Macho's Snow Experience

We finally got a little bit of snowfall here in Michigan this week! It has been very warm, and then all of the sudden I woke up on Wednesday and there was a tiny bit of snow on the ground. Macho has never seen snow, so I was really excited to see how it went. I was always afraid to take him out in the snow when we lived on a very busy road just in case he freaked out and got loose. However, it wasn't a very exciting experience!



Since it had rained the night before, the snow was kind of frozen and crunchy. Macho ran out of the door really fast, and then was surprised when the snow was on the deck and the grass. He almost immediately stopped and was walking very curiously on the crunching snow. He wouldn't run around and play, he was just kind of standing there and would walk a few feet every once in a while. I guess I will just have to wait until there is a lot of snow to see how much fun he has!


Also, do you like his sweater? Because I made it! Thankfully I finished knitting it on Monday because he definitely needed it only a few days later. He wears it outside, but once he is inside, he doesn't love wearing it. He will sneak it off while I am not looking :)

We're Still Here!

I realize that I have been slacking lately on posting and reading other blogs. But I swear I have a good reason!

This has been a super busy few weeks for me and Macho. A few days after I posted my last update, my boyfriend Nick and I decided to go our separate ways. Unfortunately, that meant that Macho and I had to move, again! Macho was finally getting used to his new home when he had to go through moving all over again.

I was very worried about Macho and how he would react to moving after going through it only 2 months prior. But the number one thing that I was looking for in a new house was an enclosed back yard for Macho. I found a house not too far away that had that and a few other things I was looking for, so I decided to move there. To my surprise though, Macho has been doing really great. He has had a few accidents causing me to have to hide an ottoman from him to get him to stop peeing on it, but other than that he has been doing really well.

The backyard has been amazing for him. Not only is it bigger for him to run in, but it has a gate the entire way around so that I don't have to hold the leash while we are out there. I was still hooking the leash to his harness as there's a few spots in the fence where he could get under and I wanted to have a way to grab him really quickly if he went near that. But after a few weeks of him only paying attention to me and the cars driving by on the street, I realized that I have nothing to worry about. So earlier this week I took him out without the leash hooked to him, and he was like a free dog! He runs around, mostly in circles, and plays his little game with me. He gets so excited when I pull out the harness because he knows that he gets to go outside. This morning I took a video of him getting excited to go out, and then of him running around. It wouldn't let me save the entire video at once since it is big, so I separated it into two videos. My flip camera is boxed away somewhere, so when I find it I will make a better video and crop out Macho going to the bathroom and make the second one the right side up!

Macho's Training Update

Thanks everyone for your comments on my last post about Macho's training! He is still doing very well and getting better each day.

I'm happy to report that Macho has only been showing small signs of dominance! There are times when Nick calls Macho but Macho doesn't come. I'm not sure why he does it, but he likes to run into the bedroom and lay in the cage. Nick isn't doing anything bad, just sitting on the couch and calling Macho to come sit over by him. Macho should have learned by now that if he runs in the cage, Nick will come in there with the leash and make him come out. But he still runs in there occasionally.

Other than that, the training is still going well. Macho is getting better at "stay". Our trainer wants Macho to stay for his food when it is put on the floor. The problem is that Macho isn't like most dogs who eat food the second that they see it. He usually waits for me to put in on the floor and sit down. Sometimes he even waits a few minutes before going to eat. Finally this morning I decided that I would just stand there while holding his food bowl and calling him. He actually came over and stood there waiting for me to put the bowl down. I said "stay" and put it down, and then let him go eat it, however, he was never trying to go to the food. I'm going to keep doing this and see if it helps Macho to get more excited about eating. I know, it's crazy to have a dog that doesn't want to eat!

Now that Macho goes outside, I want to take a video of him playing out there with me. It's pretty adorable to see him running around in the grass. Especially knowing that for the first half of his life he never got to go outside or play at all. I will post a video when I finally take one!

Re-training Macho

I've been MIA lately as we've been busy making Macho a better dog!

