The case of the mysterious blue pelican!!

An exciting mystery/suspense story by Max Sherlock Schnauzer!

To the unobservant pup it would have appeared to be a day like any other, but from the moment I put my nose outside the door on my way to carry out my morning ablutions I knew that this day was going to be slightly different. There was something in the air - the promise of a secret yet to be unfurled. As I watched my brother sniff excitedly around the garden - no doubt checking to see if the neighbours' cats had partied here the night before - I knew that this 'something' had eluded him. But to me - the great Sherlock Schnauzer! - this 'something' was as clear as if it had been neatly packaged and placed in front of my very woozle!

A post breakfast chat with Olly and Squeaky!

Myself and my brother ate a hearty breakfast and then settled down for a morning chat with Olly Octopus and Squeaky Chicken whilst FH busied herself with one of her usual morning rituals - emptying the dishwasher, emptying the washing machine, doing some ironing - to my mind humans are very talented at filling their time with very tedious pass times! After what felt like an age FH finally straightened up and announced it was time for our morning constitutional - at last! We went to the nature reserve and spent a very happy hour romping in the fields and running along the beach - we met up with our great friends Molly the Doberman and her 'big' sister Tammy the Yorkie and all of us had a wonderful game of zoomies before we finally arrived back home slightly damp, very sandy, delightfully tired and extremely happy!

Sadly, FH had to leave almost immediately upon our return to go to work but I admit I hardly noticed her depart as I was filled with intrigue about what the day would bring. I knew that something exciting was very, very close, so as my dopey brother settled himself down for a snooze on MH's foot with a contented sigh I couldn't help but observe him with a touch of pity. It must be a shame, I thought, not to know when something BIG was just around the corner. It was as I was walking away from him - sadly shaking my head - to carry out a garden perimeter check, that it happened....

Security breach at 9.00 o'clock! Awooga! Awooga!

There was the tread of a familiar footstep on our garden path, the sound of our front porch being opened and the ring of our doorbell - then the hurried sound of our postman putting our post down before they bid a hasty retreat, no doubt scared away by my butch and manly schnauzer barking as I ran through our house raising the alarm by shouting 'Mail alert! Mail alert! Step AWAY from the door Mr Postman, we have you covered!" As I was running through the house I noticed that my brother hadn't even moved from his recumbent position on the floor - sigh....!

We ensure we give the mailman prior warning - bwahahahahahaha!

MH collected the mail - the usual selection of envelopes, plus a box - THE box! I knew that this was what I had been waiting for. My very puppy being yearned for MH to open it - after all it was addressed to 'Mr Jones' so why wasn't he ripping it apart to discover the wonders that waited within?! But he resisted - he put it on the side and wandered off back to his laptop, inserting his foot under my brother as he sat down as he knows how much JD loves to snuggle on people's feet - can you believe that my brother was STILL slumped on the floor? It's a good job the postman hadn't been a genuine security threat!

Another busy day - it takes a LOT of effort to look THIS relaxed you know!

Myself and my brother had a very full day of snoozing in various locations around the house, playing with Olly in the front room, snaffling a light lunch of plain yogurt with a drizzle of local honey (to help a certain brother with his tiresome allergies to pollen!), playing hide and seek around the garden sheds and waiting for FH to return home. Of course, I ensured that regular perimeter checks were carried out throughout the day. Finally, FH remembered that she had a husband and two cute puppies waiting for her and deigned to come home. I greeted her as if we'd been apart for months whilst my brother sat quietly to the side waiting his turn to greet her.

When all the 'welcome home' dances and cuddles were over FH noticed the box - THE box! - and asked MH why he hadn't opened it as it had 'Mr Jones' on it. He commented that it had come from Dogs Trust and as he hadn't ordered anything from Dogs Trust he thought maybe it had been a typo and the box was meant for FH. She said that she hadn't ordered anything either so opened it to see what was inside.

Behold the wonderous pelican! Just look at those cool rope legs!

