Even though I'm a girly girl, I am not that into clothes

Shoes, however, are entirely different.

We are mountain dogs!!

I'm shy and lethargic

Yeah, right!

Why do they say I am a bad dog?

We spend hours a day doing this

Do you think Mom misses me while she's in Switzerland?

Maybe I am too curious

Chicco was in the bathtub, getting lots of attention form Pap'. Naturally, I wanted some too.

Well, let me tell you, it wasn't as much fun when it happened to me!

Timpillow

Since Mom always calls me a good girl when I sit, I thought I'd take it up a notch and lie down. Bit when I was down there, I just got comfortable.

I get a good girl for this one too!

Timpani's hiking debut!

I'm a natural, they say.

Mom and I don't always pose for photos

Mom is pretty comfy

I love dryer sheets!

Doggie movies: Playing and fun with a laser pointer

I like to go in places I shouldn't!

This is a really good suitcase

Peek-a-boo!

From Mom's suitcase.

It's me, Timpani!

Timpani waits to see if frogs turn into princes

The cutest 1 minute and 24 seconds of movies!

Don't mind our puppy voices!

A what??

Mom and Papa' are thinking about a new puppy. I'm no so convinced. This little girl who wants to be my sister is a bit of a pest. But, she's certainly cute.

I am so happy I am not a show dog!

They are ridiculous. Especially their hair. My puppy cut makes me happy.

Squeaky toy!

Photo 1: Mom tempted me with a new squeaky toy.

Photo 2: The squeaky toy is actually kind of cool. Please note all of the food I brought onto the couch behind me.

Photo 3. You know what? Even though this thing squeaks, I prefer my yellow ball. Where did it go?

I am still a Daddy's Boy

But Mom dresses me sometimes. Papa' doesn't like when I wear clothes, but it makes me feel special.

Mom's new bag

Mom got a new bag. It falls up to be the size of my yellow ball. That way, it's very cute. But when it's open, I don't like it that much.

I got a squeaky toy!

 
 


Marcello used to take all of the squeaky toys and kill them. I never really got to have one of my own, and instead I developed a taste for yellow balls and soccer balls. Today my mom brought me a cat with little hearts on it for Valentine's Day. At first, I was really happy to have it. But then I was sad. I would give up squeaky toys forever to have my toy-stealing brother back.

The Hand Game

Video 2: Uncle Guava plays the Hand Game too!



As for me, I prefer to play with my ball!

My brother is gone

Marcello got very sick. I was so worried about him, and as soon as Papa' came home, I ran over to him and ran back to Cello to tell Papa' he was very sick. Papa' took him straight to the 24 hour hospital and Mom met them there.

They took Cello away and gave him oxygen. When I found out, I was very worried, because I didn't like the idea of him having a little oxygen mask. But it wasn't like that --- they put him in a box with a high oyxgen concentration so he could breathe more easily. They also gave him a diruetic for the fluid buildup in his lungs. He got a little better since he could breathe more easily.

The suspected that it was his heart. One of the chords that controled his heart valve broke, and his heart just couldn't compensate for it anymore.

Since his heart valve wasn't working well, a blood clot formed in it. It went to his hindquarters, and his legs lost their pulse and his paws were cold. Mom and Papa' took me to the hospital to see him. He looked really sleepy, but they said that was because he was taking morphine, so he wouldn't have pain.

Then something funny happened. The vet was saying something to Mom and she fainted! They took me away and put me in a cage so they could attend to Mom. That was really unfair, since obviously Mom, not me, wanted to be the next patient.

Mom and Papa' went back the next morning. Cello had worked through his blood clot (yay!) and his paws were warm again. But since he was still on morphine, there was no way to tell if he would be able to walk again. The vet said that he tried to bite her when she tried to give him some medicine orally. That was great news -- he was starting to act like himself! Mom went back after lunch and took him a toy, a purple doggie squeaky toy. That seemed to perk him up a lot, because when she saw him later, he moved around and wagged his tail. Yay! He wasn't paralyzed.

Mom and Papa' left WITHOUT ME to go see him again, and when they got there, they found out his was gone. He felt well enough to drink some water, and ten minutes later, he died. Probably a blood clot went to his brain. It must have been right when they left home.

Mom feels awfully responsible. She thinks he should have taken his coughing mroe seriously, and he could have had preventative medicine. She feels guilty for going on vacation without us (and maybe she should, since Grandma came to take care of us with the Piccolo!). The vet and Papa' tried to convince her that there was nothing she could have done. Also, since he was only 6.5 pounds, it would have been very hard to dose any medicine for him.

