CHILI UPDATE + a Purina One Challenge

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Purina One, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ONEDifference  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

If you have been a follower of this blog for awhile, then you will know that at the end of summer last year we got a puppy. A little boy, who we named Chili. My daughter had always wanted a dog of her own, so we surprised her right before school started with her very own pup. Yeah I thought about letting her pick it out but when a friend of mine said he had some pups available, I knew the element of surprise with my daughter, was the way to go!

A girl and her dog. BESTest buds!  . . . Chili's 1st day and now.

Of course we fell in love with him and his little personality. He is just the sweetest little boy, is very playful and energetic but has a stubborn side as well. We weren't sure what we were going to get from him since his momma is a MaltiPoo and his papa is a Chihuahua . . .  which equates to a MaltiPoochi named Chili!

He does have the feistiness of his papa and always, and I mean ALWAYS has to have the last word. It is quite humorous. If one of us correct him or tell him to stop barking, he has to let out the last grunt as if to say, "I hear ya but I'm gonna do this MY way." He is such a little stinker! 

Chili loves his car rides and making faces!

Chili is definitely a sweetie pie and loves to cuddle with his momma. (YAY!) He loves his comfy beds around the house and taking naps when he gets a chance. He can be very mello when he wants to be and oh so chill the rest of the time.

Chili chillin'

Our dog definitely fits in well with out family due to the fact that he loves a good laugh and is such a riot! I swear he knows when it's time to be crazy as he always finds a way to get in on the fun. If we are laughing, it gets him all fired up and he barks or starts running around in one of his daily "puppy rushes" - it is hysterical!

So which look is better on me? Hip or nerdy?

Chili recently turned ONE and we celebrated with party hats, gifts and ice cream! But as you can see, he refused to wear the party hat but LOVED his gifts and of course some puppy ice cream! (a.k.a. Frosty Paws)

Chili turns ONE . . . such a BIG milestone!

Ever since we brought him home, we have fed him nothing but the best dog food . . . only food with none of that "junk" in it along with only organic dog treats and no table scraps! This is honestly the FIRST dog I have had that I have done this with. Usually I just get whatever and call it a day. But Chili has been different. Maybe it's because he's technically my daughter's dog and I want to give him the BEST, just like I do for her. Which is why when it comes to feeding Chili, we had not been able to find anything that he realllllly loved. Sure we were feeding him some top notch food but he never got excited about it when it was time to eat. He was just eating to eat. 

So when I heard about the Purina One 28 day challenge for dogs, it got my attention and I researched their food to make sure I "approved" of feeding it to our beloved Chili. It did, and we decided to give it a try to see what Chili thought of it. I had heard, from some of my friends, of their results with their dogs and was excited to see if the same things would happen with him. 

Off to the store we went (with Chili in tow) to get us some Purina One SmartBlend. One of Chili's favorite places to go is to the pet store and his vet is in the same building so he knows he always gets a new toy when he goes so he doesn't fear the vet. On this trip he was quite happy with the fact that we were strictly shopping and not paying the vet a visit. Can't you tell from that BIG 'OL happy grin on his face?! ;) Or maybe, just maybe he was super excited to try some new food . . . we'll see.

I am loving this!

We are happy to report that Chili LOVED the food. He gets so excited to eat and starts jumping up and down when we ask him if he wants to eat. At first, he picked out all of the soft meat pieces and left the rice until last but hey, nothing wrong with that! He likes it all and enjoys it so much. We did notice his energy level increased significantly and we didn't think that was possible as he is already a pup but he is very much in tune with his energy levels. We have a routine of playing, fetch and walks every day and it helps him to have a schedule so he can look forward to these things as well.

Chili loves being outside and going for walks

I also think that he has gotten a LOT smarter because the tricks he can do now and the things he is learning are incredible! He loves learning new tricks and playing games with us on family game nights. ;)

Chili slams his paw down during a game of poker & barks "hit me!" & waiting his turn in a round of Bubble Talk

We also noticed how SOFT his fur was getting. It was amazing! We give him weekly baths (which he loves the pampering) and I have taken it upon myself to keep him trimmed with haircuts as needed and his fur is just so so so SOFT! I wasn't expecting that and love the fact that we are benefiting from it! I also noticed that he doesn't scratch as much so it is nice to offer him some relief from possible dry skin issues.

Chili loves to be pampered and his nickname is "princess" since he loves it so

The girl and her dog. The BEST gift I could have ever given to her! He loves her right back and she now has a best friend for as long as he is supposed to be here with our family and that IS the best gift a mother can give her child . . . the gift of happiness. Or at least any way we can try to make them happy.

best of friends

The girl loves this dog so much, she thinks he needs to sit at the table for everything with us. He is quite the "princess" eating his favorite food isn't he?

