Holiday at Miaoli - Day One

Woohoo! My very first holiday! Today marks the start of our 4-day holiday to Miaoli (苗栗). Miaoli County is located at the western part of Taiwan and it is about one and a half hours drive from Taipei.

Mom packed all our luggages and my treat box.


We rented a car for the first time too!


Dad, I think the GPS system said “Turn Right!"


It started to drizzle even before we leave Taipei City， I hope the weather will be good for the next few days.


There was a slight detour because the navigator fell asleep.


Two hours later, we arrived at Tongsiao Township (通霄鎮) in Miaoli. We made numerous turns around the mountain until we reached Jian Min Farm (建民農場) where we will be staying for three nights. I got a little car sick and threw up in the car. Ewwww!!!!

It was a nice and clean spacious room with a big TV.



Now, let me show you around. There are many trees right behind our room and I met a pig, some turkeys and ducks in the pond.


Time to pose with some greenery.



There are wide green spaces to run around too!


And doggie friends to play with.


First, we have to get a group shot with our new friends. Hee Hee, that was not an easy task.


This is Duo Duo, his Mom is an Accountant there and took very good care of us during our trip.


Mommy with Duo Duo.


We managed to watch the sun set before dinner.


Here is the bar counter at the restaurant.



This is Golden, he belongs to a neighbor of Duo Duo's mom and he goes with her to work too!


We were served moringa tea which is supposed to be very good for our health.


Look at what we had for dinner! Just kidding! Someone was taking photos of the food for the new menu and it made us all very hungry.


Dad ordered a chicken set dinner.


And Mom had the house special fried fish.


The boss of the farm was very hospitable and gave us some yummy dishes to go with our meals.


He also let us try a tiny red fruit called "Mysterious Fruit". You eat it before the lemon and mysteriously, the lemon tasted sweet and that is how the fruit got its name.


After dinner, we rested in the room for a while.


Then Duo Duo's Mom brought us to see some shrimp catching and fireflies and we also went to another lodging place called Fishing Cat where they also conduct some pottery classes.





After that, Duo Duo's Mom brought us to the local night market and we got some supper and fruits.

So that was the first day of my holiday, I sneaked into bed when no one was looking. It was really comfortable, but Dad wouldn't let me sleep on it. Anyhow, I had a good sleep that night until the chickens started to crow at 3am.


Next: Watch out for Day Two of my adventure!

Tea Time with Mommy

We had to go out and buy some stuff and we dropped by at 蜜袋屋 the pet cafe for a little tea time. This time Xiao Xuan and Ah Xi the resident dog were not around, so I borrowed his ball and played with the cafe operator.

Mom had waffles and milk tea today.


Shortly, two little maltese dogs joined us, they are Angel and Lucky. They are so cute!!!








On our way home, we passed by another cafe and saw a friendly golden at the door. His name is Duo Duo.

Just look at this adorable face!


We decided to stop by for a cup of coffee to chat with Duo Duo's owners and take a couple of photos.




It was great to discover another dog friendly cafe today, they serve great coffee too!


檢視較大的地圖

Name: Kaldi Coffee (加爾第咖啡)
Address: Tong Hua Street 165, Lane 24, No. 10 (台北市大安區通化街165巷24弄10號)
Telephone: +886 2 2732 4287
Operating Hours: Mon to Sat: 9am to 12am, Sun: 12pm to 12am (星期一至星期六09:00-24:00星期日12:00-24:00)

Gifts from Aunty Felicia

Aunty Felicia's daughter, Zoe turned one month old and she dropped by on Sunday to give us some cookies. I did get a peek at Zoe in the car and I wanted to give her a kiss, but since she is still a little baby, Mom wouldn't let me get too close to her. Zoe, when you get bigger, I would let you ride on my back!

Here is the cookie box with a nice card and photo of the family.


Wow! A whole box of Aunt Stella's cookies!


Can I have some if I pose nicely?


No? How about a big smile then?


Still no? Then what if I say a prayer?


Nevermind! Aunty Felicia was really thoughtful and even got two packs of delicious natural doggie biscuits for me. One was made of sweet potato and another one had some cranberries in them.


I also received a card from Aunty Felicia congratulating me for becoming a Dr. Dog. See the golden on the card? That is one diva golden!


Time to show off another new trick: Cross your hands!


Here's the sweet message in the card.


Thank you so much, Aunty Felicia for all your nice gifts! Muah!

Dr. Dog Internship - Session One

Saturday was the start of my Dr. Dog Internship, only Dad and Mom had to attend the first session, so I stayed at home for a long morning nap.

It was held in a room at a hospital ward for the elderly patients. The session was led by Harley's Family and they brought four of their Dr. Dogs to service that day.

Harley's mom gave us some tips and showed us what a typical session would be like and demonstrated her skills to coax the patients to the waiting room. It was definitely not an easy task getting the patients out of their bed. Some of the patients were excited to play with the Dr. Dogs, while others preferred to watch or sleep on their wheelchairs.

Here are some photos of our amazing Dr. Dogs in action:

Here is Hadi (哈帝) waiting for a treat.


Hadi loves the hoops


and getting hugs.


This grandpa was all quiet in the beginning, but warmed up after one of the volunteers spoke to him in English.


This grandma would not speak a word, but she didn't mind Ha Yue ( 哈悅) near her.


Hala ( 哈拉) chewed on a dental bone near Grandma.


Ha Bao ( 哈寶) got some pets while grandpa chatted with one of the volunteers.


Ha Di enjoyed staying under the wheelchair.


Grandpa exercised his hands by giving Hadi a hair brush.


Grandma learned to give commands to Hadi.


Hadi waited patiently for some treats.


Grandma gave the Down command and used a spade to feed Hadi.


Hadi sat on a chair so that Grandma could easily brush him.


Grandma enjoyed cuddling Ha La ( 哈拉).


Ha Bao tried to catch the treats that Grandma threw.


This granny was afraid of big dogs, but slowly warmed up to Hadi.


She gave him a nice massage too!


Hadi rested under the table during the debriefing session.


Overall, the visit was quite an eye opener as we got to witness how some of the patients who were not so receptive to dogs initially, slowly warmed up to them. Also, a few who were quiet in the beginning started to become more talkative. It was also a great session for the patients to interact with the volunteers and do some hand and leg movements with the help of our Dr. Dogs. The comfort and smiles that they bring to the patients are just priceless! I am definitely looking forward to attending the next session and I hope Grandpas and Grandmas will enjoy being with me.