BIG NEWS EVERYONE!
Ok so, I meet lots of friends on walkies and I'd just like to say- I don't discriminate. Big dog, small dog, black dog, white dog, slobbery or furry, as long as they cool I'm cool too, ya know? But, and this is a big but, a few years back I came across a kind of "dog" I later found out were known as pugs. Now I don't know if you've seen a pug, but they are wack. Their face is all squishy, they snort like pigs and they have these huge bug eyes that stare at ya. I'm telling you... theres something suspicious about these "pugs". No one believes me when I tell them, and N thinks I'm silly for running away when I see one on the street. They smell like normal dogs, but they act like pigs.
So I've been trying to warn efurrybody about them for years and no one pays attention. Well people, I have finally found proof. The other day N was watching Men in Black on the tv. And what do you know, turns out pugs are actually aliens!! Yes, you heard it from me first. Pugs. Are. Aliens. This explains everything! I'm trying to spread the news out there so people can take precautions. If you come across a pug, be very careful and do not look directly into their eyes. Aliens do mind control and all that creepy shit! I for one will be very careful about sharing doggy information with my "pug" neighbour. If you suspect you have been compromised by alien pugs, call the doggy hotline 1800-PUGALIEN.
Stay safe folks,
Ruff
Friday 30 December 2016
Rufflesblogs- Bob Dylan in the House
Waddup dawgs,
So this week we had a puppy over at home. For those of you who are wondering...no, it was not Button. This new guy is called Bob Dylan, and he just moved in a few floors down of our apartment complex. Bob is a 16 week old poodle x cavalier king charles spaniel , just like me. He's a good looking chap, as far as pups go, but let me tell you he is a load of work! I'm just going to say it- Bob Dylan is crazy! He jumps on me, tries to hump me, and barks back (!!) when I tell him off. Young kids nowadays have zero respect for their elders!
He rummaged through all my toys, took water from MY bowl and peed and pooped all over the house! Too bad for him he didn't know pee pees on furs means bath time- ho ho ho! So I smelt some of the odors he left behind in the kitchen and I thought, hey that will not do. I am top dawg over here! So I rightly left covered my pee over his scent. I got a scolding from N but it was worth it :p.
Later on N took us out for walkies and I made sure Bob knew who was Boss by marking my pee over all the good spots. When we came home everyone was tired so I took a nap. Not Bob though. He wouldn't stop harassing me! N had to hold him down until he finally left me alone. I let out a big sigh of relief when his pawrents finally came to pick him up. "Take him, take him!" I begged. Thank goodness they did. Phew~
Paws out,
Ruff
So this week we had a puppy over at home. For those of you who are wondering...no, it was not Button. This new guy is called Bob Dylan, and he just moved in a few floors down of our apartment complex. Bob is a 16 week old poodle x cavalier king charles spaniel , just like me. He's a good looking chap, as far as pups go, but let me tell you he is a load of work! I'm just going to say it- Bob Dylan is crazy! He jumps on me, tries to hump me, and barks back (!!) when I tell him off. Young kids nowadays have zero respect for their elders!
He rummaged through all my toys, took water from MY bowl and peed and pooped all over the house! Too bad for him he didn't know pee pees on furs means bath time- ho ho ho! So I smelt some of the odors he left behind in the kitchen and I thought, hey that will not do. I am top dawg over here! So I rightly left covered my pee over his scent. I got a scolding from N but it was worth it :p.
Paws out,
Ruff
Thursday 8 December 2016
The Countdown
Hi everyone,
We've about one month till I go to New Zealand and get Button, so I've been amping up the preparations. So far I have got a soft playpen from Amazon, a SHERPA pet carrier bag (used from Carousell.com), Zeal treats and a Torus water bowl from pet.co.nz (travel size; I already own the regular sized one). Pet.co.nz is doing a 12 days of Christmas sale so I've been taking advantage of that and sending items to my aunt's place. Other items on my list include a collar and lead, dog food, puppy toys and a food bowl.