And what a wonderful treasure that box held, just as I knew it would! From within its depths FH pulled out the most amazing pelican stuffie - oh gosh it was wonderful! A large beak that had a squeaker in it just asking to be pressed by a nose! A cute head that had a bell in it that tinkled in the most provocative of ways for a puppy! Rope legs that were just asking to be chewed! And a contraption in its tummy that made the most delightful 'gurgling' noises whenever it was moved. Oooh, I wanted it, I wanted it, I WANTED IT! But did FH pass this wonderful toy onto myself or my brother? She did not! Instead she searched through the box, found no note or message, so she put the pelican on the sideboard and told us we were not allowed to have it until she had found out where it had come from. Nooooooooo!!!!!!!

"But why can't we have the stuffie?" asked my brother forlornly, who - let's face it - is usually a little behind in the proceedings.

"Because the humans are too slow to figure out where it's come from!" I exclaimed! "But it will take me less than 5 minutes to figure out who sent it! A-ha dear brother - the game is a-paw!"

"Eh?!" said JD.

JD - "Awww, go on FH, give us the pelican, pretty please!"

"Well," I continued, "we have a great mystery here in front of us. And when solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards!"

"You-what?!" continued my somewhat slow brother.

"Let us examine the facts!" I ploughed on, hoping that my brother would eventually catch up. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?!"

"Um - never?" stuttered my brother looking totally confused.

"Yes, well - that's as maybe!" I stated boldly, "but we need to figure out where this amazing stuffie has come from otherwise we will not get to play with it and that, dear brother, simply can not be!"

"Oh, I'm with you there!" said JD, finally cottoning on. "So Max, who do you think sent this delightful gift to us?"

I paced up and down in front of the stuffie. "Let us lay out the facts as we know them!" I said. "The stuffie has come through the post - that eliminates all the pups and kitties we know first-paw! We know that the pups and kitties that we know first-paw would simply leave a gift in our porch, they would not use the postal service!"

My brother looked suitably impressed so I continued. "The parcel in question has come come from Dogs Trust - it has come from somepup who obviously wants to help doggies in need."

"Well, doesn't that cover ALL our pals?" interrupted JD, somewhat annoyingly. I stopped my pacing and glared at him.

Max - "I declare the case of the mysterious blue pelican CLOSED! Now HAND IT OVER!!"

"You SEE yet you do not OBSERVE dear brother!" I exclaimed. "The distinction is clear! I know that all our pals are kind and generous - that is not in dispute! What the contents of this parcel tells us is that the sender is thoughtful through and through - observe!" I snapped, as I turned to face the pelican. "The stuffie in question is quite large and we are a breed of limited stature."

"Hey, now come on....!" my misguided brother - who likes to think he is the size of a wolfie - started to grumble, so I silenced him with a glare!

"Enough! The size of the pelican is, of course, a trifle. But there is nothing as important as trifles! If the stuffie is large and we are small then it goes without saying that this toy was selected by some pup who knew we would enjoy playing with it together. They bought us a toy big enough for two! The pup in question appreciates the enjoyment a shared toy can bring, with the dual chasing and the dual tugging! I conclude therefore that the pelican came not just from one pup but from TWO!"

My brother remained impressively speechless so I continued....

"So! The pelican was sent from an overseas pal, from two pups not just one, and most probably from somepup who is themselves a rescue which is why they appreciate the good work that Dogs Trust is doing! I conclude that this spectacular pelican was sent by somepup who recently used Dogs Trust, probably to make a donation, which is how they became aware of this most amazing stuffie in the first place."

Tantilisingly close - our paws are just itching to grab it!

I could see that my brother was impressed.

"Wow!" he said, "I'm impressed!"

I was pleased at this turn of events so let him continue. "So, um, who exactly sent the pelican then?"

