Christmas in Thailand 2008

Thailand is a Buddhist country, so Christmas Day was just another work day here. As a result, we did very little to celebrate the day... except to dress Tai and Daisy in their 'Mr & Mrs Santa' jackets. Daisy goes everywhere Tai goes, so it was fun to see the two of them running around in a blaze of red.

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And... here are our kids playing in the garden.

Daisy at 9 weeks

At the tender age of 9 weeks, our little Daisy has carved out a spot in the hearts of our family and our customers. Strangely, though, when Thai customers first meet Daisy, they don't ask "What's her name?" or "How old is she?" Instead, they ask "How much did she cost?" To Thai people, the value of something you own determines where you sit on the "social status ladder." As I say, strange!

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Tai is quickly becoming Daisy's friend and playmate. Daisy chases him everywhere like a little shadow, and when they play, she wants to bite at his jowls. They play tug-of-war with the rope chew toys, and compete for control of the crushed plastic water bottle that is their favorite toy at the moment. It's kind of like watching a hockey game, with this plastic bottle skidding across the floor and these two characters vying for control. Tai will steal it from Daisy; but a moment later, she'll steal it back. It's obvious that he's being careful with her when they play, not being too rough considering her diminutive size.

Daisy is learning to respond to her name. When called, she comes at a run. She's very much a people-person (people-dog?), demanding attention from everyone. Tai, on the other hand, will check out each customer who comes in, but then will go back to whatever he was doing. Just one of many differences in their personalities.

Daisy has an incredible appetite. She eats till her belly is bulging, then wants to dive into Tai's bowl. And, it seems, she'll eat anything. Not the fussy, picky eater that Tai is.

Here are more pics...

Introducing Daisy - part 2

Daisy has been with us for nearly a week, and has completely taken over the household. Here are more pics...

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Introducing Daisy

What a delight it is to introduce Daisy, Tai's new little sister, born on Oct 22, 2008, in central Thailand. This adorable little girl joined our family at the tender age of only 7 weeks. And what a bundle of energy! She bounces around like she's made of rubber.

We selected Daisy from a breeder in central Thailand, a four-hour drive from our home in the northeast. It wasn't easy making a choice from so many bright faces, all wanting attention, all wanting a new home. If only we could have taken them all. The drive back home was largely uneventful because both Tai and Daisy slept almost the entire way.

This little girl certainly has a healthy set of vocal chords. When she's hungry, she can scream loud enough to set your teeth on edge. You'd think she was being tortured. But set her bowl in front of her and it's like the world is going to end in 5 minutes. She attacks her food with gusto! We're going to try to give her a varied diet, not the fussy, limited diet Tai prefers. We've already learned that Daisy will dive into Tai's dinner bowl if she's not kept under control. (Tai is not impressed.) Thankfully she's destined not to be a picky eater.

At this point, Daisy has been with us only a few days, and Tai isn't quite sure what to make of all this. He turns a cold shoulder to her most of the time, and has even growled at her. But at night, he sleeps beside her. In rare moments, we've seen Tai playing with her a little bit. Hopefully his jealousy will subside soon and they will be inseparable.

We're not used to having such a tiny one under foot, so she'll have to stay on a leash for a while till she's a bit bigger and isn't so likely to get herself into trouble. After all, a restaurant can be a dangerous place. (No, she's not allowed in the kitchen.)

And so, what introduction would be complete without pics, so here are more...

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