After a very, very long wait, our little human brother is finally here!! Our mom had kept a very low profile throughout the pregnancy because we weren't sure if this story would end up with a happy or sad ending. With the losses of Angels Lucas and Chloe, we were all walking on egg-shells for the past 9 months. With a lot of medical care and a healthy dose of faith, we are very proud to introduce our human brother (whom we all had affectionately nicknamed 'Little Bun' throughout mom's pregnancy because dad and mom chose not to find out the baby's gender until very late. The reason for the nickname is because mom's tummy is the oven that's 'baking' a 'little bun').

Little Bun was scheduled to arrive on 21st Oct, which was dad and mom's 8th wedding anniversary, but our little brother decided to take things in his own hands and arrived 3 days earlier on 18th Oct. He weighed a healthy 3.2kg (slightly over 7lbs) which delighted and surprised mom because she only managed to gain very little weight - 6.4kg (around 3lbs) during the pregnancy and was expecting the baby to be small. Moreover, Little Bun barely made it to what the doctors refer to as 'full term', i.e. 37 weeks, when he arrived at 37 weeks and 2 days.

We feel so blessed to finally be able to welcome our little brother into our lives, and we can finally stop licking away the tears from our mom's face. We can finally hear laughter in our house again... it is something that had been missing for the past 4 years. Our family had been waiting for the stork to bring us this baby for a long time.. and after a lot of heartache and tears, he is finally here!

The destroyer is at work (again)... The poor froggie was disfigured in under 10 minutes!! Evidence below...

I am begining to grow out of my last haircut and the humans really digging my new look. I am really liking it too cos it makes me look like the cute little pup that I was many years ago... Can you guess from the photo that I am already 12 years old?

Since the humans find me so irresistably adorable, I get away with a lot of 'crimes' (read: peeing inside the house... I know it is baaaaad but I don't know why I do it. Perhaps it is just for the heck of it and it drives the humans absolutely bonkers). At the same time, I am also getting a lot of extra belly rubs, treats, ear scratches!! Heehee... Life IS good!! I think I shall maintain this haircut in future even though it'd mean frequent trips to the groomers (this part I am not so keen).

When I woke up this morning, mom told me that today is a very super special day because on this very day 12 years ago, a little pup was born in a farm somewhere in Victoria, Australia. This little pup subsequently left his birth mother and litter-mates when he was only 8 weeks old to join his human mom and dad. The pup quickly became the love of his human mom's life right from the start. When he was slightly over one year old, he bravely took a long and lonely 7 hour flight from Melbourne to Singapore after his human mom completed her studies and had to return home.

Fast forward 12 years... that little dog is no longer the active, playful puppy anymore. His eyes are clouded by the onset of cataract, he is resting and napping a lot more, he prefers to cuddle on a human lap over his favourite childhood game of 'bitey hands', his hearing is not the same like before... The one thing that hasn't changed is that he is still the love of his human mom's life, plus a whole entourage of other family member who shower him with love, affection, toys and treats and spoil him utterly rotten.

Yes!! I am that 'pup' and I turn 12 years old today. Many things have happened in my life and my human parent's lives in these 12 years... good ones, not so good ones and terrible ones too. But I know there is this one thing that hasn't changed. Whenever mom and I have 'alone time' where it's just the two of us, she never fails to whisper in my ear how much she loves me and how much I mean to her. This is something special between us which she had been doing ever since that very first night she brought me home 12 years ago.

(Mom: Happy 12th Birthday to my precious sweet grouchy little Huskee Boy. I love you soooo very much.. your grouchiness, crooked teefies, itchy scratchy skin, fussy appetite and all. I am thankful for the day you were born, and the day you picked us to be your family.)

Mom ordered this cappucino set via The Aminal Rescue Site about 2 weeks ago and it finally arrived!! Our mom goes absolutely craaaazy over anything with pawprints so although she does not drink coffee at all, she told Dad that she simply had to get this cappucino set. Ummm... ok... whatever.

