Hot Dawg!

Papi and I tagged along to see the pretty flower rug that the people at Common Hope were building, while mami was taking care of her team.

It was nice, but I was more impressed by this guy!

Meet Milo (I think he spells it differently though).

He's a Golden too - the very first boy Golden that I've ever met that isn't related to me!
I think I'm crushing....hard!

Amiga Chapina

Meet Sophia. She's my chapina friend. Actually her papi Don Alejandro is one of my best friends. He cares for me and plays with me everyday! Right about the time that I was born Sophia got a new little sister, Wendy. Now's Wendy's growed up a bunch just like me.


A couple of weeks ago, Sophia and her mami & papi (& Wendy) were hanging out at the office doing some work on a Saturday. My mami & papi went to help them fill up a bunch of jugs of water and left me to play with my friend. We had so much fun. We ran and played and she even shared her stuffed animal with me.....and I shared my gallo with her. I sure hope we can get together again soon. I really like that Sophia, yep I do!

It's all in the name

What does your name mean? Mine means Mayan Seed (Semilla Maya) because that is what I was went mami & papi brought me home. The littlest one in the litter, I was not much bigger than a seed and since Guatemala is the home of the Mayan empire it worked out perfectly. Mami & papi explained to me that seeds start out very tiny {like me} but after someone plants them in the earth and cares for them very carefully {like they do for me}, the seed will sprout and grow into a big beautiful plant or flower. I suppose that is what I'm doing now - sprouting. I wonder what kind of flower I'll become?

Aside from my obvious nickname Mia, I also get called a whole bunch of nicknames. Here's a list of the names I respond to.

* Mimi or Mims
* Me
* Meazy Peazy Puddin Pie {I kiss the boys and make them cry!}
* Mia Chapina
* Mia Sumaya {that's papi's}
* Meezers
* Puppy doll
* Pumpkin Pie {mami thinks I'm sweet}
* Mia More {get it? like Mi Amor}
* Puppy Puddles {not any more, papi!!}
* Carne Asada {those meaty market bones make my breath stink}
* Friskels {I'm kind of crazy after a bath}
* Lazy Girl & Sleepy Head {in the morning}
* Blondie
* Babycakes {that's mami's}
* Fluffernut {that's after I get a bath]
* Me-Rex {my groans and sleeping habits mimic that of the t-rex!}


Do you have as many nicknames as I do? I'd love to hear some of them. Drop me a comment with the one that I can call you!

Happy day to me!

Guess what today is? It's my half birthday. Today I am 6 months old. Can you even believe it? I know my mami & papi can't!

I spent the day at work like normal with my pops, and then tonight mami & papi & I had our very first together class with my trainer Sergio! I've been working with Sr. Sergio for a good month now and I've really learned a lot, but tonight is the first night that mami & papi got to join me and see how good I really am. They were so proud.

I wasn't so sure whether or not my parents were going to do anything special, but when papi and I got home mami was hard at work in the kitchen preparing my favorite treats and a special birthday cake!! That mami never forgets a thing! So after class, Miss Dani came over, we ordered some pizzas and ate my birthday cake {and a little ice cream}! Yum!

Here's my birthday cake.

And me chowing down!

Then Miss Dani took a family photo....or three!

If this half birthday was such a big deal, I just can't even imagine what my 1 year birthday will be like!!

Shhh!

SHHHHHH! I'm napping!

I'll be back later this week with more posts, but for now I'm in dreamland.

Mia Escondida

I've taken to lounging at the end of the table while my parents enjoy their breakfast these days. Weekends are my favorite since they eat late enough for the sun to already be peeking into our patio. I'm beginning to more fully understand the joy of a dog's life. We get to lounge around pretty much all day long in the sunshine. And since I'm a Golden Girl, I heart the sun {just like my mami!}.

