ABCD...

Mummy and Daddy were chit chatting with Uncle Nick and Auntie Rachel over dinner one day and they were discussing about weird interesting names of people they met over the years.

Daddy mentioned that there were people with english names like Carat, Circle, Control.. (like seriously?! I wouldn't even name a dog that). This was when Auntie Rachel mentioned that she once met a Hong Kong counterpart called ABCD (pronounced as Ab-cee-dee). Everyone was super fascinated and couldn't stop laughing..

I was also ROFL-ing when mummy had a *ta-da* moment and insisted that ABCD would have been an awesome name for me. (Say what~~~~~~) Her rationale... ABCD = American Born Chinese Dog, which is pretty much me. She really wanted to change my name to that. (I am NOT kidding.) Luckily Daddy is sane enough to say no. 

I'm also uber thankful Daddy named me Sam before mummy got wind of the name. (PHEW~) Can you imagine people checking out my name tags the first time we meet? I could totally picture the eye rollings and people attempting to call me ABCD (as in ABCDEFG...) Not to mention that ABCD (ab-cee-dee) is a ladies' name. 

Despite that, sneaky mummy had been using treats to lure me to respond to the name ABCD. And it sucks that I actually fell for it several times. 

Boooo~

Do I look like an ABCD?

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Sam's Toy review - Grreat Choice Leopard Print Ball

I'm happy and excited because... 

of my new toy. 

Peek-a-boo.. Here it is!

Wondering what it is? 

Hee. It's actually a cat teaser! Mummy got the Grreat Choice Leopard Print Ball cat teaser from Petsmart on a recent road trip and it's the most awesome thing EVER.

Mummy would use the toy to tease me (yes, I am a cat, remember?) and I would do everything I can to hunt it down. As I would jump non-stop just to get my jaws paws on it, mummy figured that the best place to play the game, is on the bed as the mattress would cushion the impact on my knees.

That toy is like a prey that I want so bad (well, Jack Russells are hunting dogs) but it just keeps slipping out of my grip. 

WHY~~~

A patient hunter waits...

and pounces at the right moment...

Ta-dah~ got it!

time for a perfect landing~

As the toy was originally made for cats, it's really fragile. So the instance I get my jaws on it, mummy would grab it out of my mouth. 

BOOOOO~~

And then the taunting begins all over again.

I've to say that mummy's pretty impressive. She took all these photos single handedly (literally) while she used her free hand to taunt me with the toy.

Here's some awesome jump shots she captured.

Awesome toy makes an awesome dog happy. 

And guess what, I get a yummy treat after all my hard work!!  

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~

Sam's Review:

Though the cat teaser isn't exactly made for dogs, it's beyond awesome. The interactive-ness of the toy allows mummy to taunt play with me effortlessly while exhausting me out. She just stands at one side of the bed flicking the toy and I would chase the toy around. The fact that it's a ball makes it even more challenging to grab. Unfortunately, the tail of the toy had been pulled off by yours truly. (*Proud grinz*) But nonetheless, the toy is really fun and engaging. Certainly a great workout for me. If only it was made for dogs... 

Hence it deserves... 4.5 / 5 sams!

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My little paw print..

Mummy and I (with a little reluctant help from daddy) completed our first art project using this..

my little paw.

We got the inspiration from one of mummy's favorite blogs, Pretty Fluffy. Since mummy happened to have the awesome martha stewart craft paints, we decided to give it a shot. 

Unfortunately for me, the process wasn't very enjoyable. I didn't enjoy having paint on my paws and was struggling to get away. Poor mummy had to get daddy's help to hold me still. Mummy initially wanted to explore various color combinations, but since I was such an uncooperative partner, she settled for the first color she tried - orange. (That also explains the lack of photos of the process.)

A quick shot of me being pissy after the whole process. Blah~

Anyway, here's the end product!

Mummy found a temporary frame and put it in. While the process sucked a little, the end product was pretty awesome. 

(Plus tons of treats and tummy rubs were a great bonus.)

Mummy got me to pose again, later that night.

(After the first shot, Mummy yelled "smile".)

-_-

So here's a smile.

Hee, a cheap and quick project with such a personalized end product. 

I'm willing to give it a second try, maybe.

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Sam's vintage suitcase dog bed...

My fabulous parents spent their whole saturday making me my very own vintage suitcase dog bed!

Crafty mummy and handyman daddy turned this green suitcase..

Into this amazing dog bed!

From this fugly green lining, that was really dirty and smelly (tho I kinda liked the smell..).

Into this fabulous dog print lining!

I did a test run...

by tossing...

and turning.. 

and requested for the bed to be shifted near the window...

before, stamping my paw of approval.

Thank you Daddy and Mummy!!

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Daddy..

 I wanna be just like you!

So I slipped on the same singlet you always wear!

Do I look like you?

Hm..maybe cuter..

