AN (A) TYPICAL DAY...

Hi Everyone!

It has been a while since my last post, but not my fault!!! My mom just didn't have time to get it together to write a post although I kept on telling her to do so! I do feel bad - she is very busy and in fact, hasn't had time to write on her on blog (http://danislogbookdestinationistanbulbeyond.blogspot.com) either, so I'm not that upset because I understand her predicament!

But, today she got an extra burst of energy - even though she went out two nights in a row this week, which didn't make me very happy! The first night Arman, my cousin stayed with me... so that wasn't so bad, but last night I was home alone! Don't get me wrong... I don't mind as mom doesn't lock me up in one room and I have a run of the entire house... and she makes sure I have water if I get thirsty and she leaves the lights on for me. It's just  that I like having her around! You have to see the greeting I give her when she comes home - you would think she had left me for a week and not just a couple of hours!

Me and Arman

Having said this... I will now get to the subject of this post! I will talk about a "typical" day in my life and also about today an "atypical" - mom took me for a haircut and shampoo!!

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One of the things that drives my mom absolutely crazy is the fact that I am an early riser!! Well, I do sleep most of the day so I think its very normal to get up at around 6:30am - 7:00am... now, I don't know how to tell time, so basically, I get up when it starts getting light outside.

Lately I have been letting my mom "sleep in" until about 8:00am, so while she's snoozing, I play with my chewy toys and I love eating a cucumber first thing in the morning, so mom gets up and gives me one before going back to bed... below is a small video of me chewing on my morning snack... she also took a picture! Yes, it's true... I do have some interesting habits!



The "typical" day continues after mom wakes up and she first prepares my breakfast (I DON'T eat dog food - I think she mentioned that before) and then we go for our walk around 8:30am... and if I'm lucky, I run into my girlfriend Zilli!

Zilli and me

Zilli usually comes out for her walk at around 9:00am, so we tag along with Zilli and her walker for awhile...

Once back home, I'm not allowed back into the house before mom wipes my feet and "other" parts ... lately it has been more difficult for her to keep me clean because of the heavy rains in Istanbul.

Then the rest of the day is pretty average... I eat my breakfast and I am a "wierd" eater... at least that's what my mom says! I usually do not prefer to eat from my dish, so she has to put the food next to the bowl! Don't ask me why, but this is the way I like it - my mom thinks it has something to do with my "previous" home life... but can't know for sure because she never had a chance to talk to my "ex" family for details... they never returned her call and she didn't push her luck!

Afterwards, I play with my chewy toys and bones... go out on the balcony for air... sleep and bug my mom while she is working to say "play with me", which is does...When it comes to sleep... I either sleep in my own bed...

or my mom's...

The rest of my "typical" day includes a walk around the neighborhood at around 4:30pm... I like to go out early and mom doesn't mind because now that it gets darker earlier she prefers it too... she says there are a lot of stray "big" dogs in our neighborhood and she wouldn't want to run into the "herd" in the dark... I guess I can understand that... I love interacting with people, dogs and cats, but mom thinks I have a tendency of pushing my luck at times!

Afterwards I have dinner and sleep on and off until mom goes to bed (and it's never before midnight for her). Generally my mom says I am a "good" dog... but I do have my moments... as I'm getting older (13 months old now), she says I'm getting these new "habits" which don't thrill her too much... for example, if any of her clothing is hanging on a doorknob, I pull it down... and she keeps some comforters in a drawer by her bed and there is no cover, so I think it's fun to pull them out and scatter them all over the bedroom floor too... I personally don't know what's so wrong with this, but it does get a "raise" from mom! I guess I should stop doing this... one day!

So, this is my "typical day"... but I prefer my "atypical" days more!!! They are more fun and include outings to different places with mom instead of just my ritual walks in the morning and night!

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Today was such a day!!! Just to preface, the weather in Istanbul has been pretty bad for the last few weeks. It's natural that it is cold, but it has been rainy almost daily! So, I haven't been going out with mom because of this... also, she's been looking at me and saying "your hair is getting too long... you look straggly and need a haircut". She does give me baths at home as I am a white dog and keeping me clean is not that easy... but when it comes to a haircut and getting my nails cut, we go to a groomer.

Since mom got me, I have been getting groomed at Animallia (www.animallia.com) which is in Etiler. Except for one time, she took me somewhere else. That person was good too, but he cancelled our appointments at the last second twice, so as my mom thought he was unreliable and preferred going back to Animallia. It wasn't that she wasn't happy with the first place, but it is good to try other places from time to time. Anyway, Animallia is also where my vet is... his name is Dr. Murat Ilgü and he's a cool guy... he also took care of Çapkın, (my aunt's dog) until he passed away on December 29, 2009. Since all my shots for this year are complete, I don't have to visit him again until February 2012.