About two weeks ago, I was leaving the house and Macho was laying on our bed. He isn't allowed to be in our bedroom while we are not home, so I told him to get off the bed. He really wasn't happy about this! I am usually able to say "Off" and point to the floor to get him to get off the bed, but when I did this, he just sat there. I reached down to pet him, and he tried to bite me! Per our dog trainer's advice, I am supposed to growl at him when he is misbehaving, so I did that. Sometimes all I have to do is walk behind Macho and he will walk away because he doesn't like to have his back to you. So I did that, and he turned around and started showing his teeth to me. Clearly, I was not allowing this behavior. He stopped, walked over to my pillow and peed on it! I couldn't believe he did that.

The next day I got home from work and took Macho out as usual. He didn't pee, but since I still have the pee pads out for while I am at work, I thought he just didn't have to go. I brought him in, and I heard him walk down the hallway. He went right into our bedroom and peed on our bed again. I decided it was time to take some action.

Our dog trainer came out for a visit last week and said that Macho is starting to show dominance now that he is more comfortable with us. We have a lot of new exercises to work with him on. However, the biggest is that he is no longer allowed to sleep in bed with us or be on the bed in general! This made us sad because he loves laying in bed and cuddling with us. But I know that it's something we have to do to help him get better and teach him that we are the leaders, not him. The first night he wasn't happy about sleeping in the cage, but since that first night he has gone in the cage without a fight. Last night I laid in bed reading a book, and he went right into the cage and laid there the whole time.

So far the exercises have seemed to help, and Macho is showing less dominance by the day. We're supposed to continue this for a month and then we can readdress him sleeping in bed with us. Let's hope it all works out for Macho!

Macho's New Home!

I haven't been posting on the blog for a while since we have been moving! It's been a little over 2 weeks since the move, and we are finally getting settled in.

Macho has been great during the move. The first few days were tough as he didn't know where to go to the bathroom which caused a few accidents. But since we have a fenced in backyard, we can take him out a lot more. He is slowly catching on that he is supposed to relieve himself outside instead of inside. He still has the pee pads to go on for moments when he is too impatient, but for the most part he has been waiting for us to take him out.

Last night was the biggest breakthrough in the house training. We had a few friends over to watch football, and Macho decided to hang out in the bedroom as more than 3-4 people in one room makes him a little nervous. He was in the bedroom from noon until about 10:30 at night. I had checked on him frequently, and I noticed that he really hadn't moved from the bed the whole time. Once everyone was gone around 10:30, Macho hopped out of bed and came to me. I knew he would have to go out, so I got his leash and put it on him. Usually in the morning when we do this, he can't hold it in and usually goes on the pee pad. I thought he would do it this time, but he let me take him out and he waited until he was outside to go! I am excited for him that he's learning.

We moved in on a Monday and on that next Saturday we lost power during a pretty bad storm. We didn't get power back until Wednesday, so there were a few days that we were copping without having a refrigerator, TV, or even light once it started to get dark around 8:30 at night. Macho started to get sick of it too, as we weren't as lazy as we usually are when we don't have a TV to watch. I snapped this picture of him, and it looks like he is adjusting well to his new home :)

We Are Moving!

It's finally time for us to get out of apartments and move into a house! It's been a very long process, but we're excited to finally have our own space.

We're not moving too far, actually less than 2 miles from where we live now. But we will be off the busy road we live on and more in a neighborhood. We've been looking for a very long time, and almost 2 months ago we found a house that would be perfect for us. It especially includes a backyard with a beautiful privacy fence. Perfect for a little pooch we like to call Macho!

It's been a stressful week packing everything up, and I can tell that Macho is confused. I'm trying to make the move as easy as possible for him. We are packing a truck with all of our things on Sunday, then we are moving everything into the house on Monday. We decided that it might be too stressful to have Macho at home, so we are taking him to my parents' house overnight. Then we will be bringing him to the new house for the first time! I think he will like it even though it will be something he will have to get used to.

