Introducing Norfolk's first Canine Crusader!

It's Isabelle! And the competition was tough! It came down to two votes in the last hours! 

Pug power prevailed!

Riverfest is a celebration of the rivers in Norfolk and our area. In just our city, we have the Elizabeth and the Lafayette Rivers plus all the branches and creeks. We are surrounded by water. 

So it's important for all of us to be careful about what can go in the rivers, like dog poop or lawn chemicals. Sadly, it's not safe to swim or eat fish from these rivers right now.

So Riverfest was born to encourage people to learn more about the simple things that we can all do to make a difference. 

Here are Fergie and Sophie, two of our fellow finalists.

Sophie is a blue Great Dane.

Fergie was first runner up

 Here I am waiting to see who won. Mom even got me a new shirt that says Green Dog with the recycle logo on it. 

Here's me after I won!

 Me checking out the ground. No litter!

Check out this awesome basket I won! 

The awesome Muddy Paws of Norfolk provided all these goodies!

 Here's me enjoying the beautiful April sunshine after we got home. Being a celebrity is hard work!

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for Isabelle. We know that our friends Zoe, Peyton, Webster, Liberty, Whitney and Ms. Ellen voted a lot! And asked all their friends to vote too! We couldn't have it done it without you! Seriously, two votes! So thank you for helping us win!

Oyster shell or dirty looking?

Mom's creative but not artistic. What do you think? Any suggestions?

The transformation of the Dogger

So, the voting for Canine Crusader ended Friday. No peeps from anyone if Isabelle is in the top five, but we are believing in the power of pug people!

Mom started turning the Dogger into an oyster shell. It isn't finished yet, but it's getting there. 

The outer part is cream vinyl which is a pain in the behind to sew. 

It still needs tweaking on the fit, and the wrinkles have to be flattened out.

Mom's going to start painting tomorrow to make it look more like a shell.

Here's Isabelle being the pearl in the oyster shell! 

  

It will probably be Friday night before it's finished completely, but we'll post more pictures as it gets finished. 

It's here!

Look what came today! All the way from Canada!

This is the Cadillac of dog strollers! It took a ridiculously short amount of time to put this baby together.  Pop the three wheels on and you're done!

The rain cover was a bit of a challenge to figure out. It seems like it would fit either direction, but one way works better than the other. Mom is going to mark that side so she doesn't fight it every time it needs to go on. And she may change up the velcro to snaps to make it a little easier to get on in the rain.

Isabelle doesn't look too thrilled, but that's normal. She'll learn to love it!

It folds up pretty well for such a big stroller. Mom is sure it will fit in the trunk of her Focus. We'll test that soon. 

This is a seriously cool stroller. It seems really sturdy and rides so smoothly. This baby should hold up until Tallulah and Petunia need it in their golden years. And it has two straps to attach to a harness and plenty of room of two dogs. It turns on a dime, doing a 180 in the hallway!

Mom's making a pink cushion for the inside. It comes with one, in black, which would be sensible with a black pug. However, we are more about style! 

If you are thinking about getting one, definitely add the water bottle holder option. It snaps on and holds not only a bottle but has a covered pouch for your phone and keys. Plus there's storage underneath too! 

We have to wait until tomorrow to take it for a test drive. It's supposed to storm and mom has to make dog food tonight. Food comes first! 

The voting for Canine Crusader is coming down to the wire. Only 4 days left! Please remember to vote for Isabelle here. 

Our prayers go out to those affected by the terrible event in Boston today. Remember to tell your people you love them and be kind to strangers.

The votes are coming in for Isabelle!

Thank you to everyone who has been voting for Isabelle! We heard today that she's one of the top vote getters, but that the competition has been fierce! 

Please continue to vote for her on Facebook here.

Mom took Winston's advice and ordered a Dogger! The plan is to transform it into an oyster (like we made her other stroller a tractor for the parade). Riverfest celebrates everything we've been doing to make our rivers clean again, and oysters are a big part of that. Did you know that oysters naturally clean the water? And Isabelle will be the black pearl inside the oyster. Isn't that hilarious?

Please keep up your good work and prove to the world that pugs rule!

Not cancer!

Tallulah's test results came back today and neither mass was cancer! 

We celebrated with a huge cookie from Care-a-lot. Chicken flavor!

Seriously, this thing was bigger than my head!

Didn't take long until it was all gone but crumbs. 

Check out my purple bandage! Saturday, I get my stitches out and can get my paw wet again. 

Seriously, we are ready for a month when no one has to go to the vet! 

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and positive thoughts. Mom was more relaxed and focused on the good things like making us food and providing frequent lap space for snuggles instead of worrying. And that is because of all of you.

Giant pug smooches!