living in florence: meet winston, the center of attention

We took Winston out for a nice long stroll on Saturday -- it was one of the last dreamy 80-degree days for a little while -- and for the second time in a week Winston had his photo snapped by a complete stranger.

What is it about this little guy that makes him so irresistable? Oh wait, I know: floppy ears? Check. Human eyes? Check. Adorable pug-like heavy breathing? Check.

If you ever see us walking around town be sure to say hi!

moving a dog abroad: the complete guide

Rob and I are both confident enough in ourselves to admit that the real star of this blog is Winston. It's cool, we know you've been thinking it (and some have even told us directly).

Almost as soon as we hit "publish" on our first blog post back in October, we started gettinge messages from people planning to move their pets abraod in the future and asking for our advice. We didn't feel right giving advice right away, but now that Winston is safely in his new home, properly registered and has basically been living la dolce vita for four months, we figured it was safe to start sharing our tips for moving your dog abroad.

You have two options when moving your pet abroad: handle it all yourself or hire a pet relocation company to do all or part of the work. We priced out those companies and if we had an endless supply of money we probably would've hired one just to ease our logistical workload, but it wasn't an option for us from a financial perspective. As such, we did every step of the process of ourselves -- and we're pretty pleased with the job that we did.

To help other nervous/stressed pet parents move their dogs abroad, we created a FREE e-book:

The DIY Guide to Moving Your Dog Abroad FREE E-BOOK! An efficient, effective and (almost) stress-free guide to moving your canine companion overseas. We put together this free e-book to help other expats (and future expats) with the process of moving their beloved canine companions abroad. Our guide is filled with practical advice and tips for staying organized and handling all of the details yourself. The guide is free, we just ask that you Tweet or Facebook post about the guide. The DIY Guide to Moving Your Dog Abroad is also available for purchase in print by visiting Lulu.com.

It's free in that all we ask you to do is "pay" with a Tweet or Facebook post about your free e-book download. Pretty cool right?

You can also check out a series of articles we've written about moving your dog abroad:

• Moving Your Dog Abroad - The Basics
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Understanding the Rules and Regulations of Pet Travel
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - The Role of the USDA Certified Veterinarian
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Booking Your Dog's Ticket and Getting Firsthand Advice
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Getting Organized and Making Final Travel Preparations
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Travel Day and Adjustment Period

We hope these resources will help answer any questions you have about moving your own dog abroad!

Disclaimer: The information, resources and tips provided in this e-book are intended to inform the reader about the process of moving a dog abroad. As in any situation, it is critically important that the reader seek out additoinal information relevant to their particular situation and needs.

a wet walk in the neighborhood

A few quick snaps from a walk we took over the weekend when it was drizzling out.

winston's version of gtl

Gym:

Tan:

Lazy:

I'd like to state for the record that while we don't watch the Jersey Shore, we do confess to enjoying the cultural references, such as GTL.

winston and chocolate

Confession: We may have gone back to the chocolate festival late last week while on a walk with Winston. I spotted these delicious white chocolate with cocoa rice krispies candies our first time there and insisted that we go back to get some. It was sooo good.

Winston was in top form. He romances (as Rob and I call it) just about everyone he comes in contact with. They don't have puggles in this neck of the woods, so everyone is always asking what type of dog he is. We still haven't figured out how to say pug in Italian. Anyone know? Anyway, everyone comments on how sweet and silly looking he is.

Here's a photo completely unrelated to Italy, but that is so cute I can barely stand it. Winston is petrified of baths and simply couldn't hide his dissatisfaction with getting one this past weekend. God help you all when we have children.

P.S. As of 7pm today we finally have DSL. Feels like we're back in the 21st century!