Animallia

So... today was the day for a grooming! Our appointment was for 1:00pm. As my mom doesn't have a car, we took a taxi even though it's always not easy getting one. For some reason, some taxi drivers don't like to have dogs in their car... go figure!! I only weigh about 4,5 kgs... how much harm can I do? And, I'm good, I prefer to seat in my mom's lap all the way to our destination.

We got to Animallia before my appointment time, so to pass the time, my mom looked at the pet shop to see if she could find a winter outfit for me... don't think it was easy! Most of the imported winter outfits had hoodies!!! Can you believe it! You will never see me walking down the street with a hoodie that's for sure  - thank god mom agrees! I don't care that this is the latest trend abroad - I live in Istanbul and we hang cool here!

Pet Shop at Animallia

Afterwards, we sat in the garden until it was my turn to be groomed.

Mom took a video of me as we were waiting and I do look apprehensive, but not because of the haircut... I was just listening to all the noises around me...there were several dogs inside Animallia waiting to see a Vet and one went nuts for me, so we stayed outside as she started barking like crazy every time she saw me!

When my turn came, mom took me upstairs and deposited me into the trusty hands of groomer Ramazan...

My groomer Ramazan at Animallia

Mom doesn't stay in the room when I am being groomed like other moms... she feels that she would only distract the groomer and me and she is right... but apparently she snuck in some pictures while I was being groomed!

While mom was waiting for me, she found an outfit for me at the pet shop and she met this lovely little dog who had been abandoned at an animal shelter and then temporarily "adopted" by a caring animal lover...

Rehabilitated doggie looking for a new home

This doggie... about a year old - was rescued from an animal shelter. She was only about 10 kgs and in horrible shape, but now is up to 23 kgs after 40 days with this caring animal lover and is becoming healthier every day! But, she does need a permanent home! She has gone through alot but is very docile, so if you are interested in adopting her, you can contact Animallia and show them this picture and they will assist you!

Getting all "dolled" up took about an hour and here's the "new" me!

The "new" me

My aunt Meltem came to pick us up and I was really happy to see her - it has been a few days! But, before we left, I tried on the outfit my mom selected and it looked good on me, so she bought it!

with my mom Vildan in my new outfit

We hopped into the car and aunt Meltem took us home. She couldn't stay and play with me a bit because my cousin Arman would be home from school shortly, so she had to head home, but not before we had a picture taken with my new outfit and haircut!

with my Aunt Meltem

Today was a nice day... it didn't rain and it was sunny for a change, but still cold. I had a nice outing and got "cleaned" up  in the process!

Before I end my post, I would like to say a few words about Gökgöl Animallia. This clinic has been around for about 17 years now and moved to their premises in Etiler about 3-4 years ago from Levent. They are fully equipped with an operating room, pharmacy, lab, quarantine area, petshop and groomer. There are about 6 vets and helpers... They are open 24/7 and normal business hours are between 10:00am and 7:00pm and the clinic is open from 7:00pm to 10:00am to handle emergencies with a vet on call. They are bi-lingual and I recommend them if you are looking for a vet or groomer. (Arnavutköy Yolu Caddesi, Hareket Sitesi I.E.T.T. Evleri No. 36, Etiler; Tel: (0212) 287 70 35; 444 26 46).

Till the next time.. xoxo

Luka

A Day out in Bebek: Lucca & Kitchenette...

Hi everyone!

It has been a while since my last post as I really didn't have anything new to share - until now!

Actually, my social life has really gone down the tubes in the last few weeks! Sure, mom takes me out every morning and very night to "do my business" and we walk around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes each time, but what I really enjoy is our long excursions to some of the places she likes to hang out!

First the bad weather in Istanbul affected our outings... it rained for days!!! In fact, when we went out for our morning and evening walks, my mom made me wear this raincoat! Yes, it is nice, but boy did I give her a tough time while she was trying to put it on me! (see my profile photo on right hand column).

Then the weather got cold and THIS TIME, she put this other outfit on me to protect me from the cold! As you can see from the expression on my face, I wasn't thrilled!

Other times, she went out on her own and explained to me - even though I wasn't thrilled at the thought, but was still understanding - that there are certain places that she just can't take me, so I just hung out at home on my own. Actually, I don't mind being home alone as my mom doesn't lock me up in one area and I still have a run of the entire house. And...I'm good! I don't mess up anything - it's not my style!

As usual, we went for our daily morning walk yesterday and for a change, it was a mild and sunny day! When we got back home, after breakfast mom kept on looking at me and said I needed a haircut.. and a bath wouldn't be such a bad idea either she said! So, she called the guy who does my cut and wash and he said we could come by at 3:00pm.

