Hi ! I'm Santana. My registered name is Wisherwood's Santana. I'm an American Cocker Spaniel, I am 13. I'm an only child and grandchild. My favourite treats are : cookies, carrots (peeled), cheerios, beggin strips and warm beverages (coffee  & tea, minimal amounts). My hobbies include; being incredibly cute to get as many treats as possible, getting tummy rubs, shredding paper, walks ,chasing birds,and cuddling. Now I'm going to tell you a little story of how I came to be.

       Once upon a time, there were two humans. Now known as Mommy and Daddy. Mommy was raised with dogs, one of which was a (blonde) cocker spaniel. Dad had cats. (Mommy is allergic to them, so that's one less hairball to worry about). Anyway, my mommy had wanted a dog for 10 years, and daddy finally gave in. They bought books, talked to different breeders, fenced the back yard, they even took other peoples dogs to obedience class and doggysat for free! Yup they were ready all right.
One problem... they couldn't find any local cocker breeders that had any puppies. Well they were on a mission. After a couple of weeks of phoning different provinces, and even Nebraska U.S.A., Mommy finally found a breeder only 3 hrs. and a ferry ride away, with  two (7) week old American Cocker Spaniels left. A black and tan little boy (my brother) and me. I'm all black with a white tie, and I'm a little girl dog. Well sight unseen, Mom and Dad bought me over the phone. Can you believe that? They spent a lot of cookies on blind faith. Good thing I'm worth it!

They came to get me a couple of days later. My mommy was so excited to meet me I thought she was going to pee on the floor. She got down on all fours and we played. I looked into her eyes and she cried, I knew she loved me. She picked me up and kissed me , then introduced me to my new daddy. Well my first impression was, this guy is gonna be a pushover. With my adorable little face, I snuggled into his neck, gave him a big wet kiss and peed on his shirt. He didn't even care. I could tell that these two wouldn't need too much training, they were all ready committed to becoming part of my pack, as I am committed to becoming as human as possible.

So we took care of business, you know, the money, signing the registration papers and all that. This is when mommy and daddy officially christened me Santana.
Off we went, for my first car ride. Mommy held me in her lap, but then they got paranoid, about getting in an accident and I might go flying or some safety stuff like that so they pulled over and put me in this big plastic thing they called a crate. (looked more like jail to me) Well this thing was well equipped anyway. There was food, water, toys, (many, many, toys),blankets, and if they could've I'm sure they would have put in a swing set.

Well being new parents and all I guess no one told them that ...
puppy + food + 1st car ride + 1st ferry ride = diarrhea
Good thing we were on the car deck of the ferry, because dad was standing downwind and the next thing I knew he was woofin his cookies overboard. I guess when everyone was telling my dad all about the joys of parenting a puppy, they left out the poop lecture. Oh well he'll be picking up behind me for a long time, so I'm sure he'll get used to it.

We made a few stops on the way home so mom and dad could show me off to all their friends. Ya know, pictures, video, sound bites, yadda, yadda, yadda. Finally the big moment had arrived. I was carried into my new home. It was beautiful. More toys, a lot more toys, actually a whole toy box with my name on it, a place mat under my water bowl, another huge crate thing, it's actually my very own house where I spend my private time. There was only one problem, I wasn't big enough to get up on the bed, (didn't take me long to remedy that problem). All in all I think my new family did  a very good job in preparing for my comfort.

The next day we went for my very first Drs. appointment. That's when I met Dr. Mac and Nikki. They were very nice to me and I like them very much, but they always catch me off guard, and there it is, a pinch or a poke, or stuff up my nose, or a cold thing in my ear, (I really hate that). Anyway, my 1st ever appt. and mommy and daddy were heart broken. I had ear mites, Parasites in my tummy, and a skin condition. So my parents did everything they needed to do to make me all better, and I was perfectly healthy in about 3 weeks. (Mommy took 6 weeks off to bond with me). Since then I was spayed when I was 6 months old (because that's the responsible thing to do), and now I'm 8 and a very happy and very healthy dog.

There is still just the three of us, and needless to say, if I had either of
these two wrapped any tighter around my paws, I wouldn't be able to dig. Every now and then they bring up this "little brother or sister puppy thing". Ya right, not if I have anything to bark about it. I'm quite content having the world revolve around me, --- it

really does!!!

Now on with the show!!!