Theo's First Shoot

Theo was selected to be on the cover of my company’s holiday card along with my coworker’s dog, Woogie.  My company hired Angela to take the pictures and she did a fantastic job for a great price.  She also photographs weddings, children, events and more!

Her pet gallery: http://www.angelavaleriephotography.com/index2.php#/rgallery3/2/

She was very professional, creative and was able to take amazing pictures of my pup. 

Favorite Celeb Pooch

I love Selena Gomez’s husky mix and rescue dog Baylor. Look at those baby blues!

Image credits: http://www.hollywoodlife.com 

fanpop.com

Unpleasant Surprise

Grr, my office is unfortunately not dog-friendly.  LA is dog obsessed and most people I know are blessed with dog-friendly offices and I get the one office whose building doesn’t allow it.  My CEO and coworkers love dogs and if needed, I can bring Theo in for a bit here and there, but I can’t get caught by the building managers.

I needed to take Theo to an appointment and brought him in yesterday.  I share an office with my boss and we had to run to a quick meeting.  We came back 30 minutes later and I sat down at my desk.  My boss walked in, sat at his desk and then politely said, “Um, Theo took a dump over here.”  Low and behold, Theo had neatly placed a few poos right under his desk.  He looked disgusted and I was HUMILIATED!  I was doing Theo a favor by bringing him in and he literally pooped all over my kindness.  I could feel my face turn red with embarrassment as I scooped up the poo and wiped off the disaster area.  In the meantime, Theo sat with his head cocked, smiling proudly.  Needless to say, he will NOT be coming back in for a while.  

Morning Ritual

Couldn't Resist

Nope, this is not Theo but I couldn’t resist posting this faboosh pom pic.

Theo is Famous!

My favorite doggy blogger Serena has selected Theodore Albus as her daily fluffy.  Check him out here: Theo is famous!
So proud, sigh.

Favorite Celeb Pooch

I love celebrity puppy photos and Blake Lively’s maltipoo Penny might be my favorite small celebrity dog. Have you ever seen anything so cute?!? (besides Theo of course) :)

Image credits:
http://www.celebritydogwatcher.com/
http://minnja.blogspot.com
http://www.popsugar.com/

Happy Monday!

May you successfully get through this most dreaded day of the week!

Safety First

Driving with a Pom on your lap takes special skill and can be very distracting. Theo likes to look out the window and tends to move around a lot. I’ve tried putting him on the seat next to me but he always crawls back onto my lap. In Los Angeles, pedestrians often run out in front of your car, the traffic is always intense, and there are way too many distractions on the road. I decided it was time for a safer alternative. Hence, the doggy car seat.

I know a lot of people with dogs. I don’t know a single person with a doggy car seat. So I figured I was in “crazy dog lady” territory, but I thought, “Who cares, I might as well try it out.”

I purchased the Solvit dog car seat and for about $30, I wasn’t expecting much. I LOVE IT. More importantly, Theo LOVES it and he is safe. He can now look out the window, take a nap, etc. all while safely strapped in. The car seat has a safety strap inside that hooks onto his harness. Now if I ever have to hit the breaks, I don’t have to worry about Theo becoming a pommy pancake against my windshield. I highly recommend it! They have different sizes depending on the weight of your dog. I went with the small since Theo is 5.5 pounds.

Drive safely!

Urination Sensation

Ohh, man. Theo is in that awful marking stage where he is very interested in dog pee.  Every time a dog pees at the dog park, Theo makes sure he is right there, front row and center, as if he has never seen a dog urinate in his life.  This annoying new trait wouldn’t be half as bad if the little monster didn’t occasionally get too close.  We’ve had a few close calls but yesterday I got up extra early in the morning to take Theo to the dog park before I went to work.  I normally take him after work but decided to be nice and take him first thing since it’s so dark out now by 5PM.  Let me preface this story by saying I am NOT a morning person.  However, I love Theo so we went.  

