Rossi's First Car Ride

We waited for the groomer to do the necessary stuff like bathing, cutting of nails, trimming of fur and cleaning of ears for Rossi before taking her back. After the grooming was done, Hubby carried Rossi in his arms gently. Her appearance had changed from the last time we seen her. At 11 weeks now, she had grown up. Previously, her ears were slightly drooping downwards. Now, they stood erect, showing the potential graceful "butterfly" ears she would have in her progression to adulthood.

Hubby held her gently in one arm, as she was so small and light. Initially, she was trembling uncontrollably. This was normal, as she was leaving a familiar surrounding. We assured her by stroking her, telling her that it was okay, Daddy and Mummy would take good care of her. Then we brought her over to our friends who were waiting for us outside the Pets' Supplies Store. When our friends saw her, they were delighted. They began stroking her and helped to put her little mind at ease. Adorable little Mocha, her very first friend, was also introduced to her. Slowly, Rossi stopped trembling and was more relaxed.

We bought a couple of things from the pets supplies shop and proceeded to take her home in our friend's car. As we were afraid that she might get nauseous and vomit in the car, hubby placed a big plastic bag directly below her while I held a towel close by to wipe her mouth if she did vomit.
The car ride began. We were alert and ready for her at anytime. As the car moved, our heartbeat accelerated. We did not want to be caught unaware if she vomitted. It was quite a long way home too.

Throughout the car journey, we tried to keep her occupied by talking to her. Our friends helped too, by petting her and getting her to socialize with Mocha.

To our amazement, Rossi remained calm and showed no signs of nauseousness, other than appearing to doze off and we quickly roused her to stay awake. When we reached home and got off the car, Rossi was fine! We were very proud of our little gal!

Rossi is Coming Home Today!

"R"-Day is finally here!
Yes! Today's the day our baby gal comes home!

Thinking back, when we had to wait for another month or so before bringing her home, the wait felt so draggy to me. Each day, the minutes seemed to crawl into hours like a lazy snail. It looked like it would be a long while before Rossi would join us.

But strangely, now, when Rossi is ready to go home, it feels like time has passed me in a blink of an eye. How ironic...Time had appeared to slow down previously, but all of a sudden, time seemed to speed up like a racing horse dashing for the finishing line.

Alright, I got to finish some office work now and go off at mid-day to fetch Rossi, so that's all for now. Ciao!

The Coming of "R"-Day

The arrival of "R"-Day is drawing closer than ever.
In a matter of hours, Rossi will be coming home.

Around this time tomorrow, our buddies and adorable little doggie friend, Mocha will be with us to fetch Rossi back. Rossi is such a lucky little gal to have so many of us welcoming her home!


I have also specially bought a pretty pinky doggie bag for her to rest during the journey home tommorrow. As some puppies might have the tendency to experience motion sickness, we would be putting a couple of thick towels into the bag,just in case she feels nauseous. I do hope she could withstand the trip home somehow.

It was a busy night yesterday. My hubby was washing our clothes, bedsheets etc + hanging them up and changing our bedsheets, while I was putting + throwing away some books, magazines and unwanted stuff to clear up some space. Tonight, we will be mopping & vacuuming the floor + doing some last minute cleaning up. We wanted to ensure our more important household tasks are done, so that we can devote our time over the weekend to orientate Rossi with her new surrounding and ease her entry into our little family.

I am concerned as to how well she would be able to adjust to her environment and how long she would take to get comfy with it. In any case, she is still a baby and she doesn't know us yet. Standing from the viewpoint of her innocent little mind, she would be walking away from everything she knows and suddenly venturing into a foreign territory with people she is unfamiliar with. How scary and stressful it must be for her...

Then for the first few nights, it is possible that she might whine / cry in her new sleeping area. But to our knowlege, it would be best if we just leave her alone to whine / cry, as she would get used to it gradually and stop her whines / cries. I just hope I would somehow have the will power to ignore her whines / cries. Or rather, I hope my hubby would be able to restrain me if I show any telltale sign of wanting to baby her.

