Maintaining My Figure

During my recent visit to the vet, my humans (who were concerned about the weight I've put on, especially around my chest) asked if my weight gain is within the realms of normality. After checking my teeth...

...and my general health, I'm glad to say that my doctor, Uncle Dom, gave me a clean bill of health and even said that I have the ideal dog body condition as shown in the image below from the Iams website! So, in case you are a bit slow, this means that I have the equivalent of a 36-24-36 body type in a human. I can smell pageants Dog Shows and Blue Ribbons in the horizon!

Obviously maintaining this body is no mean feat and I, like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow before me, have yoga to thank. I practise yoga multiple times each day. It is all part of my balance lifestyle and I like to think that it is us dogs who gave humans the inspiration for some of the yoga poses. Why else would they name the pose below the Downward Facing Dog?

And this is how it should be done.

And another picture, this time a full body shot so that you can appreciate the intricacies of this pose.

There are a few other poses which haven't made it into the yoga books for humans. Frankly I don't blame you lot, humans can hardly be called graceful creatures and some of these poses might prove to be too difficult for your dangly limbs. I've included a sample of some of the yoga poses I do on a daily basis, to help you attain the figure of your dreams.

 Pose 1: The Head Prop 

Pose 2: Ooh That Feels Good 

Pose 3: Downward Facing Head Prop (a variation of the Head Prop, not for the faint hearted)

It has taken me a year and a half to perfect these poses, so don't feel disheartened if they do not come to you easy. Remember that yoga should be practised as part of a healthy lifestyle which includes a balance diet, proper hydration and a calm mind.

Return of the Cat

When my humans first brought me home, I was given a green cat as a chew toy. That was the first of many chew toys and while bones may come and go, my green cat was my constant companion. So you can imagine my devastation when they threw it out some months ago as it was allegedly going to pieces. (I say allegedly because I don't seem to recall having a problem with it! But I guess my humans found that looking at the insides of the green cat was too much for them. Incidentally, the insides aren't green...go figure!)

My green cat and me during happier times

I never got a soft toy after that. I was deemed to be a big girl and by that extension I should have outgrown my love for soft toys. But there are lonely nights and evenings when I think back of the time I've spent with my green cat fondly.

This is an example of one such time. This is me looking wistfully into the middle distance.

My humans have tried looking for a new green cat for me, but all the pet shops in town don't seem to stock it any longer. One of my humans went to the Hartz website and my green cat seems to have disappeared off their list of toys! I was resigned to never having a green cat replacement until Aunty One found a Red Cat at a pet shop in 1 Utama!

Red Cat is almost like my Green Cat except that it is smaller and I guess if Darth Maul had a cat, it would look like this. They share an uncanny resemblance, colour-wise.

Darth Maul and his pet Red Cat

It was great having a soft toy back in my life again. There are some games that you can play with soft toys where a chew bone just won't cut it. It really did feel like a hole has been filled in my life. That is until Red Cat started making strange noises. It just seem very unnatural (to me anyway) that an inanimate object should make a sound if its head is pressed too hard. Red Cat seems to protest in a squeaking manner whenever my humans or me press on its head a bit too hard. I can't quite shake off the feeling that Red Cat has been possessed by Darth Maul.

My humans seem to think it fun to press on Red Cat's head but it scares me somewhat when it protests loudly by squeaking. So I try to steer clear from Red Cat when I think it is unhappy. The only safe zone to chew on Red Cat is on its tail...it doesn't seem to mind me doing that, so I've been sticking to the safe zone.

Often times I wonder what Green Cat would make of my new relationship with Red Cat. I am sure he would understand and he would want me to be happy with this new toy. And I do wish at times that Red Cat would be more like Green Cat, the strong silent type. All the squeaking makes me a bit wary, it feels as though there is a mouse trapped inside Red Cat. I suppose I really should give Red Cat a chance and aim to start putting together a new set of fun memories with it.

Me and Red Cat relaxing by the dining area

Red Cat needs the protection from my humans. They love pressing on its head, so even while I sleep, I need to have a protective paw over it.

I wonder what Green Cat would say if he can see us now...

I mean, Green Cat would want me to be happy...

Chewing on Red Cat's safe zone

Thank you Aunty One for getting Red Cat for me. I'm sure we will have many happy memories together!