This leads me to some questions- What can I do to make the move easier on Macho? Is there anything I should do when bringing him into the house for the first time? Have you ever moved a dog who marked into a new home? I'm really concerned that Macho will go crazy peeing all over the house to mark it. He doesn't do this anymore, but I am wondering if he will start again in a new space. The previous owners did not have any animals, so there shouldn't be any scents in the house, but it still worries me. Any advice would be great!

Alert! Dog Thefts on the Rise!

I had never heard about anyone ever having their dog stolen until this year. My friend's cousin came home to find her house broken into. Burglars broke into her home and stole a lot of items- including her bichon frise. A news story about this event is here for anyone who is curious. It made me sick to even hear about this. It's hard enough to lose a pet, but even more hard when you don't know how they are being treated and what they were stolen for.

This week I saw a news story that dog thefts are on the rise. When I heard about this, I didn't understand what someone could want to steal a dog for. Apparently they can be stolen for many reasons. Some steal dogs because they can resell them just like any other object they steal. As if it couldn't get any more sad, I found that this is how most dog fighting rings find their dogs. They want to get a dog as cheap as they can, and I guess a free dog is the best dog.

It is recommended that you keep your eyes on your dog at all times. I've heard that the people stealing dogs will go right into your backyard if you're not outside. I know a lot of people don't leave their pets in their cars in the summer, but the news has said that dogs have been stolen right out of cars while their owners were inside a business.

It's very scary and sad to think about. In case you haven't heard of this, the story is here for anyone who wants to read it. They have other tips and information about what you can do to keep your dog safe.

Why Doesn't Macho Bark? +Video

Since Macho's last post wasn't such a great one, we wanted to update to say that Macho is doing great! He was fine once the weekend was over, which made me really happy. No more people food for Macho! Ok, that's a lie, I still sneak some to him. But it's not as much as I was feeding him, and it's food that I know he is able to eat. I checked to make sure he is still allowed to have french fries, as they are his favorite. Luckily it was on the list of safe foods, and a baked potato was actually suggested as a once in a while treat.

Anyway, this weekend while Macho was sleeping on the couch, he started barking in his sleep! We have only head Macho bark twice since we've had him, so this was a rare occurrence! However, it makes me curious as to why he doesn't bark. Is it common for rescue dogs to not bark? I know that it is common for a scared dog to not bark, but once he/she is comfortable in their environment, don't they begin barking?

Believe me, I am thankful that Macho doesn't bark all the time. But to hear him every once in a while would be nice. When he is scared, he runs to a safe spot. I guess this must be his way to protect himself instead of barking? But don't all dogs bark eventually? I've never heard of a dog that never barks. It's almost like a cat!

I leave you with a little video of Macho doing some damage to a bully stick this weekend!

An Unpleasant Weekend!

It's safe to say that Macho didn't enjoy his weekend too much! On Thursday I put a little spaghetti sauce mixed in with his food, and lets just say it was a natural laxative for Macho! I came home from work on Friday to Macho looking as normal as usual, but with an unpleasant surprise in the house. That night, it seemed to only be worse. He began to throw up too, which was then all over my comforter, bed sheets, and bedroom floor. I felt terrible, especially because it's my own fault for giving him a little human food! On Saturday and Sunday he was feeling better but was sleeping a lot. I think he might have been dehydrated, so I started mixing food with his water so he would get some back into his system.

By Sunday night he was getting a little antsy. He was laying in funny positions (including using my ball of yarn as a pillow), and then would squirm around a lot. At one point he moved around so much that he got stuck under the blanket that we lay on "his spot" of the couch so it's not covered in hair. He found his way out eventually, and I had to snap a picture. I didn't get it in the shot, but his tail was wagging ever so slightly while this was going on. Almost like it was a game!

Hot Days in Michigan!

Apologies for the lack of posts lately! I've been reading other blogs but never posting on mine for some reason!

