Getting the Red Carpet Treatment

Tilly hammin' it up, despite the pouring rain, in Rockefeller Center!

Editor's Note: Happy Holidays!! This is a story from Christmas Weekend 2009. Andy, Tilly, and myself had the pleasure of spending the weekend at The Pierre in New York City this year and it was a holiday we will never forget and fondly remember! Fun was had by everyone in my family as well as the entire staff of The Pierre. It seems that having Tilly as their guest was as big a thrill for them as it was for us to be there! This weekend was filled with long walks, exciting sights, rain galore, delicious meals, and a nice respite from our normal day to day routine. I hope you enjoy reading Tilly's view of her weekend in New York City! Be well and Happy New Year! 

Happy Holidays everyone! I have something very exciting to tell you about my latest adventure. I was recently treated like royalty at a very hoity-toity hotel in New York City! Yep you heard right, this bullie was hanging with the elite in New York City’s most exclusive hotel and getting the Red-Carpet treatment. I have told you this before but it still amazes me every time it happens. When I got into the car this morning I settled into my comfy backseat bed and fell asleep, and when I woke up I was somewhere totally new and exciting. As my door was opened by a man in uniform, wearing a big hat and white gloves, I was overwhelmed by what was around me. The sights, sounds, and especially the smells...ooohhh those smells....made this bullie wiggle from head to my little nub of a tail! I was so excited I could not contain myself. Where are we? Who are all of these people greeting me with pets, kisses, and squeezes? Why do we have so many bags? Now I will tell you that I have been to New York City before. Alison and Andy have taken me to Central Park and the area surrounding the park for a day trip, but never have I come to the East Side of Central Park and gotten to walk into one of the beautiful buildings that don the sidewalks. As we walked toward the front entrance of the hotel there was a door like nothing I had ever come up against. I have to admit that I was a bit tentative about walking into this door because I was not sure how I would get out! Alison coaxed me into the area that was shaped like a slice of pie, with glass running from the floor to the ceiling. I stood there trying to back out but I was trapped. I was a bit nervous but Alison reassured me and slowly moved these walls in a circular motion and then all of a sudden I was on the other side and inside the hotel. Oh, what fun! Can we do that again? I walked back into the glass pie and tried to get Alison to go around in circles with me, but she said we could do it again later...humpf...but I wanna do it again! I didn’t have a chance sulk for long because as soon as we stepped into the marbled-floor foyer of this magnificent building all of the staff came over to greet me. They went right by Alison and Andy and came over and got on the floor with me and said they had been waiting for me all day! Can you imagine that?! They had been waiting for me, and they were ecstatic that I had finally arrived. I started to wiggle again. I could not control myself. I was so happy. My head was bobbing and my butt was going a mile a second back and forth, to and fro! Then a man came out and escorted us to our room. He took us into an elevator and there was a man inside who was called the elevator operator. He was dressed in a very nice uniform too. This man was so excited to see me too. I walked right into the elevator and sat down. Alison gave me a treat and I waited for the doors to open up again, and they finally did! We were very high up. I know this because me little ears went POP! In the elevator when were riding up, up, and up. As we stepped out of the elevator our room was down this very long hallway. There were only a few doors though...hmmm that is strange, I thought! When the man opened our door a beautiful room was unveiled. I ran an inside