Hercules

Recently acquired a male Chihuahua as a gift for my son who celebrated his 7th birthday. It was a choice between a puppy and a PSP. Suprisingly my son chose the puppy. At first, I was hesitant knowing that having a pet is not a walk in the park. It's like having another child but after considering the vote of the celebrant, and my desire not to give another hand held game device, the Chihuahua won over the PSP.

The next question is what breed we would get. Unanimous vote is a small breed dog. I wanted a low-maintenance dog that doesn't shed that much, doesn't consume that much dog food & can be kept in an apartment such as ours. After consulting the internet & asking around, it was decided that we will get a Chihuahua.

So we visited different Chihuahua breeders to see for ourselves the puppies. Finally, we got ourselves a male chocolate reddish brown Chihuahua from a reputable breeder. He conforms well to the standard breed and does not have any major defaults. One look at him and I know he was for our family. His eyes stare at you with such inquisition. I immediately fell in love with him!

Naming him was another cause for debate. Suggestions like Oreo, Toblerone, Choc-nut and more came out but finally we named him Hercules. He may lack in size but he definitely brings us enormous joy. The kids adore him & he comes with us everywhere; in our out of town trips, beach, car rides & bringing the kids to school. He comes with us everywhere as long as the place permits.

Having a pet in a family teaches the kids responsibility. They take turns taking care of him like feeding him, replenishing the water in his bottle, cleaning his poop, playing with him & more. Seeing Hercules grow healthy and strong, I know he is well loved by all of us.

Pet Flowerhorn

One of the things that relaxes me is our pet Flowerhorn. I like staring at it and admiring its vibrant color and hump. Our Flowerhorn has been with us for close to a year. We bought it when it was just little and now it's bigger than my hand.

This is our second attempt to take care of this kind of fish. The first one died because of overfeeding. My kids would take turns feeding it, not being being conscious that it is already overfed. After having suddenly a dead fish, I searched the Internet as to proper ways to take care of it.

They say that owning a Flowerhorn brings you luck depending on the patterns on its body. The patterns, when seen up close, resembles Chinese characters. The more pronounced the patterns are, the better. The hump, on the other hand, signifies long life which is preferred by Flowerhorn breeders. It is also a solitary fish by nature. You can't mix it with other fishes. Abrupt changes can bring stress to this fish which could make it ill. However, once it has adjusted, taking care of it will be a breeze. It thrives on fish food made especially for Flowerhorns and worms are given as a special treat.

Well, for me, luck or no luck, I don't care. I still love our fish. He's a part of our family and looking at him for a few minutes is enough to find a moment of tranquility.