I am very excited to announce that Mommy and I are mentioned in an article on clickertraining.com! This was written by my teacher Laura. I'm mentioned toward the end and see if you can spot our picture too. If you don't feel like reading all those words, here's the cliff notes version: "dogs like hot dogs."

The Training Game: A New Perspective

xoxo
Pumpkin

        

Hello, Menace the feline super agent here.

Check out page 14 of today's Chicago Sun-Times.




No - not the 6 pounds of meth story - but the one starring my client Pumpkin!

"Heather Cunningham prepares her dog, Pumpkin, for the costume contest at the ctiy's Dog Day on the Green at Montrose Harbor on Sunday. Pumpkin was dressed as Katy Perry (below)."

Pumpkin appears to be only in the print edition. Of course, that is very smart on the paper's part because everyone will want to buy the paper if that is the only place to see Pumpkin.

Menace out!

        

Well, I have had a most busy and exciting month. Here is a recap.

As you recall, I hurt my foot at the beach and had to go to the ER, where I was given some very good happy time medicine. I healed up very quickly, so quickly in fact that Mommy thinks I might have been stung by a bee on my ankle. That would explain the sudden scream and quick recovery. The park where I was injured is full of clover flowers mixed in with the grass, and Mommy noticed a lot of bees about.

My manager, Menace the cat, had a little chat with me in his office after a few days on the happy time medicine.



He said he did not want a Lindsay Lohan on his hands, so he said I had to go to rehab at the Pooch Hotel . How embarrassing! But here is the worst part. The day Menace sent me to rehab was the exact same day Lady Gaga gave a concert in Grant Park! This made me so mad I used a couple of HBO words.



Since time goes quickly for dogs, luckily I only had to stay one day. At the Pooch Hotel I stayed out of the regular playgroup because I'm a celebrity, but I had some nice refined social time with a handsome Pomeranian.

Due to my injury and my busy schedule visiting the rehab home, I had missed school for a while. Turns out my teacher Laura moved lessons to a new location - a vet's office called Furnetic! This is an awful sneaky trick, because I hate the vet's office but I love school. I noticed there were no people in scrubs around, so I figured I was safe. Plus Laura had hot dogs.

My first exercise was to get weighed. Normally I get weighed on a cat scale, so I was happy to use the big dog scale for a change.



Rot-oh! Our weights were written on a white board for the whole world to see! I should have taken off my collar so I would have a lower number. I'm not the kind of actress willing to gain weight for a role. 



Then at the end of class, I got a big surprise. Turns out I was just one class shy of getting my doctorate, and I finished that night. My teacher awarded me a PhD! Only one other dog at her school has achieved this level of award.



Now Menace is very happy. He said "More Natalie Portman, less Lindsay Lohan, good job Pumpkin! This will be great for your image."

But that's not all! After class, my teacher asked me to stay behind for some filming for a movie she is making on clicker training! I just adore indie documentaries so I said yes of course. I am already picking out a cute parka for Sundance.



So to sum it up, this month I:

• Survived a killer bee attack
• Developed a dependency on prescription meds
• Went to rehab for above dependency
• Earned my doctorate
• Starred in a movie

This does not even cover a visit from rock star Mullarkey!, but Menace has asked to write about that on Monday.

xoxo
Pumpkin

        

Hello, Menace here.

So yesterday Mommy took Pumpkin to the beach so I could have some much needed peace and quiet. But as they were walking to the beach, Pumpkin cried out in pain. It didn't even sound like a dog noise, more like a child screaming. Mommy looked down and Pumpkin was holding up her front left paw.

Mommy had an ice pack to keep her picnic lunch cold, so she iced it right away. But it was clear Pumpkin was still hurting, so she had to carry all her beach things and Pumpkin in her backpack back to the road to get a taxi to Animal Emergency.

We are not sure what happened because although its very clear Pumpkin's front "wrist" was hurting, no bones were broken and there was no swelling. It could be that Mommy's quick icing kept swelling at bay. She may have sprained her ankle, or she may have been stung by a bee. Here is a picture of the inside of Pumpkin's feetsies from the ER. They are reversed, so the hurt paw is on the right.



Now Pumpkin is resting comfortably at home and she is on 2 different painkillers. This worries me quite a bit as a manager, because you know how actresses always get addicted to painkillers. I do not want to book Pumpkin on Celebrity Rehab as anything other than a therapy dog! And after this scare, I am definitely demanding she use a stunt double for all action scenes.

But the very worst part of this whole episode is that Pumpkin is getting extra attention and I am getting neglected.

Menace Out

        

Hello, Menace here.

A number of people have implied that I am not a very good manager. However, I have been working most hard to help Pumpkin transition from model to actress.