and sniffed all around. There was one room and then another, and another, and when that man opened a door, another room appeared, and then there was another room too. I could not control myself there was so much for me to explore, and so many smells for me to smell. I was having so much fun. Then I ran into the bedroom and there it was, I could not believe it. They really were waiting for me! I ran back to get Alison and she followed me into the bedroom. She called out to Andy, “You have got to come see this, you will never believe it!” When he came in we all stood there in awe. There was a bed made up for me with a set of my own bowls! Can you believe that. They made a space just for me! I jumped into the bed and started sniffing the bowls. I thought maybe they left me a little treat and it smelled like they had, but I think Alison took it away before I could nibble on it. She said, “No, no! You can not have that! You have too many allergies and we do not want to have a reaction the minute we get here!” I looked up at her with my two big brown, and blue eyes and gave her that look. You know the one, the look that no human can resist. Well it worked and she gave me a treat for being so good. It did not taste like the one that was in the bowl, but it was delicious anyway! After we got settled into the room we went back out onto the elevator, back into the marble-clad lobby and went for a walk in the park. I now, can you believe it? Central Park was just steps away! Alison, Andy, and I walked and walked, and walked until my little paws could not walk any further. We headed down the famous shopping mecca, Fifth Avenue, and what a sight to see. There had to be a billion people walking the streets. There were vendors everywhere with everything you could image. From scarves to hot dogs. OOOooooh, the hot dogs, now that is where I want to be! Every entrance to every store was so inviting. Lights flashing and holiday music ringing out into the streets. We went into Barney’s and looked about. Yep, they even let this little Bully into Barney’s! Everyone gushed over me there too. I was starting to turn pink and not because it was cold outside, this little bully was getting bashful from all of the attention that was being lavished over me! After Barney’s we went to see the famous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza. This tree was colossal! I do not think I have ever seen a tree so tall. There were so many lights. It was truly breath-taking. All of the policemen/women and security were giving me pets. I guess they do not get a lot of Bulldogs in this part of the city. We walked and then walked some more until we finally reached the entrance to our hotel again. I got more love from everyone who worked there. We rode up the elevator and all of the other guests were amazed at how well behaved I was. They even gushed over me and gave me some lovin’. When we finally reached our room, Alison made me get rinsed off. She said something about me being filled with grime. I do not know what grime is but I know it took a long time for her to get it off of me. When she was all done rinsing me off and toweling me dry I found a comfy spot on the couch and I fell asleep. I was good and tired from my adventure. Each day after until the day we left was filled with more exciting things to see and smells to sniff. I met more people in three days then I have in all of the years that I have been alive on this Earth. By the time the weekend was over and we had checked out of the hotel and packed the car back up I was one weary bullie! I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow in the car and I never woke up until we pulled into the garage of our house. I have to say that I may have slept for a few more days after we got home, because I was so wiped out from all of the wonderful things we did, but it was worth every step. This was one of my most favorite weekends ever and I can’t wait to do it again. Watch out New York, because this bully has got the Big Apple Fever!

