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.

Christmas Overload!

It's been quite a Christmas here in the Macho household! We've been busy, and it's shown in my lack of posting. Macho was a pretty lucky pooch this year for his first Christmas. He got a new blanket (which you can see a little bit in the picture), mouthwash that goes in his water bowl to freshen his breath, a water bowl for the bedroom for at night, and 3 bully sticks- his favorite treats! He also got a box of treats from Nick's grandparents that he has been enjoying all week. I got a Flip video camera for Christmas myself, so I have been trying to catch Macho eating his bully sticks and new treats, but whenever I pull out the camera, he is a lot more concerned with what I'm doing than the treats. Not a typical dog, right?

In other news, I received an e-mail yesterday from this Puppy Training website saying that they came across the Macho Minute and they decided to feature Macho's blog on their site. We were pretty excited since this is just a little blog, I was surprised that someone found it and thought that it was worthy of being featured. You can view the post here.

It's been a great year with Macho, and with the one year anniversary of his adoption coming up next Wednesday, I have to say that I am not only impressed with him, I am proud. I was able to work from home this week, and I think Macho liked having some extra time with me. All day he is curled up next to me on the couch while I work. He just seems to be more relaxed, which has been nice to see. With the progress he made in only one year of 2010, I am excited to see what 2011 will bring. Happy New Year!

The Story That Changed My Life

One year ago I was sitting at work, reading the online news, when I came across this story.

I had been following this story of the chihuahuas since it was first announced a few months back, so I knew it would be a story I would want to read. I clicked on the headline for the story, and immediately I fell in love with the dog in the picture. Before even reading the story, I read the caption about this adorable dog only to find out that he was one of two chihuahuas from the Dearborn house that needed a forever home.

That night, while laying in bed still thinking about the dog, I told Nick about him. He said he didn't really want a dog, especially a chihuahua, but if he needs a home and I set everything up with the animal shelter, he would buy him for me for Christmas. The next day I called the shelter and he was still available. With much excitement, I filled out an application, and within the next couple days, I got a call that I was approved for adoption!

One Friday during work, Nick and I went to the shelter where Macho was in a separate little room with another terrified chihuahua that was so small I could hold her in one hand. Neither dog wanted to come out of the cage, but with some cheese, I was able to get Macho to come to the front of the cage. After our first meeting with Macho, Nick was really hesitant about getting him since he is obviously a lot different than a dog with a normal upbringing. As lame as it may sound, I felt a connection with Macho and didn't even want to think about him being adopted by anyone else. I wanted him to be my dog so that I could give him the loving home he never had but deserves so much.

After much convincing (and a lot of crying!), Nick agreed to adopt Macho. On January 5th, we drove to the Dearborn Animal Shelter and picked up our dog.

Who would have thought that one little news story would change our lives? :)

News Article About Macho's Past

Our local newspaper ran an article this weekend about hoarders, and it featured a story about Macho's previous owner. There are a lot of details in this particular story that I haven't read anywhere else in the news even though I follow Macho's case very closely. The article is hard to read for any animal lover, especially for me knowing that this is where Macho spent the first few years of his life. There is also a short video to the right of the story that is raw video of the house where the chihuahuas were found. I have never seen footage like this, and although hard to watch, I can't take my eyes away knowing that Macho was there in that house for years. I know I have posted documentaries and news clips about Macho and his story, but for some reason this one is a little different.

The story is here for anyone who would like to read.