I budgeted exactly enough time for an hour at the park, then enough time to drop Theo off at my apartment and run to work.  After an hour of play, right before we were about to leave the dog park, Theo ran underneath a bigger dog as it was peeing and got blasted with a FULL ON golden shower. UGH!  And he was loooving it.  As my insides filled up with a fiery rage, he was just standing underneath the dog LOVING.IT.

Naturally, my first thought was, “Time to drop Theo off at the pound”. KIDDING!

Luckily, he was due for a grooming anyway. On my way to work, I took him to Town and Country Mobile Pet Services: www.townandcountrypetgrooming.com where my friend takes her King Charles.

Pom owners know how difficult it is to get a good cut for their dog.  Double coated dogs are super annoying to groom and owners are discouraged to shave the hair, as it may stunt the growth, blah blah.  T&C was kind enough to squeeze in my pup super last minute, and they carefully hand cut his crazy mane to an adorable bear cut.  They are cage free so he had a great time and showed no sign of anxiety when I picked him up!  They did a fantastic job, picture included.  For $50 it is not cheap, but not unreasonable, especially since I wouldn't cut my dog for $200 an hr. Definitely worth it!

May there be no golden showers in your future.. unless you’re into that kinda thing…

Supermodel Documentary Hour!

9 weeks old here

wine + cranium = best game night eva

just chillin in my polo

Less Expensive Day Care Option

As a full-time employee, it has been difficult to have a dog and feel guilt-free. I take Theo to the dog park 2-3 times a week, do at least one playdate at a friend’s house a week, and walk him daily but nothing really eases my conscience about the fact that he spends around 40-45 hours a week alone. : (  He stays loose in my apartment and just uses the pee pads while I am gone.

I make decent money but not enough to put him in day care very often. I save that for days I know I will be working extra long or emergency situations. However, I did find an awesome really cheap place on the Westside (Los Angeles) for those looking for great day care. It is called The Wags Club: http://www.thewagsclub.com/

Prices: $30 full day (up to 10 hours) and $15 for a half day (four hours). Since I live close to work, if I know I have to work late I will take Theo for a half day and drop him off in the morning and pick him up during my lunch. This way he at least got some fun play in the morning.

My review:

I really, really like this place.

The Great:

Staff members are extremely friendly

You don't have to call ahead to use the daycare

The best prices I've found on the Westside

My Pomeranian puppy seems happy when we walk in the main door

They do an evaluation so aggressive dogs are not allowed!

The facility is GORGEOUS

The only thing I wish they did was either do a report card of how his day was (silly, I know, but some dog day cares do it!), or do a webcam so I can see what he is doing while he is there. The dogs are taken behind closed doors and you don't get to see them playing. At the very least, I would like to be able to hang out in the back with him for a few minutes and watch them play for a little to see if he is having a good time. They send pictures of the dogs playing, but I've just done half days so I normally don't get one in time. Despite that one improvement (and some people may not mind), I'd say this place is great. Hopefully in the future we will have that option.

Theo loves playing with his first friend Emmy

Theo and his best friend Oliver

Check it out!

Hi! Welcome to our page

Hi! My name is Mila and I suffer from dog obsession. Luckily, I am not a hoarder but I do have one little guy that is my everything. Theodore Albus (Theo for short) is my 9 month old Pomeranian. I live in Los Angeles and am just exploring all the fantastic dog-friendly restaurants, hikes, beaches and also pet stores, doggy day cares and grooming facilities. I wanted to create a spot where other pet owners can either learn from my mistakes or take advantage of some of my favorite doggy spots and products. Theo and I are very active and are constantly seeking adventure in the city. Stay tuned on the best doggy places, doggy tips and overall doggy cuteness!

About Theo

Theo is a little 5.5 lb boy on the constant search for a good time! Whether he is trying to chew the end of my pants while I dress, chase me while I pick up his toys or sit on my face while he chews a bone, he is always looking for adventure. He loves Harry Potter and occasionally sports his very own Gryffindor wizard robes. He has so much personality that everyone is shocked that he rarely ever barks (win win!). Theo love toys, food and life, as long as we are spending it together.