Papa' has a slightly different take. He was very worried about the blood clot, and knew that if Cello came home, it would be just a matter of time before it happened again. Papa' said Cello saved him and Mom from a difficult decision of deciding if Marcello should sleep forever or not.

As for me, I miss Cello Bello. We spent a lot of time together, and my parents say I am much more needy of affection now that he is gone. We went for a long walk today, and I got to smell all the places that Cello marked. But I would rather have my brother back.

I miss my brother---he was such fun to play with!

Mom and Papa' were thinking about me in Italy!

The Venetian Piccolo

Mom and Papa' went to Venice and saw a Carival costume for someone to dress up as the Piccolo!

Marcellomania

We are famous!

My Papa' is a bad man

He wasn't always bad. He used to be good. Take, for example, when he put a moratorium on dog clothes.

But then something weird happened. He abandoned his cart at Tahr-ghay to go to the plant section. Other people thought it was abandoned too, and started putting stuff in it. So, Papa' ended up buying fabric softener, socks, and this ugly jacket.

Weird, huh?

Check out this post about Olivia!

Dear Mom & Dad,

Marcello let me borrow his teddy bear. I put it next to me and now I
look like Olivia, brown & white. Don't you think I'm cute in this
photo?!

We are okay, not very happy that it's raining. Chicco said we have to
move away to a place with snow. I don't know what snow is, but from
what Cello told me about Boston, I don't think I'll like it. It
sounds too cold--you know I don't have an undercoat, don't you? Can't
we stay here?

Olivia is pouting too, but for a different reason. She saw a 25 pound
turkey in the fridge, but Brunsli said she can't have any.

That's the news from Pasadena.

No rattlesnakes, mountain lions, bears, or coyotes. Chicco said he
saw a cricket in the garage. Oh! I saw hummingbirds. In fact, I
spent the whole day watching them. They are even smaller than I am!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Sofia

PS Please call our diggie nannies and tell them it's okay to give us some
turkey. Did I mention how much I love you both?

A note from our houseguests to ther parents

Dear Mom & Dad,

I am not happy. How could you go away and leave me here with these four?

I cried by the door when you left. I cried all night, except when Iwas barking or scratching at the door. That will teach Cello & Chicco's parents to offer to take care of me. They are sleepy and grumpy now.

And, have you seen Breadfruit dance? No dog should be subjected to that. Brunsli was doing her hair, so I thought I would help. But she didn'twant me to lick her hair.

Finally, we all watched a movie together. It was a good movie, it had Al Pacino in it when he was young. I like him. But, Breadfruit was dancing to the theme music with Cello. See above.

To tell the truth, Brunsli with rollers in her hair is a scary sight too. Have you no kindness?

Besides, these people have no fish oil. They keep trying to feed me Japanese dog treats. Of course I eat them, but I want my fish oil.

Sofia told me you left us here because I was a bad girl last week. Is that really true? I think she's just oblivious to what's going on because she has a thing for Chicco.

Speaking of these dogs, Marcello is the biggest fifone ever. It thundered and he hid under the bed. Under the bed! Can you imagine? What a wimp.

Your loving cane,
Olivia

Oishii!

Yasubei-san came all the way from Tokyo to bring us some Tokyu snacks and keep us company. We really enjoy them!







As you can see, we are not sharing with our Papa. He has to get his own snacks.





We don't have to share with the Picuru-san, do we?

My eyes aren't really green

Marcello had a little lamb

...but then I killed him, spilling his guts everywhere. Do not underestimate my ferocity!

Sleepy

I don't know why Mom finds it so amusing when I sleep with my tummy up.

RDP came to visit

But it was hard to find the presents in her suitcases. Finally, we did!

Action shot

That's me, Chicco. I rarely keep all 4 paws on the ground.

Papa's car is MINE!

You see whay it's very important to mark it.

I love patents and Mom working from home

I can fly!

We love suitcases

Mom came home last night. From the moment she came in, we knew there was something special in her suitcase.

Dear Mom and Papa',

While we are sad we can't go to Hawaii with you because of the quarantine, we are having a great time with our doggienanny, Sally.

As we told you on the phone, Sally took us out around Caltech this evening and we have some pictures for you!

Sally used her boyfriend Ian's iPhone to take the pictures which doesn't have a flash, so the pictures are blurry. Chicco really enjoyed hanging out with the turtles that came out of the pond, while I was a little more hesitant. My cough seemed to subside when faced with the dangers of the turtle pond!

Also, Sally introduced us to her cat and we very happy to meet her, but the same can not be said for Ladybird!

