I hope every human and pup had a wonderful Christmas!!

This is Hershey's 2nd Christmas and it is the first time she had turkey, so mom took some pics of her gulping down her Christmas turkey dinner... I had to stick to my usual diet of mutton because my itchies are back and the vet recommended putting me on a lambies diet.

Dad gave this pair of heels to mom for Christmas because he ran out of ideas on what to get for her and he recalled that she tried them on weeks back and claimed that they made her feel like 'Cinderella'... Ok, we have got the 'Prince' (aka dad) and the Cinderella shoes... now all we need is a pumpkin for the carriage and a Fairy Godmother to make mom's dreams come true.

How many more sleeps till Christmas?

Mom was hanging out the laundry yesterday and she heard a commotion on the street right across from our yard. She ignored it at first but after 15 mins, the little crowd was still there, so out of curosity, she popped her head out further and saw that there was a Husky lying by the side of the road. The poor doggie was lying there under the scorching midday sun, and mom was pissed that no one had enough sense to give the poor dog some reprieve from the heat, considering the fact that he's got a full coat. Some of the humans gathered there had enough sense to seek shelter under an umbrella or in the shade of a tree but no one thought of the dog!!! It must've been a good 32 ºC (90 ºF) on that day.

Mom grabbed some cold water from the fridge and the biggest umbrella she could find and went across to the 'crime scene'. The owner of the doggie was there and mom passed her the umbrella after telling her that it was meant for her dog. The poor doggie was involved in a hit and run and was bleeding from his hind legs. The sh*thead driver who knocked him down did not even stop to help and a passing motorist took gave chase. Unfortunately the culprit refused to stop and the kind motorist who gave chase came all the way back to the scene and gave the license plate number to the Husky's owner.

The doggie's condition didn't look good and mom thinks he suffered a bad hit to his hind quarters. He was conscious throughout and mom said he even gave her a few feeble licks when she stroked his head. Mom stayed with the distraught owner until the pet taxi arrived to take him to the Animal Hospital...

We hope that his injuries are not serious and he'd be back on his paws soon...

This is Hershey's old bed that mom made for her, but as you can tell from the pic, our mom has a terrible sense of judgement she made the bed way too small for Hershey. Mom assured us that she is not planning to quit her day job anytime soon so that's good news for us that we can still expect a constant supply of treats. Normally Hershey can only sleep with only front half of her body on the bed and mom felt guilty about it, so she asked Grandmama to make something bigger.

Below is the new bed that Grandmama made for her... it is definitely much bigger and looks more comfy than the old one. From the looks on her face, seems like Hershey likes her new bed a lot, what do you think?

Hershey had a a play date over at Scuba's place last Saturday while the humans went for a 'Wine and Cheese' session. Here are some of the pictures mom took using her phone. Mom actually took a lot more photos, but as there was just too much doggie action going on and majority of the photos ended up very blurry or with only part of the dog/s in it...

The 'Host' - Scuba

Slowly warming up

Good friends

Hershey and Helios

'Headless' Hershey and Helios... LOL!!

And this is the Wine and Cheese that the humans enjoyed while the doggies played. Poor Scuba had to be locked away because he attempted to steal the cheese!!

Hershey's putting new meaning to 'Crossing Paws'... She's had this paw crossing habit ever since she was a pup, and mom and dad were pretty amused by it whenever she does that because it makes her seem more 'lady-like' than the tomboy she really is!! Moreover, I never did this ever before, so it was definitely something new and unsual.

In case you have noticed, she usually crosses her right paw on top of the left one!! (Does this mean she is a right-pawed doggie??)

I guess Hershey is crossing her paws because she is hoping for the speedy recovery of Snickers, who isn't doing exactly well now. Hopefully she will get well soon knowing that the power of the paws is behind her from all over the world!!

