Friday, April 26, 2013

Carmel, second paw

Fountain of Woof in Carmel Plaza
I had a furtastic time touring Carmel last weekend. I brought my brother and was able to show him the coolest dog spots Carmel has to offer. This was his first visit so it made the trip that more exciting. During our visit, we strolled through the court yards, put our paws in the sand, ordered off the dog menu, shopped at Diggidy Dog, and paid our respects to the first dog of Carmel.


One of my favorite things to do in Carmel is sniff around the small courtyards surrounding Ocean Avenue. I took Solo and grandpa to see my favorite courtyard. The El Paseo Courtyard and Passageway is my favorite courtyard because of the sculpture by Jo Mora and the tiled staircases.


I first sniffed upon this courtyard during my first trip to Carmel. I was tired and laid down on the cool multicolored tiles to rest. I was in heaven. After a little rest and some encouragement from my mom, I got up and venture further into the courtyard, through a small passageway, and found a statue called "The Greeting." I liked this statue which showcases a lady curtsying and man bowing. I don't know how to bow but I sure do love posing with the lady and the man. So does my brother, woof!

Solo and I
Next, I walked down to Carmel beach with my family. It was a really long walk for my brother and I. We walked from Carmel Plaza, zigzagged down Ocean Avenue, all the way down to the end so our paws could feel the sand between our pads.


We did not stay at the beach long since we were really tired from the long walk. Grandpa helped us out and strolled Solo and I back up Ocean Avenue for some lunch.

strolling to lunch
I wanted to show my brother the Dog Pound Menu at Forge in the Forest. He loves ordering off dog menus as much as I do. We ordered the chicken, of course. However, the portions are huge and we decided to share our meal. There is nothing worse than wasting yummy chicken.

We love ordering off dog menus! Woof woof!
Once our bellies were full, we headed over to Diggidy Dog for a quick look at their clothes. My brother could not leave Carmel without a Diggidy Dog tank top. We both tried on a variety of tank tops until we found the right color and size for both of us. We got lots of treats from the staff and even sniffed a few butts in between fittings.


Before leaving Carmel we had to sniff out one dog tourist spot I had not visited before. I wanted to pay my respects to Pal, the first dog of Carmel. His grave is located at the Forest Theater which is a quick five minute drive from Carmel Plaza.

Pal's grave
Pal's headstone
We sniffed, sat, and paid our respects to Pal. We also walked around to sniff in the natural beauty of the outdoor theater. Hopefully, my brother and I will come back later this year to watch our first stage show. We cannot wait, woof woof!

paying our respects to Pal
I am wagging with joy that my brother and grandpa came with me during my second trip to Carmel. I love the city, I love the food, and I love the shopping. I cannot wait to bring my furiends to Carmel. I know they will love the city as much as I do. Woof woof! Until then, keep wandering.


Who are we wearing? I was wearing a red and grey stripped Diggidy Dog tank. Solo was wearing a red, white, and blue peace sign tank by I See Spot. We are both accessorizing with bamboo and blue lagoon Buddy Belts. We strolled around in our camo 1st Class 3-Wheel Jogger by PetZip.

Monday, April 15, 2013

My Star Wars Birthday Pawty, WOOF WOOF!

My 5th birthday pawty was out of this world!
I love celebrating my birthday. I love the dog cake, the treats, and hanging with my furiends. This year I had a Star Wars birthday pawty and it was WOOFTASTIC! We played games, ate dog pizza, dressed up as our favorite Star Wars characters, and devoured my birthday cake.



Every paw participated in the pawty games. I had three games to help my guest hone their Jedi skills. The first game was to guess how many treats were in the doggie water bottle. My furiend Nigel won, woof woof!

Nigel with his prizes!
The second game was called Find Chewy. Every paw had to find my face in the Star Wars collage and find me in the room. My furiends Obi and Jun tied and both won, woof woof!

Can you find me?
The last game was a Star Wars scramble. I used words related to me, my birthday, and Star Wars characters. My furiend Guido was the first paw to unscramble all of the words, woof woof! Congrats to all of the Jedi winners. The force is strong with each of you. Woof woof!

My pawty guest loved the pizza and treats!
I made sure my furiends were well fed at my Star Wars birthday pawty. I asked for dog pizza and my mom delivered. She used ground chicken for the crust, organic pumpkin puree for the pizza sauce, and Zukes Lil' Links for the pupperoni. All of my furiends had a slice and wanted more. I love chicken and ate three whole slices, WOOF WOOF!


You can't have a pawty without treats! My pal Rocky from Rocky's Gourmet Goodies supplied the yummy dessert. I served Apple A Day and Pumpkin Poppers to my pawty guests. All of my furiends crunched, swallowed, and begged for more.

Solo loves Rocky's treats!
A big WOOF WOOF AND FOUR PAWS UP to Rocky and Rocky's Gourmet Goodies for sending me these pawsitively delickious treats for my birthday pawty.

Solo and I as Han Solo and Chewbacca
My mom made my Chewbacca outfit. She used a dog shirt pattern to make the body and used a brown paper bag and tin foil to make my bandolier. Mommy made Solo's Han Solo vest using the same dog shirt pattern. She cut down the chest of the shirt so it could open into a vest.

Clyde as Darth Vadar
My pal Clyde wore a costume my mom made too. He was Darth Vadar. Mom used the dog shirt pattern to make Darth Vadar shirt, hand sewed pieces of fabric to make the breast plate, and attached a small cape to the back of the shirt.

Guido as a Ewok
Abbie as a Jedi Knight
Clyde's sister Iris as Yoda.
Most of my friends came as Ewoks and Jedi knights. All of the outfits were made by their parents too. Everypaw looked pawesome in their outfits!



