February 26

Iggy and Po, Iggy is the puggier looking of the two, the one mostly awake in this picture, and Po is the puppy, though he isn't expected to get any bigger than Iggy.

Wolfe was playing around with the camera this afternoon and took some pictures of the two of them on the new couch.  They love to cuddle together, and are best of buddies, and have taken to the new couch, ignoring their doggie bed.

In some ways, we got Po as a companion for Iggy.  He is such a lovey dog and adored cuddling with us and being social, and was always so happy when we were visiting with friends dogs, that we thought he really belonged in a two dog household.  We had him with us helping us pick a puppy from the litter when we got Po, and Po, out of all his litter mates, wanted to chase and play with Iggy.  We didn't want a second dog that was only dog focused, and were pleased that Po showed as much interest in us as he did in Iggy.  They both come to cuddle with us on our laps when we watch TV on the couch.  But when we're both busy working up in the loft, well, then they have one another.

Which is great.  Particularly since Iggy has developed some problems with his knees in his hindquarters, he gets sore and limps if he goes for too long a walk, or does ball chasing.  However playing tug is resistance exercise and helps build the stabilizing muscles around the knee joint, and is good for him, and Po is always up to a game of 'tug' with Iggy.  I'd take a picture of that, but all you would see are blurry brownish forms!

So today this is all the journal is about, Iggy and Po, or the Pig and the Poke as I like to call them.  With their little matching studded leather collars, since they both think they're big dogs. 

Iggy is such a cute-ugly, and Po is so handsome.  They come from different lines, though they are both Boston Terrier X Pugs.  In Iggy's case the mother was the Pug and the father a Boston.  In Po, it's the other way around.  Iggy looks more pug, and Po more Boston.  I guess that's why the breeder decided to dock the tails in Po's litter.  He has a little stubbie.  I wonder if what kind of tail he would have if they had left it, whether he would have gotten the pug curl or not.  At least it allows us to tell them apart quickly from the back!

They're my babies, and I adore them.  Hours and hours of daily love, and the sheer joy just from looking at them and thinking how beautiful and wonderful they are.  There is rarely a day that goes by where they aren't up to some set of antics that has me laughing.  Iggy is a complete clown, which is often a trademark of Pugs.  He loves to chase his tail, and he has the oddest array of vocalizations, he really 'talks' a lot, and has his own language.  Po seems to be learning it though, and the two of them 'chat' while they play, growling, yipping, yowling, woofling, snorting, and some assorted 'talky' noises that are pretty hard to describe.  I should record them and share some wave files.

The best is when they are in the bath together, they both love the water, and they both try and 'dig' the bottom of the tub, causing much splashing, which they try to catch snapping in their mouths, while talking their secret 'bug' (BostonXPug) language.

When it gets warmer, I'm investing in a kiddie pool for the porch, I have a feeling those two are going to be spending a lot of time in it.  The loft gets super hot, and the water is a great way for them to cool off.

Well, that's enough doggie indulgence in the journal for me...

So good bye from Iggy....

And from Po...

(Can you guess who pushed who off the couch?)

And of course, from me.