Puppy feature: Chief Officer

My puppy feature is Chief Officer today. I have already told the story of how Chief got elected President of the cuddle. Since then he has made so many great decisions, and has continued to be selfless and protective of the entire group. He decided that everybody needed a role in puppy government, so we all sat down and started talking about other offices we wanted to create. The first new office would be Vice- President. After considering all the candidates, we decided that Lancelot would be Vice-President. Modest Mouse would become President of the girls, and Secretary of State of the Puppy Federation.

Little Wiggles from Planet Puppy Come to Visit Me: Chief Becomes President of the Cuddle

After the last of the little wiggles arrived it wasn't long before group psychology would come into play. True to form, the first born started leading the way, arbitrating for the smaller puppies and keeping the bigger one's in line. Once they started to stand on their own, it wasn't long before they started getting into trouble.

One day Chief noticed that little Asteroid and Big Star were getting edged out of viable nipples. So, like the great leader he is, he sacrificed his meal to run interference on the bigger dogs. The biggest bully early on was Edward G. Robinson. I named him that because the sound he made was similar to Edward G. Robinson, the actor. A sort of "myeah, myeah." Edward was always the biggest and the toughest. He had such a massive body he could just plow over the little ones. He was never vicious though. He was just a bit inconsiderate. But Chief had an excellent ability to use his own body to block Edward. He used speed and agility to alter Edward's course. And in the feeding station (mommy's nipples) he could wedge himself between momma and Edward, and hold him off until the two little biddies (Asteroid and Big Star) got a nipple and started feeding. Then he'd keep playing interference until the biddies were done feeding. Then he let Edward back in, and found himself a nipple as well. But Chief has always been a gallant protector of the weaker puppies in the cuddle. He was always been selfless and put the interests of the entire cuddle before himself. That is why just a month into their lives, the whole cuddle had a vote, including me and mommy bear, and we all voted Chief Officer as the President of the cuddle. And he remains president to this day.

The Brief Life of Big Star (Little Biddy number one.)

My little boy Big Star, was the smallest of the cuddle. He was black and had a beautiful six pointed star on his chest. He was a good runner, but being so little, it was hard for him to find a teat to feed from. So, Biddy's best bud Asteroid, who was just a tiny bit bigger than him, teamed up with the cuddle boss, Chief, and made sure he got his time alone with mama. He began to grow for a while, but then one day he just stopped eating. His appetite was gone. He started to get really skinny. I guessed that possibly he had swallowed the little cap on the Hertz flea control bottle, a tiny cap just small enough to get lodged in his intestines. But I can't be sure. Then one night he started moaning. I made a little bed for him right nest to me in my bed, and brought Asteroid up to keep him company. I fell asleep that night, and when I woke up he had passed away. I miss Big Star. He was so loving and proud to be one of the brood. He looked to his older brothers and always was vying for their attention, showing off sometimes that he could get up on the bed by himself. Just a few weeks old he was. But I still miss him like crazy. And that beautiful white star on his chest, not of equal points, but elongated. A shape I had never seen before. I laid him to rest in my back yard underneath his favorite tree. I'll never be sure exactly why he died. But one lesson I learned, that just to be safe, keep those Hertz bottle caps wrapped in tape so they are not loos in the trash. Also, another possibility was that he swallowed one of those silicon capsules that come with prescription drugs. I had always just thrown them in the trash, but little puppies get into the trash, and eat anything and everything. Since then, I am careful to keep those silicon capsules in the bottles they came in instead of throwing them in the trash loose. I love you little biddy one. My Big Star. Rest in peace.

Beware of Beneful!!!

Beneful dog food, made by Purina, is going up against a class action law suit due to its dog food allegedly being full of mycotoxins and other poisons and has caused the deaths of perhaps thousands of dogs. The case is still in its early stages, so there is no settlement or verdict in the case, but there is a simple rule to live by that I am urging all fellow dog lovers to live by: better safe than sorry. Take your dogs off all Purina products immediately. Throw them away, destroy them and do not allow any other animals to get access to it... just in case. Why risk the lives of your dogs. If Purina is innocent and free of all harmful ingredients it will come out in the trial and other investigations. But in the mean-time, just don't risk it. Frankly, Beneful has always made my dogs get the runs anyway. Not that that is that meaningful because my dogs have the runs almost all the time from one thing or another. But I just won't add to the risks of dog ownership by taking a chance. So I am boycotting all Purina products until this is sorted out. Join me in the boycott, and make your pets just a little safer. If and when Purina is cleared of all wrong doing, feel free to continue to using their products. This is a no-brainer to me.

All about my dog Honey Bear and her nine puppies

Honey Bear was born on Nov. 24, 2011. Her owners were Derek and Rachel Brooks of Long Beach, California. Little did I know that the day they approached me outside of First Friends Church of Long Beach, that agreeing to adopt her would be one of the best decisions of my life. Little did I know that for the following several years, no matter where I went she would be there with me, and I'd hardly spend a night without her, even when I was homeless and sleeping on the street. Honey Bear, as I named her in the following weeks would become my most beloved pet, faithful, loyal and a pure joy to have in my life.
     There are too many stories to tell. But I am going to try and tell them all. I have decided to start telling the stories that have happened since she gave birth to nine puppies, because when that happened, our little love story turned into a rip roaring sitcom, with personalities springing from nowhere, and more entertaining that the Three Stooges and the Little Rascals combined. Honey Bear gave birth to the nine puppies in May of 2014, after we had moved to Georgia to find a place to live that was not on the street. The first puppy born was Chief Officer. The next blog will be about him.