Anyone who knows me will know how much I love dogs, especially my little mutts. We’re a house fill of strong personalites and obviously there is a lot of dog hair to clean up, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. All pet owners know how wonderful it is coming home to this adorable creature who is absolutely thrilled to see you. I will literally leave the property for 10 minutes and come back and get the same enthusiam as I would being away for the whole morning. It’s great!
Keith and I are both super passionate about dogs and we love our little babas. They’re our furry babies right? We have 5 little nuggets who I shall introduce today. We also have 2 regular visits from our neighbors who I shall also introduce.
But first… a little history.
I know what you’re thinking, History? Come on! I’m here to see cute furry creatures. Hang in there, we’ll get there soon. Now I will never pretend that I know everything about dog care. I am constantly learning new things with the ultimate goal being, wanting the best for my little mutts. One of the biggest topics I educated myself on was about puppy mills. Call it naive or well hidden but when you were looking at getting a sweet little puppy, we just assume it’s coming from a loving home where the mother and father were well taken care of. This is most certainly not the case. Rather the opposite. Many breeders keep the poor dogs in cages their entire lives and are constantly forced to mate. Their babies are taken away from them and the cycle continues. Once I learnt this information, adoption was the ONLY way forward. As smart as humans are, we can be so cruel too.
So much has changed since social media arrived. You have all this information at your fingertips and animal welfare education has developed because of this. Another strong reason for adopting, especially when living in Asia is because of the overwhelming amount of strays. The are plenty of street dogs around. When I first moved to Cambodia it was heart breaking to see all these dogs in dire need of care. 7 years later and the street dogs are generally in a lot better condition and that’s due to several reasons but mainly due to organisations getting involved and helping these animals and working with and educating the locals.
After losing my precious Mogwai (little French bulldog) we decided if we were going to get any future doggies, they would be adopted and that’s exactly how Bear and Shia came into our lives. I can’t believe that my little Burrito and Shiaed are 7 already?! Time sure does fly.
So without further adieu, let’s get to know these glorious, hairy creatures.
Mr. Bear is our only male dog. He’s surrounded by the ladies and doesn’t seem to mind. He is a vocal fella but spends a lot of his day sleeping on his throne. We tease him for not really knowing how to play with his pals, he has his own rules and the others sort of get them. Bear loves going for walks and riding on the moto. We take him solo (Bear and Shia on a walk together is a no no). Bear doesn’t like to snuggle but he will follow you to every room. However, that being said, when it’s bedtime this little diva needs to nest in Keith’s legs. 🙂 Like I said, DIVA! Bear enjoys food, mainly meat but has a strong liking for pumpkin and sweet potato.
Shia is Bear’s sister. When we adopted Bear, Shia was following him everywhere and we couldn’t leave her behind. The two of them have their own language and games. Shia LOVES to sleep. She likes to sleep in, sleep on the couch, sleep in the sun, take a nap with you, sleep wherever you are working and also sleep while dishing her food up. That being said, she is our Snake alerter. Shia will let us know there is a snake in the property before any of the others do. She has a very distinct snake bark and we love her even more for it. Shia doesn’t get to go for walks as often as her brother as she has become a pro at escaping her harness. This has happened several times before even getting her on the moto. We’ve realised she prefers to go galavanting on her own than walking with her rentals. Shia will eat EVERYTHING except yogurt. Everytime I have tried giving her, she bolts. Weird but entertaining.
Luna is our fluffiest and smallest dog. This doesn’t affect her personality at all. She loves wrestling Mia and Elon. They all play catches and she is super Mom obsessed (I am not complaining). Luna will follow me into every single room, it doesn’t matter how many times I leave. She adores Bear and Shia, constantly showering them with kisses. She is also the most relaxed one during bath time and vet trips. Luna loves sharing our pillow at night time and will let you know when she wants some attention. She is remarkably photogeneic, I mean look at that face! She has a whale size personality compacted into that tiny fluff ball.
Mia is our adult puppy but is fueled with an energy unlike most animals. This dog doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, just pure happiness. She always naps with her head under the couch and her body sticking out. She loves food and still eats from a muffin tray, which has helped slow her eating down. Mia enjoys yogurt and peanut butter. She also enjoys catches and is super fast. Mia likes going for walks, she doesn’t mind the moto but can be very scared of the traffic and noise.
Elon is our slaughter house rescue. I immediately felt connected to this little lady after hearing her voice in the video posted by Paw Patrol after they had been rescued. Elon is insanely vocal and has a SUPER STRONG personality. She is very much a ‘tom boy’ but doesn’t shy away from cuddles. She’ll happily flop on your lap to get some love. She is OBSESSED with anything edible. She also thinks that all food in the house belongs to her. She dominates as much bed space as physically possible and we think it’s from her being stuck in a cage before.
We also have very regular visits from our neighbors who we have known since they were pups. These 2 are super chilled and have no problem getting on with our dogs. We also help with their monthly medication to ensure everyone is safe around each other.
Coca is this massive labrador looking dog with lion eyes. He is so gentle inside our property and will often come over and pass out for the day, which is kind of weird considering he still has the goods (the huge swinging balls). He could easily devour all our dogs in one gulp but has never shown that type of aggression. We love little Cooks 🙂
Pepsi (something tells me their family like soda) is a shy but friendly little girl. Unfortunately she hasn’t been spayed yet so we constantly try to keep a watchful eye over her. Coca has never shown any interest in her like that, instead he is very protective of her as a big brother would be. She has a stunning ridge, which we don’t often see here. She is also known for kissing way too much but we know it’s just her showing how happy she is.
Now I couldn’t possibly write a blog without including my dearest Moggles and Bouncy. They hold a very special place in my heart and I miss them so much. We lost Mogwai very early and my sweet Bounce was with us for 2 years. We found him at my school and he stole my heart from day 1. Here are some pics of these cutie pies.
Now that’s my crew. They keep us entertained and are such a blessing. I adore all the cuddles, the talking and the pure joy of having their energy around. I’d love to see your furry babies. Feel free to share 🙂
Take care 🙂