Aunty G recently made her annual bulk purchase from Petedge for Jack and Joey and she kindly asked mom if there's anything that she'd like to buy for us so that she can add it on to her order. THANK YOU for not forgetting us, Aunty G!! **kisses**

Mom recently threw away Hershey's favourite toy, a purple Gecko from Zanies, because although it was still intact, the smell was horrific. Mom claims that she can smell it before she sees it.. LOL!! To make up for throwing it away, Mom bought it in all 4 available colors for Hershey... They look pretty cute all lined up below.

Hershey was really happy with her new friend and immediately started her favourite game of tug...

Here's what mom got for me.... The little lambie is so cute she almost wanted to keep it for herself. What would a human do with a dog toy??!

I noticed that mom had some more toys inside the big red bag that she brought home and she hid them in the storeroom claiming that they are meant for Christmas. So is Christmas coming yet???

I have something funny to share with you (although my mom may not find it very amusing since it's at her expense)!! Mom hadn't been sleeping very well lately and this morning was the same. She woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep. As she was lying there and letting her thoughts wander, she stumbled upon what she thought was a 'great' idea. She was suddenly very inspired to make a bed for Hershey when she saw her lying on the bare parquet floor and felt sorry for her. Hershey's been banished from the big bed because it is shedding season again and mom hates to have fur all over the bed/ quilt (more accurately, I think she hates having fur everywhere and anywhere...LOL).

Hershey had been sharing the bed with us and has her own favourite spot. No one assigned her there... she picked that spot herself cos that's exactly where the air-conditioner is blowing!! However, she's not exactly my petite size, so sharing the bed with her means mom always have to contort herself or position herself like a shrimp in order to accommodate Hershey at the foot of the bed. Hence, mom decided that letting her have her own bed is the best solution for all parties concerned.

Fully convinced by no one else other than herself, mom jumped out of bed at an unearthly hour and went to the storeroom to rummage for a piece of shiny pink cloth that she knew she had stashed away in a box. Found the cloth, ironed it (there were 3 years worth of creases), measured it, cut it to the right size and she sat down to work in earnest at 6am.

She started by trimming off the edges and the funny, dangly bits and started to sew. We don't have a sewing machine at home cos mom had never expected that she'd ever need to sew anything except the occasional loose button or hem. So it was down to manual stitching and there was quite a bit to sew cos Hershey's not exactly a midget and mom wanted her to have a comfy bed (mom: so that she'd leave mine alone!!). We lost count of the number of 'ouches' (it was actually a HBO word, but you know, we are a family blog...) we heard each time mom got pricked by the needle but she was still gung-ho about it.

Just as she was begining to feel quite proud of her masterpiece, disaster struck. That stupid cloth, which is made from 'I-don't-know-what stupid material' (mom's own words) F.R.A.Y.S big time!! Her masterpiece was literally disintegrating in her hands and all her hard work was unraveling right before our eyes.

At 8.30am, I solemly declare that her project had FAILED **stifling laughter**.

With the support of you, my dearest friends, we share the honour of the Awesom Blog Award, October 2009 with Max, our new friend from South Africa! Yes, it was a tie!! It is such a honour to win the award, and better yet to share it with a friend... I will display the badge with pride on my banner... **puffs up chest**

THANK YOU to everypup who voted for us.. **muacks muacks muacks...**

Look, I was so so ecstatic about the win I even chewed up a brand new magazine before the humans had the chance to read it!! (The worst thing is I got caught red handed while I was trying to escape... can you see that blurry figure at the top left corner? Do you think it can pass off as Hershey??).

My nutty little sister has been behaving strange lately. She's suddenly become very 'needy'... Initially, mom thought that it was so sweet, but she's kinda getting sick of Hershey's 'neediness' now because it affecting her work!! Our mom had been working from home for the past 2 months, and she usually sits on the bed with her laptop on her lap (DUH!! It is not called a 'LAP'top for nothing..).

Recently, Hershey has the habit of sneaking up to mom and resting her head on the laptop, thereby making it impossible for mom to type! As a result, the sneaky one ends up getting extra ear scratches and tummy rubs...

