FUNdraising is PAWsome!

Just when I thought nothing could be better than M.C.ing an event, I get to present to another school. Yesterday mom and I had the PAWmazing opportunity to present at South Oceanside school.

When I PAWed in, there were 500 Kindergarten to grade 6 students waiting for me. I barked out a big hello and did a happy dance for all of them. I love kids! We told them about the lessons I have learned, and can teach others, about kindness, friendship, patience and literacy. All the kids were absPAWlutely PAWtastic! They asked me questions, which I happily barked my answers to, and did their own happy dances. It was PAWsome!

Mom tells me the reason we were there was to help the school fundraise for their library. As a matter of fact, tomorrow we are going to be at Barnes & Noble in Oceanside on Vista Way. The store is going to donate a portion of the proceeds from the books sold to the school. Isn't that tail waggin' PAWtastic? Just thinking about it makes me want to do another happy dance............awww, that's better!

You know what makes these events the best experiences for me? It the moments where little girls approach us and say, "I love Toby. I want to do good stuff like he does for the world." That is Four PAWS down the most PAWtastic and tail wagging moment right there.

I can't wait to tell you about the fundraiser tomorrow!

The Importance of PAWpose

Mom and dad, Charmaine and Chris, often get asked if my behaviour has improved since I got a job. I can tell you from my PAWspective, it has made all the difference! When I first came to live with mom and dad it took me quite a while to get settled in. I would PAW around the house just trying to get familiar with my new home. There was also some uncertainty about it being my new FURever home. After all, I had just left two other homes, one that I really thought I would never leave, and then the foster home. I had to be sure it was FUR real. Of course, when I realized it was, I got VERY comfortable. But, that comfort brought anxiety too. Where was my place in this new home? What did they expect of me as their new FURiend? What could I do to help make their lives better? So, I started rearranging the furniture and reorganizing the closets. When I got bored of that and there was nothing else to do, I started my rounds and usually wound up locking myself in the bathroom somehow.

Have you ever felt like that? You find yourself in a situation and know that there should be something you can do but you can't figure out what it is. You feel almost lost. Mom and dad helped me find the solution to that. They got me a job! It always feels so PAWsome when I first walk into the hospital and everyone there knows me and says hello. I always say hello back, it's only PAWlite you know. When I am playing with the patients we are all so happy to be spending that time together. I miss them so much when I am away but, I have other jobs to do now too. Like PAWdographing books, personal appearances, greeting children and, of course, M.C.ing events. I'm not PAWfect, there are still days I feel restless and do silly things but, having a job has definitely helped me to be the dog I need to be!

And They're Off!

We left for California yesterday! I love road trips. I can always tell when we are going to be travelling. Char and Chris start pulling out the luggage and talking about what we will all need to "get through" the time we will be away. This trip is a tail wagging happy dance trip though! It's so warm in California and I might even get to try surfing with Ricochet again! If you don't already know, I'm a Chessie and we love water. So surfing is PAWfect for me. I love the feeling of the water as it sprays up around my paws on the board. It's a cool sport and it helps keep me cool too. Woof!

Another great thing about road trips is the car ride. There are always so many new things to see and people and FURiends to meet along the way. I always get so excited I just have to let out a bark, or two. Mom and dad always make me a nice cozy spot in the vehicle. My own safe travelling haven. I love mom and dad so much. They take such good care of me.

I will try to keep barking out updates to you along the way so that you know where we are and what we are doing. I can't wait to get there and visit all my FURiends!

Thank You for Attending

Saturday was PAWsome! I love M.C.ing events! I got to meet so many new people at the Fabulous @ 50 event. I also got to do some more PAWdographing, which I also love. I can't believe how long it took me to learn to do that. Now, I can do it in my sleep. See, we're not always chasing rabbits when we nap.

There was this PAWmazingly cute little girl there that kept coming back to visit me. She was just adorable and even gave me a small treat. Yumm! I really like that little girl. It's great to make new friends. Sometimes though, I like to just like to play games on friends we already know. I had a really funny moment with our Executive Concierge, Shannon. Chris had to leave and he asked her to be my handler for a little while. Not only has she never handled me before but she also had a cast on her right leg. Some people came by the table that wanted to see me so I started wagging my tail to let her know I wanted to visit. She got up and hopped out with me. I met my new friends and got tonnes of attention from them. Then Shannon told me to "come" and "down". I just stood and looked at her. Of course, I know what that means but, she's not my regular handler. Can't have everybody thinking that just anyone can tell me what to do. She loves our furry FURiends though so she just laughed a bit and said "down" again. I sat down and looked up at her. She just laughed again and told me she knew I would lie down on my own. That took all the fun out of it so I just lied down and waited for dad to come back. We can resist change as long as we are open to finding common ground with others and being part of the solution. It also helps to know when it's time to just get over it and let it go.

Of course, the highlight of the day was being on stage with Charmaine and helping to introduce the afternoon activities and speaker line up. I barked a big hello to everyone there, and there were a lot of people there! My tail was wagging so fast at all the applause we got. It was a very happy day for me. I sure hope I get to do that again soon!

Rent me a Tux!

I have been doing a happy dance all day just thinking about tomorrow! Why? Because it is my very first time M.C.ing and event!! Okay, I'm actually the co-host but it's still a suPAW PAWsome opportunity for me.

When I first heard I didn't know how to respond. Should I bark out my excitement and approval? Should I get my Kong and play to get out my excited energy? Maybe I should bark out to mom and ask her to take me to get my tux! I decided against the last option because I already have a tail. I high PAWed mom and barked my approval like crazy. When a dog is happy, he just has to let it out!

Tonight will be very sPAWcial for me and mom. Tonight will be the first time that she and I will meet to go over our notes for the event tomorrow. We have to make sure we know what say and when. We want the Fabulous @ 50 event to be PAWsome so we can't miss our cues.

I'll tell you how it went in my post on Monday. I might even have pictures!

Workout Assistance

I love doggy treadmills! They are the most PAWsome way to get my exercise when the weather gets too cold for Chris and Charmaine to be outside for too long.

I go to K9 Awareness for my treadmill time. A big high PAW for Kaytie Stack! Thanks to her help I have a job, a purpose, and a treadmill. Do you use a treadmill at your gym? I love the feeling of freedom when I'm running. Best of all, I don't get in trouble for going too far away from my PAWrents because I'm not really going anywhere. It still makes me feel so good just to be moving though. Since there is a doggy daycare there too, I also get to meet so many new FURiends whenever I visit. There are also lots of less furry friends for Chris and Charmaine to visit with while they wait for me to finish my run.

Everyone, furry or not, needs to get exercise. It helps keep our minds focused and our bodies healthy. Plus, it may help get rid of the extra energy it takes to empty a closet or tip over furniture...