This was the moment I had been waiting for - I puffed up my chest, I lifted my head as high as it would go, I cleared my throat and I announced, "It's elementary my dear JD! This stuffie came from fun Booker and sweet Asa! Let's look at the facts." I had started pacing again, the better to help me explain my reasoning. "Booker and Asa live across the pond. Asa is a rescue doggie. She has a brother who knows how much fun it is to have a sibling to play with. We played paw-it-forward with them recently and they kindly donated some money to Dogs Trust. I conclude that it is more than possible, it is in fact probable that this stuffie came from them!" I stopped dramatically (as my brother can confirm that I can never resist a touch of the dramatic!) and turned to face my brother.

"I have heard your reasons and regard them as convincing and adequate!" he proclaimed excitedly! "Let the stuffie be freed to our clutches and let the playing commence!"

At last, the stuffie is ours, OURS!! Let the fun commence!!

And that, dear readers, is how I, Max Sherlock Schnauzer, single-pawdly solved the case of the mysterious blue pelican.

It is, it's TRUE!!

Oh - and before we leave today please DO read our thank you post here for everyone who was part of Shelby's Auction - which is basically ALL of you!!

(Note from FH - thanks everso much to Booker and Asa for sending such a wonderful gift to the boys. If I had let my boys try to figure out who had sent it they probably would have managed it much quicker than me, we're sorry we had the stuffie for so long before you had to actually tell us it had come from you! They absolutely love it - JD especially has a penchant for rope toys so he usually chews the legs whilst Max is busy pressing the beak - he loves squeakers! They run up and down the lounge with it and they absolutely love it! You are wonderful pals!)

The luckiest pups in the World!

JD - We are - without a doubt - the LUCKIEST puppies in the whole wide World!

Max - We really are! And it's all because of our wonderful blogging pals in Malaysia who have thoroughly, totally and utterly spoiled us rotten by sending our humans back home with oodles and oodles of amazing gifts for us!

JD - It's been like Christmas every single day since our humans got back from holiday! We've been trying out a new treat or playing with a new toy every day - it's been amazing!

Max - FH took LOADS of great photos of us....

JD - ....and then realised she'd forgotten to put the memory card back in the camera after her last download - arghhhh! You see what we have to put up with?!

Max - She's now rectified her omission, so FINALLY we can get to show you all our great loot!

JD - "I pose with our new stuffie bone and one of our new stuffie balls. These wonderful toys were hand-crafted especially for us by Santa, Minnie and Christmas's Aunty Diana! She's so clever and talented - we love our new stuffies!"

JD - "Oooh, what's this that's just landed on my paws? Hmmm, looks like a fun rope Frisbee....!"

Max - "That Frisbee looks like fun! It's from Fatty and Ally. Let me try it out....hmmm, yes, it's robust and good to chew...."

Max - "....as you can see! *Chomp!* *Chomp!*"

JD - "Next up is a great squeaky branch from Santa, Minnie and Christmas. Oh, I DO like a squeaky toy! *Chew!* *Squeak!*"
Max - "And I concentrate on a rope bone from Fatty and Ally - a pup can spend a happy hour chewing on a rope bone you know!"

JD - *Contented chomp!*
Max - *Contented chew!*

JD - "We got some great stuffies from Cobi! There's a penguin and a turtle...."
Max - ".....ohhh, I like this turtle!"

JD - "Er - so I see Max! Anyway, these stuffies come with squeaky eggs that can be hidden inside them so they're really fun to play with!"
Max - "Oooh, I wonder if I can find the squeaky eggs quicker than you JD, he he he?!"

Max - "Stop toying with me FH and hand over that squeaky bone and the ball and rope toy from Fatty and Ally!"

JD - "Wow! Look at this Max! Aunty Diana made us our very own dinosaur!"
Max - "I'm SO excited about this JD! Dinosaur is one of Minnie's favourite toys - I can't believe we've now got one too!"

Max - "And look JD - a stuffie bear and a stuffie bunny from Fatty and Ally!"
JD - "Oooh, they look wonderfully tasty Max!"

Max - "Hey, HEY! FH - what are you doing?! Give me back the bunny! Give me back the bear! They're not yours!"