It's been super hot here in Michigan the past few days. Macho has been going outside, but he is quickly ready to go back in! On Sunday we lost power when it was 90 degrees! Luckily our house stayed cool until the morning, but once we opened the windows, it was too hot for all of us. We decided it was time to pack up Macho and take him somewhere. We've taken Macho out in his carrier before, but mostly for the vet. So it was quite an adventure to take him to my parent's house for the day where it was nice and cool.

I was nervous that Macho might pee all over, or he might run into their basement to hide from all of us. It was nice because we had the house to ourselves when we got there as my parents were at work. As you can see from the picture, Macho took no time to make himself at home! What a goof!


Macho didn't go to the bathroom in the house once! And we were there for over 8 hours! I took him outside for a few minutes (since it was 96 degrees and very humid), and he went to the bathroom like he knew exactly what to do. I was very proud. He did fairly well when my Mom came home but got a little nervous when she pet him. Hopefully this means that we could take him more places than we thought we could!

Thankfully our electricity was turned on last night so we were able to go home and turn on the air conditioning. It's supposed to be hot the rest of the week, and I saw on the news that's it's hot all over. We hope everyone is staying cool somehow!

A Bed Hog Named Macho

Everyone laughs at me when I tell them that I sometimes sleep on the couch because Macho is taking up the whole bed. They say that he is a 15 pound chihuahua, how much room can he take up? This picture is proof that Macho is a bed hog. I got out of the shower one morning this week to find Macho taking up the entire bed, leaving Nick about 6 inches of bed to lay on. It's not so bad when I'm sleeping alone because I just move to the other side of the bed. But it's the worst when Nick isn't traveling for work, and I have to sleep on the couch because there's no other side of the bed to lay on. Sorry the picture is so dark, but I didn't want to turn the flash on and wake them up :)

A Good Day in Michigan!

Over the past few days, we've been hearing that a Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) may be passed in Michigan to ban residents in the entire state from owning a Pit Bull. If passed, all Pit Bulls in the area would need to be spayed/neutered within 3-4 years and within 10 years, no one would be able to own a Pit Bull. It left me wondering what would happen to all the Pit Bulls who were spayed within those first 4 years? They would be able to live for 6 more years in Michigan, and then what?

But I no longer have to worry because the bill was turned down! The article is actually very supportive of Pit Bulls and definitely gives a great view of why there shouldn't be a BSL anywhere. I hope that since the bill didn't pass, maybe they will pass a bill that requires Pit Bull owners to take training or have the dog certified as a good citizen so that the attacks don't continue to happen. Like it says in the story, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners! If you'd like to read the story you can here

Guest Blogger- Macho is Featured!

Macho has a pretty awesome feature post at Coffee with a Canine today! If you want to check it out, click on the blog link or click here for the post about Macho.

I have been extra busy at work these past few weeks, so my posting has been low. But, everything has been going really well in Macho's world. He did really well over Memorial Weekend while Nick and I went away to Lake Michigan for a few days. My cousin stayed at our house to watch over Macho, and he did great. He hopped up on the couch with her and her friends, which is a pretty awesome development as he usually just lays in bed while we have someone watching him. He also attempted to sleep in bed with her! I was pretty proud of him :)

Sick as a Dog!

The past four days have been awesome for Macho. Ironically, the past four days have been awful for me! I have been super sick, unable to go to work or leave the house, and have been doing nothing but sleeping or hanging out on the couch.

Macho, however, has been happier than ever since all he ever does is stay in the house sleeping or hanging out on the couch. Now he has a buddy to do all of this with. He got to sleep in bed a lot this weekend, and that's his favorite thing to do! I made Nick sneak a picture of us yesterday on the couch. He's so happy! I felt bad having to go back to work today (even though I'm still sick). I'm hoping to be back to normal soon, but I know Macho is hoping for the exact opposite :)

Macho's "Playtime"

Although I've been logging in to read other blogs, I've realized that it's been a while since I've actually posted!

Not much has been going on in Macho's world. We haven't had too many nice days since Macho had the good weekend, but he does seem to be happier lately. The other day when I came home he actually walked up to me at the door, but ran away when I bent down to say hi. I was really surprised as he usually just stands there looking at me when I walk in the door.