Well, I think all in all, time is the factor. Given ample time, she should be able to get used to her new home nicely, but it is definitely more difficult for her at the begining. I just could'nt help feeling worried for her, especially when I am a first-time owner and do not have firsthand experience in having a dog.

Hubby and I just have to work together and do our best to help our little gal settle in. With patience and love, I believe we can do it.

A Little Something About Me

I used to be extremely terrified of dogs, even miniature dogs like the Chi Hua Hua. Never in my wildest imagination, Never, would I ever ever think of owning a dog, because they scared the wits out of me !! I could even go weak in my knees when I could spot a dog a distance away (say a 100 metres or more) from me. When I had to go to friends' homes who had dogs, I would demand them to chain or keep their dogs away, if not, I would rather not set foot into their houses! My fear was so intense that I would choose not to go to any homes with dogs if I had a choice!

This fear in me began since I was young. At a tender age of 7, I started fearing dogs when I heard my teacher telling me in one of the lessons, that an injection would need to be administered should anyone be bitten by a dog. It was most likely the part about injection combined with the anticipated pain of the dog's sinking teeth into the flesh that greatly shaken me.(though I have never once been bitten by a dog.)

So, the question, what brought about my amazing transformation from a dog-Fearer to a dog-Lover? Read on to find out.

During the Chinese New Year, I made a resolution and it was to overcome my fear of dogs. How did I do it? My hubby had a cousin who owned a female greyish-white Schnauzer named Pepper. Every CNY, I dreaded going to visit at this cousin's house, because I was terribly scared of Pepper. I was literally perching at the edge of the chair/sofa and hanging on for my dear life everytime I was visiting there. Then the funny thing was, Pepper seemed to sense my fear and tried to inch near me at every chance she had and this set my pulse racing by the seconds! I had to scream for my hubby or his cousin to restrain Pepper like a mad woman on the loose!

For this CNY, it was different. I took several deep breaths and mustered my courage as I was walking closer to his cousin's house. My hubby was cheering me on, telling me I could definitely do it, as the dog won't bite. As I was nearing the house, I could feel the familiar weakening in my knees and it caused my strut to falter. My hubby made fun of me, saying that I was so adamant in overcoming my fear to the extent of appearing so brave, but when I actually had to do it, I went soft. At this point, I told him, no matter what I must do it, somehow.

I must admit, it was tough at first, because as usual, Pepper was at the doorstep, barking ceaselessly at me. (She can be a little too "chatty" sometimes.) I was abit hesitant to step into the house at first, but hubby gave me a nudge and I went in. Pepper was following me closely. We sat down and my hubby told me to stay still while Pepper sniffed at my feet soundly. I stood stiff like a soilder and felt Pepper's fur (+saliva) brushing at my feet. After a few minutes, Pepper turned and strolled off and for the rest of the time, she did not disturb me anymore. So that's all to it. (*Picture of Pepper is unavailable, as I didn't manage to snap a shot of her.)

The next stop, I went over to my friend's house with two Chi Hua Huas. One was a fair and fleshy male with neat short fur,named Mickey, while the other one was a brown and graceful female with fluffy long fur, named Wah Wah. These two doggies were very sweet. When I went into her house, they welcomed me with heartwarming gestures like snuggling up to me and lying on my lap. Their warmth really brightened up my day.

After this, I went on to another friend's house. She and her hubby had a male toy Poodle puppy, named Mocha. He was black in colour, with a lithe body and a cuscade of soft, naturally curled fur. Mocha was a very affectionate and energetic little doggie. The moment I went into the house, he leaped up to me and showered me with many licks of kisses. During my time there, I spent my time playing and petting him. When he got tired after the playing and running about, he would lie down with his mini paws stretched out on all fours and rest. I would take this chance to smooth my hand over his curly coat. Mocha was really fun to be around!

It dawned upon me that there was really nothing to fear with doggies afterall. They were warm and fun-loving companions. I also began to realise why so many people love dogs. At this point, my fear evaporated like vapours. I wasn't afraid of them anymore (with the exception of certain huge dogs whose size still intimidate me a little, but I could still be near them, knowing that they wouldn't hurt me).

So, this is the story of me conquering my long time fear of doggies and of course, the rest is history.