To be quite honest with you, when my mom started getting ready to go out, I felt it was going to be another day of being home alone. You cannot imagine my excitement when I realized I was going too!

We left the house at 2:30pm and walked up to the main street to get a cab. Unfortunately, the taxi stand and most of the cab drivers  in our neighborhood do not allow animals in the cab! For the life of me I don't understand this rule! I'm a small dog... I always sit obediently in my mom's lap... so, what's the big deal! In fact, mom says I'm even cleaner and act better than some of the humans who ride taxis! Some throw there waste in the car - others eat and get their crumbs all over the seats and the kids have a tendency of kicking the back of the front seat and you can see their footprints!

Long story short, after 10 minutes, we got a cab and went to my groomer in Akaretler. But to my mom's surprise and chagrin, he wasn't there! He had cancelled our appointment without calling my mom! She got very angry and from now on, will be taking me to my original groomer at Animalia! This is the second time he cancelled an appointment at the last second!

So, the next thing I know we are in another cab heading somewhere... when we arrived, I realized where we were  - Lucca (www.luccastyle.com) in Bebek!

I hate to sound like a snob, but I have pretty much been a "regular" at Lucca after I started living with my mom! Well, this is her favorite place and she does call it her second home!

Even though I am allowed to sit inside, we sat outside as 1) my mom smokes! 2) great heaters that you don't feel the cold!

So, I immediately "took the position" after mom moved from her 1st table to a more comfortable spot and I started checking out the comings/goings in the neighborhood and threw her glances from time to time too!

@ Lucca

 

There are many dogs in Bebek - some walk with the owners, but there are a lot of street dogs too, but they are all cool and I never have a problem with them. The other thing is, I'm not a "barker" and am friendly, yet aloof, so my 4-legged friends do not get angry or offended with me!

Since this is "my" story about Lucca, you can read my mom's own blog about Lucca - when she prepares a new write up... there she will tell you about the new menu items, etc. Her blog address is http://danislogbookdestinationistanbulbeyond.blogspot.com

I guess the reason I too enjoy going to Lucca is I feel at home too! Everyone - the wait staff and other customers are sooooo friendly!!!  

Most of the customers at Lucca always like to pet me and I show them my appreciation by jumping on top of them and some I also lick and "hug" in my own way! I really liked this lady in the photo with my mom (sorry I don't remember her name) and to my mom's surprise, jumped on top of the seat so that she could pet me more!  Normally, I prefer the ground!

Mom (aka Dani), me and "nice" lady (from left to right)

The wait staff is great too... my two "main" buddies are Ahmet (male) and Sonat (female)... both make sure to come by and give me a very warm welcome by petting me and they also bring me water when I get thirsty!

We were at Lucca for hours, so I got a major dose of being pampered by not only the people sitting next to us, but from other surrounding tables too...but I was started to get a little antsy!

Even so, I was having a good time and was in no major rush to leave, but when it finally got dark, I kinda gave my mom a look to say - it's time to go for a walk!

By this point, Lucca had gotten really crowded too and the "daytime" crowd was slowly departing and making room for the "nighttime" crowd.

So, we left Lucca a little after 6:30pm... now, I don't know how to tell time or what this means exactly, but that's what my mom says - all I know is that it was dark, but mom says that I do have this odd "internal" clock and she will be writing about that another time.

She then took me for a nice long walk in Bebek and we walked all the way up to the water's edge (Bosphorus) so that once again I could do my "business"! I am very familiar with the neighborhood so I knew where to sniff and where to go!

We then walked the whole way back and after we passed Lucca,  we continued walking instead of getting into a cab as we normally do to go home...

It appears mom got hungry and wanted to eat something before going home. I don't like to eat when I am out - I'm too busy just enjoying myself, so I could wait to eat when I got home.

She then took me to this other place that I was going for the first time - Kitchenette.

Kitchenette Bebek

I liked this place too! It was a nice big garden with lots of tables and once again, I was a hit with the very friendly waitstaff - they made me feel right at home!

It appears that mom also likes Kitchenette and used to be a regular at their branch at Kanyon Shopping Mall in Levent when she worked in the building next door. She doesn't get a chance to go as often now, but does stop by whenever she can. I can't go to the branch in Kanyon, but dogs are not allowed inside the mall, unless my mom carries me the entire time - which would be very difficult as I am about 5,5 kilos!

We left Kitchenette after she had a bite to eat and were home at around 9:00pm... all in all - I had a GREAT DAY!!!

So, I will now sign off... till the next time,

Luka