Meet Winston the Wonder Pug

Posted on Jul 18, 2014 in Rambles |

You’ve met Muse and Lunchbox.  Finally, my last addition to the Fawver Family, Winston the Wonder Pug.  First, some back story.

All my life I’ve considered myself a cat person.  I had no reason for this, really, other than I thought cats were cuter and less maintenance.  Growing up, I never had the responsibility of a pet – I don’t even know what breeds the dogs we had were.  They never felt like my dogs, or family dogs, and heck – I don’t even know what ever happened to the second one we had after my parents divorced. So I had nothing to base this “I’m a cat person” identification with, but my first 3 pets of any significant size were cats.  But a funny thing happened when we moved into our current house, which is owned by my dad, and I started working from home in 2008 – I had an unexplained desire to get a dog.

It took some convincing for Dominic.  He had a strained relationship with the cats as it was – he grew up in a somewhat rural part of Oregon where pets stayed outside, you fed them, and if they were a problem, you got rid of them.  Just a different upbringing and that kind of farmer culture where animals are for food and service, not necessarily for companionship.  So I finally convinced him that if we got a dog, I’d pay for obedience classes so we didn’t have an unruly pooch.

There were a few non-starts.  At the time, his aunt was breeding AKC registered spaniels (I forget which type exactly).  We’d gone up for Christmas and there was a little girl that I was almost certain I wanted to bring home with us.  But money was a bit tight, and being AKC registered dogs she was going to have to charge me at least $400 for the dog (which was already giving me a hefty family discount). I was dragging my feet on making the decision and, since I’d fallen for the little runt, unfortunately she didn’t make it through the week that we were there, so that decision was ultimately made for me.  About a year later we were up there over the summer and she had another, slightly older batch of puppies.  The last litter she was going to have before having the mother fixed – she was done breeding and this litter was actually unintentional.  So she was willing to just give me one but, again, I just didn’t feel right making the decision on such short notice (since I didn’t know she had them until we were there) and I decided not to take that little puppy either.

2010 rolled around and I finally decided that I wanted a dog.  I was ready to go look for a dog I could love, and after talking to a friend, I decided that I actually wanted to adopt an adult dog – shelters find it harder to get them homes, and I didn’t necessarily want to go through the trials and tribulations of house breaking a puppy with this being my first dog that would be all mine to look after.  I ended up going to 5 shelters before finding the shelter in Dublin – the rest had mostly scruffy mutts I didn’t connect with or chihuahuas, rottweilers, and pit bulls* I didn’t want either.

Finally at this 6th shelter, there was a Yorkie and a Pug.  The Yorkie was friendly, excited to meet me and spend time with me, and adorable.  The pug was friendly, but stand offish when we tried to spend time with him, and walked a little funny.  So I decided to inquire about the Yorkie – but was told that the hold period wasn’t up yet and that a lot of people (including families with kids) wanted to adopt her.  So there would be a lottery, and no guarantee that I’d be able to adopt her.   went home to think about it, and talk to Dominic.  I’d gone on this epic hunt all over the shelters of the East Bay with Rachel on a Saturday, so I wanted to take Dominic back on Sunday to meet the dog I’d chosen.  We talked about it, and I decided that I didn’t want to get my hopes up about the Yorkie, and I’d rather not edge out and win over some devastated child who’d been dead set on getting her.  So I decided to give the Pug another shot.

They’d given him a temporary name – Winston – which I thought was the perfect, awesome name for a pug.  Very distinguished, like Winston Churchill!  When I went back the second day, he was MUCH friendly and more active because it was obvious that he recognized me.  He had just been kind of shy before, we gathered, and Dominic and I played with him in the yard and discovered that he already knew many commands – sit, roll over, shake, and high-five!  I asked the staff about his weird walk, and they told me that at his age (which they’d guessed to be 5) a little bit of hip displaysia was normal.  But, to ease my mind, they agreed to hold onto my adoption fee check and have the vet x-ray him before putting him under for the neutering – if it was a major problem that I didn’t think I could hand, they’d call me and I could call it off and come back and pick out a different dog.  So we signed the papers, wrote the check, and left Winston there to go to the vet the following week.

The day of his surgery and coming home came – November 16, 2010, and I was nervous.  I had already started to love him, and I was hoping his hip issue wasn’t too bad.  I had been told to expect a call around 11:00 am from the vet with the results of the x-ray.  When no call came, I called around 1 and was told he was already in surgery.  Odd.  I explained the special circumstances and the receptionist really had no answer for me.  I got a call at 4:00 pm telling me to come on in and get him to bring him home.  Uh, what?