I am trying to get a video of Macho "playing," but every time I try to take a video, he's more concerned with the camera than playing. I sit on the bed in our bedroom and call him, and he will run really fast into the room and jump onto the bed. Sometimes he runs right up to my face if I am laying down. He will stare at me for a second, and when I move or put my hands on the bed, he will do this little jump where he looks like he's about to play with me. Then he will scurry off the bed and run back in to do the same thing. The move he does reminds me of this awesome chihuahua that I've seen videos of on youtube named Burger. The link to the video is here, and in it you see Burger puts hits front paws down on the bed really fast around the 23 second mark. This is what Macho does, but right after he does it, he will run away instead of play. I keep trying to get him to do more, but as always, Macho only wants to do things when he feels like it.

Nick thinks that I am probably just scarring Macho and that is why he is running away. But I think this is playing that he is taking him time to get used to. Nick hasn't seen Macho actually play like this though, so I am guessing he would change his mind if he saw a video.

Tomorrow Macho is going in to get heartworm medication and to get his nails clipped. I'm worried about him as usual, but I'm going to request the same doctor who cleaned his teeth since she did such an amazing job with him. I'm sure the nail clipping will be just as awful as it usually is, but I'm hoping Macho won't hold as long of a grudge against me as he usually does. Wish him (and me!) luck!

A Good Weekend!

I'm not too sure what was going on this weekend, but Macho was pretty excited about it. He seemed happier, more energetic, and more comfortable than he usually is. I definitely liked it! Yesterday when I left for work, he tried to follow me out as if he didn't want me to leave. He never does that! Do you think it's the sunshine? Or maybe the fresh air he got when I opened the windows on Sunday when it was 70 degrees here in Michigan? Hopefully this good weather makes for not only a good weekend but a good summer for Macho!

What's in a (nick)name?

I was recently in a conversation with a group of people, and we were talking about nicknames we have for our dogs (or names you call your dog other than his/her actual name). I realized how funny some of the nicknames are that we have for Macho. Here are some of them:

1. Macho Man (like the song!)
2. Macho Poochu (like Machu Picchu)
3. Pooper
4. Pooch-A-Loop
5. Poochie Pie
6. Goofy Pooch

Why do we have such weird names? Why do I call my dog Poochie Pie? Where did that even come from? Doesn't it make you ask these questions sometimes?

What are some of the names you call your pets? Is there a reason why you call him/her that name? I think it's actually a pretty funny thing to think of!

I've Returned- With Stories of New Furiends!

My vacation went by way too quickly, but as always, I was happy to return home to see Macho. He really wasn't too excited- I actually think he was more confused than anything! But he quickly was back to normal once he realized that I was back.

I visited my Aunt in California, and she has two dogs- a boxer named Foxy Lady and a mix named Jackie Brown. I've met Foxy before, but this was my first time meeting Jackie. I think she is a pit bull mixed with quite a few other breeds, but I'm not sure which ones! They are both adorable, and my favorite thing was that they both sat on the couch in front of the window for hours just looking out at cars, people, birds, etc. It was hard to get a picture since the window is big and bright, but here's how they would sit:


It was pretty cute! They are both really good dogs. Jackie even has an awesome story. She lived her whole life at a shelter because she is pretty weird looking (in a good way though!). They said only one woman adopted her and brought her back because she couldn't handle her. When my aunt wanted to get a friend for Foxy, she went with her boyfriend and his son to pick out another dog. Her boyfriend's son was keen on Jackie, but my aunt was a little hesitant. But they adopted her anyway and found out that she was similar to Macho. She didn't like to be pet, and it even made her skin crawl. She didn't know how to play and wasn't too social. But my aunt worked with her and now she's a completely different dog! She likes to be pet now and even cuddles with my aunt (and with me while I was there!). I couldn't get a good picture of her either, she was just curious of what my phone was doing. But here's the best picture I could get!


Any ideas what other breeds she could be?

