Hi there, this is me again! The Blogger doggy. I am officially 25 weeks old today (I am born on a Friday - 7 Aug 2009 is my birthday).

To date, I have completed 7 lessons of my obedience classes and I am proud to say that I can heel, sit, down, stay and come at command (Mummy tells me I do that only about 80% of my time; the rest of the time I am either jumping up and down or daydreaming in class… hee hee).

I look forward to going school and meet all my buddies in class - I think Mummy says there is a great dane, a husky, 2 poodles, 1 westie and 1 portugeese water dog, 1 golden retriever and many others - who cares? They are all my good friends! We like to sniff each others’ (ahem backside) when we meet, and we’d see who can hold the longest stay in our class.

These days, the competition can be quite keen in school, you know? I suspect they may have private tuition! Or maybe they got some ten years’ series hiding in their mummys’ pockets somewhere! Woof… Woof…

And here is me! My photo is professionally taken by this chap who happens to be my teacher’s nephew, I heard. He used a very monstrous looking camera (Mummy says it’s Canon D series with super long lenses) to capture my cheeky moments. I like my legs crossed - it makes me look like I am walking like a very important person! Mummy even brought me for this new hair-cut before this photo-taking. Am I smug smug?

Daddy walking me above and making me lie down and stay. Somebody tells my Daddy that I look like a naughty dog! How can anyone judge dogs by their cover (Oops I mean appearance!). I am a good doggy, okay.

And there you are! My whole family picture. See my bee costume? All my classmates were admiring my costume when I wore it. I felt like a pampered little prince. The two yellow balls up there on my head are part of my crown… woof woof!

Mummy says she will make me a graduation gown and a tuxedo next. Hee hee. Can’t wait to parade myself in all my costumes. And yah, I got my shinning red cheongsam for CNY already. By the way, do you know what is a “Barbie doll”? Mummy was mumbling this to me when she was combing my hair last night. What does it mean? Me - Barbie doll?

Hi, it’s me - the blogging dog, Ah Bee, again. These are my milk teeth. They are dropping off one after another. Mummy says I am going to be an adult soon!

Ah Bee, with the promised Xmas Logcake from US Doggie Bakery. He is smiling so happily in my arms!

And Ah Bee looking a bit less enthusiastically in Daddy’s arms. Whose smile is more frozen - Daddy or Ah Bee?

And us.

Yo! It’s me again. The blogging dog - Ah Bee. I am happy and settled after coming to live with Daddy and Mummy for 9 whole weeks! I will be officially 22 weeks old this coming Friday and last week when Mummy weighed me, I was 4.8 kg. Mummy kept on saying, “You are so fat!”. Oh, am I really fat?

I’d tell you a secret - I think I am a bee who can fly! - Mummy made me say that… ahem… I haven’t seen any bee. What do they do? Where do they live?

Oh well, nevermind. Back to the bee business. One night, Mummy told me she would make me a bee costume! With wings! And I need to wear the costume to help her pose for some pictures. Daddy said he would pay for the fabric - which he never did! All Daddy did was to hold me still while Mummy took my measurements - ssshhhh, I cannot reveal to you what my vital statistics are! Mummy says its best I keep mum about it. Whatever that means… tee hee.

These are the materials needed to make my handsome bee costume. The velvety cloth costs only 6 dollars for a metre, and Mummy bought yellow and black.

Me! Excited as ever. Many folks, I heard, gawk when they know my name is “Ah Bee”. Why? Why? Isn’t Ah Bee such a sweet name? Honey Bee, Bumble Bee. Who says its some Hokkien name? I am not ah Kow, okay!

And Mummy hard at work at my costume. This funny little plastic machine is called “Brother”. Why can’t it be called “Sister” or “Mother”? Why must be “Brother”? Heh heh. I am a thinking dog, okay. Woof woof!

And the completed costume! Sprawled on my kitchen floor. Looks like some transformer costume, right? Mummy, please don’t make me wear this. I want to run away!!!

