Meetup: Pug Luau

Saturday, we went to the Pittsburgh Pug Meetup Luau.

Hubert had a ball.

As you can see.

See more pictures from that day on my Flickr.

(He's wearing his Silly Buddy bowtie and it was a hit!)  

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Studio Update: Lighting Test Subject

Testing some new lighting equipment.

Ugh, that reminds me. 

I need to trim his nails.  My most unfavorite part of his grooming routine.

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Sunny Park Days

We've had some days of snow this winter, but for the most part (at least very recently), it has been sunny and beautiful.  Cold.  But sunny.  Sun makes me happy.

And when I'm happy, Hubert gets to go out on long walks around the park.  Thus, Hubert is happy.




He'll also walk in the mud and then try to jump on my lap. So so happy!



Speaking of happiness, order your Ready to Ship bag by Feb 8th (for US customers), and you'll have a very happy Valentine's gift recipient.

Just sayin'.

Love,
Jenny

p.s. Today is the last day to enter the giveaway to win a copy of The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos!

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Hubert, The Snow Leopard

OK, fine.  The title is false advertising.  He's actually more like a chubby bunny running around the backyard.



But still, my chubby bundle of love! :)

Speaking of love.

Valentine's order deadlines are posted on the right side of this blog (and in the announcements section of my shop). Tell your husband. Or mom. Whoever is going to buy you your Valentine's gift(s) this year. ;)

Love,
Jenny

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SillyBuddy

You know, when I first started looking into getting a pug, I knew I wanted a little fatty named Hubert. I wanted him to wear a monocle and top hat, and bark with a British accent. He would wear a black bow tie collar and a cummerbund.  He would fetch me a glass of wine on a silver platter on command.



For three years, I just had a fatty Hubert who snorted and snored. All the time. He brings his slobbery rope to me for a game of tug-of-war every once in a while in between long naps. He can do a handful of fun tricks, which are always a crowd pleaser.

But then! I found SillyBuddy and the cutest bow tie collars. And things were lining up for ole Liz Lemon. I mean for me. I quote shows a lot when I speak. Though I try not to when I blog, I can't help it sometimes. It happens.



I didn't get the black bow tie collar, because I was heavily influenced by Boy's preference to get a pop of color, like red.

It makes him look a little less pretentious. :)

p.s. He was pretty tired at the end of this photo shoot.

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Lazy Sunday

Lazy fatty.

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Hubert's First Day at Camp

He came into the car super excited and panting - telling me (with his eyes) about all the new friends he made and how much fun he had. I took a picture with my phone to show you his excitement.

His report card shows he was a great camper and that his new best friend is Ripley, a white Frenchie who can be seen in the pictures from yesterday.

In the car on the way home, he passes out. Snoring everso loudly.



We arrived home and he wobbled his way out of the car and plopped onto the ground in front of the elevator (we usually take the stairs, but I spared him this time around) as we wait for it to arrive. The elevator opens and he wobbles in and plops down again to cool off.

We arrive on our floor (2nd floor, it's a short ride) and he stumbles his way to his bed and attempts to play with his toy, but passes out again. This is way too cute of a moment to not capture with the nice camera.



While working, I hear water sloshing behind me, which tells me he woke up to get a drink and then I hear a plop on the ground. I turn around and see that he is on the floor, asleep. It's much cooler on the floor. I didn't feel like taking out the camera, so I snapped a photo with my phone.



He slumps back into his bed and I take out my camera. He gives me the "Mom. Please. Leave me alone." face and proceeds to sleep. That was my last picture, and I left him alone. ALL the way through today!

I am so productive now that he's here at home and in very deep twitchy dreamy sleep.

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(Doggie) Day Camp

I have not been productive today, guys. I dropped Hubert off at this dog camp for his "interview" this morning, which is a 3-hour process where he plays with the day camp dogs to see if he's a "good fit" for the camp in the future (i.e. he's not aggressive or territorial). Hubert. Aggressive? Pssssh.

Oh, back story.

We can't take Hubert with us to fly to Austin for Renegade, so I've been on the look out for the best care for Hubert while we're away. I looked into having a sitter come in to take care of him, so I decided to ask around my building for references. It didn't take me long to find a good solution because I live in an apartment building where there are more dogs than human residents (probably), and it was clear by the number of residents who take their dogs to this camp that this was going to be my first experience at camp. Hubert, I mean. Hubert at camp. Letting Hubert go to dog camp.

Back to the point.

Well, I dropped Hubert off this morning and I got two things done:
1. Got my oil changed
2. Filled up gas

Since then I've been staring at my computer screen looking at the "camper cams" that are set up around the facility. I can see Hubert playing with other dogs! I feel like a total stalker, but I cannot help but check out how my little pug baby is coping without me.

He's totally doing fine. 