Mummy's laughing smiling non-stop...

so I guess I AM just like you - we do our best to make the person we love so dearly smile~

PS: Daddy wasn't too pleased to find tons of little white hair on his singlet that night. 

oopsy~~

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Sam's Toy Review - Kong's Traxx

On our recent trip to Petsmart, Mummy bought me yet another treat dispensing toy! (Hooray for Mummy!!) This time round, she chose one of our favorite brands - the Kong's Traxx. I've had many toys, out of which kong toys have proven to be one of the toughest toys that had successfully resisted the S-monster! Let's see if this stood up to the Sam- challenge! 

Hee, a plus point of the toy is that it is also a great tool to take really cute photos!

There is a depression in the middle of the tyre for mummy to insert the treats. Due to the odd shape, it was a little difficult finding treats that would fit in properly. Most of the treats just fell right out after mummy attempted to 'stuff' them inside the tyre. The best fitting treats turned out to be a square gummy that mummy bought from japan.

And so the challenge begins..

After some tossing...

and turning...

most of the treats fell right out. 

Except for one square yummy that fitted perfectly in the gaps of the tyre. Grrrr.. despite me violently flipping the tyre (somehow I even managed to flip it under the rug!), the gummy just refused to fall out.

I got it out of under the rug (with a little help from mummy) and decided to try biting the gummy directly instead.

I spent a good 5 minutes working on slowly nibbling on the treat before it finally gave way and popped right out.

Finally~ YES~

Since I am a really fast learner, the next time mummy gave me a treat stuffed tyre, I was able to get all the treats out real easy. I knew to nimble on the treats that didn't fall out easily and didn't have to waste much energy flipping the tyre around violently. 

Sam's Review:

The toy is really durable and even after I bit on it several times, there were barely any scars on it. (Certainly strong enough to resist the S-monster.) However, mummy found it difficult to find treats that would fit nicely and honestly it wasn't really that challenging for me as most of the treats fell out easily. YAWNs~ no kick~

Hence, it deserves....  3/5 sams.

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After a good swim...

I got to hitch a free ride home in my tote bag. 

Thanks Daddy!

I enjoyed the subway ride and the stroll through the Hells' Kitchen Flea. 

Crossing my paws and doing nothing felt awesome!

Occasionally putting on an innocent face to win the attention of cute girls passerbys.

Sigh, my life is good.

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Sam the water dog...

Okay, Jack Russells weren't exactly bred for swimming, but since most dogs are born natural swimmers, Mummy decided to get me started on swimming. (Might have been the olympic fever~) While we had been to the beach several times, I wasn't exactly interested in swimming, more in chasing the waves and getting my paws (only) wet. Thus, I wasn't that thrilled when I heard about mummy's plans, but well, I'm always up for a challenge! So, bring it on~

Mummy found an indoor swimming pool just for dogs. The place is called Water4Dogs and provides social/open swims (for up to 6 dogs), rehabilitation sessions, exercise sessions and even fun sessions (private for just 1 dog). In addition, unlike human swimming pools where the water is treated with chlorine, the pool is treated with UV to kill the germs, making it safer for the dogs.

We started off with a single exercise session with a therapist to evaluate if I'm suitable for swimming. (I have a luxating patella, but a real mild case.) After an exhausting 30 minutes, I was given the all clear and mummy happily signed me up for a social swim. 

The social swim was really fun, except that the other dogs were much bigger than I was. My water confidence wasn't quite there (and I was a tad bit embarrassed that I was the only one that needed a life jacket) and I would rather run around the pool than get in the water with the dogs. When I was forced in (no thanks to my stupid parents), the bigger dogs would splash in all around me and that sure wasn't fun. -_- Daddy and Mummy weren't exactly having fun either as the pool got pretty crowded with so many dogs and their owners. Nonetheless, I had a blast and was dead tired at the end of the session.

After the session, Water4Dogs suggested that we give a private fun swim a try and see if that would be a better suit for me. This time, mummy decided to bring her camera along to capture some shots.

My water confidence still isn't at 100% and to be safe, my parents still fitted me with a life jacket. While  most dogs would simply just dive into the water, I am a little more hesitant and would take a ton of coaxing before I would step in. (Or my parents would just pull me in~)

Daddy's coaxing me with a kong toy. 

(Check out Daddy's ugly tan line. haa~)

After testing his patience, I finally decided to take a leap~

Here I go..

I think I look like a beagle here! (Hee..)

Almost...

Got it!

Once I got the toy, my instincts were to swim towards mummy!

Thanks to Daddy's redirecting, I was able to swim towards 'shore'.

Reaching~

Hee, after taking these photos, mummy decided to put the camera away and joined us in the water for some fun. Besides playing with the toy, I swam to and fro my parents. As I was panting like crazy, my parents gave me short breaks in between to let me catch my little breaths. At the end of the 30 minutes, I could barely move and literally sat down once we stepped out of the room. (That's my way of hinting to my parents to pick me up.)

In comparison, my parents and I were way more comfortable in the private swim as we had more space and need not fear that I get run over by bigger dogs. Hee, and guess what, they signed up for a 10 sessions package on the spot. That means that I'll be swimming a hell lot more. 

HOORAY~

Maybe I'll become the Michael Phelps of the dog world in time to come. 

Grrrrr~

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