We have big plans for Sally and Ian this weekend.

We are going to the beach and a barbecue and plan on having lots of adventures with them this week!

Hi!

Hanging out with Papa'

Is that beer??

July 4th

On July 4th, Mom and Dad invited Sofia and Olivia over to play.

Maybe if I hide here

Mom won't be able to comb my hair.

Hi!

Sick puppy

Mom took me to the doctor today because my poopoo has been watery and bloody. I am not sick though. I don't even have parasites, In fact, I should have acted more sick, because as long as I was there, the doctor gave me a DHPP shot. I don't really like going to the doctor.

A dog and a deer stop to consider each other

Konichiwa!

Mom and Dad met a Maltese in Kamakura!

















The Piccolo was there too.

Mom, don't take pictures of me when I am trying to sleep!

Mom, it's so good you walked in

I just came in your office and found the rug all bunched up. I can't imagine who could have done such a thing (but maybe you should ask Chicco).

Mom's desk

Marcello says he is the only one allowed on Mom's desk. Something about me walking around and making a big mess. But I can sit on the pillow like a good boy too.

Un po' de Appenzeller, per favore

Our Uncle Mango came to visit us from Switzerland. He didn't give us any cheese, can you believe that?

The Piccolo has snow

He has a really big head too, but we won't talk about that.

My Papa' loves me a lot...

...sometimes too much, I think.

Okay, he's not totally tailess

But we make fun of him because he doesn't have a beautiful long tail like us. You can see the Piccolo's tail here. I guess we'll have to find something else to tease him about. Like his belly.

The piccolo

Poor guy, he doens't have a tail, but he has big ears.

Mom and Sofia

I can not figure out who is cuter.

The Piccolo is sad

His brother died. Even though his mom brought the Piccolo to California for Christmas, he misses his brother. We kinda miss him too. He was our uncle, you know.

We are not unlike muppets

Santa Paws is coming to town!

Ooooooooooooooooh

Nyah hyah

A walk

Sofia and Olivia came to stay with us for a while.

We went for a walk and tried our best to get maximum tangle. We straightened out for a little bit, then decided tangled was more fun!

These pictures hardly show the tangle -- it's all pretangle here!

Our houseguests

Sofia and Oliva have come to visit over Thanksgiving. They miss their parents, but we have been keeping them entertained.

Sofia was nice and clean when she arrived, but after so many long walks, she is a bit grey. I hope Uncle Paolo doesn't get mad at us.

Olivia eats a lot.

Whew!

I have been at my rawhide bone all day, and boy am I tired.

That can't be the Piccolo, can it?

Nah, his mom would never endanger his safety like that.

Water!

HALLO! Chicco here. Mom and Papa' took us hiking to see a waterfall. Before we got there, we had to cross a stream. I am a champion crosser, but I took this picture so you can see that Mom had to carry my wimpy brother. Something about not wanting to get his paws wet. Woof woof!

I love you Mom

I would love you even more if you would share your cheese with me.

We hate baths

Nuff said.

I am so small

I am not very happy with my haircut. I wonder if my mom would cut for me when it grows out.

My old soccer ball

Mom and Papa' brought me a new soccer ball from Switzerland.

I prefer the old one. It has a big hole so it's not round anymore, Cello broke the squeaker, and the spots have worn off. Just like I like it.

Mom misses us a lot

We have been having so much fun at camp!!

Poor mom has had to befriend other doggies. She met Matisse in Switerland. His parents say he's a Maltese, but he's only 4 months old and already so huge. We think he's a Bolognese!

We aren't going anywhere

We like our zoo -- the bears, deer, skunks, raccoons, squirrles, lizards, and especially the hummingbirds.

But we like to come inside and relax too.

New friends

Do you see both of these bandits?

Toys

Chicco: I don't care if my soccer ball no longer has black spots and has huge gaping hole. It's my favorite toy and I'm keeping it!



Cello: What? There was only one toy in your suitcase for me Mom?

Summer Camp

Today we went to interview and be interviewed by a new summer camp. Actually, it's in the desert, so it's an all-year round camp.

We got to run without leashes in a really big field, so we decided we liked it. Mom went inside to meet all of the other dogs, so we kept running around, which broke Mom's heart. I think she thought we would be devastated if she went inside for a minute without us. Then we had to be good and not bark at all of the other dogs so that they would take us.

We even were good with this big doggie, Chick. He weighs 203 pounds, which we think is even more than Mom. He reminds me of a deer, because she isn't particularly afraid of me either, but Mom said he's a bull mastiff.

