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Titus the Dog
Hello! My name is Titus. As I frequently spend time in Mommy's
office, I would like to take a moment and introduce myself. You may hear me watchdog bark on occasion, when you
are speaking with Mommy on the phone.
My Forever Family
I chose my Daddy
and Mommy (Jim and Mary) as my Forever Family when they visited the Contra Costa Animal Shelter in Martinez, California on June 18, 2005. In honor of this very special event, we celebrate the third Saturday
of every June as Titus Day. I am a Chow Chow mix, most likely Chow Chow with a lot of Husky, a
little Retriever, and perhaps a bit of Shepherd mixed in. I am proud to say that I'm a Mutt. As Mommy says, "There
is nothing more lovable than a Mutt!" I turned 11 wonderful
years old on July 30, 2011, the equivalent of 69 human years old. Fabulous! Oh, I bet you are wondering
how I arrived at the 'equivalent of 69 human years old' calculation. Well, many people think that 1 doggie
year is equivalent to 7 human years, but research has shown that this calculation is not accurate. Although there
is no exactly correct calculation (since different breeds and sizes of dogs age a bit differently), dog experts generally
agree that the most accurate dog/human age calculation is based on the observation that dogs age faster in the first 2
years of life, as dogs grow up from puppyhood to adulthood. The first 2 years of a dog's life are equivalent
to 12 human years each, so when a dog becomes 2 years old and reaches adulthood, his age is equivalent to 24 human years old.
For every year after that, a dog ages more slowly, so that each successive year is the equivalent of 5 human
years. So for me, my human-equivalent age is: (2*12) + (9*5) = 24 + 45 = 69. Got it? My
Family and I live life to the fullest. I enjoy hanging out with Daddy and Mommy; we appreciate each and every day. I
like to take walks through my neighborhood, hike in Briones Regional Park with Daddy, garden with Mommy, supervise Daddy's
lawn mowing, perform my watchdog duties, take long naps, and chase squirrels (and the occasional kitty that wanders into
Mommy's gardens). I really enjoy it when Mommy or Daddy grooms me. It feels soooo good to be brushed
(I usually fall asleep!), and I really like having my teeth brushed and ears wiped out. Briones Regional Park
is so beautiful; I've posted some cool pictures of an April 14, 2010 hike with Daddy. (For some reason, Mommy was busy working on taxes that day, and could not join
us.) Also, just in case you are wondering what the weather is like in my Pleasant Hill, California neighborhood, here
are the details from my friends at The Weather Channel:
I look
forward to UPS and Fed Ex deliveries at my home; the drivers often bring me a big Milk-Bone biscuit! US Postal
Service mail carriers are not nearly as good about bringing bones, although one mail carrier, a pretty blond lady, brings
me a bone when she has a package to drop off at my home. My Favorite Foods My favorite foods are Tillamook reduced fat medium cheddar cheese (Mommy changed my cheese to the
reduced fat version in September 2011; it is very good!); roast chicken (made with an Organic Mary's Chicken); and Mommy's fresh roast fish, made with halibut, salmon, cod, yellowfin tuna, or steelhead trout. My other favorite
foods include Mommy's homemade cookies, Dogswell Breathies Chicken Breast Strips, Nutro Max Mini Bones, Nathan's Reduced
Fat Famous Beef Frankfurters, and milk. I drink a bowl of 2% Clover Organic Farms Milk every evening after my dinner,
for strong bones and teeth. Mommy's fresh roast fish is probably my most favorite food. I especially
enjoy roast fish when Mommy tops it with small wild pink shrimp purchased from our friends at Alaskan Harvest Seafood. The shrimp are so sweet, they taste like candy! I also like Nutro Natural Choice moist dog food; I am currently
enjoying the Chicken & Rice Senior recipe. For dinner I have moist dog food and a protein, such as
roast fish, roast chicken, or maybe frankfurter (presented in separate portions on my plate). Delicious! I eat a few bites of Nutro Ultra Senior recipe dry dog food (or "crunchies", as Mommy calls
it) when I am extra hungry. Don't tell Mommy, but I sometimes take a
mouthful of dry dog food out of my bowl, and bury it in the backyard to create the appearance that I am eating more
of this crunchy stuff than I actually am. Pretty sneaky, huh? I am not too
terribly fond of these crunchy things, but I truly do eat some every now and then, to satisfy Mommy.