My neighbours have recently got 4 month old puppy, and he looks exactly like Ruffles did when he was young. The first time they met in our lobby Ruffles went crazy not being able to meet him properly (the puppy still needs his last vaccination). Going on his behavior I also learnt our lobby is probably not the ideal place to introduce him to Button- Ruffles considers it part of his home so his automatic reaction is to bark at any unfamiliar dogs that come in. It is super important to me that Button and Ruffles get along swimmingly, so although Ruffles is very sociable to dogs in general I want to make sure everything is set up just right for their first meeting.
Obviously its different this time around getting Button to when I first got Ruffles. I didn't know anything before I got Ruffles and so I sort of learnt as I went along. While I feel more "ehem" seasoned right now, its been 5 years since I had a puppy and I have an additional set of concerns. Could I really love another dog as much as I love Ruffles? Will I be biased? What if Button is completely different to how Ruffles was? What if he doesn't like Ruffles? What if he doesn't like me? Most of my concerns are probably unfounded. Button comes from an awesome breeder and he has amazing doggy parents with great temperament. I guess its been too long (more than 10 years!) since I've lived in New Zealand, and it worries me about how I will get along without a car, not to mention what I will do with 4 weeks of free time in a foreign place. But I'll have my cousin there so I won't be completely alone.
Sorry if this post is a bit rambly. Its in my nature to worry about these things, so I guess it can't be helped :p.
Till the next,
N
We've about one month till I go to New Zealand and get Button, so I've been amping up the preparations. So far I have got a soft playpen from Amazon, a SHERPA pet carrier bag (used from Carousell.com), Zeal treats and a Torus water bowl from pet.co.nz (travel size; I already own the regular sized one). Pet.co.nz is doing a 12 days of Christmas sale so I've been taking advantage of that and sending items to my aunt's place. Other items on my list include a collar and lead, dog food, puppy toys and a food bowl.
My neighbours have recently got 4 month old puppy, and he looks exactly like Ruffles did when he was young. The first time they met in our lobby Ruffles went crazy not being able to meet him properly (the puppy still needs his last vaccination). Going on his behavior I also learnt our lobby is probably not the ideal place to introduce him to Button- Ruffles considers it part of his home so his automatic reaction is to bark at any unfamiliar dogs that come in. It is super important to me that Button and Ruffles get along swimmingly, so although Ruffles is very sociable to dogs in general I want to make sure everything is set up just right for their first meeting.
Obviously its different this time around getting Button to when I first got Ruffles. I didn't know anything before I got Ruffles and so I sort of learnt as I went along. While I feel more "ehem" seasoned right now, its been 5 years since I had a puppy and I have an additional set of concerns. Could I really love another dog as much as I love Ruffles? Will I be biased? What if Button is completely different to how Ruffles was? What if he doesn't like Ruffles? What if he doesn't like me? Most of my concerns are probably unfounded. Button comes from an awesome breeder and he has amazing doggy parents with great temperament. I guess its been too long (more than 10 years!) since I've lived in New Zealand, and it worries me about how I will get along without a car, not to mention what I will do with 4 weeks of free time in a foreign place. But I'll have my cousin there so I won't be completely alone.
Sorry if this post is a bit rambly. Its in my nature to worry about these things, so I guess it can't be helped :p.
Till the next,
N
Wednesday 9 November 2016
Rufflesblogs: My First BarkPost! How to Train Your Human
...*Stretches*...Oh, hey there. N told me our blog is up and runnin'. She's been naggin' me to come introduce myself (again), so here I am. For my first BarkPost, I thought I'd do one for all my doggy peeps out there. See, there are lots of places for humans to talk with each other and exchange the 411 on everything dawg. But theres nowhere for us canine folks to have a pow-wow about hoomans. So after many hours of hard work, sweat, blood and tears (I accept payment in treaties N #notkidding), I present to you...