What's really neat about this doggie camp is that we can bring our own bed and eat our own food. We're going to have playtime with other doggies while we're there. But, not as big as Chick!

Backyard visitors

They are so silly, they don't even know that they should run when we bark at them!

Bo-oring

Papa' has an exam, and it's almost as boring to help him study as it was to help Mom study for the bar. What is wrong with my parents? Why don't they have fun things to study, like rawhide philosophy or squeaky toy metaphysics?

The bone

Even though I let Chicco chew on my bone, he knows it's mine. Even when he licks his lips, he knows it's mine. See MY PAW on the bone? That means it's MINE!

Cello

Very big doggies

Mom has also been hanging out with collies in Pennsylvania. She made friends with Diva (photos 1 and 4) and Harvey (photos 2 and 3).


Doesn't Harley look sweet and innocent in photo 3?

Diva and Harley's mom (photo 4) think they bark a lot, but she hasn't met us yet!

Mom came across a pack of Bichons today

We know she misses us, but we thought she might be trying to replace us with some Bichons.

She told us not to worry, that these dogs are her friends' neighbors in Pennsylvania. Best of all, she said she'd be coming home soon.

Coconut, in Photo 2 was a recuse dog. He was recently adopted, so he is headed to live in a fancy place in Philadelphia soon.

A present fromt he ECG

My East Coast Grandmother sent me this present. It's a caterpillar that winds up, then slinks around. It makes a funny noise, so I wanted to kill it. Of course, Chicco was afraid of it. As much as a jock-dog as he is, he is a scaredy cat. Okay, it's true. I hide under the bed when fireworks come, and he doesn't. And I have issues with heights. But still, I'm not as wimpy as he would like you to think!

Back to my caterpillar. In a huge gesture of unfairness, Mom took it away from me. Something about it not being a dog toy and how it could break into tiny sharp parts.

But then why does Papa' get to play with it still?

I am a god doggy!




And I really miss my Mom. The big carciofo at home keeps fuzzing me up.

I am a bad dog

Papa was trying to steal my panda, so I grabbed it. Only I grabbed his thumb too.

The Piccolo

Just like his sister (our mom), he likes to wear purple.

When I see him, I am going to help him take the stuffing out of his bear.

Oh deer

Papa locked us inside so he could take photos of these creatures. We really wanted to come outside to chase them away.

My new haircut

and a half yellow pollinated face. I couldn't resist Mom's tiger lillies.

Resemblance?

It is so easy to tell Marcello and me apart. I look like Dad and Cello looks like Mom.

Bad haircut, don't you think?

Papa' fixed me up a bit afterwards.

Eh, he can have it...

I have been studying real property with mom, and I must say, it's kind of booooring

My French Look

Ah, sunshine and grass. What more is there?

Maybe if I sleep on my toy, Cello won't be able to take it

In some ways, I take after my papa'

He can curl his tongue too, but Mom can't.

Lost in thought

What would Mom say if she could bark?

Another critter

I don't mind him.

I am a Prince

So I must set myself on a pillow whenever possible.

Playtime again!

I'm going to clean your face. No, I'm going to clean YOUR face.

Playtime!

Nicolay is so cool!

Even though Nicolay is little guy (a mere 4.5 pounds), he can tear up toys like a champ!

Cooper!

Nicolay's grandma just adopted Cooper!

He is so cute, isn't he?

We're New Yorkers too!

The full story is here.

Please don't lick my face

My birthday present!

I am 8, so Mom and Papa' got me a bandit. I love my bandit. I am trying to kill him, but I can't seem to get the stuffing out. He doesn't have a mask anymore. Heh heh heh.

Marcello (toy destroyer)

Pin the tail on the Piccolo

I don't know about you Papa', but I am hoping for steak!

My usual reaction to the comb

If I made myself really small, Mom won't see me and then she won't be able to comb my hair.

I am a devil when it comes to squeaky toys

I don't remember the order, but I think I won this one

Cuddle times with Papa'

My box

My Papa' gave me a box. I don't know what's in the box, but it's my box and I like it.









Just in case he doesn't understand it's my box now, I put my paw on it. That's the universal dog sign for mine!










Grrrr! Now Papa' wants the box back. No way!

Goings-on at our new home

Mom got a new rug for her office, but later decided it clashed with the walls and is sending it back. I really liked it.








That is, until Chicco took my pig ear!













And he has this funny leg action!

Attorney-canine privilege

Mom and I worked on a Motion for Summary Judgment today. I had to read the deposition transcripts and help her figure out if the patentees disclosed the best mode. This was an exercise for school, but if it were real work, I could probably still help because the attorney-canine privilege (ACP) would apply.

