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Wags To Riches
Does your fido have a fantastic story with a HappyHappy ending?
Send it along for consideration in this column!
Polli Gains a Best Friend (in a kitten!)
On the way home that first day with the orphaned kitten, Haley, I knew there could be big trouble. I had agreed reluctantly to take this sickly kitten and all I could think of as I approached the house was how I would handle the certain jealousy from my dog Polli around this new baby. Polli was my “baby” and I frequently called her “baby” as a term of endearment.
I decided to work with the concept of hierarchy so as soon as Polli saw the kitten I put Haley down in front of her excitedly repeating over and over “This is Polli’s baby” and “This is Polli’s kitten” and so on like a fool! To my total surprise, this idea of gifting her with her own kitten worked almost immediately and Polli became very gentle and interested in Haley.
Over the next few days, Polli learned how to pick the kitten up gently by her neck and began carrying her from room to room. Haley was grateful for Polli’s attention and they have become inseparable.
—Submitted by Polli's Mommy
Zeus Makes Friends
This is our newest addition, Zeus. He is the new brother to Beaker (featured earlier in wags to riches). Zeus was given up by his previous family because they were moving from Canada to Africa and could not bring him with them. :( The owner knew of my love for Chihuahuas so she asked if I might find him a home, which I honestly did try...honestly! But as the depressed little abandoned Chihuahua grew more attached to his 'temporary' family, we also grew more and more attached to Zeus! Now he has earned a 'permanent' spot in our house and has adapted wonderfully to our lifestyle (as seen in his photo, he is now a surfer dog lol). —Sent in by Zeus's Mommy
Zeus was also Dog of the Day on July 31, 2008.
Ricky Loves His New Home
Once in a while I'd look up Chihuahuas on Petfinder and found the cutest Chihuahua-cross up for adoption at an animal hospital in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec. When we decided to go for a drive to take a look at this dog, I had a funny feeling we weren't coming back empty handed. Sure enough, Ricky seemed like a great dog, totally recovered from surgery to mend a broken leg and ready to leave for a new home. At the time we were told he'd have to come back in a year to have the plate and seven screws removed from his front leg, with all the medical expenses covered by the hospital. After several visits for x-rays and examinations, they decided that he didn't need to have the plate removed unless it causes problems in the future. We were worried about the pain he'd experience from the cold affecting the metal, but it turns out that when it's that cold out, neither Ricky or Chico (his best friend featured in April 4 and March 30, 2008) can stay out very long. From the moment we brought him home, it seemed like he always lived here; he's such a good dog. Maybe he's grateful and he's certainly happy to have a small friend to play with.
This is the picture from last March at Le Refuge, St-Hyacinthe. He had been confined to a kennel to heal from surgery, so his muscles and ligaments had atrophied. They had first tried a cast but that hadn't worked. —submitted by his loving Mommy from Montreal, Quebec
Genetic Defect; Pet Perfect
Beaker was a mistake from the start! She was given to us by the breeder because she has a severe heart condition along with double luxating patella's, and a common chihuahua condition called a molera (a hole in the top of her skull). Our family was not one for smaller dogs, let alone a chihuahua! We tried our best to find her a good loving home, but no one wanted such a 'defective' puppy, until my supervising veterinarian did a trial run with her. She brought back our little Beaker the very next day and said that the dog was miserable. As soon as Beaker got back to our house, she ran circles around the living room until she settled herself down contently on my lap. We knew from that day forward, that she'd chosen us, and we'd better make darned sure we do good by her! We love her now more than ever, and our love for her grows every single day with every cute shenanigan she pulls off! -- submitted by Beaker and her Mom (her Mom did the typing)
Hurricane Katrina Delivers Perfect Storm
One day I went into our family Vet’s office to buy food for our two cats. Knowing I was a HUGE animal lover, the Vet brought me to one of the back rooms where I was greeted by 10 new puppies and their mom. I grew up with dogs and cats and we hadn’t had a dog in almost four years. So, seeing these 10 adorable babies (6 cream colored and 4 black and cream), I just couldn’t resist choosing one for our family. Storm’s mom was rescued from Hurricane Katrina so we had no idea what type of dog she would become but as you can see by this picture she is not only beautiful but full of love, patience and loyalty. She loves everyone and everything and has made the most perfect fit with our family. -- submitted by Storm's loving human Mom.
Fleas Bow at the Knees to this Dog
After surviving rough and tumble beginnings, Cowboy now enjoys the many perks of the good life. And that includes possessing the metro-man’s keen eye for fashion. No t-shirt in his mom’s clothing line, TheFleasKneesTees.com, is an official Fleas Knees Tee until Cowboy gives it his very discerning paw-of-approval print. Money raised from the sale of the shirts goes toward animal rescue to give other dogs a happyhappy life.
