Lori Z
10-19-2006, 12:56 PM
We live a mountain community at 7,000 feet in the Southern Calif mountain ski resort area with lake. We have lots of coyotes and other wild critters around. I live in a cul de sac. One day at the beginning of the summer I looked out from my upper deck and there was a tiny black and tan chihuahua on my street. All by his little self. I was shocked. I went down and out and called to him, he ran to me and jumped into my arms. I brought him inside. He was an un-neutered male about 5-8 years old was my guess. My hubby and I did the neighborhood thing. We put up signs, we called the two shelters up here, I put up signs at the vet's offices and we ran an add in our local paper. He got along fantastically with our aussies and althought I suspected he marked I watched him carefully. He was affectionate, went into a crate fine and a little doll. After two weeks we had decided to keep him and get him neutered sometime that month.
I was at work when the "owner" came to claim him 2 1/2 weeks after we had him. My husband happened to be on a three week vacation. The owner turned out to be a neighbor up the street who was on vacation and apparently they had a pet sitter who was 17 and didn't bother to look for the dog???!!! My husband walked the guy back to his house talking about name tags and saying he could keep the collar we bought but really he should be neutered and get a name tag. The owner said oh no he wouldn't be neutered he was in love (that is what he said, in love) with their mini dapple red doxie and they bred chiweenies. My husband was incredulous thinking chiweenie was a joke. By that time they reached the house. The house was disgusting inside, the female doxie was inside and looked tired. The outside of the house wasn't landscaped (and I knew which one it was a blight on the neighborhood, a rental). Outside on the deck was a puppy, the wife thanked my husband for returning the chihuahua named Max who they got as a rescue three years before and had no idea how old he was but said they loved him. The female mini doxie was one of those fearful barkers...anyhow my husband was appalled at the conditions in the house ( a 6 month old baby and a 7 yr old girl too, dirty). HE was turning to go and the man said, "look we have one puppy that was returned to us, my wife's sister didn't want him anymore he was too much trouble and her boyfriend was mean to him. I want to give you something for your trouble, would you like this puppy. Phil looked outside the dirty sliding glass door and there sat Pippin. VERY thin, shaking and looking exactly like his mom only red not dappled, smooth, aa mini doxie, that is what he looks like. Now my husband is kind, he has also ALWAYS wanted a mini doxie and in fact we had discussed getting one someday when we didn't have so many dogs. I have been afraid of health issues so I must admit to not being super supportive of his desire for one but always thought they were adorable. Even though I am/was a big dog person.
My husband said, "yes I'll take him". The wife said, well he screams if you reach for him or approach because of that boyfriend (they, to be fair, had never been harsh with the two dogs they had just neglectful) and he shakes all the time. We usually sell them for 500.00 but he is a problem and with my new baby I just don't have time for a puppy. My husband repeated," yes I'll take him thank you very much" So the slider door opened the guy reached for Pippin who did scream then he handed Pippin to Phil. Phil took him home.
When I got home from work Pippin was there. I looked at Phil and said, "well do you want to keep him or do we work with him as a foster and find a home?" As Phil is the one who said NO MORE DOGS. LOL LOL. "I think keep him he said." So I decided I would run over to the house and ask what they were feeding and using for potty training, his age etc. They were feeding purina dog chow, they said he sometimes used the wee wee pads, they did give me one (okay I had NEVER seen one before lol) and they weren't sure when the litter was born!!! CAN you believe that, sometime in a three week period.
I bought him some good food the next day because the feed stores were closed by the time I got home, he tore up the wee wee pad so started potty training like any other puppy. He screamed totally bloody murder when Ginger, very gentle older aussie girl sniffed him so I had my hubby take him outside, the poor skinny shaking thing sat between my husbands legs. I put Ginger on a down by my husband. After a few minutes the pup came out and sniffed...and that was it, he fell in love with Ginger. He has never screamed when we picked him up but had huge fear screaming issues with other dogs so we took him everywhere so he could meet nice gentle dogs which worked. Three days after he came to us we went on a camping vacation to Lassen National Park. We took him, my whole family meets with all the kids once a year, nothing could have been better for socialization. He still had all his puppy teeth so we knew he was under 4 months old we figured about 10 weeks or so. My three nieces, 7,8,8 spent so much time with him, he adored them. We brought a puppy x-pen with us. My sister brought me a travel bag for the small dogs so we could hike everywhere (no dogs in nation parks on trails but we took him lol). He became a different dog. His shaking completely stopped, he appeared to like people although a little submissive when being picked up no screaming or anything like that. He met other dogs and one camper had a chihuahua terrier puppy and they played which was very good for him. My entire family carried treats in their pocket and when he came happily to any of them he got a treat.
