Bill Archer Dog Park Fun in Houston, Texas

My Brave and Mighty Little Chihuahua Mix Dog.... Super Max!

Max is a little social butterfly within his own extended family!!  Other than work, he goes where I go, but I like to keep him social with other pups too that he hasn't met.  Of course I always have him close by just to be sure the other pups have the same gentle nature as Max.  He can be a little shy when you first met him and a bit of a scaredy-cat in general, but I LOVE that although he'd rather sniff endlessly at the Dog Park than play for any length of time with the smaller pups...he goes right up to the fence separating the little pups from the big pups!! Go figure...does it every time we go and it cracks me up! My brave little Max...when there's a fence!!! Ha! 

My Brave Little Max :) 

I can sniff for HOURS!

Big dogs are passing by...better guard this bench!!

I could go over to the Big Dog area if I really wanted to...I just  didn't want to intimidate them! 

Ok pup-friends, see ya later!

The "Before" picture...enough said!

Always the center of attention

I AM the best pup in the world!!!

He laughs at his own jokes

Question:  Why do dogs run around in circles?
Answer:  Because it's hard to run in squares!
Max...always the jokester!
(He cracks himself up!!)

Thought this was cute from Wal-mart
it reads
"Mommy Loves Me"
HAD to buy that!

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=5440&Find=Find&_ta=1&search_query=mommy%20loves%20me&_tt=mommy%20love

Have a wonderful today and enjoy your pups!

Max - Doing What He Does Best...Looking Cute and Stealing Hearts

What's your sign Baby?
(can't you just see him saying this at the Dog Park?!)

LMTO!!!
(Laughing My Tail Off!)
Note:  Caught Max Doggie Texting AGAIN!

I Oooze CUTENESS!

Back of Max's Shirt

Got this one over at eBay. Pretty cute! Max is styling!!!
http://stores.ebay.com/ck-image-embroidery

Here are a few others I thought were cute too!

Sunday Dinner at the Grand-pups...oh, and my daughter's

Beans has LOTS of Toys!

So let me get this straight???...you and that other human are gonna dine on Salmon and a vegetable medley in butter sauce with garlic toast and me and Max are eating...what... DOG FOOD?!!?! Surely you jest?!!

After watching the Boston Celtics win in double over-time with Dad last night, I headed home to do some laundry but then my daughter called saving me from the dreaded laundry, inviting me over to watch Shameless and eat dinner! Have to say dinner vs. laundry? Hello...dinner won!! Yummy - even had dessert! Wow, it was like dinning in a first class restaurant but with pups! Have I told you lately how much my daughter rocks?!

I'll go in first and look all pitiful...

Then you come in Beans and close the deal

...they're easy targets...you KNOW it'll work!

Carly - Max's Friend

This is Carly, she's one of Max's BFFs! She's a sweet, old, lovable pup (my sister and her hubby's pup).  Poor Carly, she just wants to chill out and get petted by me sometimes and then here comes the Green-eyed Little Chi...Max! So someone else has to hold and pet Max so his feeling aren't hurt while I pet Carly.  Carly has the best disposition ever and is sooo sweet!! Isn't she a cutie?!! I love Carly!

Meet My Grand-Dog Chloe aka Beans

Did I mention I can do yoga?

While I don't have any Grand-babies...I DO have a wonderful Grand-dog, Chloe aka Beans via my super, wonderful, amazing and beautiful daughter (can ya tell I'm kinda proud of and love my daughter too??). I have never seen a dog quite like little Chloe! She jumps right into my daughter's arms from the ground straight up and if I had Beans' energy level my house would be sparkling clean!! Chloe is happy to drag out EVERY single toy she has  (and she's got a ton!!!) and play with or without you but she IS going to play!!! My daughter feels about her like I do about Max so you know she is equally as spoiled and loved!!! They love getting together!!