One of the employees said he was welcome to stay for the full day (6 hours) if I wanted to let him stay. "IssOKnoneed! I'll pick him up in 3 hours!" and then set my phone alarm for 3 hours from that very moment.

I may be the one with separation anxiety.

p.s. I took some screen shots of Hubert at camp. I wonder if he's looking for me. Or thinking of me. Or even remembers me...

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Hubert is 3

Hubert turned 3 two days ago. Time flies. So much so that I just remembered yesterday. So we took pictures.

While I do feel bad that I forgot his birthday, birthdays are not a big deal in my family. I forget my own birthday most of the time. :)

Nonetheless, I love to keep picture records of his age so I can look back on these when he's all grumpy, plump, graying and his bark becomes a muted raspy howl. Awww!



Here are the pictures from his 2nd birthday. I can't find pictures from his 1st birthday, but this is when I first got him! He was just 7 lbs. Now he's a hefty 21 lbs.

Boy do they grow up fast...

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Happy St. Patty's Day!

That face. So cute. I feel bad that I put that heavy plush headband on him. It's meant for female humans, but it was only for a few minutes. :)

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The Things We Do....

Cute, isn't he? Well!

Remember when he had some kidney stones removed?  He's been on a special diet since then that will dissolve any remaining crystals that may have formed and after 3 months on that diet, I have to submit a urine sample so that the vet can assess what food he will be on to prevent future formations of any stones.

Well, today's the day that he needs to switch food and I called the vet to ask about the procedure for submitting the urine sample.

"Oh, just place a pan or dish under there?
While he's peeing?
Uh huh.
I see.
I can come get a sample collection there.
Okay.
Oh, it's really small?
I'll likely get peed on?
Okay.
Thanks..."

Hang up.

I glance at Hubert and he's jumping and whining waiting for his morning food, walk and potty. Not a worry in the world in that little brain.

To make things a little more complicated, it was snowing outside (Again! Mid-March!), like a blizzard. And I think Hubert was a little uncomfortable that I was crowding around his junk while he peed. But it wasn't as bad as I expected. Thank god for cheap little IKEA containers and zip top bags.  I got some weird looks as I was walking to the vet holding a bag with a container full of urine.

Then I get a nice bill of $40 for lab work fees.

All before my morning coffee.

So I treated myself to a fat free cappuccino from the coffee machine in the lobby of my apartment. Yummmm.

There are also boxes of donuts on Fridays. I paused for a second and thought about it. Then I passed.

Victory!

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In the Studio

It's peaceful today in the studio. Just the gentle purr of the sewing machine...

...and the obnoxious snoring of Hubert. Goodness gracious how can such a small animal generate such a high-decibel groan? It's really breaking my concentration here.  I feel like he's going to swallow his own nose.

Yet, in the picture, he looks so peaceful and quiet.

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Look Who Got a New Bed

The Boy's brother and sister-in-law dropped by yesterday and gave Hubert his get-well present(s): a bed, an Eskimo jacket, and a hoodie. So sweet! Little Hubu is ultra-spoiled now that we moved to Pittsburgh and we have lots of family who absolutely love him. :)

As far as updates on his healing, Hubert is at 90%. His energy level is high and he just wants to go outside and run around, but he can't until his stitches are completely healed in about two weeks. Until then, cuddling up in his new squishy bed is what the doctor prescribed.

Hubert doesn't seem to mind.

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This May Be What Sad Looks Like

Hubert was taken to the pet hospital for emergency nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) removal. 

The doctor told me they would flush the stone back into his bladder and an abdominal incision would be made to remove the stone from the bladder.  It seemed like a really inefficient and highly invasive method to do something relatively simple, but after making a call to the leading animal treatment center in Pittsburgh in the few minutes I had the time to make a decision, it seemed surgery was the way to do this.  Of course the biomedical engineer in me makes me want to research a more efficient and minimally invasive way for this to be done, but that's another story.

After 2 nights at the vet, Hubert is finally back today. This was only possible because I live across the street from our vet clinic and I will be bringing him back every morning this week for check-up. I hope that he'll heal a lot faster in a quiet apartment where I can monitor him every second of every day rather than being in a cage amongst other crying and howling dogs.

Hubert looked so excited to finally see me again when I came to pick him up. He looked just the same way when I left him prior to surgery - all he wanted to do was play.

To say the least, this weekend was probably more emotionally taxing for me than Hubert. I felt so guilty that I made my poor dog suffer through so much pain and surgery. I wondered what I did wrong in caring for him as I give him the most expensive premium food that I can afford and keep him on a good exercise schedule and fill his days with lots of play and love.

The Boy said that I shouldn't keep so much of the burden and just to stay strong and continue to improve what I do to care for Hubert. Sometimes I guess it's hard to not feel at fault for what happens to the thing you are responsible for keeping safe.

I'm just glad he's home so that I can now concentrate on my work and stop worrying.