So that is how we ended up with Pippin the chiweenie. Pippin has blossomed into a terrific little dog, I totally adore him with all my being and we are thinking of doxie next year, maybe rescue maybe a puppy. Pippin just turned 6 months, he was neutered last month and knows several tricks. He rolls over, shakes and "hups" into my arms at request. He also sits, downs, walks very nicely on a leash and we are beginning stay. He is active, friendly, adores my australian shepherds and is well rounded good citizen. I bathe him once a week in the sink because he sleeps with us. We crate trained him first and now he gets to sleep with us. He is just about perfect. My vet said she doesn't believe he has chihuahua in him and put down red doxie on his neuter papers LOL LOL. She knows he does of course but can't see it as neither can we. Oh and for his age when his teeth started coming out we figured he was about 16 weeks so went from there.
I was at work when the "owner" came to claim him 2 1/2 weeks after we had him. My husband happened to be on a three week vacation. The owner turned out to be a neighbor up the street who was on vacation and apparently they had a pet sitter who was 17 and didn't bother to look for the dog???!!! My husband walked the guy back to his house talking about name tags and saying he could keep the collar we bought but really he should be neutered and get a name tag. The owner said oh no he wouldn't be neutered he was in love (that is what he said, in love) with their mini dapple red doxie and they bred chiweenies. My husband was incredulous thinking chiweenie was a joke. By that time they reached the house. The house was disgusting inside, the female doxie was inside and looked tired. The outside of the house wasn't landscaped (and I knew which one it was a blight on the neighborhood, a rental). Outside on the deck was a puppy, the wife thanked my husband for returning the chihuahua named Max who they got as a rescue three years before and had no idea how old he was but said they loved him. The female mini doxie was one of those fearful barkers...anyhow my husband was appalled at the conditions in the house ( a 6 month old baby and a 7 yr old girl too, dirty). HE was turning to go and the man said, "look we have one puppy that was returned to us, my wife's sister didn't want him anymore he was too much trouble and her boyfriend was mean to him. I want to give you something for your trouble, would you like this puppy. Phil looked outside the dirty sliding glass door and there sat Pippin. VERY thin, shaking and looking exactly like his mom only red not dappled, smooth, aa mini doxie, that is what he looks like. Now my husband is kind, he has also ALWAYS wanted a mini doxie and in fact we had discussed getting one someday when we didn't have so many dogs. I have been afraid of health issues so I must admit to not being super supportive of his desire for one but always thought they were adorable. Even though I am/was a big dog person.
My husband said, "yes I'll take him". The wife said, well he screams if you reach for him or approach because of that boyfriend (they, to be fair, had never been harsh with the two dogs they had just neglectful) and he shakes all the time. We usually sell them for 500.00 but he is a problem and with my new baby I just don't have time for a puppy. My husband repeated," yes I'll take him thank you very much" So the slider door opened the guy reached for Pippin who did scream then he handed Pippin to Phil. Phil took him home.
When I got home from work Pippin was there. I looked at Phil and said, "well do you want to keep him or do we work with him as a foster and find a home?" As Phil is the one who said NO MORE DOGS. LOL LOL. "I think keep him he said." So I decided I would run over to the house and ask what they were feeding and using for potty training, his age etc. They were feeding purina dog chow, they said he sometimes used the wee wee pads, they did give me one (okay I had NEVER seen one before lol) and they weren't sure when the litter was born!!! CAN you believe that, sometime in a three week period.
I bought him some good food the next day because the feed stores were closed by the time I got home, he tore up the wee wee pad so started potty training like any other puppy. He screamed totally bloody murder when Ginger, very gentle older aussie girl sniffed him so I had my hubby take him outside, the poor skinny shaking thing sat between my husbands legs. I put Ginger on a down by my husband. After a few minutes the pup came out and sniffed...and that was it, he fell in love with Ginger. He has never screamed when we picked him up but had huge fear screaming issues with other dogs so we took him everywhere so he could meet nice gentle dogs which worked. Three days after he came to us we went on a camping vacation to Lassen National Park. We took him, my whole family meets with all the kids once a year, nothing could have been better for socialization. He still had all his puppy teeth so we knew he was under 4 months old we figured about 10 weeks or so. My three nieces, 7,8,8 spent so much time with him, he adored them. We brought a puppy x-pen with us. My sister brought me a travel bag for the small dogs so we could hike everywhere (no dogs in nation parks on trails but we took him lol). He became a different dog. His shaking completely stopped, he appeared to like people although a little submissive when being picked up no screaming or anything like that. He met other dogs and one camper had a chihuahua terrier puppy and they played which was very good for him. My entire family carried treats in their pocket and when he came happily to any of them he got a treat.
So that is how we ended up with Pippin the chiweenie. Pippin has blossomed into a terrific little dog, I totally adore him with all my being and we are thinking of doxie next year, maybe rescue maybe a puppy. Pippin just turned 6 months, he was neutered last month and knows several tricks. He rolls over, shakes and "hups" into my arms at request. He also sits, downs, walks very nicely on a leash and we are beginning stay. He is active, friendly, adores my australian shepherds and is well rounded good citizen. I bathe him once a week in the sink because he sleeps with us. We crate trained him first and now he gets to sleep with us. He is just about perfect. My vet said she doesn't believe he has chihuahua in him and put down red doxie on his neuter papers LOL LOL. She knows he does of course but can't see it as neither can we. Oh and for his age when his teeth started coming out we figured he was about 16 weeks so went from there.