This morning I woke up in an unusually fantastic mood, do you want to know why? Because when I walked into my kitchen, I didn’t slip in pee, I didn’t have to wash the dogs’ bedding, mop the floors, or hose Chance down before I left for the day. How, pray tell, did I manage this miraculous feat? Belly bands, my friends, belly bands.

One of the fabulous perks of being a dog owner here at Modern Dog is that people want to send you their products to try. (It also doesn’t hurt to have a world famous, adorably difficult special needs dog who loooooves to receive gifts!) I don’t want to seem ungrateful, so I will gladly try anything.

In the weeks since we’ve begun fostering Chance, a plethora of companies have offered to send products to help improve Chance’s – and my – quality of life. Of course there was the wheelchair which I will be forever grateful to Dewey’s Wheelchair’s for Dogs for, a fur-bulous carrier from Harry & Sophie, and last, but most definitely not least, belly bands from Oscar Newman. As I have alluded to in previous posts, not all diapers are created equal, and even the good ones cause chaffing. But not belly bands, they offer the ultimate in comfort and leak protection, providing a soft and stylish barrier between Chance’s accidents and my carpets!

It seems that with every tote full of goodies I bring home, Chance becomes more and more accustomed to this lavish lifestyle. As his desire for extravagant gifts increases, I realize that it’s never too soon to begin compiling his Christmas Wish list. Here are his most sought after items:

1. A dirty sock – Though some would consider this the simplest of all his desires, it is also the biggest and least likely to happen. Mom refuses to let doggies play with socks; they are too easily swallowed and not so easily digested.

2. His own room – Okay, maybe this is the least likely to happen.

3. A soaker tub – After a long, arduous day at the Modern Dog office, all Chance wants is to take a bath. But, to his dismay, he has to share our human tub with his two other siblings. This does not please him.

4. A personal masseuse/stylist – There’s nothing Chance loves more than a gentle brushing after his bath, if only Mom was up to date on the hottest Pekingese hair trends…

5. An escalator – Despite being amazingly capable in spite of his disability, Chance still has trouble hauling himself up onto our deck from the grass in the back yard. If only Dad was more mechanically inclined.

I think we’re going to have to change the name of this blog to "Spending a fortune on Chance; A bankruptcy story." Sounds promising, doesn’t it?