JD - "Max, what's going on? Why has FH put our new bunny, dinosaur and bear out of our reach?"
Max - "I'm not sure JD. FH - we DEMAND answers!"
FH - "Lads - you're prolific chewers and these 3 stuffies are SO cute. I think they'd look much better on my desk at work...."
JD - "That is like SO UNFAIR FH! We know for a fact our pals didn't chose these items for you!"
Max - "Yeah - sob! Tell her everyone, tell her they're OUR toys, not HERS!!"

FH - "Er, let's see if I can distract you with this! Look JD - Santa, Minnie and Christmas sent you some doggie after-shave!"
JD - "*Sniff, sniff!* Oooh, smells really good! One squiff of this and the ladies will be putty in my paws, mwhahahaha!!"

JD - "And then - then there are the treats!!"
Max - "Look - just LOOK at all these treats!! Are you drooling on the keyboard yet?! We are!!"

JD - "Let's have another look at it all, at a slightly different angle!"
Max - "FH has quipped that she'll never have to buy us treats ever again. FH is very cruel...."

JD - "There are SO many good treats! Here's us posing with a pack of cheese sprinkles from Fatty and Ally. They sent us a few packs of this!"
Max - "We can sprinkle it on our kibble, like our humans do with their pasta! Super-yum!"

JD - "*Sniff, sniff!* Another treat from Fatty and Ally! Special doggie jellies - *drool!*"
Max - "These are really yummy, we've already tried them!"

JD - "We now have the best-est treat cupboard in the universe! So, what would I do for one of our new yumy treats? Well, I would sit real nice like a good boy...."

JD - "....I'd do a good 'down' to show what a polite boy I am...."

JD - "....and I'd even do a controlled 'beg' if a new foodable was to be forthcoming!"

Max - "Hmmm, I can't let my big bro' look like he's better trained than me. So - er - I'd do a 'roll over' for one of our new treats! Beat THAT JD, he he he!"

JD - "One of our favourite treats is a huge pot of milk drops from Fatty and Ally, they're so crunchy and yummy!"
Max - "Oooh, if only we had thumbs JD, we could open the pot and be munching them right now....!
JD - "Well, there's only one thing left for us to do now then Max...."

JD - "....and that's to say a huge 'thank you' to Santa, Minnie, Christmas, Fatty, Ally, Cobi and your wonderful, wonderful humans for ALL the great gifts you sent back for us!

Max - Everything is fantastic - we love it all and we love you all too! As we said - we're the luckiest puppies in the whole wide World!

JD - We are little bro', we really are!

Join in the fun at Pet Pride....

Our humans' amazing holiday - part 1!

JD - We've been super busy over the past few days checking out all the great gifts that our pals in KL and Singapore sent over to us with our humans!

"These three huge bags and boxes are full of pressies for US you say? Really? Wow!!"

Max- Everyone has been so generous - we're going to be doing some special posts about all the great gifts we got very soon. It's going to take a while as we got LOADS of loot!

JD - "Oooh, what's in this bag? Smells good, can we have some if whatever it is please?"

JD - It's brilliant! Thank you so much Fatty and Ally and Santa and Minnie and Christmas and Cobi! You and your humans are wonderful, and so very generous!

Max - "Let me just hop up on this box for a better look in these two bags.....!"

Max - Mind you, we are a bit alarmed because our humans now keep on saying they'll never have to buy us treats ever again because we got so many!

JD - "A quick peep inside the big box that Fatty and Ally sent us - ooh, it's all so exciting!"

JD - Hmmmm, IS there such a thing as too many treats? We think not!!

JD and Max investigate the gift bag from Santa, Minnie and Christmas - you can just see Max starting to drag a toy out to play with!

Max - Anyway, whilst we're working on our posts we're going to hand over to female human so that she can give a recap of their great holiday!

Max - "Oooh, let's have a peek inside the bag from Cobi! Wow, this looks very exciting!!"

JD - It's going to take her several posts to finish - there is so much she wants to tell you about! So, without any further ado, I am pleased to present to you - female human.....!

FH - Er, thanks lads!