In addition to the cappucino set, Mom also bought a whole lot of other stuff (shhh.. don't let dad know). One of them is the paw print ice cube tray that she's been looking for a while.. plus paw print stirrers, paw print memo pads, paw print muffin trays, paw print etc etc... Mom's excuse is that the more stuff she buys, the more she is contributing to giving food to animals in shelters.Ok, can't fault her for that... at least this time her shopping is for a good cause.

Another package arrived shortly after and this time it is for us!! Thanks Dad... It is a supply of our favourite Gecko (so far it is the ONLY toy that is Hershey-proof but mom usually had to dispose them when they start smelling reaaaaally bad, or when you smell it even before you see it).

Ok time to go and make friends with the Geckos!!

Last weekend our dad celebrated his birthday and mom decided to 'surprise' him with some pretty helium ballons. It did surprise him alright.. when she presented them to him just before they went to the dinner that mon arranged, he was stunned.. and shocked. He refused to hold onto the ballons(citing 'embarassment' as a reason) and poor mom had to hold onto them. I guess dad finds it a rather 'unmanly' thing to do.. LOL!!

When they got home late that night, they discovered that there is finally one thing that daredevil Hershey is afraid of - the helium balloons!!! She steered far away from the balloons and watched them warily from her 'safety spot' under the dining table. It took some cajoling from mom to make Hershey pose next to those balloons and although Hershey was a reluctant model, her favourite chicken jerky treats eventually did the magic.

Recently I have taken up a new hobby. According to my humans, it is known as 'pole dancing'. This involves dancing with a vertical pole and is an increasingly popular form of fitness and dance. I may be turning 12 in August, but I certainly keep up with the young and trendy!

Let me know what you think of my 'pole dancing' efforts below... heehee..

I am all worn out from my 'workout'... so what do you think?

The weather had been soooooooo scorchingly hot and horribly humid lately that the humans decided I definitely need to have my very thick and poofy fur cut before my skin allergies come back to haunt all of us. As it is, I am already starting to get hot spots on my body and the humans all agree that it is a nightmare trying to apply medication for me.

Here we are at the groomers... This little friendly Schnauzer came out to greet us at the reception area when we arrived. He is such a cute and friendly pup.

Below is a picture of me on the grooming table waiting for my turn to be 'tortured'. I had to wait a little while for my turn because there were many doggies there being groomed as well... I guess the hot weather is the reason behind. The groomer recommended a very short, cropped cut for me mainly because of my skin allergies, and she said I'd be much happier with my shorter do cos it'd be much cooler and comfortable for me. It'd also make the application of medication much easier and more effective since more of it would go directly on my skin instead of on my fur.

And 4 long hours later, I can finally go home... My poofy fur is all gone, ears have been cleaned, nails have been trimmed and paws have been soaked (in medicated solution). I look really naked now, but must admit it feels a whole lot cooler. I love lying on the floor in my grandparents' house because the cool marble tiles feels great on my naked tummy.

Mom noticed a strange 'phenomenon', after every grooming session, on top of snoozing for hours on end once I reach home, I also end up being super grumpy for the following few days. The strangest part is that I will stick to Grandma like her little shadow and follow her all around the house... basically, I won't let her out of my sight and will only go to sleep if Grandma is within my sight. Grandma finds it so sweet, but then this makes doing housework a real challenge for her... oh and Grandma and I are so close now that my mom is so jealous that I'd rather be with Grandma than be with her!!

(Marathon snoozing post-grooming... I am using the dreaded e-collar to prevent me from licking/ biting my hot spots.)

Last week, Dad wanted to cheer mom up and decided to surprise her with a pretty, pink bouquet of flowers. Dad was still at work when the bouquet arrived, so mom tried to take a photo of the flowers and send a 'thank you' note along with it to dad.

Hershey was surprisingly crazily excited when the delivery man delivered it (her behaviour is usually rather 'normal' when it is the postman). From the looks of the photos, it seems like Hershey thinks that the bouquet is for her!!

Mom, the flowers are for me, right?

Hmmm.. they sure smell nice. Wonder if they taste as good?

