Jake has had a little setback. He keeps getting requests from media and we actually had to cancel an interview with NBC. Jake recently suffered a scratch on his cornea, which led to risky surgery. He is doing much better and a lot of people have said he is sure to win the competition now as he is looking particularly ugly with his one good eye sewn shut ... The good news is he is mending well and we will be leaving for Sonoma next week.

Jake may take a while to trust people, but once he does, you are a friend for life. There is nothing like getting a Jake greeting. His little body scrunches up and turns sideways, his ears go back and he makes the most alien of noises -- something between a newborn baby whine and a noise you might imagine a tiny monster would make. This is followed by a demand to be picked up. He lets anyone pick him up, but very few are allowed to actually pet him. He will demand to sit on your lap or be picked up, but gets very upset if you attempt to pet him and this hurts many people's feelings.

So many people in our neighborhood know Jake and his feisty personality. Neighbors know him by name and he gets so much attention when he is at the dog park. Jake rules the dog park -- some dogs that weigh over a 100 pounds run to the other side of the park when they see him coming. He has never bitten or hurt another dog, he just likes everyone to know, human and dog alike, that he is the boss of the dog park. I often hear exclamations like "Jake let me pet him and he didn’t even growl!" People see it as a challenge to befriend Jake. He stops traffic on the sidewalk on the way to and from the dog park and complete strangers say, "Is that Jake? I have heard so much about him!" I guess there aren’t too many one-eyed, 4.7-pound, feisty Chihuahuas in Washington, D.C.