I didn't know that today is National Puppy Day, but I came across this website for it: http://www.nationalpuppyday.com/index2.htm It has quite a bit of information, but as always, my favorite part is about why you should adopt. Hopefully some puppies find homes today because of this day!

I've been pretty busy with catching up at work and trying to get back into a routine. I've checked up on a few blogs but will check the rest over the next couple of days. I've already seen some adorable pictures of pups in St. Patrick's Day gear that made my smile :)

The Grudge is Gone!

It's safe to say that Macho no longer has a grudge against me for taking him to the vet. For a few days after he wouldn't come and sit by me on the couch since that is where I picked him up to put him in the carrier for the vet. He would hop up on the couch to sit with me, then he would stop dead in his tracks as if he suddenly remembered me picking him up and taking him. I snapped this picture of him on Friday while he was sitting with me. Guess his grudge didn't last too long.

Not much else has been going on in Macho's world. He might be upset with me in a few weeks because we are planning a week long vacation in California. My brother will be watching Macho, and when he watched Macho over Christmas, Macho pretty much ignored my brother the whole time. I am hoping that he will warm up to him since he will be there for a week. This will be the longest I've ever been away from Macho! But we are ready to get out of this Michigan cold and get into some warm weather.

Today I sent in a claim for Macho's pet insurance for his vet bill. This is the first claim I've ever made, so I am hoping it is accepted. If not, I'm starting to think this pet insurance is a bit of a waste of money. We can only use it if Macho has a first time illness, has a broken bone, gets a burn, or (I hate this one) if we have to euthanize him. This claim that I sent in was for almost $80, so hopefully it is accepted since I paid more than that for the pet insurance last year!

We hope all is well with everyone else!

A Dog Dentist Day for Macho

We have been blog slackers lately, but wanted to give an update on Macho's dental cleaning!

On Friday we took Macho to the vet to have his teeth cleaned, and as usual, I was terrified about how this would go. I need to stop being so worried about Macho because he did great! The vet brought Macho out of his carrier to let him walk around and be comfortable. When she picked him up to put him on the table he was fine. He was pretty scared when she started to listen to his heart and check out his teeth, but was fine again when she stopped. When she picked him up a second time he was completely calm, I couldn't believe it. Just an hour earlier when I picked him up to put him in his carrier, he fought me like crazy!

Macho stayed at the vet for a few hours, and we found out that he only had to have one tooth pulled. He also had his nails trimmed while he was under (thank God!), and they found out he had an ear infection. All weekend he wouldn't sit by me on the couch, and I am assuming that is because he was afraid I would grab him again to take him back to the vet! He will lay with me on the bed, and just this morning he sat with me before I left for work. He must not be holding a grudge anymore!

The worst part about this is that his leg looks terrible. They said they had a catheter in his leg, so that must be why it looks like this. But doesn't it look awful? I hope it goes away soon and that it isn't causing him too much pain!


We need to go around and read all the other blogs that posted this weekend, but have been so busy with Macho's teeth and recovery that I haven't had a chance. But no worries, we will catch up soon :)

We hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day, even if it is just a little Hallmark holiday!

My Guest Post!

I just wanted to write a quick update to let everyone know that I am the guest blogger on the Pet Blogs United page today! I wrote a post about a petition site that can help animals worldwide. I hope you check out my post here and that you join the site as well!

A Stylish Blogger Award for Macho!

Last week (sorry, I've been a slacker!) Casper from Casper Bear "Life of a Chocolate Lab" gave the Macho Minute an award! We are totally excited, especially because we love Casper's blog as well! The award is called the Stylish Blogger Award, and since it was given to us, we have to give 7 facts about us. Here they are:

1. We don't know how old Macho is, but based on health, he is probably 4 or 5.
   
2. Macho's favorite treat is a Bully Stick. No one knows what these are, and we didn't know about them until our trainer recommended them. They are sticks that come in all sizes and they are stinky. But apparently all dogs LOVE them. Macho loves a good Bully Stick and will chew on it for a really long time.
   
