The Alpha Japanese Female (AJF) and I took Max to our local Petco shop to pick up some poochlet necessities.
While we were in line at checkout we were approached by the store manager and another lady who was toting a large camera.

“Let me get this straight…you want me to do what? Put on what? What exactly is wrong with you, Dad?”
They wanted to know if we would allow Max to be photographed for a story about dog Halloween costumes to be featured in our local paper – The Honolulu Star Advertiser. Max seemed amenable. The AJF began to transform into a stage mother and I thought the whole rigmarole to be funny.
Max was carted off to the pet grooming area to be “prepped” for his photo shoot. A young lady appeared with a pin brush and started glamming up the Furbeast. Meanwhile earnest consultations transpired over which costume should be worn by the Malt.

Test shots to determine if he had the right stuff and sufficient alliteration to be a mucho macho male Malt model.
An alligator? No…doesn’t match his personality. Star Wars? Nope, he’s already as furry as Chewbacca eating an Ewok. Finally, for reasons that remain obscure to me, they decided that a piñata would be Max’s ideal get-up.
By then, the brush out was complete, copious food bribes had been offered and ingested and we were ready for his close up, Mr. DeMille. But first Max had to be dressed in his costume and, as you can see, he failed to see the good humor in the process. Miffed Maltese.
Eventually our little piñata was fully prepared and the photo session went off without a hitch. The AJF was so proud although I heard her mumble about union scale, residuals and percentages off the top whatever that was about.
He will make his newspaper appearance within the next couple of weeks. I promise to post the actual newspaper photo of Max when it is released.
Meanwhile, Max and I decided on his “official” costume for Halloween. You may remember that last year he dressed as a Viking warrior. Well, this year will be quite different but I’m not giving away the secret yet… For now, Max will remain a piñata.
A piñata who hates me.
Categories: Max's Stories
Too cute… he look like my Maltese JZ!
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No teasing allowed…post up a link to some doggie photos!
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My babies…
~Bridgette
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Your puplets are just too stinkin’ cute. JZ and Max can dress up as each other this Halloween. No one will be the wiser.
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EXACTLY… his brother from another mother! LOL. I purchased both, Jazz & JZ’s Halloween costumes today, I’ll tag you when I post it next week! ~Bridgette. …and your baby 🐾 is 2 cute!
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Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
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Poor Max. That costume really should be considered dog abuse. Tell him that if he wants to escape all the Halloween Hoopla, to board a plane to Australia. Halloween is fairly low-key here, although it has been gaining popularity over the last couple of years. Lady and Bi8lbo both said that you wouldn’t catch them in anything like that. They’re naturalists! Take care and congtrats on the spot in the paper from a publicity loving papparazzi xx Rowena
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I suspect in the near future Halloween in Oz will be every bit as big a thing as it is here. I mean, you have such a wide range of costume possibilities and we all know you guys are not shy. I agree that neither Lady nor Bilbo would make good pinatas. They wouldn’t sit still for the dress-up part and Bilbo would probably eat the costume anyway.
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Agreed! Plus kids running at them with baseball bats would scare the begeebies out of them!
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Kids running with baseball bats scares the begeebies out of me!
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Me too. Bilbo and Lady say that’s what teeth are for! xx Rowena
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Oh god! Thank you for making me giggle over my breakfast! He looks adorable and totally pissed at you! I’m so glad he is getting the fame he so rightly deserves… This could be the start of something big! 😂
Give that little cutie a massive squeeze cuddle from me and my two terrors who are currently lying up on my bed having kicked me out.
K x
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Max was overheard saying something to the effect of “drinking the tears of my owners” so I think this episode really ruffled his fur.
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Haha! Oh Max I do adore you!
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Now that’s something I really don’t understand. A pinata??? I. Can’t. Imagine. The. Horror. Maybe that’s the point?
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BUTT WAIT….you were such a good sport. That oughta be worth LOTS of ANYTHING YOU WANT. For a looooong time buddy.
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Max shares the horror. Being dressed as a pinata is somehow especially offensive to Malts or so he has informed us. He wasn’t really a good sport. He was carefully calculating his revenge the whole time. We now sleep with an open eye.
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Buddy the Maltese Dog says:
Hi Max, I understand the feeling of having anything on your person. Your more than welcome to come and stay at my house for Halloween. We don’t get dressed up, my mom and I walk around early in the day and delivery hand made doggy and kitty treat bags to my favorite pet friends, and we also, deliver treat bags to a few of the elderly people on my street. It is always nice to hear from you Max.
Buddy & Audrey Tavel
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If doggie treat bags are on the agenda, Max is all for a visit to Buddy’s place. That’s sweet of you to deliver goodies to the elderly. Did I mention I am elderly? At least in the eyes of the kids anyway.
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Hi Max! That’s great, buddy will have so much fun.
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PS You should crochet a costume for Buddy, Audrey!