Apparently the vet took a look and said it wasn’t anything that could be fixed, so went ahead with the surgery to neuter him and send him home.  They told me, based on his teeth, they thought he was actually about 6.  I walked him proudly over to the pet store in the same shopping center to get him a real leash, harness, bed, food, and some toys.  I brought him home and he became a Fawver!  A couple weeks later, I took him into the vet Lorenza works for to get his free check up.  It was supposed to be a general wellness check, but I did mention that he didn’t seem to be eating much, he wasn’t chewing on any of the bones or rawhides I’d given him, and I mentioned his gait again for good measure.  They examined him and immediately pointed out that a bunch of his teeth were rotten!  That’s why he wasn’t eating a lot or doing any chewing – it hurt!  They wiggled like a 6-year-old kid itching for some Tooth Fairy money!

Because I’d adopted an adult dog, and they said that was a very noble thing, and because I was a first time client and Lorenza’s friend, they cut me a really good deal to pull his bad teeth and get him all set up.  That was 4 years ago, and I can’t say he’s been in perfect health since, but it’s been manageable.  Winston’s about 9 or 10 now, and has arthritis in his elbows that makes it harder for him to run around (but doesn’t necessarily stop him from trying when he’s worked up) and his cataracts make him pretty blind on some days.  But he knows where things are and makes it work.  His vision mixed with the summer heat have lead him to bumble around our bedroom loudly at night, so he’s recently taken to sleeping at the foot of the bed (he’s lucky I’m short and there’s room!)

He’s my little old man, a shadow that follows me around nearly all the time.  He knows the sound of my car & runs to the door to greet me.  When I’m gone, he lets his displeasure be known by peeing somewhere or digging into my trash, just so I know how much he was afraid I wouldn’t come back.  He looses his mind and barks EVERY DAMN DAY when the mail person lifts the squeaky brass mail slot in our door.  He’s like me in dog from in almost every way – wonky ankles that could go out at any time, overweight, not that sound on his feet, lover of French fries!  He’s my 24lb Chicken Nugget.  The Winstonator.  Win Stone, Private Dick.  The Frito Bandito.  Winstonion.  My bubbas.  My boogers.  He gives me high-fives, but doesn’t lick my face (which I’m so OK with).  He snores almost as loud as Dominic does!  I never knew I was a dog person until Winston set me straight!  Dominic even loves him and spoils him more than he ever thought he could love a dog, and tells Winston so all the time.  We keep saying that, eventually, we’ll get a female pug named Margaret (as in Thatcher)!

I have so many pictures of Winston, it’s been really hard to choose.  So follow Winston on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  He’ll share french fries with you if you’ll let him.

 

* Disclaimer: I have nothing against pit bulls as a breed, but they are larger than we have room for and, considering I was looking for rescue, adult dogs in the Oakland area primarily, I did not trust rescuing a pit bull whose history I was not 100% certain of.

 

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Meet Lunchbox

Posted on Jul 16, 2014 in Rambles |

You can read the back story of how I acquired both of my cats, Muse and Lunchbox, where I invited you to Meet Muse.  To further explain why my cat is named Lunchbox and not Silent Bob, you can watch Dogma.  When Jay & Silent Bob first meet Bethany, Jay calls Silent Bob “Lunchbox”.  I thought it fit well and was more unique than just naming my cat Silent Bob.  So Lunchbox is his name, and he’s lived up to it.  He rarely makes any sounds, unless he’s hissing or trying to get my attention to feed him.  He’s not super fat, but compared to little Muse he’s pretty robust.  He’s definitely the yin to her yang being the opposite combination of white & black with white being his primary color.

This should give you some idea of the scale between the two of them.  Of course, she’s curled up into a ball and he’s stretched out, but if you focus on the size of their paws and heads you should see the difference.  Since they’ve been together their whole lives, they usually get along very well.  Being the dominant male, he’s a little aggressive (I think the vet who fixed him botched it slightly) from time to time with her, but generally he’s a snuggle bunny who’s very loving.

Before moving to this house, I’d definitely have called Lunchbox more of a snuggler than Muse, but they share the title now.  We were moving around every couple of years for the first 4 years of their lives, so maybe that affected them.  Now that we’ve been here for 6 years, they know where they’re at and know that it’s home.

One of the reasons I’m posting about my cats this week is because this week is their birthday week.  We adopted them when they were about six weeks old and backtracked it to about July 15th.  So my kitties are 10 this week!  I love my cats, despite the typical pet owner issues I have with them, and I hope for another10 snuggly years with my kitties!

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Meet Muse

Posted on Jul 14, 2014 in Rambles |

Meet one of my kitties, Muse.

It was 2004 and we’d just moved into a new apartment the month or so prior.  I had a cat before the two kittens, Kahlua, but unfortunately she was hit by a car before we moved.  It was never my idea to let her be an indoor/outdoor cat, but I got her my junior year of college and my roommate at the time had an indoor/outdoor cat and didn’t really heed my wishes to keep my cat inside only.  It was a safer area with a big open field behind our apartment, so it wasn’t that bad.  But once I moved home and into a city, she had gotten more aggressive, harder to get inside at night, and that’s how it happened.  So I knew that these next kittens would stay inside only, so Dominic suggested we get two at once so they’d have company.