There is a saying that is bandied around - 'if you want to make friends get yourself a dog!' I have certainly got to know many wonderful people since JD and Max came into our lives fourteen months ago, but if you had told me back then that getting the dogs that I had waited over 10 years for would culminate in me travelling 6,557 miles from London, UK to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to meet up with the good friends I had made as a direct result of them I would not have believed it. Yet this is what has just happened and I can hardly believe the adventure that I've just had because of JD and Max!

We booked our flights for KL over a year ago. We don't usually book anything for a holiday so far in advance but this decision was borne out of a combination of reasons. Firstly, we were aware that our local airport (Stansted) had started to operate budget long-haul flights to Asia courtesy of Air Asia and we wanted to support this. It makes a big difference to be able to get to an airport within an hour - travelling to the more well known Heathrow or Gatwick airports in London is not so convenient for us and when this is added to a 14 hour flight it starts to makes the whole experience less appealing. So - flights from Stansted? Oh, yes please, don't mind if we do!

However, as I had just started a new job when these flights first became available and because the boys were still so young we decided to postpone the trip for a year. Hence, our flights were booked for February 11th. We would be in KL for valentine's day. And, as it would turn out, also for Chinese New Year!

Red lanterns decorate the streets throughout KL during the Chinese New Year

When we booked the flights we didn't even know the blog pals we would end up meeting! We got to know Santa first - I remember seeing her photo on Suzuki's guest book and thinking 'Wow! What spectacular ears! I have to track down this schnauzer!" Santa was the one who introduced me to Fatty and Ally - she left me a chat message saying she thought they looked like JD and Max and that I should swing on by to say hi! I also got to know Scottie and Cobi through Santa blog (she's very sociable!) and eventually Santa's family grew to include Minnie and Christmas.

Street lights and lanterns adorn a KL street for Chinese New Year

It slowly dawned on me that these blog pals lived where I was due to visit. I thought it would be great fun to visit them, but I was also worried that they might think I was a blog stalker if I told them I was going to be appearing in their city! I think this is a British thing - we're rather reserved and prefer not to 'trouble' people or 'put anyone to any trouble'. So, much as I wanted to visit I was really, really nervous about telling them I was coming. Well, this certainly turned out to be a groundless fear - they could not have been more welcoming about us coming over.

Fatty and Ally even did special 'tour guide' posts for us, highlighting places to visit, places to eat, even guides on the language. When we told them what hotel we would be staying at Fatty took her daddy down there and had her photo taken in front of it with him so that we could get a feel for the place! How's that for amazing friendship - we were blown away and started to get really, really excited about the holiday.

Chinese lanterns were in most places because of Chinese New Year

So, Wednesday 11th February dawned and we took the boys to the kennels in the afternoon (they ran in without so much as a backwards glance - I'm so pleased that they obviously enjoy their breaks away as much as we do!) and set off for the airport. Just as we were putting the suitcases in the car it started snowing. Heavily. As we pulled away visibility was limited and the car in front of us was slithering all over the place! I was convinced our flight would be cancelled and I started getting grumpy before we'd even got to the airport.

However, any fears about the holiday being a non-starter were unfounded as the flight was good-to-go when we got to the airport. Well, eventually it was at any rate. It wasn't cancelled but it was delayed. Unfortunately, the delay began after we'd boarded the plane so we were on it for 17 hours, albeit only 14 and a half of those actually being airborne!

When we touched down in KL, tired, cramped and rather grouchy, we turned our phones on and got a message from Eric, Fatty and Ally's daddy. "Are you here yet?" We'd been in touch a couple of days before as he'd asked us if we'd like to go for a late supper on our arrival - he would be bringing Fatty and Ally and their mummy, Jaclyn.

I was dubious - I don't travel well and I didn't want to be cranky, sleepy and rather whiffy from the plane at our first ever face-to-face! So I asked if we could play it by ear. However, upon arrival - and especially after the plane food which had been spectacularly bad (apologies Air Asia - your concept of low cost long haul is fabulous and your staff are truly wonderful, but your food is the worst I have ever tasted on a plane!) - a late supper sounded like a great idea!