Mummy - I have thought you promise me I can fly? How come the wings are not flapping?

And get that funny hairband off my head! I look like some girl doggy. My girlfriends will laugh at me! *Swings head violently*.

On a serious note, I’m glad Daddy and Mummy bought and adopted me and gave me such a nice little home. I would never imagine how life would have been if no one spotted me in that little window at the pet shop. Maybe, I will end up with some family with naughty little kids who will pull my ears and drag my tail all day long. Or spend the rest of my life with an old madame who want my body to be her foot-rest or to match her rug. Or worst, I’d get sold to those breeders at the puppy mills to help them sire litter after litter - not that I mind, but I find those bitches very pathetic. Mummy cried so hard when she saw this Oprah Winfrey video on puppy mills. She said; “My Bee is the luckiest boy. He eats birds nest (Oops - did I?), sleeps on a good bed and has a huge collection of toys.”

I resolve to outlive Wally and Molly and make Mummy love me forever.

Background voice: What about Daddy?

Oh… that Scrooge is still under probation. Woof woof!
Time for my afternoon nap. Tee hee.

Hello everyone! My name is Ah Bee and this is my first blog entry in my mummy/daddy’s blog. Hee hee. So excited to post here, I tell you! And please forgive me if I make mistakes about past tense and present tense or my English is bad. I have not gone to grammar school what. How you expect me to write perfect English right? And that’s me in the photo above! So smuck and handsome right? I am sitting in my crate waiting for my first outing! Yipppeee!

Upon my arrival, I got a few curious stares from people with small hands and legs. Mummy calls them “small children”. One little girl tried to run after me to grab my tail! I am so scared! Luckily Daddy is close by and fends off these small children away. Or else I will GGGRRRRR show them my awesome teeth!

And me in between my Daddy’s legs. I don’t know what he is trying to do. But he is really smelly - I’d tell you.

And me following Daddy Ah Toad as he walks me on the leash. Why is he walking me up and down the same spot? I think I look very thirsty after walking for so long! You see, puppies like me, cannot pay attention for too long.

And mummy and me standing far far away from the camera. You know why? I know why. I can read mummy’s mind - I tell you!

And that’s me! Still smuck and handsome after an hour walk. I like my face the best. Mummy always say I am a cute looking little schnauzer.

Why are they muzzling me up? I hate the bath-tub. I want to run away! Help me! I don’t want to be clean and smelling nice. I am just like Daddy!

I swear I am not going into the bathroom again. Remember my angry face!

So happy with my nice comfy bed and little banana squeaky toy. Daiso’s dog toys are AWESOME.

See I have so many toys! Mummy will buy me anything I fancy. I am a spoilt little brat… hee hee.

I’d promise not to bark before my food is served. I’d promise not to bark in the middle of the night. I’d promise not to pee and poo on the kitchen floor. I’d promise to cooperate with Mummy when she tries to clean my ears. I’d promise not to struggle during bath. And I’d promise not to escape out of the kitchen whenever the opportunity arises. I promise!

We brought Ah Bee for a hobby grooming lesson last weekend - to learn how to properly care for Ah Bee; trim his nails, clean his ears, pluck ear hair, shave his fur and bath him. The lesson is of benefit to us since we are first-time dog owners. During the 3.5 hours, we learnt how to handle and control him during grooming. We could see that Ah Bee was very tired after the ultra-long grooming session. Much of his fur had been matted and had to be shaved away. I like the Botak Ah Bee because he is so much neater now!