My friend Sofia has a basket to hang out with her dad, so I wanted one too. Instead, Mom got me a special silk pillow from Tahrghay.

I think I like it!Much to Mom's disappointment, I have figured out that I can stand up, look out the window, bark at the neighbors, and go back to sleep -- all from my pillow.

Synchronized knawing

We love rawhide bones!

Yes, in fact I do need all these toys to sleep

Non c'e piu la pecora

I am a very satisfied dog. The sheep is dead, and I spread her guts all over!

See her carcass to the right of me?

Mom! Can I have a new squeaky toy?

I'm tired after my long walk

Wow this plant smells good!

I'm going to hang out in here and meditate for a while if you don't mind.

What?!

Why can't I drive?

A walk in the woods

More than anything, except maybe the beach, we're going to miss long walks in the woods when we move to LA. Mom and Papa' promised that we would still go for hikes, but we have heard it is much browner in LA than in the Bay Area and they do not have clouds.


Taking walks is so much fun, we had to show our uncle who is visiting from Zurich. He likes to take walks too, but he does not let us chase frogs.

Mom, if you're reading this, we are just kidding. We never chase frogs.


On the plus side, it is much drier in LA so we can take walks even more often!

College visit

Mom and Papa' took us to Occidental College for a visit. I don't think we're going to go there - Mom wants us to go to her alma matter.

My game!

Sometimes we have to wait in the car

We don't like it much.

Dad wants me to learn about wine

But I don't care much. I prefer to pose for the camera.

We have been asked to blog more about our everyday lives

Here, Mom and Dad were too lazy to put their jackets in the closet. Lucky me, they are quite comfy. -- Chicco

Chicco is so weird

He always carrys around his ball. It's just unnatural.



As for me, I didn't fancy this doggie treat.

Dogs relaxing

Marcello likes to read magazines but I prefer to surf the net. I really like cuteoverload.com!

Doesn't it look like Cello is trying to eat the pasta off the page?? He is so silly.

The Piccolo can be cute too

 

I needed a new look

The shaggy dog look was getting old.

The best part was, they gave us Christmas presents! 

My first Christmas present

I got a blue doggie that squeaks, I mean, squeakED. He has, I mean, had, a Santa hat. 

I got a haircut!

What do you think?
 

A backyard visit

 

We can only figure out how to upload 4 seconds of our movies!

Chicco plays ball

It's me again!

Mom is reading for school and I am watching cute Malteses on YouTube.

Our movie didn't upload properly - only the first 4 seconds worked. I will have to try again soon.

 

GOOOAAAALLLLLL!

Yes, I am still celebrating the Italian victory. 

My daddy gets sleepy sometimes

 

Mom!

Even though I am a Daddy's boy, I still love my mom a lot. 

Do not mess with my pig ear!

Look what my ECG sent me!

My East Coast Grandmother send me a ball! It squeaked. After about 10 minutes, it stopped squeaking. My job is to destroy squeaky toys. He he he!

Marcello-Marshmallow 

Let's play!

 

Don't tell Mommie!

I am really a Daddy's boy.

 

Thanks for worrying about me

Traveling to and from California is not easy. I was in the cabin with my mom. The Piccolo had to travel in thew cargo section.

It was a tough decision for our mom, Brunsli's mom. In the end, she decided that it was better for us to have a rough trip than leave us at doggy camp, which is a cage at the vet's office where we get to go outside 3x a day for a couple weeks.

One person can travel with two dogs on some airlines, but the Piccolo and I are, umm, too plumpy to share an on-board travel carrier.

One person can not buy two human airplane seats and put two pets underneath. This makes no sense to me or to my mom, but that's the rule.

The only way that the Piccolo and I could come to California was then to have one of us in the cabin, and one in the cargo. Mom told the Piccolo that he had to go in cargo because I am deaf, blind, and diabetic, but we all know it's because the Piccolo barks too much.

The trip out was a bit crazy -- it took so long to check the Piccolo in that Mom & I missed the flight. Chicco's dad had to pick up the Piccolo and later in the day Chicco's mom picked us up. The trip back was less eventful, if you don't count the fact that we couldn't fly on our designated day because our health certificates expired -- a penalty for overstaying our welcome in California perhaps? Th next day, Mom, the Piccolo and I made it home safely. 

Ciao!

Grandma and our uncles have returned to the left coast. 

Going to see the clouds

(Photo 1) We need to get organized! As usual, I am at the front, ready to go!

(Photo 2) Tufo lags behind.

(Photo 3) Tufo catches up, but ultimately decides that hike isn't worth it. He can't see clouds anyway. He has a point.