My Name is Chloe aka Beans
and I'm one of Max's Best
Friends!!
(Beans is my Beautiful, Best
Daughter in the World's pup)

Beans never met a Toy she
didn't like and knows
them ALL by name! She's
my Smart and FAST Grand-dog.

Pet Insurance

Well, not sure if I should or shouldn't have invested in Pet Insurance for Max? Seemed like a catch 22...get it and pay I think like $30 a month and if there's any major issues it's covered (well, most things I think) and then I won't be stressed out about some huge bill I can't afford or save the $30 each month so I have it if I should ever need it? Who knows?! I went ahead and got the VIP Pet Insurance through this pet insurance provider and had called once over a heart worm false (thank God!) positive that Max received although I knew he had been on the heart worm preventative, but I guess sometimes that can happen, anyway, of course "parasites" wasn't covered and ends up it isn't covered it seems with any of the other pet insurance companies either but I will say that they were VERY pleasant and helpful to deal with and I wasn't left on hold forever and they seemed quite knowledgeable too. Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations about pet insurance or personal experience?  Here's the link to the one I choose for my Max...
http://www.petinsurance.com/affiliates/ppc1.aspx?src=GoogleSearch&gclid=CMbsoJ7g-rQCFSemPAodfxYA7g

It's ruff work being a Super Dog!

Separation Anxiety

I've had a looong day!

Had to be on the road today at 5am headed for San Antonio, Texas (about 180 miles from Houston), today for an all day work seminar. That said, my little Max stayed the night with my awesome sister and her equally great hubby and his pup buddy Carly a big, old, lovable black Lab. Talk about separation anxiety....mine...ha..not Max's! Ha! He loves hanging out over there and being treated like a Prince but poor me! :) Going to sleep last night and then waking up this morning and not seeing those big, brown eyes....gosh, I have really gotten soooo attached to him!!! The first break we had today at the seminar, I quickly called my sister....how did she answer the phone???? Not "Hello", "Hey, what's up"....nope, she knows me too well..."He's fine!" - ha...she knows me sooo well! :)

Darn Puparazzi is at it again!!

On the way to San Antonio this morning, stopped at Buc-ee's...thus the new Max outfit. As you can tell, all is right in the world now and me and Max are ready to call it a night :)   Have a beautiful weekend!!

Microchip for Dogs

I am Microchipped and quite handsome too!
Do you SEE my Dark Brown eyes with the Olive colored Sweater?
I like to make an ENTRANCE when I walk into a room!!
I'm like the EF Hutton of Pups...When I talk...humans listen! 

When I got my little Max from Citizen's For Animal Protection, he had already been microchipped from California (long story), anyway I knew nothing about microchipping so I contacted http://www.avidid.com/ and had his microchip re-listed as me as his new Mom! It was easy to do and cheap. Now, if Max ever gets lost, if someone found him and took him to most shelters or vets, they can easily scan him and whaaa la, they call me! Their website shows that PETtrac has a 52.2% return to owner rate - that's pretty good! I even had my own experience with this huge, black lab that was obviously lost but had no tags sitting in front of a nearby movie theatre...everyone was wondering if they should take him before animal control came or what? Just as I had contacted the local emergency animal clinic to verify that they did indeed have a scanner to see if the pup had been microchipped-they did-yea! Then a frantic lady came running up to claim the dog!  It turned out that someone else in the crowd had put the dog on Craigslist with his cell right away and the lady came immediately and was sooo relieved! I just HAD to ask...if I would have put her dog in the car and scanned him? Yes, she said she had hoped that someone might do that :). Glad I followed through to protect my Max too! Love all this technology and that the guy was able to post her pups photo so fast on Craigslist! Love a happy ending!!!

See that Blue Tag on my collar? That's my Avid  Tag...
Behind that is my Reward If Missing, I'm Microchipped and Rabies Tag
Max says "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful!"

Dog Training - Unbelievable Talent and Heart!