Just kidding . . . he enjoys his Purina One just like all the other pups out there, at his own little place setting in the kitchen!

If you are interested in having your pup try the Purina One 28 day challenge, then why not head over to their website and sign up for the challenge and get your own $3 off coupon towards a bag of Purina One dog food. Trust me, your dog will LOVE you for it. ;) Mine did. Just look at what it did to MY dog. ;)

Join me in following Purina One on Facebook, Purina One on Twitter and on Instagram to be informed with all the latest news and fun facts! I did, because in my HONEST opinion, I am going to keep feeding our dog Chili this food as he loves it and I can see the many benefits from it! So I want to stay in the know with Purina One!

Looking forward to seeing you again! Chili thanks you for stopping by! :)

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{PUPPY LOVE} So . . . we got a puppy

Have you seen a CUTER face than this?! I mean seriously, he had me at first glance. Those eyes . . . {sigh} ;) 

I would like you all to meet the newest addition to our family: Chili! He is a Maltipoo-chi. Yes it's kind of a 'newer breed' (I guess) as most people I have told respond with the . . . "a what? never heard of that one!" lol . . . his momma is a MaltiPoo & his daddy is a Chihauhau. So basically he is Italian-French-Mexican. What a mix right? But a cute one at that! For sure!

He is about 10.5 weeks old. His birthday was June 5th, so he's a Gemini too. lol My husband & I have our birthdays literally a week apart at the end of May so now we will be partying for like a month straight since this little guy's will be just a week later than mine. Whoo-hooo . . .guess I'll just plan to take a whole month off right now! ;)

Were we in the "market" to get a pup? No. I LOVE dogs. Heck I would own a few of them if I could but as of right now, my family & I live in a condo so my policy on 'no-dogs-until-we-get-a-house' always was on my mind. We are praying things work out & we DO get a house soon & can move here in the next year or so . . . that was when I promised my daughter we could think about a dog. You see, I am one of those who don't think it's fair to have dogs UNLESS they have a place to run, play in a yard, etc. But then my husband started asking me too . . .what about a little dog? Well . . . it changed from no, to we'll see. ;)

So how did I find Chili? My friend, Matt, has this dog . . . a Maltipoo & she had pups & I just happen to run into him right after she did. And he had pics of the pups. Then I started thinking . . . well this IS a very tiny dog & how awesome would it be to give my daughter the BIGGEST thing she has ever asked for & been wanting for, like years?!!!! Pretty cool indeed!!!!! She was in LOVE with him. Guess who just won "Mom of the year" award? 
Yeah . . .ahhhhh . . .what can I say? lol

Love this picture . . . his first shopping trip! lol Train 'em young right? ;) See what he picked out? That green faced friend of his is his FAVE right now!

 


He's had a busy first few days here & is realizing that I LOVE LOVE LOVE to take pics of him! He loves it . . . can't ya tell? Already posing for the camera . . .
the shy pose, profile pose & the 'when-I-do-this-face-I-get-whatever-I-want' pose!

I have not had a dog in almost 10 years & I am so glad we added him to our family this week. Has it been an adjustment? Sure as there is LOTS for him to learn but ya know what? He's one smart little pup. He's doing pretty good potty training, knows a couple commands fairly well, loves to play & loves small pieces of crushed ice! He comes running anytime someone is getting crushed ice from the fridge! lol He's sleeping through the night without whining & adjusting quite well in my opinion. It has definitely been a week of "firsts" for him.
 

I hope you have enjoyed these pics of my new little ECED's mascot! LOL Oh yes. He will be working with me on some projects that I have up my sleeve already! He will be fun to work with . . . in between all of his puppy naps! That Chili is so silly! ;)

 
I was wondering if any of you have any recommendations on a couple things: I would LOVE any advice on good organic puppy treats. I want to make sure he has good, healthy treats & give him what's best for his well being, so what do you use? I also welcome any tips on potty training or breaking the chewing habit with puppies . . . he's doing well with it but any good advice that you used would be greatly appreciated. Potty training I've been told, is just being consistent but I actually had a neighbor tell us today that she trained her small dog to potty on paper - like always! Never went outside! Is that crazy or not so much? Also I got him a teething bone to help with chewing . . . he likes it but doesn't work all the time but I am sure nothing does. 

I do want to THANK my friend Matt for letting me adopt this little boy! I can't imagine NOT having him now. THANK YOU MATT!!!! ;)

I would love the feedback! Anything you want to share . . . places I need to check out for puppy supplies . . . or maybe you have a puppy that looks like Chili! Let me know that too . . . 
Until next time . . .Chili says "nice to meet ya". xoxo