Here I am reviewing scripts in my office:



I thought that Pumpkin would have a better perspective on what it means to be in the movies, if she actually went to the movies. Now normally she is not allowed at the movies, which is totally unfair, but I found a special outdoor movie in a nearby park for her to attend. Here she is with Mommy waiting for "Where the Wild Things Are" to begin. Auntie Amber met her there, and Pumpkin was most excited to see her.



I also got Pumpkin a great new assignment as a therapy dog. She is visiting patients at a  senior care and rehabilitation facility this summer. It's important for actors to research their roles, so this will be great preparation for a guest spot on "Grey's Anatomy" or "House."

Now as you can see, I am working very hard, especially considering I am a cat and must fit my work into the 6 hours a day I am awake.

Menace Out!

        

Today Mommy took me to the dog beach. And look what I saw - another Japanese Chin!



This Japanese Chin was playing with other dogs and, *gasp*, going in the water!



I told this Japanese Chin what I thought of his undignified behavior. Because Japanese Chin are so rare, we are always ambassadors for our breed, and we should make a good impression. We would not want people to think we are water dogs like Labradorks.



Now Mommy went in the very shallow part of the water at the quiet end of the beach to cool off her feet. I stayed right on the edge.



When I stepped towards the water, I heard a click and got a treat. Hmmmm, maybe I will take another step towards Mommy.



Before I knew it, I was in the water! And it felt great to cool off. Dogs regulate temperature partly through their paw pads, so nice cool feet made a nice cool Pumpkin.



Now I felt kind of bad for dressing down that Japanese Chin earlier. But not too bad.



Now here is something you won't see everyday, a picture of me dirty! How embarrassing. The pawparazzi are everywhere!

Now speaking of pawparazzi, a number of people have commented that I look like Lady Gaga, even when I'm not in my costume. That is hard for me to believe, being as I am covered in fur and she is not, and I am very small and she is not, not to mention the four-feet/two-feet issue. But they say there is something in the eyes. What do you think?




Well I think that Lady Gaga may be copying me! I don't need to wear dangerous contact lenses or use computer graphics to make my eyes look so big.

Speaking of big eyes, check out the brand new public sculpture not far from my house. Mommy showed it to me on the way home from the beach, but she saw it recently when it was being assembled.



Now suddenly my eyes look very small.

xoxo
Pumpkin

        

On Monday, Mommy had the day off so she took me to the lakefront. It was so hot, and I was hoping to catch a nice cool breeze off the lake.



All kinds of people passed me on the lakefront path and many stopped to admire me.



After our day at the lake I thought we were done. We passed Krisers that evening I was so surprised to see my teacher Laura there!

Have you heard of a surprise party? Well in this case, there was surprise school! We did a lesson right there in Krisers with some other dogs in the neighborhood.

Here is a picture of me showing good attention to handler.



During the lesson, I found I have a new favorite food. Spray cheeze from a can! Laura put some inside my toy for me. Wow look at my amazing long tongue in this picture.



I know most people have nightmares about surprise tests, but for dogs surprise school is a good thing. Ummmm.... spray cheeze....

xoxo
Pumpkin

        

Hi, Menace here.

As you know, I am Menace's manager and talent agent in exchange for 10% of her kibbles. Well I am pleased to announce Pumpkin was just featured in a radio show about pets this week.

The show is called "Wild About Pets" and it features an interview with Pumpkin's teacher and acting coach, Laura Monaco Torelli. Pumpkin is mentioned at the very end of the third segment, and her photo is featured on the show's web site.

Listen to "Wild About Pets"
View the show photos

Congratulations Pumpkin. I think you deserve an Oscar for how well you pretend to not mind a nail trim.

Menace Out!

        

Last week Mommy and I went to the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society's annual Canine Cruise.



The Canine Cruise provides a spectacular view of Chicago's famous architecture for people and their canine companions. And apparently, also for annoying Labradorks.



"Hey Buddy, stop begging for treats from MY mommy!"



After a while I decided I did not want to sit on Mommy's lap anymore. I chose a seat and sat in it like a proper lady for the rest of the evening.



Of course everywhere I go, the pawparazzi follows me! Its very difficult to pose for photos while pretending to ignore the photographer.



In the middle of the cruise, this mysterious dog decided to sit next to me. She must be famous because she is wearing sunglasses.



I did not mind sharing the VIP section with this strange dog. We both sat politely in our seats.



Uh-oh, who let this riff-raff into the VIP section?



This is the view of Chicago from the lake. What a fun ride.

        

I am going to fire my stylist! Mommy dressed me up for the party last week, and not one but two other dogs had the same dress as me!

Check out our photos from the modeling contest. I am sure they will be featured in Us Magazine next week under "Who Wore it Best?" These other dogs are cute, but look at how I have angled my body to show off my dress to the camera. Now that's modeling!



Here are a couple more pictures from my party. I had my hair done at the beauty bar.



Here I am getting a massage in the spa area.



Now this is the life!

xoxo
Pumpkin