Last weekend mami caught some shots of me in my favorite place. I'm hiding just a bit in the shadows to keep the sun out of my eyes. She and papi have been commenting lately how my mane is beginning to form. I suppose I do have some extra fur as of late. Mami is still keeping me nice and fluffy by brushing me every day. We girls sure do enjoy our pampering time!

Sweet Treat!

There is just 1 word to describe my papi. SWEET!

In fact, my papi tastes so good, that I could just eat him right up.....and sometimes I do!


Usually when papi goes out for a morning run he comes back dripping with sweet sweat! Call me crazy, but that sweat tastes mighty good. I go nutso trying to lick it off of him....and he let's me! Just another reason why I love him like I do!

Lazy Bones

Nothin's gonna slow me down. Not even that silly old limp that came about a month ago in my front left leg. It doesn't seem to want to go away, so I'm playing hard ball. Guess who's in charge here, you silly old limp!

My mami and papi are the tops when it comes to taking care of me and my needs. As soon as the limp started they took me to see my doctor, Dr. Sican. He gave me some medicine for pain and told us to come back in a week. The next week, that silly old limp was still around, so we went back and this time Dr. Sican gave me more medicine, 2 different kinds that both taste really yummy {remember when I told you about it here}? He also told us to come back again in a week. So that's what we did. Finally during our last visit Dr. Sican and his helpers got serious. They said it was time for an x-ray. They made mami & papi wait out in the hallway, but I was very brave when they put my leg into a big machine. I didn't even cry. Afterwards came the bad news. Dr. Sican said he wasn't 100% sure, but it looks like I might have a bone disease that often happens in large breed pups who tend to grow real fast. It's called Panosteitis.

The experts aren't sure why it happens, except that it seems to be viral. Normally large breed dogs like labs, goldens, & german shephards get it and it's more common in males. It usually comes on between 5-12 months and lasts anywhere from 2 - 6 months. The good news is that most dogs outgrow it and lead normal lives, but the bad news is that there really isn't any treatment expect pain killers. So it looks like me and limpy better become fast friends. That is if I really do have Pano....Dr. Sican is currently consulting with one of his colleagues and is planning on getting back to mami & papi real soon.

So in the meantime, I'm resting when I need to, but still playing a lot, just not running so much. Mami and papi are giving me some special treatment too. They brush me and rub me lots and tickle me everynight. Sometimes thought after a hard play or a long walk I'm really pooped, so pamper me a bit more. I even get my meals served to me, wherever I lay!

Mami is more worried than papi about my silly old leg, but it's only because she loves me so much {and papi says she is a natural worry wart!}. She has done lots of research and is well informed, with a whole arsenal of questions and ideas for my doctor. She worries mostly that I will miss my puppyhood and then I won't know how to run in play when I'm older. She knows that there will be lots of grassy parks in Colorado where I can do fun stuff and she doesn't want me to miss out on it. That mami, she sure does love me!

Sometimes I'm a little sad too, but for the most part I'm still me. I don't like having to be lazy, but I'm willing to put up with it for now as long as it promises to go away. I really hope that this leg of mine is gonna be ok, so please say an extra prayer for me tonight and I'll be very appreciative.

I also want to give a weally weally big hug and thank you to Miss Caroline, mami's friend back in Colorado who mami says is the best dress vet tech around. She has been answering all of mami's questions and sharing advice on what mami & papi should ask the vet and other things to look out for. It turns out my doctor actually recommended that I take some pills that Miss Caroline {and her animal surgeon friend} said could really hurt me when I'm older. Mami is so thankful to Miss Caroline for caring so much about a little pup she has never even met {I suppose it helps that I'm awfully cute}. Mami says that Miss Caroline has a sweet little doggie named Bella that I'll be able to play with as soon as we get back to Colorado this summer. I can hardly wait! Thanks Miss C!

Well that's it for the drama in my life this week. Stay tuned for more updates on my silly old leg soon.