How to Train Your Human
1. Look at Me
Okay guys this is an important one to start with. Hungry for dinner? Bored silly at home? Want a treatie? If you wanna get your human to do what you want, first you gotta get them to look at ya. To do this, use The Stare. No half assed looks here! The stare has gotta be strong, and you wanna make sure you are near and sittin' up so your human knows you mean bizniz. Now humans can be a lil slow. So you need to keep staring until it works. If that doesn't work, you my friend might be stuck with a really slow human. Aright, aright, so if that happens, don't sweat. Use The Paw. One paw on your human's leg should get their attention. Mix it up with The Stare, or A Whine, and you should be set.
2. Get Me Food/Play With Me/Let's Go Out
Once your human looks at ya, he should know you want something. So get up and walk over to what you want 'em to get. If its food, plop yourself in front of the fridge. If you wanna play, go ahead and get your toy. If you are going catshit crazy in the house, go to where your harness is. If you wanna level up, use The Point; look at whatcha want, then look at your human, and look bac'addit again.
3. Gimme That, Now!
Look, sometimes a dog don't got the time to do all that. If theres a new meaty treatie, or a new ball ball, I NEED IT NOW!! (Ops, got carried away heh). So whine away. The louder the better. If your human is annoying you by carrying you; whine, struggle, put your head in your human's armpit. Ehfurrything goes.
5. I Don't Like This, Stahppp it!
One word. Sigh, groan, walk away. Ok so, I hate it when N brushes my teefies (don't get me started). And she's sneaky so she usually does it when I'm half asleep. So I let her do it, but I don't make it easy. I sigh, I give a big groan, and since I can't walk away, I move my mouth and tongue around as much as I can. Don't make it easy for them pawchamps. I'm pretty darn sure I've saved myself long teef brushin' time because of this.
So thats it for my first barkpost. Fellow canines, I hoped its helped you in training your hoomans. If you have any questions or human behaviors you can't solve, drop me a line- I'll be happy to dish out advice! (Donations to the Ruffie Fund are accepted in treaties).
Movin' Out,
Capt'n Ruff
How to Train Your Human
1. Look at Me
Okay guys this is an important one to start with. Hungry for dinner? Bored silly at home? Want a treatie? If you wanna get your human to do what you want, first you gotta get them to look at ya. To do this, use The Stare. No half assed looks here! The stare has gotta be strong, and you wanna make sure you are near and sittin' up so your human knows you mean bizniz. Now humans can be a lil slow. So you need to keep staring until it works. If that doesn't work, you my friend might be stuck with a really slow human. Aright, aright, so if that happens, don't sweat. Use The Paw. One paw on your human's leg should get their attention. Mix it up with The Stare, or A Whine, and you should be set.
2. Get Me Food/Play With Me/Let's Go Out
Once your human looks at ya, he should know you want something. So get up and walk over to what you want 'em to get. If its food, plop yourself in front of the fridge. If you wanna play, go ahead and get your toy. If you are going catshit crazy in the house, go to where your harness is. If you wanna level up, use The Point; look at whatcha want, then look at your human, and look bac'addit again.
3. Gimme That, Now!
Look, sometimes a dog don't got the time to do all that. If theres a new meaty treatie, or a new ball ball, I NEED IT NOW!! (Ops, got carried away heh). So whine away. The louder the better. If your human is annoying you by carrying you; whine, struggle, put your head in your human's armpit. Ehfurrything goes.
5. I Don't Like This, Stahppp it!
One word. Sigh, groan, walk away. Ok so, I hate it when N brushes my teefies (don't get me started). And she's sneaky so she usually does it when I'm half asleep. So I let her do it, but I don't make it easy. I sigh, I give a big groan, and since I can't walk away, I move my mouth and tongue around as much as I can. Don't make it easy for them pawchamps. I'm pretty darn sure I've saved myself long teef brushin' time because of this.