I got Muse and he brother from the same litter – sort of.  The woman giving the kittens away had two cats that were both black and white and both happened to get out of the house the same day and come home pregnant.  So they both had very similar litters and it was hard to tell, but she was pretty sure mine came from the same cat.

Muse was the runt of the litter and the only girl left, so we ended up with a chunky little boy who was very stoic and quiet on the ride home and a noisy tiny little girl who mewed nonstop. I am a big fan of writer/director Kevin Smith and wanted to name them with homages to one of my favorite movies of his, Dogma, but didn’t want to be super “on the nose”. Based on their behavior on that first car ride home, Jay & Silent Bob seemed like the best fit.  But she was a girl, and I didn’t want to be super literal, so I instead named her Muse after Salma Hayek’s character and a play on the name of the actor who plays Jay, Jason Mewes.  I’ll introduce you to the other cat in another post.

To this day, Muse lives up to her name.  She is more vocal than the other cat, and also more hyperactive.  Being the runt, she’s also a lot smaller than he is, so they are still very true to their names.  Muse was not always a cuddler, but since moving into our current house in 2008, she has softened up a lot and is my constant companion on the couch.  Hence how I grabbed this shot of her on the arm of the couch beside me.  Unimpressed.  You know, like all cats are!

 

 

 

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Early Summer Adventures of Trisha

Posted on Jul 11, 2014 in Rambles |

I’ve been MIA since the 4th of July.  Lots of work has taken up my time, with the short week and lots of make up work to be done.  Not to mention the barrage of work that usually comes with the beginning of a month.  So what have I been up to?  Well, thank you for asking.  I’m going to let some pictures do the talking.  Questions?  Leave a comment!

 

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Happy Independence Day Manicure 2014!

Posted on Jul 4, 2014 in Manicures |

Happy Independence Day!  We’re keeping it low key here at Fawver Home Base this year – the hubs Dominic is BBQing some burgers, we have copious amounts of Blue Moon and Angry Orchard to keep us in good spirits, and I’m having groceries delivered by Safeway to help ease any 4th of July shopping anxiety!

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Herbal Essences Naked Voxbox

Posted on Jul 2, 2014 in Beauty |

I’ve been seeing commercials for the new Herbal Essences Naked collection of hair care products for some time now.  The mint aspect of the ingredients always intrigues me, but I didn’t pull the trigger and grab any because I thought the white grapefruit would be too overpowering.  I’m not the biggest fan of citrus scents in general, especially in my hair.  Thanks to Influenster and the Herbal Essences Naked Voxbox, I am happy to report that I was SO wrong!

Since I started dying my hair in February, I’ve been using a shampoo and conditioner made specifically for red color-treated hair.  I found that anything else I tried, even super organic, vegan shampoos and conditioners a friend recommended, have left me with tinted water drops dripping from my scalp after a shower.  Since I’m pretty close to my touch-up appointment, I decided to throw caution to the wind and try out the samples of the Herbal Essences Naked Moisture Shampoo and Herbal Essences Naked Moisture Conditioner I received in the Voxbox. The Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo will have to be tried another day 🙂

It’s a bonus, of course, that the Naked collections have 0% dyes, parabens, sulfates, or heavy residues.  In other words, pretty good for your hair!

Scent

Remember that fear of the overwhelming white grapefruit?  Well, only some of the Naked collection has that scent.  The Moisture line of products boasts scents of “herbal mint fusion extracts”.  So it was a gentle mint scent that was not super overpowering or overly chemical like some mint beauty products I’ve smelled.  It really doesn’t leave any lingering scent in my hair, either, which I like.

Fluffy

Most of the time, the F word I use to describe my hair is Frizzy. But after using the conditioner, my hair is fluffy and soft. It does a good job minimizing frizz, despite that not really being a feature or selling point. It doesn’t weigh my hair down but gives it the moisture it needs to not completely poof up or dry out. A weird thing, perhaps, but I noticed it also didn’t dry out my scalp like a lot of shampoos and conditioners do.

Color Fastness

Unfortunately, this is a fail for color fastness.  I had the same red tinted water droplets after using the Herbal Essences Naked Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner.  I fear it would look like a horror movie if I’d used these right after a fresh coloring!  That wouldn’t be as scary as the look my awesome colorist Kacie would give me if I washed out my color almost immediately though!

Verdict: Get Some (If you don’t have color-treated hair)

If I stop dying my hair, I’ll definitely start using the Herbal Essences Naked Shampoo and Conditioner on a regular basis.  Unfortunately for me, it speeds up my color fading, so it’s a no-go for me right now.  If they made a version with better color protection for color-treated hair, I’d wholeheartedly give it a try and start using it if it works like this regular formula!

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

 

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