It took longer to get to the hotel than we thought and felt bad that we kept Eric waiting for about half an hour. I said to my husband, "Let's just dump the cases, brush our teeth, brush our hair and get downstairs quick!" Well, that was the plan and it would have worked too if we hadn't forgotten to pack a hairbrush - eek! There I was, looking as fresh as if I'd been dragged through a hedge and smelling as fragrant as if I'd been sleeping rough - and I couldn't even brush my hair! The hotel provided free soap, shampoo, body wash, body lotion, shower caps and even body scrub - but no free comb! However, it DID provide free toothbrushes. So I cleaned my teeth with my own toothbrush and ended up attempting to brush my hair with the hotel's free toothbrush, all ready for my very first meeting in the flesh with our good blog pals!

I will always my very first meeting with each of my blog pals. We exited the hotel lobby, a maroon Golf drew up and out leapt Eric - young, stylish and sporting one of the most amazing smiles I've ever seen. He ushered us into his car and in the front sat the most beautiful woman I've ever seen! Jaclyn is truly stunning - and when she turned to smile at us it filled the whole car!

Fatty and Ally were with them - we were aware of low growling being directed at us! They are very protective of their mummy and daddy and they didn't like these strange, crumpled strangers who had just leapt into their car! Jaclyn handed me Ally - she is super-cute! Absolutely tiny at a very small 4 kg. Max is 9 kg and JD - my gorgeous tall-boy! - is an impressive 13 kg! So you can understand our wonder at how tiny - and light! - Ally is! She continued growling at me, but allowed me to cuddle her and scratch her behind the ears. Eventually she settled down on my lap, but she made sure she was positioned to ensure her daddy was in her direct line of vision!

Eric drove us round a few streets, pointing things out and telling us how to get to some of the places. We stopped on a street that was full of open-air eateries and the 6 of us made our way to one that cooked seafood.

Eric chose a great fish eaterie for our first meeting - the food was great!

Eric ordered for us - we were pretty tired by this point so were grateful that he did! Spicy cockles, deep fried squid, mixed veggies and sting-ray - it was wonderful! Fatty and Ally had their own chair - Fatty is very protective! Whenever she thought anyone got too close she let them know about it!

Ally (l) and Fatty (r) sit in their pretty mummy's lap - Jaclyn is beatiful, friendly and adores her two girls!

It was a nice experience, enjoying a meal outside with a couple of dogs - it's not something I've ever experienced in the UK. Dogs are not allowed in restaurants or cafes or any indoor places over here (unless, of course, they are service dogs). They ARE allowed in beer gardens in most pubs - but unfortunately the UK weather isn't very conducive to alfresco dining!

Eric and Jaclyn realised we were tired so took us back to the hotel soon after - but not before Eric handed me Fatty for a cuddle! I was expecting her to take great exception to this but she behaved very well and snuggled in nicely whilst I carried her back to the car! It was wonderful to be cuddling her - I do suffer withdrawal symptoms from missing my boys and this really helped! As he dropped us off at the hotel Eric told us that he had organised a meal for the following night with several other bloggers and their furkids - we couldn't wait!

A view from our hotel room!

The next day I set off in search of a hairdresser. I'm not a 'girly girl' - I'm really extremely lazy about how I look. I never wear make-up, I usually slob about in either gym gear or 'comfortable' outfits for walking the dogs. But I do like to have nice hair - well, nice hair without any effort at any rate! My hair is naturally very frizzy, but the thought of using straightening tongs bores me - you'll never find me spending time preening myself (I figure 'you can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear' so why bother!!)

Another view from our hotel room!

So, about 5 years ago when I visited Bangkok I found myself doubling back when I walked past a hairdressers there after seeing the sign 'permanent hair straightening'. I had the treatment and was amazed and delighted at the difference it made! I had been quoted £700 to have this treatment carried out in London because of the length of my hair - it cost me £50 in Bangkok. I've had this treatment a few times now, but the last time was about 2 years ago and my hair was frizz-fest once more. I had informed my husband that one of the first things I'd be doing in KL would be looking for a hairdresser to have the treatment carried out again! Well, we found a hairdresser and 4 hours later I was happily striding around the shopping centre checking out my reflection in every window! Hey - I said I'm not a 'girly-girl' but I never said I wasn't vain, he he!