3. We have only heard Macho bark twice since we have had him. The first time was when another dog tried to steal a treat of his and the second time was when another dog tried to come into his cage while he was in it.
4. Our lease is up in April and we are looking to buy a new home. I am curious to see how well Macho will adjust to a new home, and especially curious to see what happens if we let him outside in a fenced in yard since he has never experienced that much freedom.
5. Macho is going to the vet to have his teeth cleaned a week from today, and I am terrified! I hope it all goes well and that the vet bill isn't $500!
6. Macho doesn't know how to play and completely ignores all the toys we bought him. Anyone know how to get a dog to understand how to play?
7. One of my favorite things is when I come home from work. When I am unlocking the door, I can hear Macho crying inside. Once I am inside he walks around crying while I take my coat and shoes off, put down my purse and laptop, and then slip into some sweatpants. Macho will just walk around crying the entire time. Some may think that this is sad, but it's because he is patiently waiting for me to sit on the couch with him. The second I sit on that certain spot of the couch, Macho literally sprints over to the couch and hops up on it like a deer jumping a fence just to sit next to me. It's a great feeling cause I missed him too :)

Another thing we have to do for this award is to give it to 15 other bloggers that we think deserve the Stylish Blogger Award. It seems like a lot of blogs that I like to follow already have this award, so I am just going to give it to 5 blogs that I like to follow that haven't received the award yet. We won't be mad if you don't want to do all this stuff just because we gave you the award though!

1. This is My Place- We love reading about Cyndie's chihuahuas, especially Big Mike who kind of looks like Macho!
   
2. Posh Pooch Designs Dog Clothes- This is definitely a Stylish blog that we love reading! Those chihuahuas in clothing are the cutest!
3. Chihuahua Dog Spot- If you want to see the cutest chihuahuas ever, check out this one!
4. Dog Foster Mom- We love Ziggy and wish we could adopt him!
   
5. Amazing Animal Lovers Blog- Not only do we get to see cute pups here, we get to see cute babies! We just saw that Deborah got this award a few days ago, but since I was so slow to post, I'm giving it to her again.

If you're listed above and want to participate, all you have to do is post a blog entry that links back to The Macho Minute, give 7 facts about yourself, give the award out to other blogs you think deserve the award, and then let them know that you gave it to them.

In other news, it's been very cold here in Michigan, and I think Macho knows it. He has been cuddling up with us all the time. Today when I left for work it was a heat wave at 9 degrees :) Hopefully it warms up soon. We hope everyone else is staying warm and dry, and that all the pooches don't get too cold when they go out to do their business!

Macho the Mooch- Video!

Macho is quite the mooch if there is food around. On New Years Eve this year, Nick and I decided to stay in, cook dinner, and drink some champagne. Macho definitely enjoyed it, as he got a few bites of steak and potatoes. It wasn't until Nick started to eat his dessert, a cupcake with a massive amount of frosting on it. I couldn't help but take a video of Macho being a mooch and trying to eat it. At about 37 seconds, you can see him score a big hunk of the frosting. What a pooch!

Note: Please excuse the language in the background. We were watching Nip/Tuck, and I didn't realize it until I watched the video :)

The Curiosity of Knitting

A few months ago, I took up knitting as a new hobby. I have been enjoying myself while learning how to knit, making new projects, and spending time on more important things while I am forced to watch 14 hours of football each Sunday. It turns out, I am not the only person interested in my new knitting hobby.

When I first started to learn, Macho would look at me like I was crazy. He was very interested in what I was doing, and I could tell that he wanted to get his paws on the yarn. But to my surprise, when I let him sniff the yarn, he didn't care. It was the needles that he was curious about. He sniffed the entire needle when I held it up for him, and he opened his mouth for the most slow, curious bite I have ever seen a dog take. I got a little nervous, and I told him not to bite the needle as I was afraid it might break or split the wood. Since then, Macho just takes little sniffs while I knit and he sits next to me cuddled up.