(Photo 4) A strong finish by Marcello, Piccolo and me. And the clouds rolling in over the mountains were great!


 

Four boys and fog rolling in

La spiaggia!

 

I'm ready for the medi-spa!

I'm the Piccolo's brother. I'm deaf, and recently I've developed diabetes. That, in turn, has caused cateracts, so I'm blind. And, between you and me, I'm incontinent, so I wear these funky diapers.

Now that I'm in California, I'm getting ready for the medi-spa. I'm going to have my cateracts removed so I can see, and then we'll work on the other stuff. Good thing my mom (Brunsli's mom) has insurance.

The Piccolo is here

I'm trying not to be too rough on him since his brother is sick. But I guess I was a bad boy beacuse Papa' took me to the vet today. 

I'm the loyal one

Mom is in the shower. I have to wait here to make sure she's okay.

Is that weird? Well, if you were me, you wouldn't let your mom ever be more than 7 feet away from you, would you? 

Sleepypoof

I am not tired. I'm not! I'm not! 

It was sooooooo hot, that Mom & Papa' took us to the beach to cool off

 

I need a cappuccio!

Yawn. 

Cappuccio!

Yummmm. I just took a sip from Mom's cappucino. Now i feel a little bit hyper. You know, like my uncle Piccolo. Pant, pant, pant 

We are not pleased with our summer cuts!

 

I don't like grappa

 

Really??

Zio Paolo is coming??

Is Sofia coming too? 

WOW!

Chicco: Let's eat!

Marcello: This much food makes me nervous.
 

Papa' and I are studying

for his pathology boards.

He needs a little help with dermpath and I need help with neuropath, so we make a good study group. 

A NEW PICTURE OF PICCOLO

Oh

We just got the news. The Piccolo is coming and wants to share our throne!

Can you ell which of us is which? Sometimes ECG can not. 

Special guest blogger ... the Piccolo!

Piccolo here. Just wishing you a happy birthday to my nephew Marcello.

WOOF WOOF BIRTHDAY WOOF! 

Care packages!

Our East Coast Grandmother sent us a box of presents with a few things for our parents too. Among the goodies were two pillows, one for me, and one for Chicco, I mean, two for me. I am taking my time getting used to them. They smell a bit like my uncle Piccolo. Just kidding!

I heard a rumor that the Piccolo is coming here this summer. 

My job

While Papa' enjoys the Sunday paper, my job is to make sure that no deer come and steal the funny pages. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Chicco!  

Since I'm going to LA, I might as well become an actor

Mom has been spending a lot of time with us at home while studying, but now she's leaving us. At home. With Papa'.

I look very sad here, but as soon as Mom leaves, Papa' is going to spoil us!!!!! Ha ha! Mom feels so guilty. I deserve an Oscar for this performance, but I'll settle for a squeaky toy. And as soon as Mom leaves, Papa' will probably give us four. Each.

Someone needs a Maltese...

Hali, We really think you need a doggie. You should adopt a cousin of ours from Rochester! In the meantime, come hang out with us anytime!

Can we go for a walk?

Mom hangs out with big dogs too

...which is fine, but what is this talk about getting a huge brother or sister for us??? 

Messy Boy

Even though Mom took me to the spa to get my hair done, I am a tough dog and have to explore the yard. I had a lot of fun getting seeds all over myself, but considerably less fun when Mom took them out.

-Marcello 

Where is Marcello?

Daddy took him this morning and left me at home with Mom.
 

Ha ha!

Ha ha ha Papa! Very funny!

There's no way I'm coming in there with you!

--Chicco (laughing dog)

Hmmmm....

I should be sad that Mom & Papa' are going away for a few days, but YASUBEI IS COMING TO VISIT!!  

Mom, can we have a little sister?

Our first mom emailed us this photo of our cousins. Mom, can we get a puppy? Papa!! 

Coffet time!

I have been making cappucini for Mom while Papa' is away. 

HOT DOG!

We were reading Gourmet, and notices these two pretty girls on the cover. Woof woof! 

Sofia!

 

The spoiledest dog ever

Look at her -- she lives in a basket and blogs all day. That's her little laptop, her daddy's biglap, and a portrait of her too.

We are so jealous!

There's a rat in the house!

 

We struggled

 

I started winning

 

We made peace

 

Dragon

Yasubei gave me this cute dragon! Then Mommie found a blog full of cute things called Cute Overload. The third post was a Maltese like me! 

We want to help!