Some Chinese lanterns adorn a shopping centre

We wandered round a few more shopping centres and then headed back to the hotel for a quick cup of tea before setting out again. Well, that was the plan at any rate, but we fell asleep! Well, there is an 8 hour difference in time between KL and London!

I pose in front of a fountain!

We woke up half an hour before Eric was due to collect us which was just as well really! After a quick change of clothes we were ready to roll! So, we picked up the gift bags we had put together for the pals we were due to be meeting and set off!

Eric kindly met us at the hotel again and we piled into his car. Jaclyn was there withFatty and Ally and so was her good pal Ringo who had her cute dogs Cheddie and Kyoko with her. Jaclyn told me my hair looked nice which made me feel fabulous (well, when the world's most attractive woman tells you something like that it gives you a bit of a buzz!)

Eric sorts out the table and chairs whilst the ladies stand around chatting and cuddling the dogs!

We were going to have a 'steamboat' meal, which is a typical Malaysian way of eating. A big pot of soup is cooked in the middle of the table and throughout the night food such as chicken, fish and crab and finishing with noodles is placed in it to cook - yummy!

Asa jei jei brings Carrie over to meet Scottie and Audrey

We got to the restaurant and Eric sorted out a table near the edge so that we could keep the dogs out of every one's way.

Carrie smiles for the camera, watched by the humans!

We knew that 'Aunty Diana' would be there with Santa, Minnie and Christmas and that she would be coming with her sister Cindy, who is the mummy of all the dogs.

Some of the food - before we scoffed it! It was yummy!

We also knew that handsome Scottie would be there too and I was looking forward to seeing him do his famous 'balancing food of his nose' trick!

Fatty and Ally sit hopefully between their mummy and daddy - but didn't get any of our food!

Another schnauzer was also joining us - the pretty Carrie. I didn't know her blog but have become a follower since I've got back!

Audrey cuddles Christmas, I cuddle Minnie and Diana cuddles Scottie!

Well, the first person who turned up to join us was Audrey with Scottie. I hadn't seen a photo of Scottie's owner on his blog - but that didn't matter as I recognised Scottie immediately!

I introduce Minnie to Scottie - he was the only male dog in attendance and behaved like the perfect gentleman!

He's a handsome fellow, stylishly groomed and very well behaved. I zoomed over to say hello, feeling very excited that I was meeting him for real.

A shot of folks enjoying their food!

Audrey was wonderful too, so friendly and - like all the folks we were meeting - effortlessly stylish! Next to turn up was Carrie with her owners - what a cute girl she is!

I really enjoyed getting to know Minnie - she is such a sweet, friendly little girl!

We were just sorting out the chairs for people and dogs alike when Santa turned up with her family - we recognised those wonderful ears driving past!

Carrie looks on as Santa shows us her spectacular ears, carried by Aunty Diana!

Diana brought Santa out of the car with her and I got Minnie to cuddle - she is adorable and loves to give everyone a kiss! Diana introduced everyone and Cindy took Santa so that Diana could also bring Christmas out to meet everyone.

I give fiesty Fatty a cuddle - she was definately the alpha dog of all the group!

Christmas is so sweet - she is rather shy and a bit nervous of people, but she's only been a member of the family since December so she's still finding her paws.

Neil gives Fatty a cuddle too - she's a very pretty girl!

I feel in love with all of the dogs - all so well behaved and all so easy to make a fuss of! The meal that evening was wonderful - very tasty! Diana and Audrey took great care of me and Neil, always filling our bowls whenever they were empty, it was great!

Scottie and Fatty are chaperoned by Audrey and Eric as they shyly flirt with each other and discuss the possibility of becoming exclusive!

The conversation flowed easily and the night just flew past. We couldn't believe it when it was all over and everyone had to leave - we had had such a great time.