So thats it for my first barkpost. Fellow canines, I hoped its helped you in training your hoomans. If you have any questions or human behaviors you can't solve, drop me a line- I'll be happy to dish out advice! (Donations to the Ruffie Fund are accepted in treaties).
Movin' Out,
Capt'n Ruff
Monday 7 November 2016
Post 2013 Reflections
So its been 3 years since I created my first blog. Honestly speaking I wouldn't have gotten back into it if not for the pending arrival of Theo. Looking back on our old blogposts, here's what I've noticed about how Ruffles has changed in the years since.
1. His personality has developed. Note I use the word developed and not matured hehe. I would say from around the time I got Ruffles to around when he was say 2.5 years old he was a typical puppy- babyish and oblivious. At 4 years old, he now communicates very clearly with us. If he wants anything, he'll let us know. If he's not happy about something, he protests. If he's annoyed, he lets out a big sigh. He loves us, but also likes his own space. Its almost like he's saying to us, "I'm an adult now, take me seriously!" . He still relies on us for his needs, but in a way I also rely on him for comfort and strength.
2. He has developed an obsession for tennis balls. I don't remember him ever liking them back in Australia, but here its his favorite toy. We have a tennis court in our apartment and Ruffles loves to regularly sniff in the garden for balls out of court. He also has a partner in crime in our security guard, who gives him a new ball each week.
Ruffles and his tennis balls
3. He's settled into routine. When I first came back, I thought of a new place to bring him each week. Every other day it was the park, or a playdate with his friend, or the beach. It is perhaps more a reflection on myself that I feel ok leaving his daily routine to a nice game of fetch in the garden, a short walk in the morning and the occasional playdate.
Favorite resting spot
4. His skin/diet issues have calmed down. Itching and scratching were a huge stress point for me when we first arrived back in Singapore. I tried everything- different kibble, DIY raw diets, DIY commercial raw diets, you name it, I tried it. After months and months of trials and stomach upsets, I finally put him on a cooked diet with a canine nutritionist. And we have not looked back. He still itches and scratches, and gets the occasional ear infection, but it is not near as bad as it was before.
All grown up
I have to say, while I loved Ruff as a puppy, I enjoy him more as an adult. Things feel settled now, and I like it. Of course, thats about to all change in the next few months. As to how I'm feeling about the impending changes- well that's a post for another day :).
Cheers,
N
Old Blog Flashback- 22 April 2013
Note from N: This is the second post from our old 2013 blog recap.
What's up peeps!
Well its been almost a week since the family returned from Japan. I've been trying to get N to update my blog but she's just been sooooo lazy and groggy all the time. I think she soaked too long in the hot spring waters there hehe.
Anyway I'm real happy everyone is home! 9 days without 'em was pretty boring. N showed me some pictures of the pink trees and tall mountains she saw; 'parently the family decided to go to Japan because you can only see pink trees this time of the year.
Here's another reason they went to Japan! Nice fresh beef with lots of fat in it *slurps*. N stuffed her face silly with these! She had Waygu beef sukiyaki, Waygu beef shabu shabu, grilled Hida beef, grilled Hida sukiyaki beef, braised Hida beef..."sigh".
I was feeling pretty down after hearing about the beef. Why do I always miss out on the good stuff?? N told me to cheer up because she got me a surprise pressie!
Oh oh oh, what could it be? Its chunky...it's brown....its soft....it....smells like a toy?
N says she missed me so much in Japan she bought herself a toy doggy to remind her of me. Okay...I guess that's kinda sweet...
WAIT is that a pink bow I see?? Excuse me I am not a girl!!
Sheesh. Humans. "rolls eyes".
Sniff youse later,
Ruff
What's up peeps!
Well its been almost a week since the family returned from Japan. I've been trying to get N to update my blog but she's just been sooooo lazy and groggy all the time. I think she soaked too long in the hot spring waters there hehe.
