2001 to 2014

                   Misty Mistique Poodle went to the Rainbow Bridge today.
                             She was loved! She is missed! Enjoy her blog--it lives on.

Misty's retiring

On March 31st, Misty suffered two major seizures. She spent the night at a vet hospital where they stabilized her and did tests. Turns out she has Valley Fever, a virus that comes from fungus in the dust. But there may be more going on with her. She is recovering slowly but walking is very hard for her. So she has had to retire from her job as a therapy dog. Keep her in your prayers, please. She will be 13 in June, so she's a golden oldie.

Lookin' Good for the New Year

A busy girl like me must look her best, so I have Jamie at the Oro Valley Petsmart do my grooming. She makes me look so beautiful! I love being groomed but I'm always happy when Mom comes to pick me up.

Boo!

It's that spooky time of year and don't I look "bewitching" in my costume? I had fun at a party for therapy dogs. Such funny costumes I saw! Now if I can just get Mom to take me out for Trick-or-Treats.

HOORAY FOR ME!

I can't believe two years have gone by since my first evaluation to be a therapy dog. I was kinda nervous that time. But now I'm an experienced professional. I'm proud to say I passed my second evaluation with flying colors! I even got a promotion from "Predictable" level to "Complex" level. That means I can visit in hospitals now. They said I was calm and beautiful. (blush!)

My other good news is....it's my 12th birthday today! Mom took me to visit at the nursing home and then we went to McDonald's. She got me a double-double burger. Yum! (I shared half with my sister, Sherry)

 I may be a year older, but my vet says I'm in great shape. Mom calls me a "Peerless Pup."

Life is good!

Artwork

Isn't this nice?
My new friend, Olivia, made this drawing of her taking me for a walk.

Happy New Year!

My New Year's Resolution is to read more books with kids!
I'm off to a good start at the Oro Valley Library with my new friends, Olivia and Sierra. I love to hear books read aloud and see the pictures. Mom even made a book all about ME! If you come to the Oro Valley Library when it's Read to a Dog time, you can read it. What books are you going to read this year?

Poodle Romp

Oh boy! I had fun at Arizona Poodle Rescue's Poodle Romp. We met oodles of poodles at a park where dogs could run off leash, sniff each other and play. My new sister came from Arizona Poodle Rescue and she got to see her former foster mom. I came home dog tired from all the excitement.

Sister Sherry

Well, I didn't get to be Only Dog for long. Last week Mom and Dad and I went up to the Petsmart in Scottsdale to see if Arizona Poodle Rescue had a sister for me. They did! And here she is. Her name is Sherry (changed from Cherri). She's skinnier than I am so I have to be sure she eats all her dinner. She doesn't know any human words like 'sit', 'come', 'stay', or 'down'. Mom and I will have to teach her these things so she can be as wonderful as (ahem) I am. But she has already learned one trick. When someone comes home she grabs a teddy bear to greet them, just like I do. Yesterday she got a check-up at the vet and all is OK for now. She has stinky breath, but in a month or so she'll get her teeth cleaned and then I won't faint when she breathes on me.

Sherry will be fun to hang out with as long as she understands the rules:
I am #1,
only I get to hide in the big closet,
only I get to sleep on the big bed,
only I get to go on Pet Partner visits,
only I get to woof, "Welcome home, Sherry!"

Goodbye Poni

This is a sad week. My little brother, Poni, went to Dog Heaven. He was very old and had lots of problems. So I'm reading all about this place called Dog Heaven where dogs get to run and chase birds and get biscuits made by God. I hope Poni is having a good time, meeting all the dogs that once lived in this family--Scobie, Smiley, Spenser, Ole, Kari, and Brio. I have to admit, I miss the little guy. But now I am #1 Only Dog. That's a lot of responsibility! My first job is to cheer up Mom and Dad. I think I'll go give them a poodle kiss right now!

Another year gone by

Once again it's my birthday....or rather yesterday was. I am now 11 years young and still beautiful! Last year we were in Colorado but this year we're stuck in hot, dry Arizona. But I got a new treat for my birthday. A donut! It was yummy and I didn't share any of it with Poni. I also got a cool birthday present and I'll post a picture of it as soon as Mom figures out how do do it.

Mom's New Book

Grrr. This post used to be here but it somehow got chewed up. Not by me! Anyway, here's the news again. Mom (Marianne) has published a new book called  A PROMISE MADE. A few dogs run through the story but it's really about a teenage girl who runs away from home and ends up in a small mining town in Colorado. I hope all readers of this post will buy lots of copies of her book (available on Amazon) and tell all their friends to buy lots of copies so Mom will earn lots of money to buy me lots of biscuits. There's even a character in the story called 'Biscuit' so I know the real motive for writing this book was to get me more biscuits. So there you have it--dog logic!

If You Read to Me

by Misty Poodle

If you read to me

I will sit and listen

And follow every word you say.

If you read to me

I will not ignore you.

I will not get bored.

I may lie down

But just to rest my head.

I’ll hang onto every word.

I may sit or scratch

Or look around the room.

But I am still paying attention.

If you read to me

You will relax and keep right on.

You will like sharing your book.

If you read to me

You will get better and better

And I will always be proud of you.

If you read and read and read

You will fall in love

With books and words and reading.

Because you read to me.

Pro Bono 'Puplico'

 Today Mom took me to the University of Arizona College of Law so I could de-stress law students during finals. I heard her mention something about ‘pro bono’. I thought that meant I’d be getting a nice juicy bone. Apparently not. After spending a couple of hours in the library, I learned the phrase really meant “for the public good,” not “bones for the pup.” But it was great being petted by stressed-out students who were in no big hurry to return to their grueling studies. Cuddling with me and fellow Delta dog, Molly, was definitely good for them.

 Hope double de-stressed with Molly and me.

 Rachel gave me a good relaxing scratch.

David already graduated but he liked petting me, too.