Little Ally seems to enjoy her cuddle - she is so cute and tiny, I was completely smitten!

Santa, Minnie and Christmas had got their Aunty Diana and mummy to put together a great goodie bag for both humans and doggies alike!

Fatty and Ally work it for the paparazzi!

As it was Chinese New Year during our visit Diana had been baking cookies - we are proud to boast that we were the lucky recipients of two batches of Aunty Diana cookies!

Can you spot the pot of doggie treats on the table?!

She had packed them with a bag of chicken floss and some clementines individually wrapped in red bags. These are the foods that are traditionally in people's houses for Chinese New Year - we were thrilled that she had passed these yummy treats onto us.

From left to right - Audrey with Scottie; Asa jei jei with Carrie; me with Minnie; Aunty Diana with Christmas; Cindy with Santa; Jaclyn with Ally; Neil with Fatty

And let me tell you - Aunty Diana cookies taste even better than they look! Seriously - myself and my husband are seriously addicted to her pineapple cookies - super-yum! The gifts for the boys are simply wonderful too! Aunty Diana is a great seamstress and makes a lot of toys for Santa, Minnie and Christmas.

Clementines wrapped in red bags, a traditional CNY treat

One of the toys she has made for Minnie is a cute dinosaur stuffie - we've always loved it! When she passed us the huge bag of gifts I noticed a dinosaur stuffie sitting on the top and I was so excited! They also got an Aunty Diana exclusive stuffie bone and stuffie balls, as well as a squeaky log toy, some doggie aftershave and loads and loads of treats! The boys are going to be doing their own post on the gifts they got over the next few weeks - it's going to take us a long time as everyone was so generous - most of the luggage we brought back with us was gifts for them! Which they feel is only right and proper -he he!

After the meal Eric and Jaclyn took us for a drive around KL. First we stopped off at a night market. Fatty and Ally were packed into their 'doggie bag' for Eric to carry them round with us.

I admit I did try to concentrate on the market but my eyes were drawn to the cute noses of Fatty and Ally peeking out of the mesh at the back of the bag as we made our way through the busy, narrow streets.

We bought a few pots of traditional Malaysian snacks and Eric bought us a cup of fresh sugar cane drink - it was very refreshing! As Chinese New Year was almost upon us all the market was packing up a bit earlier than normal so we made our way back to car for a little tour of KL.

The Petronas towers at night - an amazing building

Eric took us to a great spot to get some spectacular views of the Petronas Towers - they really look amazing lit up at night. Eric and Jaclyn said they didn't pay them much attention as they were so used to them now - well, we're the same with the Gherkin and Buckingham Palace and Big Ben in London. Having worked in London for 22 years I see these buildings and think - 'meh!' and that's about it!

We proved we were there, he he he!

But I loved the Petronas Towers - I thought they were a really stunning sight. Eventually we had to go back to the hotel where we bid each other farewell.

Chinese New Year is a major celebration in KL, rather like our Christmas, so all our pals were busy with family and friends for the rest of our trip. Everyone had been very apologetic that they could not spend more time with us - well, we hadn't expected them to spend as much time with us as they already had!

As we got out of the car Eric pulled a huge box out of the boot and handed it to us - gifts for JD and Max!

The box was amazing - full to the brim of treats and toys! (Fatty and Ally have already done a post about their gifts here and here so please take a look!) The boys are going to do their own post on the gifts soon - it's going to take us a while as there are so many things!

The generosity of everyone we met has left us speechless. We don't just mean the gifts, but also the time that everyone spent with us, showing us around and looking after us when they met up with us. We can't thank you enough - it really helped to make our holiday so special.

JD - Right-oh FH, we think that's about it for you for now! You've hogged our blog for long enough thank you!

Max - Indeed! This is a dog blog you know, not a bi-ped blog, he he he!

JD - We're thrilled that our humans got to meet so many of our blogging pals - we're just a bit sulky that we couldn't get to meet everyone ourselves. Oh, the fun we could have had playing with everyone!

Max - Female human will be back with more updates over the next few days - and so will we!