Anyway I'm real happy everyone is home! 9 days without 'em was pretty boring. N showed me some pictures of the pink trees and tall mountains she saw; 'parently the family decided to go to Japan because you can only see pink trees this time of the year.
Here's another reason they went to Japan! Nice fresh beef with lots of fat in it *slurps*. N stuffed her face silly with these! She had Waygu beef sukiyaki, Waygu beef shabu shabu, grilled Hida beef, grilled Hida sukiyaki beef, braised Hida beef..."sigh".
I was feeling pretty down after hearing about the beef. Why do I always miss out on the good stuff?? N told me to cheer up because she got me a surprise pressie!
Oh oh oh, what could it be? Its chunky...it's brown....its soft....it....smells like a toy?
"..............."
N says she missed me so much in Japan she bought herself a toy doggy to remind her of me. Okay...I guess that's kinda sweet...
WAIT is that a pink bow I see?? Excuse me I am not a girl!!
Sheesh. Humans. "rolls eyes".
Sniff youse later,
Ruff
Old Blog Flashback- 14 May 2013
Note from N: This is actually our second attempt at blogging, the first being when Ruffles was just over a year old in 2013. I've managed to find some of our old posts and thought it would be fun to include them here.
Hi Guys!
I'm back! Sorry for not saying hi for so long. N had some sad stuff happen around her so she hasn't been in the mood to help me blog for a long time. She's feeling better now though and promised she'd help me out more!
The weather in Singapore has been real hot the past few weeks. If you know anything about me, I'm an ice-cream-not-warm-milk, winter-not-summer, tile-not-carpet kinda dog. I can't stand the heat! So on Saturday N took me to Mr Groomers to get my hair cut short. I've been hearin' some meanie comments like I look like a rodent *glares at Brother Teo* but as long as I'm no longer hot n stuffy, everything's cool with me =).
 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
Psst I got this nasty burn after my trip to the groomers. N was real upset when she found it. It was so ouchie but after N put some medicine on it I felt much better :).
 |
| My ouchie. Looks gross! |
Later on N brought down my other toy, Mr Elephantie for playtime. She said I was ignoring him.
Duh! I am not ignoring Mr Elephantie! It's just I am busy playing with my new toy and it would be rude to walk away.
N decided to test me. She put Mr Elephantie and Maurey (think that's what I will call him from now on) side by side...
...then she made me do a stay far away
... And then she let me go! So of course I went for....
...Maurey! What? We haven't finished playing!
... And then she let me go! So of course I went for....
...Maurey! What? We haven't finished playing!
N did it again and I went n got...
Maurey again hehe. Hey it's not that I don't love Mr Elephantie, I just need more time to *ahem* get acquainted with Maurey!
Til next time!
3 Happy Wuffs,
Ruff
Sunday 6 November 2016
Shop Til You Drop- Playpen
So its around 2 months till I travel to New Zealand to pick up Button, which gives me a good amount of time to get all the things I might need for a brand new puppy. The shopaholic in me wants to source the cheapest items I can get from Singapore and New Zealand, so its been a many hours of online surfing and planning for the past couple of days.
Dog Playpen
This is the number one item on my to-get list. Ruffles was born and raised in Australia, and he came back with me to Singapore when he was eight months old. In retrospect the best thing I bought for him when he was a puppy was a playpen. It made toilet training a breeze, taught him boundaries and gave him a place to feel calm and secure. I actually brought his playpen back to Singapore, but its been a good 4 years and it has since rusted beyond use.
Option 1:
8 panel wire playpen from www.crazydeal.co.nz.
Price: $62 + $10 shipping (SGD/NZD)
This is almost identical to the playpen Ruffles had.
Pros: I can get it shipped straight to the address I'm living in Auckland. A hard wire playpen is probably the most secure option, especially for a puppy. Its breathable, easy for me to enter and access and it can withstand puppy chewing/destruction.
