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!