Waiting for Rossi to Come Home

Hubby and I made a firm decision to get Rossi. We made the necessary arrangements and would be bringing her home this coming Friday.

Before this, we got a whole lot of preparation to do, which began from getting neccessities like her crate, bedding, playpen, bath products, food to miscellaneous stuff like her toys, treats, etc, etc. We were compiling the list of things to prepare and the list extended whenever we thought of anything we missed out. Besides this, there was a whole lot of reading up to do on how to housebreak, housetrain, maintain and groom her, etc etc. (We are first-time doggie owners, so it is important for us do our "homework" to equip ourselves with the essential knowledge in caring for our Rossi.)

In another four days, Rossi will be coming home. Her coming home also means that the actual task of taking care begins and the knowledge we have acquired would be put into use. However, head knowlege versus actual hands-on experience can be two entirely different issues. It is easy to obtain a variety of information from convenient sources like the Internet and books, but putting this knowledge to task might prove to be a lot more difficult than we imagine.

On our side, we are mentally prepared to work through the difficult phase with Rossi, especially in the first few months. When we are able to settle her down at our home, it would be easier for us to care for her for the rest of her days with us.
We are counting down...Tuesday...Wednesday...Thursday...And KABOOM!!!
Its FRIDAY!! And Rossi will be Home!

"Rossi sweetie, Mummy can't wait for you to be back! Mummy hopes you will be a sweet little gal who loves Daddy and Mummy. And we love you too!"

Why "Rossi"?

Why did we choose "Rossi" over all other names? In the first place, it doesn't sound exactly feminine, considering she is a female and it doesn't sound like a doggie's name either.

So, why Rossi? Actually, this name is given by my hubby. He named her after a popular and skillful MotoGP racer he admired greatly. Anyone who is a fan of MotoGP will know by now who this particular racer is. (Yes, that's right! it's HIM.)

When he proposed this name to me, I was like, okay, it's a cool name. I would also like for her to be a little "toyboyish". Besides, judging from her cute antics and hyper movements, I don't think she is exactly a docile little gal.

Therefore, this is it. Rossi will suit her just fine.

How I Met Rossi

It was “Love at First Sight”. From the moment our eyes met, I know in my heart that Rossi is the one for me.

When I first saw Rossi, she had just awakened from her afternoon nap. Her lovely tri-colored hues caught my attention. Her body is covered in flowing shades of black and white with a small patch of brown on her cute bottom, while her face is wrapped in velvet black with markings of brown on her brows and cheeks. What a pretty little girl! (By the way, she is a Papillon Pup. At this time, she is 2mths+ old. )

Then she started to notice me and turned to look at me. At this point, our eyes met and I felt an instant connection with her. Rossi has a pair of gentle and soulful eyes. I simply love her eyes. Her steady gaze followed me as I moved around her vicinity.

It was like her eyes could talk and convey her thoughts. I know this might sound far-fetched, but I could really feel her eyes telling me that she wished to come home with me.

She was not like the other puppies around that barked continuously when it was time for food. Instead, she was quietly waiting for her food and ate heartily when the food was given to her. This was another aspect that drew me even more to her. I couldn’t bear to leave the place and continued to watch her for a long time. Before I left, I silently told her in my heart, to wait for me to come back for her.

This is first time that I feel such a bond with a doggie. I also read somewhere that a doggie chooses her owner, just as much as we choose our doggie. When we have found the right doggie, we would be bonded with her from the very first meeting and we will know in our hearts that this is our doggie. After reading this, combined with the bond I felt with Rossi, I believe she is meant to be my doggie.

When I told my hubby about this, as expected, he dismissed it as a wishful part of my thinking and commented that I think too much. At the same time, he was hoping to open up our options to look around for other doggies before we decide on which one to get.

Well, despite what he might think, I trust my intuition. I was also not that keen to look at other doggies, as I could not get Rossi and her expressive eyes out of my mind. For the next few days, I began to bug him endlessly about Rossi. Slowly, his thoughts began to come around and he relented, saying that Rossi might just be the one. Perhaps my bugging worked its magic. (Or was it Rossi who somehow wormed her way into his heart?)