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Hubert: Sleeping Poses Aplenty

We have moved to Pittsburgh! We spent 3 days driving approximately 7-8 hours each day covering 1,423 miles across the US:

Day 1: Austin, TX to Little Rock, AR
Day 2: Little Rock, AR to Louisville, KY
Day 3: Louisville, KY to Pittsburgh, PA

Hubert slept the entire way, and I wanted to share all of his many sleeping poses with you. :)

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Hubert (2.33 years)

I love watching this little guy grow more handsome everyday. I tell him, too. "Hubert, why are you so handsome?!" and he tilts his head. Actually, he tilts his head if you say anything to him with an upward vocal inflection.

The Boy says I'm the only one who thinks Hubert is handsome. Everyone else thinks he looks like a little monster (which is sort of true, a really adorable one).

I think Hubert is the cutest pug ever. Not sure anyone can convince me otherwise. Is this a trait of all moms? Do we think our "kid" is the best no matter what others think?

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He's all grown up!

Today, Hubert lifted his leg for the first time. And I took a picture.

My parents also photographed and video-taped my brother and my first potty training experiences. Thank god they didn't post it on a blog for the internet world to see. Though they still have the tapes. I should get a hold of those and destroy them...

Fortunately, Hubert is a dog and I think it's OK to display his public urination on the internet.



He is 2.33 years old now. When do most dogs acquire this skill?

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Yes way

Hubert

I named my iPod "Pugs not Drugs" when I was in college.
I bought a t-shirt from Fossil with gold embroidered Pug mug, $$$, and "Notorious P.U.G"
I bought a book from Urban Outfitters, Pug Mugs
A few years later, Hubert entered my life.
I bought custom earrings/ring from Plastique of Hubert's profile.

Just now, I bought this t-shirt from Gemma Bear.

Am I officially The Pug Lady?

Image from Gemma Correll Illustration

Where can I find a knitted sweater with a Pug face on the front?

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Lacking Conversation

I'm in the last stretch of the six month mark of working full-time for my business, and I finally feel the loneliness of being the only employee in the shop.

In the view of my friends, this is the life. I get to work on my own terms -- no manager breathing down my neck, no morning meetings to discuss data analysis of the previous day, no presentations to give to the director, etc.

But in reality, I experience a lot of those things in a different way. I don't have a manager, but I have my own conscience that is constantly thinking about when I need to ship bags and whether I should skip lunch or dinner so I can get bags made in time for shipment.

No morning meetings, but instead I spend the first 1.5 hours of my morning answering Etsy convos, e-mails, and I analyze the data from Google Analytics to see how I can improve my web presence and sales.

I don't give presentations to any directors, but I do have craft sales where I feel like I'm giving a presentation (to potential customers) in hopes of receiving some positive feedback on my progress.

Running a business is tough because you're playing so many roles from administrative work, customer service, manufacturing, photography, modeling, marketing, selling, and packaging for shipping. All done by one person. With no one else to talk to and bounce ideas off of to improve work efficiency (though I do get a lot of feedback from The Boy on ways to improve the business work flow).

I will admit, it is nice working from home, though it does get lonely as my only conversations are to my pug Hubert, and to my Facebook/Twitter friends. It's good, but not nearly as fun as talking face to face with a human being. Plus, I think this is slowly degrading my verbal communication skills.

The times I look forward to most are when The Boy comes home for lunch. That's when I get to see and speak to a person, and it feels really great to have an hour or more to have that needed conversation to get me through the rest of my day. It's when The Boy has lunch with his co-workers when my workday is the worst. It's a full 9-12 hours of no human interaction. Fortunately, those are rare.

But I won't ramble on too long about working alone at home. It started snowing here just a couple hours ago, and it was just the break I needed to stop sewing, put on my winter boots and coat and take some pictures. I hope you enjoy!

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Holiday Picks: Pet Portraits

'Tis the season for family portraits! It's a yearly struggle to get Baby and Dog to stay still AND look at the camera. How do they do it?!

Yesterday I decided to take a short break from sewing and take some pictures for holiday cards --and what better subject do I have besides my little pug, Hubert?

Hubert the Reindeer Pug

Don't be fooled by his panicked/confused expression, he always looks like that. Plus, he was showered in treats, hugs and kisses afterward, so what's a little suffering here and there, right? You can see more of Hubert and the Reindeer Antlers on my flickr.

Need something more secure for your pet to wear to the photo shoot? Here are some of my favorites. :)

a. Eco Dog Coat, AnniesSweatShop
b. English Harbour Full Neck Sweater, MyAdorableDoggie
c. RECYCLE Dog Hat and Scarf Set, NurdBunny
d. Christmas Tartan Pet Bow Tie, WhiskerKisses
e. Shakespeare Dog Neck Warmer, BeanTownHandmade
f. Ruffle Rump Doberman Sweater, hoverfly

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