For The Love of Mika!

So I was checking a post I made when I noticed the random profile generated by the pet rescue widget, for a Mika. Mika the ferret!

I know my husband would love a ferret. They are cute and they sleep for most of the day, so really only need stimulation for a short period of time, which are all bonuses. However, not considering the care they will need, food bills, vet bills, basic needs (cage - I hate caging animals >_<) I'm not so sure about running out to adopt one. Besides, one Mika is already a handful for us to handle. Imagine if we had two Mikas!!! Not to mention confusion central when I call for Mika and my whole animal kingdom comes running >_-

Still. So cute! I hope Mika the ferret finds a great new home.

In our home, dad is for wrestles and mum is for cuddles.

We rarely watch TV (No really! Apparently this is very strange to a lot of people!), but we do have a TV to watch DVDs on occassionally. Ever since we've had Mika however, I find myself making time for short bursts of TV every week or so. Most of the time it doesn't really matter what's on. It's our bonding time, we curl up on the lounge together, I pat her, she falls alseep, my heart squeezes with love and I pat her some more, sometimes she wakes up enough to give me a lick or two, sometimes she snores (so adorable!) and sometimes her feet gallop like she's dreaming of running in fields of meat and bones...or whatever puppies dream of. Finally the show ends and I persuade her to go to bed, by which point she's too sleepy to argue and dutifully follows. Cunning, I know.

Lately she's developed a strange/funny habit. She comes in at night, hops up on the sofa, has her two front paws up on the top of the sofa's backrest. Then she looks at her reflection in the mirror behind the sofa and sometimes her tail wags. There are other mirrors in the house which she doesn't care about, but somehow this particular one has caught her fancy. She does it every night. Maybe she has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?

The flu has gotten the better of me this weekend. Yesterday I managed to drag myself out of bed long enough to throw some laundry into the washing machine. Then dragged myself out of bed again sometime in the early afternoon to dry the sheets, feeling proud of my one small victorious task accomplished.

Then I came to pick up the laundry later and lo and behold! Magic! In my backyard! From the house, it looked like all my sheets had vanished. Then I saw the tail end of a white sheet from the corner of my eye >_< Mika had dragged 2 sheets, 1 quilt cover and 1 (heavy) woolen blanket off the clothes line. As I raced outside, I was praying to the Laundry gods for mercy. Alas! All my sheets (did I mention that they were my favourite sheets?) had holes in them. The blanket had several chunks ripped out of it. When Mika had presumably tired of her monotonous rampage, decided to scrunch the blanket up, padded with one of the softer sheets and there she lay upon her woolen + 500 thread count Egyptian cotton throne looking at me casually as if to say, "Oh hi mummy! Look what I made!"

Now I have a pile of destroyed sheets, which in the future I suppose could be recycled towards Mika's bedding, since it's already gotten her seal of approval. *Grumbles*

Even despite feeling really frustrated with her, I still love her to pieces. So this is what parenthood is like. What am I going to do with this dog!?

I've been an avid Pet Rescue fan for a while now. Even before we found Mika, I would trawl through their pages and loose my heart to all the gorgeous little faces looking for homes. In the end, the decision was made to get a puppy who would grow up with us from as early as possible.

For some reason though, I've never stopped looking at Pet Rescue and other organisations out there with websites geared towards rehoming animals. I'd love to be a foster carer, but we can't make the time commitment. I'm looking into volunteering at the local pound, hopefully this will come to fruition.

In the meantime, there are other ways to raise awareness and so I've added a Pet Rescue link and little widget showing random animals that are looking for good homes, in the hopes that if I can be the missing link between just one animal and their new home, I'd be over the moon :)

Please check out the links and have a look if you're so inclined. Pet Rescue deserves all the help they can get for their amazing work.

So I found this book of puppy tricks a while ago in a discount pile at my local. You know those books that make you feel guilty everytime you look at them, because you had plans for that book? Or because it was supposed to help you accomplish some task you had set for yourself? That's this book to me :P

Dad already taught Mika how to shake hands, which really is the hardest part. Following on from that, I decided to see if I could use the book's instructions to teach Mika how to high five. Within a few minutes, she was doing it. Then of course came the real test and she did it again for dad on command! And again and again and again.

Now it's gone from a one paw high five to both front paws! Did I also mention that Mika likes apples? :P Combine apples + tricks = win.

Even though Mika was a timid little girl when we first got her, she has grown to love the company of other dogs. She was a bit uncertain when she first visited the dog park, but now she strains against the leash and pulls to get in the gates quicker!

Mika's bestest friend in the whole world is Buster, a 4 year old Whippet. Whenever Buster comes to visit, he gains a permanent shadow the size of Mika. Buster loves being inside with his family, as does Mika. However whenever the families catch up, there's bound to be tea and cake and other yummy goodies on the dining table. Much too tempting for Mika, so the puppies wait outside.