Other than that, Hershey had also been interrupting mom's sleep by lying on top of her every morning. Mom is not a morning person, and moverover, she hadn't really been sleeping well for the past 2 weeks because she kept waking up in the wee hours and can't go back to sleep, so she's not the least amused by Hershey's latest antics!

This picture was taken yesterday morning... this is the (scary) sight that greets mom every morning when she opens her eyes... **shudder**

Mom took this pic while she was out for a walk with Hershey on a beautiful morning... She thought that it was quite 'artistic'. Initially she only wanted to take the shadows of Hershey and herself, but silly Hershey was too eager to proceed with the walk and kept pulling ahead.

They came across some pretty flowers and mom wanted Hershey to pose nicely next to the flowers. Unfortunately, the 'model' was not in a co-operative mood at all. ('Pssst Hershey, I think mom wants you to pose next to the flowers, not INSIDE the bushes!!') After like a dozen or so failed attempts and getting numerous pitying looks from some people who were out for their morning stroll, mom surrendered. All the pics were of a 'headless' Hershey with half her body inside the bushes...

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We are here to shamelessly solicit for votes again. If you haven't already voted for October's Awesome Blog Award, you can vote for me (or the very handsome Max from South Africa) over at The Bone Zone.

The polls will end on this Saturday, 31 Oct (only 2 days left!!). Your vote will mean a lot to us, so please go over there now! **muacks**

Hershey and I had to shake mom out of her misery into typing out this post for us. We are still going through a rough patch here and mom is still pretty leaky on most days. She's spending a lot of her time swimming, reading and basically just trying to keep herself and her mind occupied.

It was all getting pretty bleak UNTIL we received a message from sweet Opy!! We almost couldn't believe it when we got the message from Opy that we have been nominated for the October Awesome Blog Award!! Ok, yes, I know we have only been nominated and haven't won anything yet, but the honor of being nominated is a joy in itself!!

We are totally flattered that someone thinks so highly of our humble blog.. and I must add that this is one of the greatest achievements since we started blogging 3 years ago... (other than making all the new friends of course because nothing can beat that!). If you like our blog, please do go over to the The Bone Zone to cast your votes for us! We are up against Max, a handsome Golden Retriever in South Africa... We just visited him on his blog and it is totally awesome! You can visit Max here...

To those who have already voted for us, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts right to the tip of our little tails. THANK YOU... **muacks**

Before we go, I leave you with a (freaky) photo of Hershey... It's titled 'Look Ma, No Eyes'...

Ohhh ok.. and mom says we got to be 'play fair', so here's a humiliating photo the still very nekkid looking me. It LOOKS like I am sniffing my a$$, but I assure you that I wasn't. I just happen to be in the latest Doga position. Humans... what do they know right? (And I bet they can't do this pose...LOL).

My spy told me that the little monster hijacked my blog last week and was pretty shamelessly telling the world the nice things that she did for mom, so I told myself I have to regain control of my blog before she wrecks even more havoc.

Oh and Mango Major commented on the last post by Hershey that I should 'come out of the closet and get over myself already.' Hmmm.. do you think this is what he means?? And how did he know that I was hiding in the closet at the first place?? Eeekkkkkkss... he's a psychic doggie!!

Ok I am outta the cupboard now but sad to say, my fur still hasn't gotten any much longer.

****** Notice ******

We'd be taking a hiatus and not be blogging for a short while because the assistant/ typist/ the one with the opposable thumbs aka Mom, had applied for 'annual leave'. Tomorrow is supposed to Chloe's due date and mom is having a hard time coping with the fact that there's no baby coming home. She's not in denial, but just having a hard time dealing with 'what should have been'. It is a very difficult time and we want mom to do whatever that she feels comfortable with.

Before we go, here's a tribute to our dear, sweet Chloe. Always missed, forever loved.