As Daddy told me, we need to keep the household happy. Although most of this crunchy stuff is so
tasteless it isn't even fit for a kitty, the Nutro Ultra Senior recipe is reasonably tasty. My Supplements ... Growing Older and Better! After my dinner, I take
two supplements: 2 tablets of CosaminDS, a glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate blend, and 1-1200 mg tablet of Nature's
Bounty Omega-3 & 6 Odorless Fish Oil. Mommy covers the pills in low fat cream cheese, and I lap them right up. I
highly recommend both of these supplements; they help keep me strong and active, and help prevent stiffness and
soreness from my daily walks, hikes, and Squirrel Chasing Adventures. My advice for all doggies
is: "Don't be afraid to get older, because 11 years old is the new 5 years old!" Both my Mommy and Daddy
say that getting older seems to really agree with me. Awesome! My Awesome Veterinarians I am thankful
for the excellent, thorough, and loving veterinary care I receive from everyone at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital in Pleasant Hill, California (my primary veterinarians: Dr. Joseph Thibedeau, DVM; Dr.
Louisa Asseo, DVM; and relief veterinarian Dr. Vanessa Wensing, DVM) and Sage Centers for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care in Concord, California (my veterinary surgeons; formerly known as Veterinary Surgical Associates). All
are highly recommended! Although I could do without having my temperature taken during my visits. My Knee Surgeries: June 2008 and May
2009 I tore the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament)
in my left rear knee in June 2008, and had surgery on June 19, 2008 to rebuild my left knee using the TPLO (Tibial Plateau
Leveling Osteotomy) procedure. Dr. Timothy W.H. Sellmeyer, DVM, Diplomate ACVS performed the very successful surgery.
Without the surgery, I would not be able to go on long walks and hikes, climb hills, chase squirrels, or comfortably climb
our stairs ever again. My Family and I agreed this would not be a very good quality of life for me. In the spring of 2009, I started to have discomfort in my right
knee. I had ruptured my right ACL; my right knee was swollen and experiencing scar tissue buildup. One of my primary
vets, Dr. Louisa Asseo, DVM, said I have lots of good years left, and advised it would be best to have surgery now to help
prevent arthritis, inflammation, and pain. On May 28, 2009, Dr. Paula West, DVM, Diplomat ACVS successfully reconstructed
my right knee using the TPLO procedure, using a TPLO plate, six screws, and a pin. Fabulous! I had to stay overnight in the Concord Sage Center Hospital following both of my surgeries.
I was concerned about leaving my Family alone, as I had never spent a night away from both Daddy and Mommy.
Thankfully my Family survived without me those two nights. My recovery from both surgeries
went very well. In fact, I was feeling so good after my second knee surgery in May 2009, Daddy had to stop me from running
through the house only four days after my surgery. You should have seen how white Mommy's face turned when she saw me
start to run! During my Summer recoveries following my surgeries, I convinced Mommy to feed our backyard squirrels
extra peanuts, so the squirrels would get fat and slow in preparation for my return to squirrel chasing in the Autumn. Fantastic! My knees are now better and stronger than ever. I
hike the hills at Briones Regional Park and the Lafayette Reservoir Rim Trail with ease. I feel like the Bionic
Super Dog! You can see my X-Rays below. Pretty cool, huh?
Titus sporting his Holiday
jingle bells in December 2011, photos above and to the right. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone! |
Titus
the Dog
Mary's Beloved Canine Companion
February 2012 News February Greetings, Everyone! I'll be back a bit later this month to update this webpage with
the latest happenings. In the meantime, check out my awesome road trip to the Cypress Inn and the Pacific Ocean in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. I loved the Ocean! Talk
with you soon, Titus the Dog
December 7, 2011
News Happy Holidays,
everyone! To celebrate the Holiday Season, I recently starting sporting some festive jingle bells. (I told
Mommy that jingle bells were fine, but reindeer antlers were out of the question!) The jingle bells sound really good
(especially when I shake!), and everyone loves them. I wear them during the day, and take them off at night when I sleep.
You can check out my cool new jingle bell bling in the photos below. We
got our Christmas Tree last weekend, and will decorate it this coming weekend. It is a beauty.
