lots o' stuff

It's been forever since we blogged last! Both of our computers died a couple weeks ago and we've just resurrected them and uploaded some new pictures.

The latest Buster news is that she was bitten at doggy daycare on Tuesday. She and a dog got into a scuffle, although neither of them bit each other. Then a third, uninvolved, dog ran up and bit Buster! Luckily it wasn't too serious.

Here's a picture of Buster's bite, but it's a little blurry...

I got bit in the ass today

Here are some random pictures that we've taken over the last couple months...

Mommy says I look like Sloth when I do this with my ears...I bet he's good-lookin', just like me.

KayCee says, "Let's play, Richie! Right now! Do it, asshole!"

*My* water, KayCee!


Don't be such a Buster-hog, Richie!

do you barkstrong?

I heard about this collar on the way to work one morning and decided I *had* to get it for Buster, since she's a cancer survivor!

Here's a picture of Buster, sporting her fancy new accessory...

Lance Armstrong's got nothing on me!

Looking this cool is tiring!

Unrelated, but worth mentioning -- Buster got a good report at doggy daycare today! When the guy brought her out to me, he said that he wished all the dogs were like Buster and then he complained about another dog that he has to put in timeout every 15 seconds...all day! I asked him if she ever plays with the other dogs or does she just sleep all day, and he said she plays with the other dogs, but not all day. Way to go, Buster!!!

life's a beach part 2

Richie didn't have class today so he and Buster spent the day hanging out and goofing off! Here's a picture he took of Buster while she was sleeping...upside down.

What's so funny about the way I sleep?!

After I got home from work, we took Buster to the beach again, and this time we actually had batteries in the camera!

Yay, I love this place!

I'm faster than you, Daddy!

O.k., Mommy, I'll take a picture with you too...but hurry up!

I'm kinda getting used to my feet being wet!


Playing with Mommy...I'm craaaaaaaazy!!!!



Playing with Daddy and a moldy piece of kelp!

life's a beach!

After we picked Buster up from daycare today, we went to Esplanade Beach in Pacifica. It turns out it's only a few miles from where we live! It's a pretty nice beach and we were the only ones there for a long time.

Buster was crazy and hyper, running around and chasing us all over the place. She was so excited that she didn't even notice the waves coming in until one came up over her feet...she got so scared, she jumped back! It was the cutest thing ever!

Eventually a man came with a big shaggy dog named Anya that loved to play in the water. Buster was nervous at first, but eventually she started to play with Anya, chasing her all over the beach. She even chased after a ball that the guy threw, but once she got there, she just sniffed it and walked away.

Even after they left, Buster was still hyper and running around. I've never seen her so happy for such an extended period of time, it was totally worth ruining my shoes and socks (I hate sand!).

Our camera died right after we got to the beach, but I managed to take a few pictures. They're not the greatest, but I'll post them anyway since they're all I've got.

Here's Mommy dragging me to another weird place...I bet it won't be any fun at all.

Ooh, I get to run around and play with Daddy? Maybe it's not so bad after all...

You can't catch me, Daddy!!!

I hope I don't see another jellyfish -- yucky!

Oh no, here come the waves -- we'd better run for it before my feet get wet again!!!

sleepless in seattle

I woke up with back spasms this morning because of having to contort my body around Buster, Sidney, and Richie all weekend! Here are some pictures from our trip -- Buster's providing the captions!

Come on, Mommy, there's room for you too!

I wouldn't sleep there if I were you, Sidney!

Why does Mean Mac get to ride with *my* Mommy and Daddy?

Sidney's in my seat -- I'm so jealous!!!

Exploring the U District -- we're pretty intimidating!

Waiting for KayCee -- what a slowpoke!

Hell's Bitches at the University of Washington

Hell's Bitches and our human companions

I am one sexy bitch!

Mi familia!

That's Sidney, Mac, and me with Daddy, Auntie Wendy, and cousin Sean


KayCee tried to jump into the water -- I told you she's weird!


I love going places with Daddy!


My cousin Sean is a badass...Look how intimidating he is in this picture!


I love sleeping in the bed with Daddy...even if that means there's no room for Mommy!

adventures at slac-a-lac

Buster made an appearance at SLAC today. Here's a picture of her after she got her badge...