Papa', anche io voglio scavare!
























































Wow! That was so much work!

arriva la jacuzzi

papa' ha speso tutto il pomeriggio in giardino a costruire la piattaforma per la jacuzzi

















Poi si e' messo a fare un gran buco

QUANDO IL GATTO NON C'E' I TOPI BALLANO

 

I'm going to be a lawyer too...

Now where is that book on canine law? 

Don't you understand?

Marcello: This bone from Yasebei is really good.

Chicco: How can you eat that when Papa' has gone away? 

C is for Cookie

and cookie is for Cello! Look what Yasuko and Ayako brought me!!!  

Whee!!!!

Guess who! 

After-Christmas Sale

Mom bought these little Christmas hats for us. Silly me, I thought it was a squeaky toy and was very excited. But then she put it on my head! I think my face says it all.

At least Papa' is normal. He enforces a no-clothes-on-dogs policy. 

NO COMMENT

 

Ecco una foto di noi tre! 

guarda come si e' messo bello comodo la zio nicola

Si ma dove sono i miei regali?

 

Va be', questo carciofino non mi vuole dare altri regali. Io mi piazzo sulla sua valigia cosi' ,appena se na' posso ispezionare... 

Fammi vedere un po' meglio 

magari ci sono latri regali per me! 

E' arrivato zio Nicola

Marcello, come al solito, ha aggredido i regali che zio nicla ci ha portato 

My two favorite ladies

...besides my ECG (East Coast Grandma), of course. Here's Mommie with her future daughter-in-law, Sofia. Sofia looks so sad because her daddy had heart surgery. Sofie, our Daddy did too and now he is better than ever. Plus, with his heart all fixed up, I think he loves me even more.

XO, Chicco 

Our Japanese names

We took a test to learn our Japanese names...

Marcello is:

Your Japanese Name Is...

Kisho Matsudaira

and Chicco is:

Your Japanese Name Is... Toshi Ito

Look Mom!

We are having so much fun while you're away!  

Enough is enough!

Mommie has been hangoing out with Ava Lucia. Ave text messaged us to tell us that Mommie said that she goes well with her outfits. What does that mean???

If Mommie doesn't come home soon, we will have to go get her. 

This is not fair!

Mommie and Papa' left us at home and went to LA. Daddy is hanging out with Sofia (right) and Olivia (floor). Normally, we would be really jealous, but we are having a lot of fun with Yasubei!! 

Christmas!!

All of these presents are for us!! 

Buon Natale!

Christmas means presents!! We got squeaky toys, and rawhide. We have been very very good this year. Cello's cough is getting better too!  

Merry Christmas!

Bella's mommie took her to see Santa. We never got to meet Santa, but we know he thinks of us because he brings little packages with squeaky toys to all the good dogs. Merry Christmas!!

Can I have a puppy for Christmas?

Mommie and Papa': Can I have a puppy for Christmas? Our first Mom has some little boys to be adopted. -- Chicco

PS I have been a very very good boy! 

A Christmas Story!

A package arrived from our ECG (East Coast Grandmother)! Marcello may be faking his illness after all, because he helped me opent he package. 

Very important!

Marcello is sick. He has bordatella, aka kennel cough, pertussis, whooping cough!!! Of course Eric the Vet vaccinated us, so he got only a mild case. But if this is mild, I would hate to see a bad case. He is happy, running around, just like himself, but he spends 5 minutes of every hour coughing! He sounds like the end of a Bikram Yoga class when everyone is breathing in that funny way. Hooh! Hooh! Hooh! Poor Cello.

Today on NPR I heard that there are 2100 cases in humans in California. When you include Cello, that makes 2101.

Our nanny can't come stay with us for New Year's when Mom & Papi go to LA. They wanted to take us (yea!) but we can't stay with Sofia and Olivia if there's the slightest chance Cello will be contagious, so Yasubei is coming!! We are so excited because she is fun and likes to cuddle. Plus, she is going to bring me some sake! (Don't tell Mom!)

We think Cello got this from the groomer. Of course, it was the most shi-shi groomer we've been to yet! So, please, vaccinate your children -- and your human ones too!

Chiccobean

Last Christmas

Cello didn't share at all! 

Get me out of here!

Marcello is sick. When he's sick, he's listless and coughs -- he's not even grumpy. Papa' take me to work with you so that I don't have to stay here with Cello. What? Mom's staying home all day? Great! Maybe she'll let me blog. Bye bye Papa' -- have a nice day.

Did you know that Papa' made this fence? I helped him, but I didn't know at the time he was going to use it to keep me in!

Oh, don't worry about Cello. Eric the Vet said he's going to live. 

Pup Quiz!

