Mochi Turns 1 !

Mochi turns one year old today!  Honestly, we only know about this day as his birthday because it is what is written on his records from the pet shop, but since buying Mochi last year I've committed to never buy from a Hong Kong pet shop again if I can instead rescue a pup from a shelter.  I admittedly did not do my research into the pet shop and puppy mill trade before getting Mochi, and have mixed feelings because of course I love Mochi now that he's a part of our family, but I regret having done my share to prop up a little regulated and often dubious industry.  Anyways, I digress.... our baby pup has turned 1 today!

Today actually went with relatively little fanfare as Harry is out of town visiting his home country the Netherlands and our helper Maria (whom Mochi is very to close to) is also on holiday.  That left me alone with the Moch, so we went over to Elements Mall to have breakfast and a stroll with his best friend Boo.

Yesterday we celebrated Mochi's birthday in advance while both Harry and Maria were there.  Of course I had to try and get him to wear this puppy birthday hat, and of course he was grumpy about anything put on his body as usual:






However he noticeably perked up when food became involved:



(That chocolate birthday cake is just for show, by the way -- we ate it afterwards!  Chocolate is a big no no food for pups but we just had to get a pretty picture!)



Mochi also got a new duck version of his favorite toy (a frog from the same line/brand of toys):



To compensate for Mochi not being able to eat the chocolate cupcake, I pan seared three slices of Norwegian salmon for him in toy poodle portion sizes, of which he literally inhaled two immediately and so I saved the third one for these pictures below:


Overall, Mochi had a very enjoyable day (we think!!)  Thanks for visiting!

Mochi's Tricks

Mochi has surprisingly learned to perform a very consistent trick, which is "Leave it" when we offer him something of value (chicken, some liver, etc.).

Mochi the Adolescent

In just a few short months Mochi has become almost fully grown! He is currently about 3.8 kg and our vet says he only has about 5% more growth margin probably.  Mochi has grown to become a loyal, stick-by-your-side, neat little dog and we wouldn't trade him for the world.  He loves to playfully push his favorite toys under the couch and retrieve them back (most of the time needing our help since he pushes it too far in), loves his liver treats and homemade meals, and has become so much more comfortable with his daily treadmill exercise as well as bathtime and grooming time.  He still loves Ducky the most as his favorite toy, but the other Tsum Tsums come in a close second. His hobby is stealing socks and other soft items from the closet and around the house.  His best buddy is Boo, my mom's dog, the two get on like white on rice anytime they are together.  We are really happy also that Mochi has become so much more comfortable at the park with other dogs, he goes right up to big dogs now to sniff them and will run around freely around the vicinity where we put our stuff!

Here he is making mischief with Boo before their bathtime!

Mochi definitely goes from raggedy to spruced up after a bath.

A cute shot with one of his favorite toys, Mr. Carrot. 

Throwback to when Mochi was itty bitty!

Rainy Day Outing to Mikiki with Friends

Today we were supposed to go to Penfold Park for a puppy picnic with many of our friends with dogs, but unfortunately it was Thunderstorm and Red Rain signal, so we decided to move the party to Mikiki Mall in San Po Kong instead.  Inside Mikiki there's a pet cafe that allows dogs to socialize while owners have a drink.  Admission is $70 for dogs which includes equal value of doggy snacks and cakes (which are very cute replicas of human food, like meat pies and cupcakes).  Owners pay $30 each and it includes one drink.  Celine, Clarence, and Cooper came along, as well as Annli and Bob.

$70 doggy entrance fee got us two lamb mincemeat pies for Mochi

Celine, Cooper, me, and Mochi

Mochi about to enjoy his mincemeat pie!

Mochi and Boo's 6-Month Birthday Party

Mochi and Boo celebrated their 6-month birthday on Friday because my mom's helper had taken it upon herself to order personalized cakes for the two pups.  She ordered their names to be written on the cake as well as the word "BROTHERS" because these two are close like brothers-- Mochi doesn't play as well with any other pup as he does with Boo, and vice versa.  It must be their shared roots from the same pet store (they were just one cage apart).  Mochi and Boo played so hard together that Mochi knocked out two of Boo's canine teeth (!!!) much to the delight of my mother, who was afraid Boo's teeth would need to be extracted.  Boo barely touched his cake but Mochi would have happily devoured it all had we not stopped him!

Boo's sweet smile and signature head cocking. 

Mochi cannot wait to devour this.

But he was good and we got at least one good shot!

Nom, chomp, nom!!

Mochi's Swimming Outing @ Petfield Hong Kong

Mochi swam for the first time in an outdoor swimming pool, and he did not like it at all! All he wanted to do was to get out of the pool, which is really too bad since it's such a good exercise for his joints and he is a pretty good swimmer!

Our homecoming after two weeks' holiday in Europe

This was Mochi's cute and frantic welcoming to us after we returned from two whole weeks holidays in Europe! Poor little guy couldn't contain himself!