Am I, oops... I mean, aren't the flowers pretty??

Hershey celebrated her 3rd birthday, which happened to fall on Easter Sunday. Mom and dad invited one of Hershey's friend to join the small celebration which they held for her. The last time Hershey met Bongo the Beagle was when she was only a wee pup. Bongo's mom is an interior designer who designed the house that we are lnow iving in, and our hoomans got on so well that they remained as friends long after the house was done.

Anyway, mom was rather disappointed that Hershey didn't get along with Bongo as well as she did during the previous meeting. The last time they met, those two played so well together and they took turns chasing each other for almost 2 hours straight. This time round, Hershey wasn't very interested in playing with him at all.. most of the time she just pretended he wasn't there and she actually she even snapped at Bongo when he sniffed her bum (Hershey's got an issue with male dogs sniffing here 'there'... her defense mechanism will set in and she will plonk her bum to the ground and snap at the offending perpetrator. It had already happened a few times with another male Samoyed who lives in our complex, so mom is always on the alert if there are male dogs around). Hershey is ok if Bongo sniffs at any other part of her body... anywhere except 'there'. Dad joked that he'd get her a chastity belt for her next birthday.

The Birthday Girl

Hershey and her (only) guest, Bongo

The Birthday Girl and her birthday cake...

Looking pleased after she devoured the cake

Hershey almost gave us all (especially mom) a big scare on one morning a couple of weeks back. Mom fed her breakfast like on any other day and she ate her food with gusto because mom added in some of Hershey's favourite boiled carrots. After that Hershey started behaving oddly, sticking very close to mom and kept up looking up at her. Mom thought that it was rather strange and she knew something was amiss when Hershey rejected her favourite chicken jerky treats. She merely gave them a few sniffs and continued to mope.

In less than 10 minutes after finishing her breakfast, Hershey threw it all back up. She was so weak that she just laid down listlessly next to her vomit. Mom checked her gums and saw that they were deathly pale. That's when she knew something was seriously wrong with her. She even had to carry her into the bathroom with her as she took a quick shower before taking her to the vet because Hershey simply refused to budge from her spot.

When they arrived at the vet, Hershey's color seem to have returned and she was somewhat back to her usual prissy self. For the first time ever, mom didn't tell her off when Hershey growled at another dog (a cute, large English Bulldog was trying to sniff her). The vet checked Hershey's gums and while they were still slightly pale, it was a big improvement from earlier. We spent some anxious moments waiting for the blood test results to be out and fortunately her blood test turned out fine, though we still have no inkling what caused the earlier episode. Since it is the first time this has happened, we were told to monitor her for the next fortnight and to bring her in immediately if it recurs. If it happens again, they'll do an ECG to ensure that her heart function is normal.

After she returned home, she was still a wee bit lethargic, but by that evening, the Miss 'She-Devil on Four Paws' that we know (and fear) was back.

The pics taken in the afternoon when she was still 'off'

Thankfully whatever that plagued her hasn't returned and she's been her usual annoying, hyper, gluttony self though mom is still keeping a close eye on her.

Mom says that it is about time she made an appointment with the groomer because 'someone needs a groom badly' and that 'his fur is too long and in a mess'. I don't think she's referring to me... and I am sure what she really meant was 'Hershey needs a groom badly because HER fur is too long and in a mess'.

"Mom, this is what I think about going to the groomer.. Blehhh!!"

My first post for 2011 and on behalf of my family, I'd like to wish all my dear blogging pals and their families a most wonderful brand new year ahead... May this year be better than the last, and may more friendships be formed!

One of the Christmas presents that mom received was a 2011 calendar... you'd think a calendar is no big deal right? It is a B.I.G deal to me because it is a calendar featuring Border Collies!! Mom has the Border Collie calendar prominently displayed in the house... and Hershey is behaving mighty proud and smug about it. I asked mom for a calendar featuring my breed, but she said - 1) We don't need 2 calendars at home 2) She has yet to come across any calendars featuring my breed, i.e. Maltese X Shih Tzu.

N.O.T F.A.I.R!!!