My cake was super yummy. Natalie, owner of My Best Friend Specialty Pet Bakery, hand painted my portrait on the top of the cake, painted the sides blue, embellished the sides with stars, and used black and grey frosting for the trim. She made sure every detail of my cake was purfect for my Star War birthday pawty. Thanks Natalie!

Clyde and Iris love the cake.
Rio love it too!
Every canine at my pawty woofed down their slice and enjoyed licking every crumb off of their plate. I will never have another pawty without a cake from My Best Friend Specialty Pet Bakery.


By the end of my pawty, every pawtier had full bellies and was ready for a nap. I had a furtastic time at my fifth birthday pawty. Thank you to everyone for celebrating with me. I am one lucky wookie, woof woof! Until the next pawty... keep wandering.

To see more pictures from my birthday pawty CLICK HERE.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Misa Minnie is pawsitively brilliant!

MISA MINNIE
FAMOUS YORKIE ON FACEBOOK


Step over Lassie, there is a new smart pup in town! Meet Misa Minnie. She is a spunky 6 month old Yorkshire Terrier that loves playing with toys and expanding her repertoire of tricks.


Misa Minnie began her Facebook journey on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 3:07pm. What started out as a day by day account of Misa Minnie's growth turned into a Yorkie showcase of weekly tricks on YouTube. It did not take long for Misa Minnie's quick learning skills to turn into a canine cultural phenomenon. She can weave through bottles, close doors, show she is sad, and much much more.



Misa Minnie's most popular trick, playing Patty Cake, has reach over 184,000 views and has been featured in a number of television shows and websites. For example, KING5.com, Godvine.com, and Perezhilton.com are just a few sites where you could see Misa Minnie playing patty cake. Check out her Right This Minute segment below:


After watching all of her videos, I was instantly a Misa Minnie fan. But I knew there was more to her than rolling over and playing patty cake. I had the pleasure of barking it out with Misa Minnie to sniff out more details about her rise to fame, her taste in fashion, and her favorite toys.

You have your own blog titled "Me So Mini Misa." How did you come up with this name?
Well the blog name all started with the story of my name. Mom wanted to name me something meaningful, cute, and different when she got me. My original name was suppose to be "Miso" Minnie so it would sound like Me so Mini or I am so Mini. Minnie was from Minnie Mouse since mom is a Disney Fan and also a play on my size. But her roommate though it sounded like a boy because of the japanese food miso soup. So we changed the "O" to an "A" and found out that Misa actually meant beautiful sand in japanese or 美沙= one-hundredth of a million beautiful. She loved both meanings because of her love of the beach and because she also though that I would be a special pup one day. Then they couldn't decide whether they liked Misa Minnie or Minnie Misa. So when we were creating my blog we added everything together Me So Mini Misa or I am a small misa. I hope that all makes sense!

You have been in numerous Youtube videos, have over 8000 likes on Facebook, and are featured in many news broadcasts and articles.  How do you feel about your rise in celebrity status?
It's a little overwhelming for me right now. Who would have thought that little old me would have been thrown into the spotlight so quickly? I feel very blessed and happy to have so much support from everyone, it is amazing!

Not all Yorkies like to be on camera. I like the to pose for the camera and my brother would rather run around for videos. Do you like to be on camera, whether it is a photo shoot or on video ? Do you prefer one over the other?
I like being video taped better because I get more treats and when mom has the camera out that means she's going to spend a lot of time with me training or playing. Photo sessions are fun and can be exciting when I get to model clothes but I would pick video over photo any day.

You are very photogenic in your photographs.  What advice do you have for aspiring Yorkie models?
Keep your chin up, tilt those ears, and make sure to give the camera your best puppy beg eyes. It gets them every time. Even if you're not a puppy you can still tap into you inner cuteness. Remember what Tyra Banks the human model says you have to Smize! Smile with your eyes. You can always practice with your person to get extra treats too!

I am a Yorkie who loves to wear clothing. You seem to love wearing clothes too. What are your favorite outfits and where do you like to wear them?
One of my favorite outfits is my hello kitty Pjs by CedricNLola, they don't fit me any more but mom promises to buy me a new pair. They are extra comfortable and cute and I love wearing them around the house and sometimes even out for a walk when its cold outside! Its my go to outfit on chilly days. Another outfit I'm very fond of is my Hello Kitty Safari Suit. It is perfect for when I'm having an adventure and comfortable when I need to explore the wilderness of the backyard grass. It is also quite stylish. You could say it was Steve Erwin inspired.

I have seen a video of you playing with a variety of toys. My brother Solo loves toys. Which toy do you like to play with the most?
My absolute favorite toy is my pink teddy bear Peeka. She's shown in a lot of my earlier photos. I absolutely adore her. She is my first and favorite toy and I bring her everywhere with me. Usually mom has a hard time finding her because I like to hide her so no one can take her. She was actually named by my fans on facebook when we had a poll on what name they thought would suit her.

You also use props when showing off your tricks. I like watching you weave through containers. What additional types of toys and props will you incorporate into your future training sessions?

Now that we can't tell you Chewy. You'll just have to see! We have a lot of things in mind for what we want to learn next and there are some props involved. Somethings you've never seen used before. We want to keep everyone guessing so I guess you'll all have to wait and see.


Misa Minnie is small but she is also an intellectually savvy Yorkshire Terrier. She has risen to stardom in a short period of time and her fan base is still growing. I have been inspired by Misa's ability to learn so many tricks at such a young age. Maybe one day my brother and I can learn to play patty cake with one another...until then keep wandering and practicing those tricks.