Buster is a gentleman. He quietly puts up with Mika licking his ears (I don't know either, but for some reason, she just loves his ears!), following him around and annoying him like only a puppy can. I can just imagine what he must think when he rocks up to our place. "Oh #%^$ not that crazy bitch again!"

On this particular visit, Buster seemed to particularly approve of our windows. Must have tasted good! :) Mika can't wait for Buster's next visit. I'm not sure Buster thinks the same.

So I'm convinced that Mika hates her kennel.

When the kennel was first assembled, we made it really comfortable in there for her with old rugs and sheets and even a feather pillow which was donated to the cause. Plus some toys too. The feather pillow was used to decorate the lawn and she drags the sheet(s) and blankets out onto the driveway then carefully arranges into a big lump to sit on while she watches the world go by. She also does this in the rain... >_< Can't leave anything in her kennel, it just gets dragged around the lawn, muddied and torn :-/

We've tried feeding her in her kennel, but she goes in there, grabs a mouthful, pops out, chews, then pops back in grabs another mouthful...rinse repeat.

She much prefers sitting on the back step for some reason. Baffling dog!

I'm not sure what to do or how to encourage her to enjoy her kennel more. Has anyone had this problem before? How did you and your dog get over this little hurdle?

Older dogs have always had a special place in my heart. I'm a total sucker for big, brown, sad eyes that have seen too much. I found Angus while I was trawling the Pet Rescue site.

I thought that maybe I could convince hubby to take him on as a foster care puppy until he finds his forever home. I thought wrong :( Hubby has a heart of gold, but very rigid boundaries :P Which I suppose is probably a good thing because if he didn't we'd probably have a mini rescue farm by this point. But imagine the love we'd get in return!!! Mika gives us so much love already, take that x2 or x3 or or .... Yeah, hubby didn't buy it either :P

I keep seeing some puppies on Pet Rescue and hope and wish that they will find a great home to go to. Fingers crossed that Angus will find his forever home soon. I wish I could give him a big cuddle.

A new pet park in China painted their dogs to look like pandas and tigers. This golden retriever was dyed to look like a tiger.

I think they look adorable. Hopefully this pet park does not support puppy farms! I still support people adopting pets and buying from breeders whenever possible :)



Photo from the ABC news international website and full story here

Mika has taken to pulling washing off the line!

So as we do with most major problems in life, I googled it and found forums suggesting water ballooning the clothesline.

The first water bomb scared the crap out of her lol. (I shouldn't laugh but it was hysterical watching her receive a snout shower. The expression on her face was priceless :P) She barked at the others and nudged them with her nose, then she'd sit there and watch them for hours with suspicion! Unfortunately (for me) she was too smart to have a go at another one :-/

Sigh, I just hope she grows out of this madness :P Soon!

We were rubbing Mika's belly (she'll do anything for a belly rub!) when we found a lump just near where her desexing scar is :(((

My first reaction of course, was to panic! Then I calmed down enough to google it and read about lipomas which are benign lumps found mostly on older dogs, although it's not uncommon for younger dogs to get them too.

I knew my heart would not rest until we got it checked out, so we made an appointment to see our Vet and hoped for the best in the meantime.

When we finally went to the vet, we were relieved to hear that it was most likely a lump caused by fatty tissue forming around the knot of her desexing scar. I was under the impression that they used those self-healing/melting stitches internally for dogs. According to our vet, there were two knots, one on the internal layer and one on the external layer of skin which we had to get removed once Mika's desexing scar had healed sufficiently.

The advice we got was to watch and wait. If it grows or changes in any way, come back. If you've found a lump on your dog, please get it checked out by a vet!

At the ripe old age of 10 months, Mika has destroyed and/or damaged an impressive array of items:

1. Pet matresses x 8 (including handmade personalised mattress with name appliqued on).

2. Soft toys:
-Percy: toy puppy she used to cuddle to sleep with died of severe head injuries.
-Sebastian: toy pup lost his eyes and sustained severe head injuries.
-Pingu: toy penguin. Got the stuffing eaten out of him.
-puppy toy with heartbeat (heartbeat mechanism removed before ripping the toy to shreds).
-plush colourful ball
-plush colourful geometric toy
-Houdini: gift from friends also got his internal organs rearranged.