Buster, after GERT training



KayCee, enjoying SLAC's finely manicured lawn

KayCee didn't get to stay long, but Buster came down and got to see where Mommy works all day when she's at daycare. Buster met El Jefe (aka Matthew) and Pete. She went right up and sniffed Matthew, but started crying when Pete stood in the doorway. Pete didn't seem to take it personally.

Buster's surgery went well yesterday. She was pretty groggy when we picked her up, but actually had a bit of an appetite and no vomiting from the anesthesia and painkillers. Today she's pretty much back to normal!

Dr. Ikezawa called after the surgery to say Buster wasn't spayed at all. Coincidentally,
the LA shelter finally got back to me to say that we should have received something saying that Buster was probably spayed, to the best of the vet's knwoledge. It was a clerical error that we got an actual spay certificate. In my book, that means that we have grounds to ask them to cover the cost of the surgery! Yay!

the misadventures of a dog named buster

Buster's having surgery right now to get spayed. She was supposed to have been spayed by the Los Angeles shelter that found her in January, but either they never did it or they did a crappy job because Buster went into heat last week -- yikes!

We noticed her hooha was looking a little weird and swollen and then realized that she was bleeding. At first we thought there was something really wrong because going into heat never even occurred to us...But, Buster proved once again that she is truly one in a million!

Poor Dr. Ikezawa looked so frustrated when we came in -- she easily could have taken care of this one of the other times she had operated on Buster, but now we have to do another surgery. The positive thing in all of this is that this could potentially cause the little lump on her mammary gland to clear up on its own!

I talked to Sarah at Boxers and Buddies and she sounded really frustrated, too -- she says everytime she hears from me, she just waits to hear what's wrong with Buster. :( Poor Buster. But it made me feel better because she said that she is so happy that Richie and I adopted Buster because anyone else would have returned her by now.

At least I don't think that all of poor Buster's issues have soured Richie on adopting...He just e-mailed and said he thinks we should adopt this poor guy! I really wish we could, but I think we're already on the verge of being evicted -- once our landlords see the blinds that Buster's chewed up, we'll be out on the streets!

go to the head of the class, buster!

Buster and KayCee started obedience class last week. When we adopted Buster, one of the requirements was that we had to complete a training class within 4 months of the adoption. We're running a little bit behind since it's already been about 4 months since we adopted her, but we wanted to wait until she was fully recovered from her surgeries before we started a class!

Last week, Mom, Dad, Richie, Buster, KayCee, and I went to Petco for the class, and Buster started getting all crazy and aggressive when she saw the other dogs. An owner of a Maltipoo pointed at us and told the instructor that she didn't want us anywhere near her dog, so we were banished outside of the class area. Poor Buster -- already an outcast on her first day of school.

The instructor went through introductions and talked generally about her philosophy about training dogs. All the while, the Maltipoo and its Beagle friend barked incessantly. The instructor kept having to stop talking to try to get them to be quiet. Buster watched them with utter disdain -- "Don't they know it's rude to bark while someone else is talking?"

After awhile, we went over the "sit" command. Buster is already a pro at this -- "The stupid Maltipoo doesn't even know how to sit!" Buster thinks the Maltipoo would be better off in remedial classes.

After class, the instructor apologized for making us sit outside of the class, and then she spent several minutes suggesting different things we can try to work on with Buster to help her get over her leash aggressiveness -- a halter lead instead of using her collar and some de-sensitization exercises. We bought a halter this week and Buster already seems to be making progress -- way to go, Buster!

Today we went to our second class and the instructor set up the classroom so that Buster and KayCee were on one side of the partition and everyone else was on the other side. Buster was so much better this week -- she only tensed up a few times and never really got into the red zone. At the end of class, we got her to lay down and roll over onto her back while she watched the other dogs playing a few feet away. Hopefully, she keeps getting a little bit better each week!

Here are some random pictures of Buster!

Daddy's being a bad influence!


Gimmegimmegimmegimme!!!!


No, KayCee, it's MINE!

27 questions

27 questions

1. Your age?
Some say I still look like a puppy!

2. Your age when came to live with your people?
2...no 4...no 6 or 7!

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now?
Black.

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with?
My grandma!

5. How much do you weigh?
50 pounds.

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up?
Mommy and Daddy's blinds -- upstairs *and* downstairs!

7. Do you like other Dogs?
Only when I'm off-leash...otherwise, I'm about as sociable as Mike Tyson.

8. Who is your best non-human friend?
KayCee, even though she's weird!

9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls?
Neither -- I prefer long stick-like objects, but only when my parents wave them around in the air. If they glow and make light-saber noises, even better!