XOXO,
Mia

Acting Out

I'm not bad, I'm just curious! You know as well as I do that Goldens LOVE the water. It's in our jeans genes. I can't fight it. And you know what they say - If you can't change it, you better embrace it. {Now can you please go share that with my mami & papi? Pwetty pwease!}

A couple of weekends ago we took a nice long saturday walk around town. Of course we stopped in the park to take in the action. Papi had to take care of a few things at the bank, so mami & I waited patiently on a bench, chatting with some nice visitors. Well, it took papi forever and I got a little antsy, so mami & I began to wander around.

I've always had a fascination with the fountains in central park. They seem to be the perfect size for doggies & kids! How sweet of them to think of us! Usually I just stop for a drink, but lately I've really been missing the beach in Belize (where I perfected my swimming skills), and so I couldn't resist.

I started out just spashing around....

but then I soon was warming up my swimming legs....

and pretty soon I was the whole way in!

{ I even had a crowd cheering me on!}

'Lil dipper from Krista on Vimeo.

Afterwards papi caught up with us and was pretty surprised to see me soaking wet! He shared some discipline words with me, but I could tell he was trying not to laugh. I suppose this was the first time I really got in trouble....but not really!

Teeheehee! It was worth it, either way!

Mi Familia

What a surprise I got on our way home from Earth Lodge the other weekend! While I was in dreamland in the backseat, mami & papi decided to pull the car over and make a special stop to visit some people doggies I haven't seen in quite a while......my family!

Remember back when I came home with mami & papi?? Remember how I had 9 other brothers and sisters? Remember how cuuuuuuute & tiny we were?


Well, the nice folks who own my mami perra & papi perro live right here in Antigua, but far away from our house on the other side of town. They own and operate a little tienda (store) and comedor (restaurant) out of their home. Apparently my people mami saw my perra mami sitting in the window as they were driving past and decided that it was time for a visit. Right away Ms. Betty & her husband with the chin beard remembered me. But it wasn't just them who remembered me.... my mami perra (her name is Beba) and my big brother Michael Jackson (they call him Michael) remembered me too, right away!

My perra mami was so happy! Her owners say she is so very loving and happy all the time. My mami and papi agree. After watching me for a while, they all decided that I take after my mom, because I am sweet and like to give lots of kisses.

This is Mami Perra, Beba.
She is very blond, just like me!

Michael got really excited and immediately we began to lick and paw and play while our parents (a whole bunch of them) looked on. Ms. Betty's son and daughter kept saying how cute my face was and how much I looked like my mama. Mami says it's true - I am cute.

At first Michael & I just looked at each other.
Neither one of us had ever seen someone who looks so familiar!

We hugged....

and shared secrets....

had a staring contest....

made silly faces....

and just had a ball!

Mami caught a little video of us fooling around on her camera too.

brother ♥ love from Krista on Vimeo.

I had such a great time with my brother. I can't wait to go back and see him again. Mami & papi said we'll go eat dinner in their comedor soon and I can play the whole time. Yipee!

The Greatest Place on Earth!

Way far away, in a land called El Hato, lies a doggie retreat......where our owners are invited too. It's called Earth Lodge and it's an awesome place with no trash in site, just lots of exploring to be had where one may come across a yummy bone or two if you're lucky.

I'm sort of famous at Earth Lodge, not to brag. My mami & papi have taken me a handful of times and now when I show up, they all pet me and give me lots of love. Plus, my good buddy Roofus lives there too, so I always have someone to play with.

Back before my mami & papi headed off to Mexico while I stayed behind with my little buddy Osy & his parents, we spent a family fun filled weekend there.

I played with Roofus for hours and hours while mami & papi played
kickball & cornhole with their own friends.

This time we even spent the night. Since I'm an expert camper (remember my first camping trip?) I was super excited to sleep in a tent.

Here I am with papi checking out our new pad.

It got chilly in the night, so I kept my mami warm.

When we woke up in the the morning, I found Roofus and played some more!


And then I scored a bone to snack on while my mami & papi enjoyed the morning view.

Thanks all you kind friends at Earth Lodge.
We'll be back to see you again real soon!