Please vote for Walter Biggie Smalls

Walter is in a photo contest, and if he wins $1,000 dollars goes to pug rescue!!! So if you have time, please stop by http://tinyurl.com/2eu26j and click on walter's photo (as above.) His name is Walter Biggie Smalls, and you can vote every day! click on Wally, save a life!

Bad Boy is actually Good Boy

I took an over-the-counter sleeping pill last night, and it knocked me for a loop! I slept in and poor Wally couldn't got outside to go potty when he needed to. I woke up and thought "Oh dear, better go find where Wally went pooty...and I looked and looked, and I thought maybe I cold smell something...but then I couldn't find it...so we went for a walk but no pooty, so I KNEW he had to have gone in the house. We made breakfast and I did the laundry and while I was folding clothes I noticed a big pooty on the windowsill. What??? Walter climbed the couch, used acrobatic balance and manage to do his buisness right on the windowsill. What I couldn't figure out was why he went there...and then I realized, it's the one window in the house he can reach, it overlooks the backyard, and it must seem almost like outside! So Wally tried to go outside! He really did! Good bad boy Wally! Extra treats for you!!!

Stealing the Show

I got to do an interview with "Shoe Are You?" This great Shoe blog by Meghan Cleary, and she wanted a picture of my favorite shoes. (Gold Jimmy Choo ballet flats pictured above!) I kept trying to take a picture, but Wallingford has rarely, if ever seen a camera when it wasn't pointed at him, and so got in every shot. I ended up just going with it and giving the blog this picture. The only problem is - who cares about the shoes when there's a puggin muggin in the frame?

Scary Wally

Wally sleeps at my feet when I write. He is my gatekeeper. If I ever stop writing and look at him, this is what I see....and I quick get back to writing.

Walter scored!

I already told you guys that I used to peddle poor Walter around in this stroller when I was huckstering my book to bookstores, and how great he was at making friends AND helping momma bring home the rent money. But now it looks like Wally has scored one for his brother and sistah pugs!

The Barnes and Noble at Calhoun Village, who we met during those rounds, asked us if MN Pug Rescue would like to come and be one of the holiday charities that wraps presents for donations. The manager, one Miss Fabulous Kelley, thought it would be great to help needy pugs. Many are waiting for surgeries and medical treatments that are incredibly expensive, and the rescue group help pays for these, so the more money we raise, the more pugs we can help.

The best part is the store is letting us bring our pugs! we're going to dress them for the holidays, except as I've already explained to Walter, he'll have a bandaged leg and a little crutch like Tiny Tim. I'm also making him an "amnesia patient" head bandage, and a small sign to carry that says, I NEED MONEY.

Dogs in Danger.com

New Web site tries to save dogs slated for death: http://www.dogsindanger.com/

Crisis with Big Pig

I think Walter is having a domestic abuse issue with Big Pig. This is how I found him this morning. I didn't have the heart to turn him over and show you...but do you see that bit of stuffing coming out of his arm? That is the stuffed animal equivalent of a pool of blood. His whole front is ripped open.

Walter looks at me like, What? I didn't do that. He did it to himself.

I have to peform surgery later today, restuff Big Pig and sew him back up. I think he'll make it through this time, but the future is uncertain. I fear this is going to escalate. Maybe with some counselling and anger management classes, Wally can learn to control his insatiable urge to kill his pig. I don't know. It doesn't look good.

Loves Bears, Hates Pumpkins

We went to the Post Office and the nice Lady gave Walter a Post Office Bear. Walter loooves it. This is his num-num face, as in, "I am so happy numnumnumnum" He's keeping P.O.B. in the car so he always has a travel buddy.

He does not love pumpkins however. He saw his first pumpkin today on a neighbors lawn and started growling at it. He circled in on it and nipped at, hoping he could get it to go away.

Wally's New Flossie

The picture is grainy but the sentiment is not. Wally got a new rawhide Flossie today, and this is the last I saw of it. He's buried it somewhere in the house, I'm sure to be discovered when I step on it barefoot late at night or sit down on the couch.

Tie-Tie Wally

It's hot here today, and Wally stays indoors and sweepy-times wiff Pig Big when it's hot.

The Walk from Hell

Do you see what this expression says? First of all I think he's channeling Leona Helmsley and second of all it says, "you're beginning not to amuse me."

Sometimes I walk Walter and it's a marvelous romp through the world, and sometimes it's a disaster worthy of Candid Camera. Today, Walter pulled on his leash the entire time until my forearm was ready to give out. He tried to dash into traffic several times. When we got to the dog park he refused to play with the other dogs and instead, decided to agressively sniff the entire perimeter of the fence to better rub his pumpkin head into god knows how many dogs different "markings."

Then, as a cap off, on the way home Walter suddenly yanked the leash out of my hand, sprinted wildly and plunked down in a huge puddle. Then he rolled in the puddle, and when he saw me coming, he rolled again, instantly changing perfect apricot fawn into tarbaby. I soaked my shoes completely trying to retrieve him, and we walked home, me squish-squish-squishing and Wally-woo wagging his butt at me, as usual.

Shameless Pug Plug

My friend, who's about to publish her book, asked me how I got booksellers to "remember" my first book, (Pretty Little Mistakes) and I had a terrible confession to make. I told her I used Walter. I would go into bookstores with my adorable pug in his stroller and wowowowowow, boy howdy did everybody remember me! And not for my crappy book, but for my fabulous pug! Go Wally! Helping mama bring home the rent money!!

Mod Dog Indeedy Do!

Walter is the Mod Dog of the moment! (utterly fabulous site with must-have dog news and items) He ALSO got a shout-outr on Alison Pace's Pug Hill Page. (MUST-read book! http://www.alisonpace.com/) Wally woo is such a celebrity!

So I told Wallingford all the good news, and he became impossibly aloof and chose to show me this angle of his royal self all morning.
Check him 0ut in a far more refined pose:
http://www.mod-dog.com/blog/

I will not deep fry the dog, Mother.

I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say I pamper Walter. He has his own backyard wading pool, all-terrain stroller, hand-woven wicker sleeping stand and in-home "pedicure station." Still, my mother isn't sure if I am a fit mother.

Today I told her that I thought Walter would like to dress up as his hero for Halloween. His hero happens to be the almighty Chicken Finger. She was immediately concerned. This is how the conversation went:

Me: I'm going to make Walter a chicken finger costume for Halloween.

My Mother: Well, I don't know. Be careful. Don't deep fry him or anything.

Me: (Pause) Do you actually think I would deep fry the dog?

My Mother: (sighs) Well I don't know. Do you remember that time you used the living room furniture in your school play?

Me: Yes. I remember. I was the set decorator and you said I could use some of the furniture.

My Mother: I was sitting in the audience staring at my entire living room set including your grandmother's rocking chair and those...those children were crawling all over everything.

Me: Yes. We've been over this. Does my seventh-grade "furniture heist" somehow indicate I would deep fry my dog?

My Mother: I'm just saying don't get carried away. Don't deep fry his costume either. I can just see you trying to get the perfect chicken finger color. Just put a hat on him.

Me: Mother, I can assure you I will not deep-fry my dog in order to achieve the perfect "chicken finger color," but thanks for assuming I wouldn't know that.

My Mother: When are you coming over?

Me: um, I'll let you know.

(Does anyone else's mother do this? ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!)