This adorable video was made by Aki Yamaguchi

Show her some love by subscribing to her 

YouTube Videos

by searching SARJazki

I'm not sure if that's called a Channel on YouTube or what, but I subscribed a long time ago after getting a Max Video from back when he was still looking for his forever home.  Aki Yamaguchi is WAY beyond amazing in her talents!!! I mean when a typical person thinks of dog training, they think of Sit, Stay, Give Me Your Paw and things like that....this is soooo not the case here!!! I told Aki by a private email a while back that basically Cesar's got NOTHING on her!!! Ok, no ugly comments please...yes, I love Cesar too and watch him too but Wow...the things Aki has managed to do in training these dog goes way beyond the norm!! Watch some for yourself and you'll understand what I mean.  Aki is a Trainer at (the fabulous), Rover Oaks Pet Resort in Katy, Texas.  Between teaching classes and working with client's dogs, she also works with rescued dogs that need a little training. She says, "Max was a special case as he did not have any issues besides being a little shy at first.  She fell in love with him the moment he waved at her from his window.  Max is still her favorite Chi in the world to this day."  I got to meet Aki and Joy of Rover Oaks back in February  2012 when I first adopted my Max and both asked me to be sure to keep them updated from time to time...they probably regret that now ha ha ...I send them updates a LOT and silly pictures of Max.  They are truly great and inspirational people who really have answered a calling I feel in their lives.  I hesitate to even say "my Max" as I will always feel he is not just "my Max" but "our Max", I hope to one day soon be able to accurately tell the WHOLE Max story...there was lots of "OUR" people who helped much along Max's way that make it possible today for me to be able to say "my Max"! Anyway, I'm starting to ramble so just do yourself a favor and kick back and relax and watch some of Aki's incredible work via YouTube or at her blog at... http://bcnerd.wordpress.com/  or by entering SARJazki in the YouTube search area - I PROMISE, you'll be amazed!! Oh, Max is the 2nd pup featured in this video...my/OUR Super Dog!..Sorry, couldn't resist!

CONTEST FOR STORY ABOUT YOUR PUP!

Are there any silly or serious topics you'd like me to discuss? Would love some feedback if you have things you'd like me to write about, etc. - just please send me a private email to dogloverofmax@gmail.com (please don't use that Google + thing to send me an email though as I haven't fully grasped that just yet - but I'm trying to learn it-just plain email). I'm open to changing my 3 Voting/Polling boxes to if you'd like to see some other question/polls from me soon! Do you maybe have a favorite place you take your pup, things to do with your pup, Toys, Clothes, Furniture, Things that have opened up you and your pups world?

CONTEST...

Ok, so today....along those same lines, I invite you to tell me a story by sending it to my email above about the weirdest, strangest, funniest or most heartwarming thing your dog ever did and why (if you ever found out).  Submit your stories along with the name you'd like to see beside it (some only use first names, first and last or a nickname) and I will have the help of my 82 year old Dad and 28 year old daughter to help pick the WINNING story to be published on this blog.  There will also be a small prize given (need to provide me a mailing address if you win-which of course won't be published) and size of your pup at the end of the contest.  You MUST include a pix of your pup that will be included in the winning story and blog post!

DEADLINE IS MARCH 1, 2013 by 7pm Central Time!

Your Name As You Want It To Publically Appear On The Blog

Name Of Your Pup

Photo Of Your Pup For Posting With The Story

Email Addess Where to Contact You If You Win

Will later ask for your Mailing Adress (Privately) To Send You A Small Gift

Size Of Your Dog (Example:  Small 8 lb. Dog)

Let the competition begin!!!

I think my Human is in need of serious help!
What WAS she thinking?! Do the ears make me look fat? 

