How to Get Your First Chihuahua
Nine years ago, I met a lady through my work with an adorable long-haired Chihuahua puppy. The dog would be staying at the boarding kennel where I worked. Truth be told, while I liked dogs, Chihuahuas were just not a breed I was drawn to, no reason really. I had grown up around large, working breed dogs (Dobermans, German Shepard’s, Rottweilers and an Afghan Hound). Tiny dogs were just not something I was familiar with really.
However, I thought this little dog with the uncommon name of Tayla was just adorable. All the staff members were eager to work with this puppy. There were some unusual care instructions for the pup, but she seemed unfazed by anything and very social. By the next boarding stay, the owner of the pup began voicing her frustrations to staff about various troubles with the pup, even at one point saying that she hated the dog and wished she had never taken her home. Staff members suggested re-homing the pup, even commenting that several staff members would love to provide a home for the dog if she did indeed want to part ways. Six months later (right before Thanksgiving), the owner decided it was best to re-home the dog and assumed that I was the one who volunteered to take the pup – I was not. The people who had expressed interest no longer worked there. I asked for advice from the business owner (my boss). I was instructed to go ahead and take on the dog. So, I did. The plan was to foster the dog, get her through her medical issues and adopt her out. She was obese, had a genetic deformity called Luxating Patellas (knees that dislocate with little to no movement from the dog), a painful back from severe weight issues and some food allergies. So, I told my parents the story and the little dog came home with me.
My mom told my Aunt about Tayla and her situation. Since my Aunt had a small dog, she said she would adopt her, but due to winter road conditions it wouldn’t be until spring that she could safely travel to get her. Her name was changed from Tayla (a character from Stargate Atlantis) to Tinker Belle and the work began to get this dog back to a healthy state. It wasn’t long before Tinker Belle had sprinkled fairy dust on my parents and I causing us to fall in love with her. She quickly became buddies with the other two dogs in the house (a lab/rottweiler mix and a husky), then worked her way into the pack establishing her role as the Princess. Then we started wondering if it would even be fair to let this little dog think she was home, then in a few months move her across the state to start over. So, after a lot of thought and prayer, I called my Aunt and explained the situation. She completely understood (she’s an animal lover so I didn’t expect anything less).
The little dog now known as Tinker is still the only female dog in the house. She is sassy and has this weird need to bark at the sound of paper being crinkled, when the other dogs are misbehaving or she’s not getting exactly what she wants. So far, no amount of training has fully worked that out of her system. There are days when I think the barking has improved and the next day, she is back at it. Chihuahuas are a very opinionated breed, so I am likely just working with a breed trait. I am actively looking for an alternative behavior for her in place of the barking, but I have not found anything she likes as much as her own voice. She is a fast learner, loves food, listens most of the time and is very high energy. As she has aged, she has developed other medical issues over time due to poor genetics (Endocrine Immune Disorder, Canine Emphysema), but she is doing very well considering her medical issues. Had Tinker not been needing a place to go, I probably would never have considered having a small dog. I thoroughly enjoy this sassy, bossy little girl!
Note: Notice how the title of this post is "How to get your first Chihuahua"? It's true, she is my first. I did eventually adopt a second one. His story will come at a later date.