Right now, it is outside on the backyard patio, in a stand with water. Mommy has ordered a smoked Willie Bird
Turkey from Diablo Foods for our Christmas dinner; I cannot wait to have some. We had a fresh Willie
Bird Turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner, and it was delicious. Mommy said it was the freshest poultry she had ever fixed. We recently completed another backyard improvement project. Last month, we installed
a Barn Owl nesting box in our backyard. It looks really cool! Mommy ordered it from Bestnest.com, an awesome source for your backyard wildlife: bird seed, bird feeders, bird houses, and other outside items. Great
products and customer service. Anyway, we mounted it on a 12 foot 4x4 pole, after Daddy placed the pole 2
feet into the ground, surrounded by concrete. So, the box is about 10 feet in the air, just the height that Barn
Owls like. That was a big job for me to supervise; thankfully, Daddy is a great Architect! Daddy added extra bracing
to the nesting box supports, for earthquake protection. We have had several mild earthquakes since installing the Barn
Owl nesting box, and a couple days of strong winds, and the box and support pole held strong. Hopefully we
will get a Barn Owl couple and future owlets to occupy the box when nesting season starts this winter. Oops, have to go! I need to head outside to check on the Christmas Tree, to make sure squirrels
are not climbing in it. Have a great December, everyone. Your friend, Titus the
Dog October 3, 2011 News: I'm Featured in The Bark Magazine Website! Awesomely Cool News ... Check this out! I learned today that I will be featured as the October 7, 2011 Daily Smiler on The Bark homepage. If you missed it on The Bark,
you can see my Daily Smiler feature above. I am also featured as a Weekly Smiler for the week of October 3, 2011 on The
Bark. Contact my Mommy if you would like a complimentary autographed Smiler Photo, and I
will prepare one especially for you. Happy Smiling, everyone!
August 1, 2011 News:
My Birthday Weekend
As you know,
I celebrated my 11th birthday on Saturday, July 30, 2011. My Family and I had a great Birthday Weekend! I hope
that you had a great Titus Birthday Weekend 2011, too! My Family and I had some great walks and hikes
over the weekend. For my Birthday Dinner, Mommy fixed some delicious Copper River Salmon that she got from our friends
at Alaskan Harvest Seafood. Mommy orders seafood items from Alaskan Harvest Seafood that she cannot purchase at the Diablo Foods grocery store:
Copper River Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Alaskan Spot Shrimp, and other delicious yummies. Alaskan Harvest Seafood ships
their premium seafood frozen and packed on dry ice, and the seafood always arrives at our door just-caught fresh, and
frozen rock solid. Delicious! I had roast salmon and moist dog food for my Birthday Dinner, and it was delicious. I had
an extra fun hike with Daddy on Sunday, July 31. We hiked in Briones Regional Park, using the Acalanes entrance in Lafayette,
California. During our hike, we met two other senior doggies: a 9 1/2 year old Burmese Mountain Dog, and a 9 year
old Golden Retriever. I had a grand time with my new friends, tail wagging and hiking. Daddy and I called our
fun Sunday experience "Senior Day at the Park". Senior Power! I
always enjoy meeting other senior doggies during my Great Adventures. Gotta
go! There are some pigeons on the back patio that I need to chase. I will check back in soon ... Have a great
August everyone! Your Friend, Titus the Dog July 5, 2011 News:
My Friend the Coyote!
Although the
couple of weeks leading up to the start of Summer were unseasonably cool .... some days 30 degrees cooler than normal ...
Summer arrived packing heat. Our backyard weather station recorded a toasty high of over 106 degrees on June 21, the
first day of Summer. I really enjoy my daily hikes with Daddy at Briones Regional Park. I had an extra Great Adventure during our
June 7 hike: I saw one of my coyote friends! I
started running up the hillside to say "Hi!" to the coyote, but Daddy saw the coyote, too, and yelled “Heel!”
I stopped in my tracks and waited for Daddy, while the coyote disappeared over the hillside. Although I was a
bit disappointed that I was not able to say "Hi!" to my friend, I received awesome positive reinforcement
from Daddy for obeying his command: lots of verbal praise, and some good chicken breast strips.
Yum! I had another great 6-month physical examination with Dr. Louisa Asseo, DVM at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital
on May 25. Everything is great, except that Dr. Asseo asked me to try to lose a few pounds. I know,
I do love my treats, and excel at giving Mommy and Daddy 'the look' when I want more treats. So, we are working on losing
a few pounds. Mommy and Daddy are cutting back on my cheddar cheese treats, and instead are giving me more chicken
breast strips (lower in calories). Oh, for all active doggies, here is a must-have item
for your outdoor outings: a portable water container with bowl from my friends at Water Rover. It is very durable, convenient to use, and easy for your human to carry so that you stay
hydrated during all of your Great Adventures. I almost always have a Water Rover with me during my walks and hikes.
People frequently ask me: "Where did you get that cool water bowl?" I have two of the
'Even Bigger Water Rover' bottles; one red, and one dark blue. When it is warm outside, Mommy and Daddy fill
the container up half-way with ice, then add water to the top, so I have chilled ice water to drink during my warm weather
Great Adventures. I call this my Brain Freeze drink! Thanks Water Rover! I'm going
to take a nap now to rest up for my next Great Adventure, but I'll be back soon with a new post about current
happenings in my wonderful world. See you soon. My Webpage Archive
Want to learn more about
my past Great Adventures and Neighborhood Happenings? You can read some of my old webpage posts at my Webpage Archive page. I'll check back in soon and let you know how things are going. Thanks for stopping by!
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