Yahoo...this place is awesome!!!

Andy and Tilly sitting in the living room warming their tootsies by the fire!

 

Central Park and the famous Tavern on the Green

Tilly zoinked from a long day of sight-seeing

(FYI: this is not the bed they set up for Tilly, this is her pop-up tent that we travel with!)

I wonder where Tilly will travel to next. Stayed tuned for Tilly's next exciting adventure!

Learning to Walk

Editor's Note: This has to be one of the most exciting and thrilling days of my life. This actually happened on Thursday, December 17, 2009 at The School for Children and it the best Christmas gift I could have ever wished for! I hope you enjoy the magic of this story as much as I enjoyed being a part of it!

Hey everyone, it's me Tilly and boy oh boy do I have a great tale to share with you today! Alison and I went about our normal routine for a Thursday morning: I woke up and had my breakie...or as you would call it breakfast, and it was delicious! Alison packed up my supplies to go to The School for Children: water, treats, and baby wipes to keep me clean and fresh! Before we could leave for school we went outside so that I could do my morning business and the cold air hit me straight in the snout and boy did it feel good. Alison was moving fast and I was trying to keep up but as you know I am a bulldog and my legs are on the short side and it is still morning so I was still a bit sleepy. Within a few seconds of being in the winter breeze I was awake and feeling good. After Alison gave me a good brushing and a final wipe down I jumped into the car and we were off to visit my special friends at school. I love going to school. Walking the halls and getting pets, hugs, and sometimes a smooch from everyone! I hear kids sometimes complain about school, but I just do not get what the fuss is about, this place is great. I went about my normal routine and went to our first class. Everyone was in great spirits and full of love. I think all of the kids and the teachers were getting excited for their holiday break, though I was a bit sad about them going on break because that means I do not get to see them for three weeks...humpf. After my first classroom Alison and I said our good-byes and wished everyone a happy holiday and off we went to our next class... this is where our adventure begins! I walked into the second classroom and all of the kids were so excited to see me. I got a ton of hugs and everyone was reaching out to grab my leash because they all wanted to be the first to walk with me down the hallways. (Editor's Note: In this classroom the children walk Tilly up and down the hallways to strengthen their muscles, train them to focus on a particular task, and to also make them pay attention to what is in front of them. These seem like simple things but to these children it is very strenuous and it takes a lot of energy to keep their focus on accomplishing these assignments.) The first to take me for a walk was my friend Johnny. He was so excited when we walked into the classroom that he scooted over to his apparatus and was trying to lift himself into it so that he could walk me. My heart was swelling and I know that Alison was definitely feeling it too, because she walked over and helped Johnny get into his device and handed him the leash so that he could be first. Johnny's device is a bit tricky to maneuver and hold a leash, but he had so much determination that he would not allow us to help. If the leash got caught up in his equipment he would stop and get readjusted and then start wheeling again. It was amazing to see him multi-task, in fact it was incredible! We walked the halls and then headed back to the classroom. Alison and I took each of the kids out and walked with them up and down, to and fro. Then when we got back my friend Jessie was waiting for us. Jessie does not usually walk with me for numerous reasons but the most important one is because he can not walk and is usually in physical therapy when we come to his classroom. Today Jessie was standing up with the teacher and reaching out for my leash. So I walked over to him and the teacher told us that we are going to try and get Jessie to take a few steps on his own; as he has been working toward standing and walking in therapy, but has not quite been able to balance himself and walk on his own. So I walked a few steps ahead of Jessie and the teacher was holding him up from behind and Jessie was walking, and walking, and walking. Then it happened, the teacher tripped and let go of Jessie and Jessie took four, yes four, steps on his own! Well the teacher let out a scream and I stopped dead in my tracks. I did not know what had happened but I knew to stay still if there was a problem, and because of the scream I thought there was a problem. But nope, no problem here!!! The teacher was yelling to all of the aides and nurse, "Did you see that? Did you see that? Jessie took his first steps!" So everyone started cheering and I was wiggling my bum and bobbing my head. We were so excited and so was Jessie. The teacher asked Jessie if he wanted to do it again and he motioned that he did and then he stood up on his own while holding the leash without using his hands. Another triumph for Jessie! Everyone started hooting and hollering again and Jessie was getting fired up. After a minute to calm down we then got situated. I was out front, Jessie was holding my leash, and the teacher was holding Jessie. Then as we started to walk everything seemed balanced and calm, so the teacher let Jessie go and away we went. Jessie and I were walking around and around. If I felt his weight pull back, I pulled forward; if I felt his weight shift forward I stopped walking until he balanced again. We were working as a team and it was working. Jessie took 40 steps around the room. It was amazing and luckily the teacher had pulled her video camera out so that when Jessie started walking on his own she could video each and every step! Now his family could see his first steps on his own and be a part of this amazing victory. After Jessie lost his balance and dropped to the floor we all were screaming and shouting, "Hooray, Hooray for Jessie!" Jessie was clapping and had a smile that reached across his face! It made all of us so happy! It was now time for Alison and I to leave and say our good-byes, which we did. But this time we were leaving with a huge gift and sense of accomplishment! It is great to be me, it is great to be a therapy dog, it it just GREAT!!!! Be well, and sending you all big bully love, Tilly.

Happy Holidays to everyone and remember to take a moment and reflect on all of the important people and things in your life!

Stay tuned because Tilly has been doing some traveling and she can't wait to tell you where she has been!

Where's the Beach?!

Tilly patiently waiting for her next adventure!

Editor's Note: This is another fun adventure at the local beach!  Enjoy!