Dog Harness and Dog Clothes

Let's see what all the "in the know, cool pups" are sporting on the doggie runway this season...A Tab of Velcro with a snap closure is all the rage in Houston for those long walks in the park, looking all dapper in their colorful harness!! But what's a trend-setter pup to wear in the brisk evenings or when he wants to cuddle next to his Human....why yes, Vanna...Won't Max look stunning in his Green, Hoddie with the Red and White Accents and convenience pocket for an extra puppy treat to impress Mixy or Tricksy? Sound like Max is ready for a night on the town! But you'll have to be patient to see the unveiling of this handsome, young pup....

SimplyDog Mesh Body Harness

BEFORE....Without Max to Beautify...just not 
a lot of excitement here right? UNTIL....
Scroll down to see how it SHOULD look!!

So today I'm thinking...why did I pay for previous dog harnesses for Max? I had bought one of those harnesses that are made from that thick, flat, rope-like material that they make dog collars out of, for one, it was a nightmare to put it on properly (even though it was supposed to be this step-into, easy one), secondly, it seemed to irritate Max's little tummy. That's when I found...dum, da, de dum..my first SimplyDog Mesh Body Dog Harness. It was cheap at Wal-Mart and came in a few different colors. As you can see from Max's Dog Park adventures, I got a red and light blue one for like $10 each! I like that they have a velcro attachment and then you snap it into place with the same mechanism as most dog collars have. It's absolutely idiot proof (trust me, I know!ha!), it's very light-weight too so it's more breathable for your pup and I've washed mine several times and had no problem but I do let them air-dry. Just thought I'd pass on a cheap tip about my experience with harnesses - also, prefer using the harness for walks since Max has a rather fragile little neck and for his car seat, although you can use a collar with his particular car seat. Note: Type in 550798099 in the Wal-Mart Search bar to find easily :).

Next is this cute little sweater for I bought Max for Christmas, or if your a pup that gets cold easily like Max, all winter season long :). Another cheapy purchase from Wal-Mart (enter 550738239 in the Wal-Mart Search box) - under $4 but they only have XS and XXS left. It's super soft! I don't ever want to dress Max in anything uncomfortable...except to take a real quick photo :).

And Now, Ladies and Gentlemen I present the star of today in his lovely new ensemble - lady pups, behave!

Heeere's Max, no autographs please....

Max....helping keep America beautiful...one paw at a time!!

The Lovely and Talented Max AFTER the Outfit 
Beautification. I see Model Quality - He's a Natural!!!]
You know they always want long legged models right?!!
Pretty sure Doggie Vogue wants him on the Cover!!!
Benji??? I say Benji who! Have you SEEN Max?!

Houston Dog Park Association

This weekend was the perfect time take Max to the nearby dogpark in Houston, Texas and mingle with some other cute pups! Two even had Texans Football Jerseys on...the pups that is :) - very cute!  Houston Dog Park Association http://www.houstondogpark.org/ has a great website with all the local Dog Parks available.  You can even become a member for $20 a year. Max prefers this particular dog park and yes... I am now a member of the Houston Dog Park Association too!! Max is just working overtime on keeping me broke! 

http://www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/congressmanbillarcherpark.aspx there's even a Skate Park there for humans, (although NOT this human - I'd like to keep my broken bones to a minimum)!

Congressman Bill Archer Bark Park (West Houston) Location: 3201 Hwy 6, just north of I-10. Across from Bear Creek Park.

Amenities: 20 plus acres. Double gated & fenced, pick up bags, large and small dog areas (with large and small agilty fun equipment in them!) -doggie swimming ponds, water fountains, doggie showers, shade areas, benches, lots of trees, long walking trails, parking lot. Open 7 days a week dawn to dusk. 

Be sure to check out the Dog Park Rules! I've been there numerous times and never encountered any problems with aggressive pups but a few have, so just keep your eyes on your pup and please remember to use the potty bags that are available all over the park.  It's fun to just see all the different pups out there having a blast!

Max at the Dog Park - Houston, TX
Looking quite patriotic!