Ah Bee is now 17 weeks old and weigh a hefty 4.2 kg. Everytime I bring out a packet of treats, he would automatically sit down quietly and wait for me to give him the food. He’s also a big glutton who barks incessantly prior to meals. He can smell the food coming. Our dog trainer has instructed us how to stop the barking. But we are too soft-hearted to apply compulsive training to him - he is still so much of a baby! Look at his innocent baby eyes and you will melt into a dream. Not easy to make him sit so still; I actually have a packet of treats in front of my camera to make him pose. Most of the time, he is jumping up and down

And Ah Bee salivating at the sight of the dog biscuits. We bought him a “Talk-to-me” treatball which allowed us to record messages and dispense treats at the same time. However this treatball was so flimsy and didn’t last more than 2 weeks. So we ended up with a packet of biscuits left for his consumption. He was really a spoilt brat and a yaya dog (that’s what Croaky likes to call him when he pees on the kitchen floor).

Our dear Bee is nursing a cough and running a bit of phlegm for a few weeks. He likes to sleep on the kitchen floor, so we have gotten him a warm bed for him to sleep. Hopefully he gets better. Perhaps we should bring him to see the vet, at the same time, get some medicated shampoo for his dandruff. The usual Croaky remarked, “His shampoo is more expensive than mine - you know?”.

Yes, I know. But he is our dear boy, and we ought to give him the best of everything. What’s more, Croaky’s hair is as coarse as the floor mat - you don’t need expensive shampoos!

It has been 3 weeks since we carried Ah Bee home. He has settled in nicely and is active, cheerful and very noisy in our kitchen.

In our second week, we brought him to see his vet for a general health screening and to complete his third dose of vaccination. He is a brave boy - only let out a whimper while the vet microchipped and gave him his vaccine. The microchip needle was humongous; thicker than a 16G needle! We are glad he is well, except for his dirty ears and dandruffed skin. Since his vet visit, I have been faithfully cleaning his ears every alternate night but he has been uncooperative and fearful of his ear cleaning routine. He would struggle, bite me and show me his awesome baby teeth in an attempt to shoo me away. He looked real funny when he was angry - like some ET with eyes popping out!

Ah Toad is less fortunate. He has been chased around in the kitchen and both his feet suffered visible bite injuries. And Ah Bee was smart enough to know when we are closing the door on him and run for our dinner. He would sit next to our kitchen door like a guard door and dash through the doors in his quickest attempt to escape the kitchen. For a three - four month old puppy - he was fast!

And his favourite game in the house would be playing hide-n-seek. We would hide in 4 different corners in the house and take turns to call “Ah Bee, where arrree yooou?” Then he would follow the sound and scamper off like some mad dog. Once, he rammed his poor head into a chair while trying to make a U-turn. Thankfully, he was okay after the knock.

Croaky and myself have decided it that it was his best interest to attend obedience training to make him a better dog. He is playful and easily distracted, and it is tough getting him to understand basic commands. So far, he has learnt to sit and stay on command but he barks uncontrollably during meal-times. There was one time I watched him like a hawk and waited for 3 hours for him to pee and poo and he just wouldn’t! It is easy reading a book on how to train a puppy but when it comes to practice, both of us were at a loss; much alike to telling swordsmen to learn swordfighting by reading a book! ^They managed to do it in kungfu dramas right?^

In reality, Ah Bee is a sweet dog (when he is not barking). It’s nice to have a living pile of fur cuddle up to you when you return home after a hard’s day work. Can’t imagine how life would be without Ah Bee.

The vet wanted us to keep him in the house for 2 weeks after his third vaccine. So we are bringing him out for his first walk this weekend! Can’t wait to see his happy smile on the leash. Such a lucky dog.

Ah Bee stepped into our lives on 7 Nov 2009 when we walked into a pet shop to have a look at the cute little puppies. He is a handsome mini schnauzer with a beautiful coat of salt-and-pepper fur. Croaky fell in love with his quiet personality and his obedience. We were not prepared to take him home on the very day of the purchase and asked the shop owner to take him for another two weeks while we prepare our house for his home-coming. But as usual, Croaky was impatient and paranoid. He read about all the poor little puppies who were infected by parvo-virus in the puppy mills and shops. So he kept nagging at me to take him home early. We took him home on 13 Nov 2009.