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Hi Max, I am working on a crocheted pattern for next year, should I include you too, if buddy approves? I promise, it won’t be like the one you recently tried one. Have a great day, Audrey & Buddy
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Thanks Audrey but I think it’s too hot here or a crochet anything unless you can slip an air conditioner in there. But I do want to see what you come up with for Master Buddy.
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okay, Max but you should give us your address so buddy can mail you a Halloween card, we got some really cool ones this year. That is on are to-do list this week. Stay cool Max and I’ll try to keep warm!
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Max knows about Gloria’s Swan song? I’d make my exit if they did that to me. Ridiculous, I tell ya.
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The pinata was ridiculous but I’m not sure the options were much better, Kismet. The giant dog taco costume had possibilities but really was better tailored (cough) to the chihuahua contingent. I think I’ve figured out a good one for him though if only I can get the right supplies.
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You have to understand that Kyla was born in Mexico. Kaci is half chihuahua. I asked Kaci and she said she just lost her taste for Mexican food after seeing that piñata. Kyla would never refuse food.
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Max says Kaci has no fur. Hahahha…..
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Tom, just to get a kid’s perspective on the whole pinata theme, my son thought poor Max might get whacked by the bat. He’d better watch out!
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This is a good point, A pinata’s fate is to hang from a tree and get whacked with a bat until it spills its internals for kids to grab and stuff in their trousers and skirts. I can hear that conversation now: “How’s that sound, Max? Up for a little bat whacking? I didn’t think so.”
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I could hear him growling all the way from Australia. I think he’s about to ring his lawyer!
By the way, Lady hit the front page of my blog today with her literary efforts. xx Ro
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Did you say it’s time for dog lawyer jokes? Well, alrighty then:
http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/buzz/top-10-lawyer-dog-jokes/?pid=266
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That was great, Tom. Had a great laugh. Will show the kids when they get home. Thanks! xx Rowena
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He is so cute! I cannot wait to see the newspaper photos. Mexicano Max!
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They took my name at the photo shoot but now I think I will seek anonymity to avoid retribution should Max gather the other small condo dogs in a mass attack. Lately, the poodles have been looking askance at me. Viva Senor Max!.
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Max is precious!
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Precious, huh? Well maybe in the same way as shown on this site:
https://www.google.com/search?q=the+precious&newwindow=1&espv=2&biw=1242&bih=590&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB8QsARqFQoTCJrciM_mxcgCFY-ViAodf7ELjw
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Poor little chap….he’ll have to slink out of your condo at unearthly hours to avoid the pitying looks of his canine neighbours once that newspaper comes out….
Still – and do not divulge this to Max as I do not wish to share in the retribution he is preparing – at least you’ve found a new variation on an old joke.
How do you make a Maltese cross?
You dress him up as a pinata.
Beats the old line about staping on his foot by a long way.
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Snorf, snorf, snorf….the old Maltese cross joke, eh. Just for that you deserve to be suspended while children take whacks at you. Maybe I’ll call The Neighbour so he can organize the San Jose community! (Actually, that one is such a classic I admit to chuckling even as the pain set in.) Max saw no humor in it at all.
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You squealed! You betrayed me to Max!
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You’re far away and safe. Me, I live in fear. He sees me when I’m sleeping. Oh wait, that’s Santa Claus.
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Gosh, he didn’t even muster a fake smile. You see the burden in both senses of the word. I bet that manager could carry that costume; she looks strong like bull. I won’t make some joke about filling him up with candy until he spews it out like a kid’s bday party pinata. It’s never the good candy anyway. Is he a blue donkey, like Eeyore? If so, he is mimicking Eeyore’s clinical depression perfectly.
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It’s hard to say if Max exhibits clinical depression or just a deep-seated hatred of me for cheerfully allowing him to be drafted into this whole deal. I vote for the latter.
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I pity you when the ‘Max Protection League’ get there.
Poor dog, I’m not sure what is worse the outfit or the pushy Mother!
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It’s quite scary. They are too small to do much damage at one attack but they nip you in a death of a thousand cuts.
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One can only hope that the newspaper reaches it’s final position – on the bottom of kitty litter tray- real soon. Let’s hope his dogmates don’t read this blog.
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He’s been keeping his distance from other fluffbutts, especially his main squeeze Sophie the Lhasa Apso. Maybe it’s just that Sophie has a stinky ear infection but maybe because he fears being outed as a pinata.
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A pinata? Oh the indignity! But then again, one year I dressed my late dachshund as a devil dog so…
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I wonder what passes through their little dog brains when we do stuff like this. The looks on their faces suggests they know the meaning of humiliation and shame but they love us so much they put up with our nonsense. “Strange creatures, these humans” is probably close to how they feel. That’s better than “Evil ones, the spawn of Satan” which is the look on their furry faces.
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So Max is now famous? Wow. I do hope he’s the same lovable poochy.
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Thank you Max!! Your time as piñata gave me the best smile / giggle all day! ☺️
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