Shane here: Initially when we found out that I was pregnant, Mark downloaded an application onto his iPhone which contains a list of baby lullabies. We'd sometimes play it to Chloe in the quiet peacefulness of the night before turning in. I had always thought that this application will be handy when Chloe's born so that we can play those lullabies to her no matter where we are. Little did I know that although it served the same purpose (i.e. lullaby for Chloe), it was under a very different circumstance.

On that faithful afternoon on 26 June 09 when I was lying in the hospital bed holding Chloe close and trying my utmost to memorize her tiny, perfect features, Mark whipped out his iPhone and played 'Brahm's Lullaby' because he wanted Chloe to listen to the song that she had been listening to when she was still in her mummy's tummy. He wanted her to depart this strange, new world with something familiar so that she would not feel so alone or afraid... and she'd know that her parents are right there beside as she takes her tiny, wobbly, baby steps to join her big brother Lucas.

The doctor and all the nurses had left us alone in the room so that we could spend some personal time as a family with Chloe. The eerie silence in the delivery suite was broken by the sweet melody of that song and my sobs... It was a near 'perfect' family moment for us, it's only 'near' perfect because Lucas was missing from it and Chloe would soon be leaving us to join her brother, leaving behind her heartbroken parents.

Yes, I did want that lullaby to lull my precious baby to sleep one day, and she'd wake up contentedly from that sleep, look into my eyes and give me a sweet, toothless smile. However, in real life, although my darling baby did go to sleep listening to that song, she'd never wake up from it.

Chloe sweetie, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite... (please tell Lucas that we haven't forgotten him and that we love and miss him so much too).

Hi friends... It's me, Hershey!! Huskee is still too preoccupied with trying to milk all the attention he can from the humans with his bad hairdo, and he is trying even harder to grow his fur back in the shortest possible time. (If he finds the secret to accelerate hair growth, he should share his secret formula with our dad too.. LOL!! Oooops... I've said too much!)

Since I hardly get any blogging time as Huskee is the 'Master Blogger' of this site, I am glad I have this chance to correct everyone's misguided conception of me. I am NOT the destructive, hyper-stimulated pup that Huskee had made all of you believe. I am really a sweet, docile and very well-behaved pup. Well, most of the time anyway...

Mom's been feeling moody and a bit low this week because next week would have been Chloe's supposed due date. As a family, we had been counting down to 14 Oct since early Feb when mom told us that she's expecting a little playmate for us. There's no baby to bring home and there's no playmate for us. Things have changed and there's nothing happy to look forward to next week. I have been learning some tips from Huskee on how to cheer mom up (since he's too concerned about his own nekkid-ness to be of any help now).

Now it's Hershey-les to the Rescue!! Mom gave me this nickname... cos dad and her ALMOST got me a little brother and wanted to name him 'Hercules'... fortunately, sanity and common sense took over so there's no little brother for me, but I am now stuck with the nickname 'Hershey-les'.

So far I have taken mom done all the below (and more):

1) Take her out for walkies

2) Watched out for her while she swam

3) Give her my kisses (mom calls me a 'Kiss on Demand' Machine.. anytime, everytime!!)

4) Keep a CLOSE watch on her... and I mean C.L.O.S.E

Mom walked into the kitchen last night to get a drink of water and saw that someone did this to her bananas (and Hershey's toy). She looked suspiciously at dad and he swore it wasn't him to did it.

So, who did this?? (It's noooot me!!)

It's been 3 whole days since I last posted my (almost) nekkid pic and unfortunately, it does NOT seem to me like my fur has grown at all over the weekend. Take a look and let me know what you think...

The one thing that hasn't changed is that I am still moping and feeling sorry for myself. I might as well milk it for all it's worth... and I got to say that I am getting pretty good at it cos I have been getting more new toys and treats because when I put on my sad puppy face, the humans just go 'Awwwww.... poor Huskee', followed by one or more of the below actions:

1. Pats me on the head
2. Gives me tummy rubs
3. Gives me a kiss (or two... sometimes maybe even three)
4. Dispense treats
5. Gives me a new toy