3. Shoes:
-Mum's new leather shoes,
-Completely destroyed the top of dad's steel toe caterpillar boots. Permanent indentation on steel toe section of one large canine.
-Dad's Nike airs

4. Rubber door stoppers x 2.5

5. Tennis balls x 2

6. Towels x 2

7. Blankets & bed linen x 8

8. Old feather pillow donated for her kennel was used to decorate the lawn.

9. Various sports balls that unfortunately fell over the fence from kids next door.

10. Nylon dog leads x 3

11. Bathroom mats x2

12. Outdoor toys (all doggy chew toys):
- red rubber motorcycle (just like dads) x 2
- mini soccer balls x 2
- sausages on rope x 2
- tennis balls on rope x 2
- tug rope with tennis ball

13. Dad's motorbike goggles reduced to bits of foam and plastic.

14. Expensive and sentimental Akubra hat from Nigel's mum - inner lining ripped out

15. Toy water pistol

16. Cardboard packaging x 3

17. Numerous rubber bands and misc. plastic bits (don't ask how we found these)

18. Dining chairs "imprinted" with new patterns.

19. Back door permanently scarred with deep gouges.

20. Outdoor kennel wood "decorated" with new patterns strangely resembling teeth marks!

21. Outdoor dog hammock chewed so the mattressy bit has fringes. (Update: This hammock was completely chewed through from end to end, but she still likes to lie in the torn bits.../boggle)

22. Several "Haha Gotcha!" holes dug around the clothesline.

23. Panel of common fence between us and neighbour completely removed.

24. Numerous advertising catalogues and junk mail material ripped to shreds.

25. Dog food packs and treat bags x 6

26. Dad's wet jujitsu gi (when it's wet it's quite heavy, so she must have put some effort into this one) dragged off the line and "re-scented" with au de mud.

27. Numerous laundry pegs of mutated appearance have appeared on the grass strategically placed under the clothes line.

28. Lawn clippings dragged around to "redecorate".

29. Zipper tab from mum's varsity hoodie removed after also being "re-scented" with au de mud.

30. Scratch marks on our buttery soft, very comfortable and very expensive leather sofa :-/

31. Plastic registration holder on dad's motorbike x 3 destroyed.

32. Registration label removed from above mentioned plastic holders and destroyed x2. (Yes dad really had to say "my dog ate my registration label").

33. Yellow rubber frisbee which also worked as an aqua toy chewed through.

34. Outdoor broom had a plastic cap on the top which was found disfigured and abandoned in the garden. The broom itself had been dragged to Mika's favourite spot :P

35. Mika is now tall enough to pull clothes off the highest setting of our wind-up clothes line. Among the items of clothing she has gotten to:
- Mum's pantyhose.
- Numerous socks.
- An assortment of underwear.
- Sheets and Blankets

So Mika was the largest puppy there, but she also happened to be the most timid. She spent most of her first class at puppy preschool hiding under the chair. Whenever she dared to peek out at the big scary world, we'd shower her with treats. Towards the end of the class when all the other puppies were winding down, she felt brave enough to come out and wanted to play!

One of the vet nurses said she looked like a baby giraffe compared to the other dogs, which I suppose she did. She was spent when she got home and slept...well...like a baby. So cute to see her all curled up into a tight little ball, dreaming puppy dreams.

It's been a very special week for us since Mika came home.

Lots of heart clenching "aww" moments. Many cuddles were had and lots of getting to know each other. It must be so scary for a little puppy to leave the warmth and security of her mum to enter a new environment where absolutely everything is foreign.

Mika was nine weeks old when we brought her home. Most breeders will let you have their pups from six weeks old, but we are happy that she got to stay with mum and her siblings that little bit longer.

Mika had her first vet visit this week and she was petrified! But once she got treats and won over the hearts of the girls at the animal hospital, she decided that it wasn't all that bad. She took her two needles like a champion and wasn't crazy about having her ears cleaned, but she really wasn't expecting the thermometer "up there". Who would?

Still getting used to the idea of being completely responsible for this little girl who is depending on us for everything! Likewise we have a lot of learning to do. I'm enjoying it! :)

We spent most of the time on the drive down to the breeder and most of the drive back talking about what to name "the puppy".

We went through a whole bunch of names, but we couldn't find anything that we both agreed on. The breeder affectionately called her "Patch" because she has a tiny white crest on her chest, but that didn't feel right to us. We had about a week to think about it and get back to him so that he could submit her papers. The pressure was on!

Finally when we were on the final stretch of highway on the way home, in the final 20 minutes of our 6 hour journey there and back again, we had a breakthrough.

I was driving and looked over and said, "How about Mika?"

At that moment, puppy looked up at me. Dad mulled the name over and said a tentative, "I like that one".

We've been asked since if we named her after the singer Mika. The answer is no. We lived in Japan for a while and have a beautiful friend called Mika, whose name we love because it's short, elegant and sounds cute. The name itself appears to have several meanings, but the one we giggled over the most was "beautiful fragrance", because there were times there on the drive home when the fragrance was anything but beautiful!

After much researching and a few disappointing leads, we set off early one sunday morning and drove for three hours to meet our (maybe) new puppy.

Lets just say that we didn't even stand a chance! It certainly was love at first sight when we met our curious little girl. She was absolutely beautiful and we were smitten.

This is her on the right meeting dad for the first time at the breeder's home.

Strange how things work out because we wanted a red doberman and the last puppy the breeder had in his litter was our little red girl, waiting for a good home :)