10. Do you like to be brushed?
I like it! My Mommy brushes me all the time so I don't shed in the house so much.

11. Peanut Butter or Cheese?
Yes, please.

12. Do your people cut your nails?
No. Walking on the sidewalk and asphalt seems to wear my nails down enough!

13. Any formal education?
I'm currently being homeschooled, but my parents keep threatening to take me to school.

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny?
Couch potato! (But sometimes I like to surprise my mommy and daddy and act like the Energizer Bunny, but that only ever lasts for a minute before I pass out again.)

15. Five nicknames your people call you.
Busteroo, Buster-Bear, Crazy, Busta Rhyme, Bust-a-cap-in-yo-ass.

16. What is your best trick?
I don't do tricks. "Tricks are what whores do for money...or candy."

17. Do you like kitties?
They sure look yummy!

18. What did you have for breakfast?
My mommy threw together a nice breakfast of potato and duck kibble, mixed with some EVOO, cottage cheese, and hunks of beef canned dog food. My mommy's a great cook!

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? If so, what?
I've successfully hunted a duck statue, a weird-looking tree stump, and a stuffed animal of a Husky.

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.?
Yay -- it's almost been a whole month since my last vet visit! The dr. and my parents thought I might need another surgery, but I ended up not needing it after all!

21. Where do you sleep at night?
Either near my parents' bed or in my doggy bed a few feet away. But in the mornings, once the alarm goes off, Mommy and Daddy let me sneak into bed with them for a few minutes. I love it! :)

22. Do you like to swim?
I'm not a big fan of the water...just like Mommy.

23. Can you make puppies?
Nope, what a personal question!

24. Your favorite place to visit?
Grandma and Grandpa's house!

25. Do you give kisses?
I love giving kisses! I love to kiss Mommy, I love to kiss Daddy, I love to kiss myself, I love to kiss my pillow, I love to kiss the sheet on the couch, I love to kiss the air...

26. Can you potty on command?
Not really...but I potty right away when we go out for walks, so it's no big deal.

27. To Cuz or not to Cuz?
I'm not that into toys...unless they're sticks that glow and make noises!

busta and kaycee

Here are some pictures from KayCee's visit over Memorial Day weekend...

Typical -- Buster's sleeping and KayCee looks confused

Sleeping with Richie

Buster and Mommy say, "Quit reading, Daddy!!!"

buster's surgery update -- false alarm!

Yay - Buster's surgery was cancelled today because the lump had gone down! They couldn't even find it in her pre-op exam, so they had to call me to find where it was, and then they determined that it was probably scar tissue from a bite or sting or something.

Yippeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

just when things were getting better...

We noticed a lump a couple of weeks ago on Buster's right side. We waited a few days to see if it got better on its own, but it didn't, so we took her to the vet. It turns out it's another "spindle-cell" tumor, which is what she had before on her left elbow, so she's going to need surgery to have it removed and then they'll biopsy it to determine if it's cancerous or not.

Poor Buster. She was finally growing her fur back and looking like a normal dog again. :(

She has surgery on Thursday...Hopefully this will be the last one.

Use The Force, Buster!

Buster, battling the Sith Lord, with little help from Kaycee

Buster says Go Warriors!

Buster's been watching the playoffs and she knows the Warriors need some more depth next season...She's already got more hops than J-Rich, but I still have to work with her on her 3-point shooting.

I'm a baller

milestones!

2 small milestones this weekend:

-- 2 weeks without a vet visit!!!

-- Richie weighed Buster at Pet Club on Sunday, and she's up to 50 pounds! When we first adopted her, she was around 45 pounds. Despite the two surgeries and our ongoing battle with megaesophagus, she's gained about 10% of her body weight!

March 18, 2007

May 12, 2007

She looks like a completely different dog! A lot of that could be due to not having a tail anymore, though. :(

going to the park!

When Richie got back from his last final, we decided to take Buster to the park! There's a park we like to take Buster to that's about a mile away from our apartment. It's really tiny, but it's totally enclosed by a short fence so we can let her off-leash to run around!

Yay -- Daddy gets to come with us today!

[This blog also marks our YouTube debut! I originally didn't want to post things that were searchable by the whole world, but I like the way that you can easily embed the videos directly on the page and I probably shouldn't fill up my web accounts with videos of Buster...]