It wasn't until recently that Macho took up curiosity in the yarn. One night Nick and I left to go to a family gathering, and all seemed ok when we got home. It wasn't until the next morning that I went to go sit on the couch, and in Macho's little corner, there lay the destroyed ball of yarn. I had a freak out moment thinking that the mitten attached to the needles would be ruined. But it was the yarn that Macho played with. I'm not joking about the yarn being destroyed, as you can see for yourself below! Finishing the mitten was fun, as I was constantly trying to untie the huge and impossible knot attached the the ball. Even when the mittens were finished, I set them out on the ottoman before Nick got home so I could surprise him with the mittens I made for him. While in the kitchen making dinner, I heard Macho walking around on the couch. I looked up, and there was Macho, standing back paws on the couch and front paws on the ottoman biting the mittens.

Of course I wanted Macho to enjoy my knitting too, so I made him a small little "toy" by knitting a small square from the yarn he destroyed. I even left a few long strands of yarn to see if that's what he was interested in. Of course, he doesn't care about the "toy" at all. I've even tried laying it out on the ottoman like the gloves. Maybe I will have to buy a really cheap ball of yarn for him to unravel!

The Big Day!

Only one year ago today, I was standing at the Dearborn Animal Shelter waiting to pick up Macho! I still can't believe how much progress he has made in only one year. Can you believe this:

Then:
When we brought Macho home, he stayed in his cage about 99% of the day. He only came out to go to the bathroom or sniff around his cage. We would be sitting on the couch watching TV, and all of the sudden we would hear his nails on the hardwood floor. Nick and I would look at each other with excitement, and then one of us would peak around the couch to see him outside of the cage. The second that he noticed us watching him or he heard us move, he would run back to the cage.

Now:
Macho's cage is actually in my closet in our bedroom. He has access to it whenever he wants, but he never goes in it. His bed is still in the place where his cage was in the living room, and he only lays in it when we aren't home or occasionally when we are up and walking around.

Then:
At night, we would be laying in bed, and again we could hear Macho's nails on the floor in the living room. We could hear him running around the living room, hoping on the couch, eating, etc. But he would never, ever come in the room at night.

Now:
Every single night, Macho is excited to sleep in bed with us. If we open the bedroom door, Macho is either already behind us waiting to get in or you can hear him running from wherever he is in the house. He sleeps not only in the bedroom, but with us in bed right in between us. He cuddles up on one of us during the night and loves to be in bed. He hates to get up in the morning (which he makes very obvious by peeing on the bed)!

Then:
Macho would not let us pet him. Ever. If we wanted to touch him, he had to be in his cage, and he would be all the way at the back trying to get away. He refused to let us put a leash on him and he would even try to come up to us.

Now:
Macho loves being around us when we are home. If we are sitting on the couch, he is sitting next to us. If we are in bed, he is laying there with us. If I am standing up cleaning, getting dressed in the morning, etc., Macho is right behind me tripping me when I turn around. Macho's favorite thing is to sit on the couch (which I have noticed is pretty much the only place where I have taken pictures and posted on the blog) where he can steal food from our plates, get pets, and cuddle up next to us with his blanket. He also was recently running into and down the hallway when the apartment door was open while Nick took our Christmas decorations to the basement. He is very curious about what we are doing now.

I could go on and on with the Then and Nows. Macho's accomplishments this year have been amazing. As always, I get excited thinking about how he might be in the future. I always think, "This is the best he's ever going to be" but that always changes. The biggest one was that I thought he would never, ever sleep in bed with us. The first night that he slept in bed with me and was cuddled up by my stomach, I thought, "he is never going to do this with both me and Nick in bed." But when Nick came home from traveling for work, I was amazed when Macho hopped up in bed with both of us at night. Even today I think that Macho will never play with toys, run around a yard, go for a walk around the block, etc. However when I think about everything that has happened that I never thought could, I think that patience really does pay off. Macho has the potential to be as normal as any other dog, he just needs someone to help him reach it. I'm glad that we have been the people to do just that and look forward to continuing to be the people that he needs to get him through other obstacles in his future.