Cons: Portability. I will still need the playpen when we return to Singapore, and lugging a 10kg item back isn't easy. I'm also worried about the playpen scratching the wooden floors of our apartment.
Option 2:
Petsfit 8 panel soft crate from amazon.co.uk
Price: ~$90 (52 pounds)
My friend has kindly agreed to bring this back for me should I decide to get it.
Pros: This weighs only 4 kg and folds into a carry-on bag, which makes traveling with it a breeze. The top and bottom of the playpen are securely fastened with zips as opposed to velcro. The cloth base also provides a barrier between the playpen and the flooring in case of any toilet accidents.
Cons: Durability. I am not sure how the soft crate will stand up to a young, teething puppy. Unlike a wire or plastic crate, I cannot take apart the panels to repurpose them as barriers (e.g. for staircases and balconies)
Option 3:
Plastic playpen from qoo10.sg or carousell.sg
Price: $65- $80
Pros: All the benefits of a wire crate, without the worry of floor scratching.
Cons: Weight. I estimate it to be around 10kgs and I would have to carry this from Singapore to Auckland and back.
So, which one would you choose? Let me know in the comments below.
Signing off,
N
Dog Playpen
This is the number one item on my to-get list. Ruffles was born and raised in Australia, and he came back with me to Singapore when he was eight months old. In retrospect the best thing I bought for him when he was a puppy was a playpen. It made toilet training a breeze, taught him boundaries and gave him a place to feel calm and secure. I actually brought his playpen back to Singapore, but its been a good 4 years and it has since rusted beyond use.
Option 1:
8 panel wire playpen from www.crazydeal.co.nz.
Price: $62 + $10 shipping (SGD/NZD)
This is almost identical to the playpen Ruffles had.
Baby Ruffles and his playpen
Cons: Portability. I will still need the playpen when we return to Singapore, and lugging a 10kg item back isn't easy. I'm also worried about the playpen scratching the wooden floors of our apartment.
Option 2:
Petsfit 8 panel soft crate from amazon.co.uk
Price: ~$90 (52 pounds)
My friend has kindly agreed to bring this back for me should I decide to get it.
Pros: This weighs only 4 kg and folds into a carry-on bag, which makes traveling with it a breeze. The top and bottom of the playpen are securely fastened with zips as opposed to velcro. The cloth base also provides a barrier between the playpen and the flooring in case of any toilet accidents.
Cons: Durability. I am not sure how the soft crate will stand up to a young, teething puppy. Unlike a wire or plastic crate, I cannot take apart the panels to repurpose them as barriers (e.g. for staircases and balconies)
Option 3:
Plastic playpen from qoo10.sg or carousell.sg
Price: $65- $80
Pros: All the benefits of a wire crate, without the worry of floor scratching.
Cons: Weight. I estimate it to be around 10kgs and I would have to carry this from Singapore to Auckland and back.
So, which one would you choose? Let me know in the comments below.
Signing off,
N
Saturday 5 November 2016
Introduction
The Crew
Ruffles: Four year old brown cavoodle, living life to the full one tennis ball at a time. Head Vice-head honcho of the Teo household. Responsibilities include food and toy quality control, security detail and guest welcome.
Button: 2 day old red and white parti Havanese. Baby Teo. Awaiting promotion to second in command upon arrival in February, 2017.
N: Twenty-nine year old human female. Head honcho of the Teo household Responsible for food and toy acquisition. Other roles include dog walking, poop picking, hairdressing and health inspection.
Other in-house members: Daddy Teo, Mommy Teo, Brother Teo and J Teo.
"Hi everyone! My name is N and I'm the chief blogger here at rufflesandbutton. I'll be documenting the process of bringing Button, our new family member back from New Zealand in January of 2017. For six weeks, Button and I will stay in Auckland with our relatives, checking out puppy preschool, parks, cafes and what not. We will then travel 10 hours by plane home. Follow us for the ins and outs of a life with two doggies in Singapore!'
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