Ah Bee resting on his play-pen, looking tired. He has such nice looking brows; reminds me of Dumbledore!

And dangling a small piece of treat in front of him. Couldn’t get him to sit still for a second for my camera to capture a clearer shot - he’s perpetually jumping up and down.

And me holding Ah Bee.

Ah Bee is supposed to be a beagle, a breed which Croaky would dream to own. Beagles are the breed which the cartoon character “Snoopy” is based on, and also the same dogs which you see prowling the airports in Australia. Cute little champs, but hard to train. Schnauzers, on the other hand, are intelligent, tame and obedient. However, the one which I have now, is a bit of a bipolar - he has bouts of hyperactiveness and periods when he is very quiet.

Keeping a dog is really hard work. I have come to appreciate this fact only after I have gotten Ah Bee home. He needs to be fed twice a day - expensive stuff! One bottle of his multi-vitamins costs 42.80 and he has 2 bottles. His dog food is >100 bucks. He needs to be brushed on a daily basis. His ears have to be cleaned with a special formula liquid. You need to pluck his ear hairs with a metal tweezer. You need to wash his eyes as well, which get plenty of dried mucous and debris collected underneath. You also need to brush his teeth with a special brush and toothpaste. You need to shampoo him weekly, spray deodorant to get rid of odour and ticks, trim and keep his nails short. And send him for professional grooming every now and then. Then you need to bring him to see the vet for vaccinations, general health check up and if he falls sick, he needs to get medicine as well.

We are training him to use his toilet properly. Hopefully he remains in good health. *Cross fingers*

Sad to say, my earlier batch of baby sea monkeys hatched from brine shrimp eggs did not survive into adulthood. It may be due to several reasons why they die a premature death:-

(1) Poor water quality - cloudy water was one thing; another was that 30 g aquarium salt cannot be fully dissolved at room temperature. Some of the salt settled to the bottom; undissolved.

(2) Biochemical reasons - The mini-oxygen balls which I have planted at the bottom of the tank gave the salt water a blue discoloration. I have rinsed them several times before use, but the water is still blue. Whatever chemicals present in those blue balls must have killed the poor sea monkeys

Anyway, I bought a pack of adult sea monkeys at one dollar from a neighbourhood aquarium shop and tadda, my new colony of sea monkeys!

This time, you can see the swimming creatures very clearly from afar. No need to press your nose to your computer screen And notice the beautiful set-up? The center-piece is a resin ornament I have picked up from the same aquarium shop. The colourful pebbles just make my day - only 80 cents! The same things would have cost a bomb at a you-know-where aquarium inside a popular shopping mall.

I am so happy with the design of my sea monkey castle. It also has a matching hello kitty LED lamp illuminating from above. There’s a plastic lid (not in picture) to reduce evaporation and keep the flying insects away from the water.

The next day, some sea monkeys gave birth to live babies! The bottom photo shows two sea monkeys clinging onto each other - mating. They can remain in this position for days, and you can see two of them swimming around everywhere like some conjoint twins. How fascinating!

This time, I boiled my de-chlorinated water for several minutes and kept stirring in the aquarium salt and bicarbonate soda (added as a buffer to increase the pH; sea monkeys like alkaline water). I left the brine mixture to cool overnight and sift the water through a fine mesh net to get rid of whatever undissolved salt. The water is much clearer after the painstaking preparation. Hopefully, the colony is able to thrive for at least 2 weeks to make me happy before I feed them to my pair of gluttony goldfishes - Wally and Molly. I have read on some websites that people kept generations after generations of sea monkeys for more than a few years!

I have dropped a few sea monkeys into the fish tank, much to the anticipation of Wally and Molly. Their eyes lit up when they saw the live food wriggling in the water. As usual, Molly was the big winner of the day - eating twice as much sea monkeys as Wally. Those adorable babies. Heh.