Who am I?? 

This guy!

Oh, how I miss the days when it was just mom and me! Then this guy came along and keeps trying to cuddle with me. - Marcello

You're so grumpy, Brontolo! I really like Papa'! Plus, he has started wearing clothes. --Chiccobean

She's no fun anymore

Mom is studying for finals and a little bit grumpy.

Chicco is so naive!

He just doesn't get it sometimes! 

Yes, Chicco, it's true

All people are not what they seem! 

Little brothers are so much work

They just don't catch on quickly.

They tricked us!

Chicco: Mom and dad invited some friends over for dinner. We were happy to meet them and they were very fun and even indulged Marcello's growling habit.

BUT, when they left, Mom told us that they are actually VETS! You know, those people who give us needles! How could they do this to us -- it's bad enough that we have to go to the vet now and then -- now the vets are coming to us!

Marcello: Chicco, you should have figured it out when they said we have to have Frontline! But, I have to admit, they are much cooler than Eric the Vet because they don't give us exams.

Plus, you know Grandma wants to marry a vet. Then Piccolo and Tartufo will have a full time vet. Ha ha!

Looked what we learned how to do!

Picasa 2 is great! 

Less of us and more of them

Our grandma, Nonna Liana, asked us to start posting more pictures of our parents and our home because she doens't want to travel 7000 miles to see us. We know our parents aren't as cute as we are, but if you don't mind, we try to ensure our supply of Swiss doggie toys by catering to our Nonna. 

Not gonna happen!

Mom and Papa' tried to put socks on us to walk in the woods. Sometimes we don't like to go because the plant seeds get stuck in our fur. But Baby Gap socks? No way! Purple no, lesss.

Psst - Leite! - Is there anything we should be worried about? Do you think the socks are a signal that we're getting a new brother? Or, could it be that if we would actually wearthe socks, we could avoid one? 

Mom's three boys squinting in the sun

Aveti notato che abbiamo i colori ticinesi?

A walk in the woods -- a short one

Mom decided to walk the road less traveled with me . Imagine her disappointment when we came across this sign. I was okay with it, since it meant we could go home, but she was really disappointed.

Mommie and Papa' head to Osaka then Jalisco

Mommie and Papa' went out with thier friends Yasuko and Girish to a sushi restaurant names Tsunami in San Francisco, then to Tio Julio's new restaurant Tres Agaves. Tio Julio invited them to try a hibicus tequila cocktail, made with a blanco tequila and agua de hah-my-kah (jamaica). They liked it very much -- but the winner of the evening was El Tesoro di Don Felipe Anejo tequila (neat), though Mommie has a thing for mezcal. When they went out, they left ME in charge! Marcello

We have a lot of Japanese fans of our blog, so I am adding this photo of amaebi. Shhh! Don't tell Mom. She is too vain to let me post a photo of her with her eyes almost closed.

Turkey day

Today is Thanksgiving, sew we went for a walk in the woods looking for turkeys. We didn't find any, so Papa' gave us carrots. I think I would have liked some turkey more than carrots but since today iz Tanksgiving I was still very greatful to have carats. Marshmallow said that he doesn't like turkey because he was sick from eating turkey last eyar and doesn't want to go back to the doggie hospital.

The Maltese is a hunting dog

I'm not the only Maltese that hunts. But, as far as I know, I am the only one that hunts mice. Mom and Papa' gave me so many squeaky toys to practice with ove the years. These days, I can get the squeaker out of a squeaky toy in about 4 minutes. But, a mouse is much more tricky as you might imagine. I don't know much about frogs, because I am a hydrophobic dog. 

I love to blog!

I would blog all the time if Mommie would let me use her computer more. Her law school habit makes her need it a lot, though soemtimes I think she blogs too.

My birthday!

For my 6th birthday, I got a supersize greenie!!! 

My birthday too!

For some reason, I get presents on Marcello's birthday too. 

I am not a poodle!

I am not a poodle, a bichon frise' or a German Sherpard. I am a Maltese! A mighty dog who likes to go camping and fishing. 

In the old days

Life was so simple before Chicco came along. I mean, it was mom and me. I learned to tolerate this guy, but Chicco, on the other hand... 

I kept hearing all that noise coming from under the kitchen counter. And I really tryed hard to tell mom and dad, especially at night. But they kept sleeping or they just told me to be quiet.
I have to say that my dad was very proud of me and he gave me a lot of beef in exchange for my pray. I do not know what happened to it , because i didn't have a chance to show mom. She would have been very proud of me too.


I am proud of you too, for once you were faster than me! 

I finally got it!