I found my forever home because of Joy at Rover Oaks in Katy, Texas and Citizens For Animal Protection - Thanks!!! (Photo By Wonderful Aki Yamaguchi - AMAZING Dog Trainer!)

Just wanted to give my thanks to Joy at Rover Oaks! She does amazing volunteer and professional work with dogs!!! If it weren’t for Joy, I wouldn’t have found my wonderful BFF Max!!! They REALLY care about your pup and give soooo much back to the community and pups!!!

http://www.roveroaks.com/

Can’t thank Joy and Rover Oaks enough!!!

If you are looking for a great Doggie Daycare, Dog Boarding, Dog Training, Dog Groming or Dog Items in the Houston or Katy, Texas area I'd call them!

I think this list of some of the awards given to Rover Oaks speaks for itself…but you can’t really express in an award the love behind it all…

Some of the Awards given to Rover Oaks includes:  2012 Winner of Distinction-Award for Excellence-Better Business Bureau, 2012 Best Boarding Facility, Best Doggie Daycare, Best Agility Training-Houston Pet Talk; 2012 Top Rated Pet Services, Pet Boarding, Pet Groomers, and Pet Trainers-Citysearch; 2012 Best Boarding in Houston-Houston A-List; 2012 Best Kennel-Katy Times; 2011 Pinnacle Award Winner-Award for Excellence-Better Business Bureau; 2011 Best Doggie Day Care, Animal Grooming, and Dog Trainer-Bellaire Examiner; 2011 Humanitarian Award-Citizens for Animal Protection; 2011 Best Boarding-Houston PetTalk Magazine; 2010 Best Doggie Daycare- Katy Sun; 2010 Best Boarding-Houston PetTalk; 2010 Best Boarding-Click2Houston; 2010 Best Boarding-Bellaire Examiner; 2010 Best Doggie Daycare-Houston PetTalk; 2010 Best Doggie Daycare-Houston Press; 2010 Best Doggie Daycare-Katy Sun; 2010 Top Rated Pet Boarding, Pet Services and Dog Trainers – Citysearch!!! 



Valentines Dog Apparel ... Gotta Keep Max Looking Good!

My Handsome Max

My 82 year old Dad who I help take care of, was recently concerned..."What's Max's get-up going to be for Valentines Day?!"...well, I found this cute collar with 5 interchangeable ties (you can pick Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Halloween, Easter, Solid Black, Thanksgiving, Birthday or Christmas patterns).  Problem solved! Ordered from Pugpossessed at http://www.etsy.com/listing/108955186/pug-or-small-dog-collar-tie-set - got it in record breaking time too! Thanks Pugpossessed!

Max is my little "Baby on Board" and yesterday he got his new Dog Car Seat! It's called Pup Saver (you can see all about it and I would highly encourage everyone to WATCH THE VIDEO at www.pupsaver.com ).  Ray Bennett at created a brand new way of looking at Dog Safety and came up with Pup Saver.  I had another Dog Car Seat that was ok, but was honestly better served as a booster chair for Max to enjoy the sites rather than keeping him safe.  The Pup Saver is about the EASIEST thing on the planet to use...just plop it in the seat next to or behind you latch the tether to his collar and go! You intentionally, by design, do NOT belt it in! It's designed to act sort of like a clam and fold up with your precious baby inside it should you have a wreck...again, watch the video as I can't do it justice here.  We went on our maiden voyage yesterday and Max loved it! It's super soft, made extremely well and with top quality materials and I love that if you are traveling or visiting people, it can also easily be used as a dog bed too and that it literally takes no longer to put in and OUT of your car than it does to put your purse down on the seat - gotta love that!! Yes, I've gone on and on about this product and no, I am not paid, connected with, etc. with Pup Saver in any way - other than just think it's a great product to launch my blog with and remind everyone to keep their pups safe! I'll try to review more product and tell you the ones Max likes as this blog progresses! Have a great day and let your little lights shine!!