It was a glorious day right from the start. The wind was light and the sun was shining so brightly overhead that you had to squint to see in front of you. Alison had a ton of work to do so I sat around patiently wondering—"Are we going to go to the beach today? Am I going to get to play with my bestest friend Coal today? When are we going on our adventure?" Well just as I was losing hope and thinking today there would be no adventure in my future the phone rang. I could not understand exactly what was going on but I heard these three things, "beach, Coal, 11:30!" Well my adrenaline started pumping because I was raring to go—WAHOO the beach. Alison started to pack up all of the things we need, you know the normal laundry list of things, treats, water, poop-bags, etc. and away we went. I was so excited the whole ride I was whimpering in the car. Coal was already there waiting for me and I could not get out of the car fast enough. Well we walked onto the beach and boy it was awe-inspiring, breath-taking, just stunning. The Atlantic Ocean was as calm as a pond—the wind was minimal and the beach seemed to stretch on forever. Well Coal and I were released from our tethers and we were free to roam, run, wrestle, jump, and even swim—ssshhhh, do not say anything because we were supposed to be leashed at all times—but who was watching!! We ran and ran and ran—It was absolutely glorious! This is what freedom feels like. Peaceful, calm, unabridged, and exciting. There were so many friends on the beach this beautiful day, each time we came near another dog or people—Alison would leash us up again, so that no problems arose. I mean why would anyone want to ruin such an amazing day. The first little friend we met was Odie—a 3 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Alison would not let me and Coal off our leashes. She kept saying he is too little to play with. Why did he get to run around free—I mean I am a good dog—humpf!! But Alison did not want me to unintentionally hurt him while playing or running—he was just a little baby, so I understood—kinda! We left Odie and Coal and I were once again freed from our shackles to run and romp on the beach! Then we came up to another group of friends—it was a Father and his young daughter and their dog Milly. She was a 2 year old Bouvier des Flandres and she was fun. Though at first she was leery of Coal and his intentions. She was very, very protective of that little girl. In fact it was really neat to see this dog's protecting behaviors. Milly always kept one eye on that little girl and one eye on Coal and she definitely kept pushing Coal away from that little girl. If Coal would come charging down the beach, Milly would run out toward him and veer him away from the child—all the while barking and making it known that no tom-foolery would be tolerated. Milly would even approach Coal and lay her head over his back—definitely posturing her dominance over him. Milly did not seem at all threatened by me though—she liked me, it must be because our names rhyme—MILLY and TILLY—oh isn't that SILLY! Well Coal and I started to wrestled and chase each other and all of a sudden—Milly realized that Coal was not a threat at all—and that we were fun to play with. Well we all started running around and jumping in the water. Then we would chase each other all over the beach. Oh what a glorious day indeed. Alison kept looking for sea-glass and gave all of it to the little girl. That little girl's face would light up like a ray of sunshine with each piece of sea-glass Alison would give her. Milly had to go and we still had a long walk back to the car—so off we went again. We found a ton more friends on the walk, a Golden Retriever, Woof—that is his real name! He was a bit scared of Coal and I though. Alison tried to throw his stick for him. He would swim all the way out into the ocean and retrieve it, but then Coal would swim out with him and as soon as Coal went near the stick, Woof would drop it—humpf, wimp! !!! Alison threw the stick for Woof a ton more times, but alas he bored us so we moved on. Coal and I were getting closer to the end of our beach adventure so we took the opportunity to run around like looney tunes and wrestle for the last leg of the walk. By the time we reached the car I could barely lift my head. Alison lifted me into the car and I fell fast asleep. But unfortunately I was awoken by being leashed up again because I had to get in the shower—yuckie baths. But now I am fresh and clean—and all tuckered out from my adventure at the beach. Be well my friends and stayed tuned for more of Tilly's Tales!!

I wonder what fun adventures Tilly will have next? Is Tilly going away for Christmas...hmmmmm I wonder??? Stay tuned to find out what Tilly will get into next!