy or get an exact replacement or even to simply wash the existing one and wrap it up for the Boyos to open fresh on Christmas Day!  Although we are aware that this is very Mr. Bean like of us, it has gone over very well with the boyos.  (Don’t worry they have a full adult sized wardrobe FULL of toys…)

Despite the fact there are just the four of us during the holidays we do have a tendency to over do it on the gifts and wind up with a massive pile of discarded wrapping paper. We have found that rather than cleaning it up we can hide treats and toys in it and have Shuey dig it out- which is a great positive reinforcement exercise for him since he has an aversion to noise and wouldn’t normally go anywhere near the potentially noise making pile. As for Blessu treat hunting didn’t seem to interest him because he had rediscovered his best toy and had a blast throwing it around, sleeping on it and guarding it like a dragon.   Both Boys had a blast for hours and hours until, just as the snow began to fall, (the Christmas Blizzard of 2010!)  it was time to go “Beddy Bye” and all was right with the world…

Shuey hunting for treasure amongst the wrapping papers.

What is the best gift you ever gave your pooch for the Holidays?

Please stay tuned! The AdventurePups are always attending local events, here and there, and would love to say hello to their fans. So please join us if you have a moment!

Whether it’s preparing for a trip, traveling to an exotic destination or just walking in Central Park, the AdventurePups love to meet people- so please stop by and say hello!

The shihtzus are taking a nap at the moment. BUT…. Stay tuned for the latest news and happenings! Coming soon!

The AdventurePups were featured on GoPetFriendly.com Check it out!
http://www.gopetfriendlyblog.com/2011/03/meet-mark-lucy-and-the-adventure-pups/