Bogart, but his nickname is Bogie.

His CKC registered name is Great Brittain's Humphrey Bogart

Both myself and my fiancee live in the Birmingham, AL area.

We will share joint custody until we get married next fall!

How we met:

In the winter of '06, my fiancee and I decided to take our relationship to the next level and adopt a puppy.

It wasn't the time for us to become engaged yet financially, but we were ready to take a step forward in our

commitment to each other, and there was this hole in our lives that we knew only a dog could fill.
We spent the first few months researching breeds: we knew we wanted a toy breed

but he grew up with Shih-Tzu's and I grew up with Dachsunds. We went back and forth and our hearts just

kept being pulled to the little lion face dogs. After we decided the breed was right for us, we took on the long,

arduous task of selecting a breeder. Thanks to the internet and some very good referrals, at the first of the year

we were ready to pick out a puppy. I will never forget that day! It was the day of my birthday, and we drove an

hour and a half out of Birmingham to a farm in Tuscaloosa (ROLL TIDE! :)). The family was so nice, and it was

great to see that there were children in the family handling the puppies. I remember sitting down in the floor with

my fiancee playing with the four puppies available. We ended up deciding on this little red/blond/black tri-color,

and the weeks following that felt like I was expecting a child! We puppy proofed our homes, bought anything it could

possibly need, and nested to perfection until we were able to bring him home the day he turned eight weeks old.

That day was the most special day of my life!!

What makes my dog special:

Bogart is a little person! He is not only very emotional himself, but he is very intuitive to the moods of others.

When my fiancee and I are happy, he shares in our happiness. When one of us are sad, he is right there next to us,

licking our faces and hand and nurtures us. Shih-Tzu's normally become very attached to one person and remain

amicable with everyone else, but I honestly feel that since it is just me, my fiancee, and Bogart, he is equally

attached to us both. His pack instinct is very strong and wants it to be the three of us together, all the time. It's

wonderful!

My dog's likes/dislikes:

Bogart LOVES his "baby" - his stuffed dog toy! He's had it since the day we brought him home and we would

put it in his crate with him to keep him company when we were at work. He also has his "binky" that he knows

by name that is a little miniature verson of those chamois blankets with satin edging people use for baby

blankets that I found at PetSmart.

The only thing Bogart hates is anything involving grooming unfortunately. He's getting better about bath time,

but he hates the blow dryer, the brush, and the trimmer. Its not as traumatic as it could be though, because we

groom him ourselves.

Some pictures of Bogart over the past 6 months:

Bogie at 5 weeks- the day we picked him out. He was so tiny! We had to wait 3 weeks to bring him home.

Here is Bogie at 8 weeks- the day we brought him home! We actually took him straight to my future in law's

after we got him- at 10:30pm in the middle of January! C O L D. We made sure the Bogester stayed warm though

and as soon as we got to my fiancee's parents' house, his mom kept him warm and almost wouldn't let us take

him home :) Bogart and my fiancee's mom have a VERY special relationship.

This is after his first -and last- visit to the groomers. Not a good experience.

Our baby...

This is my favorite picture of Bogart!

Rub a Dub!