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Little DOGS Anonymous

Little DOGS Anonymous is for those of us who just can’t live without these adorable little creatures.  It’s hard to have only one.  It’s an addiction like any other, isn’t it?  If this is how you feel, you’ve come to the right place.  This blog is all about these lovely little canines and all that goes with them.  We won’t try to cure you, instead we’ll justify your habit and perhaps even encourage you.

My wife and I have had dogs a good part of our lives, but never any breed smaller than a Cocker Spaniel.  No way were we interested in the toy breed sized dogs.  But that was about to change when Sophie, our older Cocker Spaniel passed away at age seventeen in 2008.  Her younger housemate, Sadie (Cocker, age eleven), was left alone.  After nine months had passed we were still not ready to look for a companion for Sadie.

One day my wife, Cathy, saw a picture of a lovely one year-old Chihuahua-mix female available at the POA, our local animal rescue shelter.  We decided to pursue the matter, and in just a few days, Stella had a new home.  Both dogs immediately got along well, although Stella was interested in 24-hour play time and Sadie was not.  That’s how I became Stella’s playmate.

st Little DOGS AnonymousSeveral months after Stella arrived, Cathy walked in the house and found me on the floor with her, each of us gripping opposite ends of a stuffed toy squirrel in our teeth and  playing tug-o-war.  She immediately started the search for a new playmate for Stella.

Within a few weeks, after the same process with the POA, Stella was enjoying the company of Sonny, another 8 pound Chihuahua-mix.  These two play all day together, to the joy of Sadie who likes their company, but would rather stay on the sidelines.  The dogs think they are in dog heaven.

so Little DOGS AnonymousNevertheless, we couldn’t stop there.  You all know where this is going, don’t you?  It’s like eating just one potato chip from the bag . . . hard to do.  Just two months after Sonny’s arrival, Simon’s photo appeared in our local weekly paper.  So cute,  and so in need of a home. 

Someone had an appointment to see him, so we had to wait it out.  They never showed, and in just a few hours, Simon was romping in the yard with Stella and Sonny.  What a trio they make.  Stay tuned.

si Little DOGS AnonymousFeel free to comment and/or email your stories and photos to me and I will post them on the blog.

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Meet Stella

stella Meet StellaStella came to us as “Mocha” (Latte).  Stella was our first venture into the world of little dogs.  She was found wandering the streets of Hartford by a Wethersfield resident, taken to the local dog pound, and eventually ended up with  the POA.  The POA is a local non-profit dog and cat rescue facility with a no-kill policy.   
 
Previous to Stella, our idea of small dog was our Cocker Spaniel, Sadie.  Stella is one-third the size of Sadie, weighing in at just less than 9 pounds.  She is predominantly Lhasa Apso and Chihuahua, with tinge of English Springer Spaniel in the mix.  We determined this through DNA testing.
 
Stella certainly exhibits the personality traits of the Lhasa.  In their native land they are called ‘apso seng kye’ (bark sentinel lion dog).  She is all of that; the color, the dominant watch dog disposition, and the noise. She barks at most anything, even the gas fireplace starting up.  She does have a softer side too. Stella is very playful and enjoys attention.  She gets along well with our other dogs, but makes it known that she is boss.

 Stella’s favorite is Sonny.  She loves Sonny and treats him accordingly.  Simon is the new boy on the block, and is still testing the waters with Stella.  They play and get along well together, but Stella exerts her dominance over him occasionally. I think that eventually she will soften toward him.

Stella can sometimes be a little distant when it comes to affection, but she is a wonderful dog.  She certainly makes life around here interesting.  She is street-wise, and a true survivor under any circumstance.

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Heeeere’s Sonny

sonny Heeeeres SonnySonny became our second little dog in August of 2009. He came to us as “Fritz” from the POA and we adopted him as a playmate for Stella. We couldn’t have found a better match. Stella immediately fell in love with him and the pressure was off me to entertain her 24/7. Even still, I play with her regularly because she demands it.

The addition of Sonny to the expanding pack was a great choice. He is such a wonderful dog. Personality, strength and agility abound in him. He is a near perfect companion. He is kind and friendly to everyone, but if antagonized he will stand his ground. We think of him as “Little Arnold” because of his great physical attributes. He even told Dawn Allen, our animal communicator, that he is “brilliantly healthy”.

Sonny is a subterranean sleeper. He spends most of his time in our bed at night under the covers. Anywhere from head to toe. What a nice foot warmer he can be. He does get cold outside easily during the winter.

According to DNA testing, Sonny is predominantly Chihuahua, along with 5 other detectible breeds; German Shorthaired Pointer, Poodle, Pug, Rottweiler, and Italian Greyhound. Even though he only weighs in at 9 pounds, he certainly acts like a larger dog.

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Simon Says

simon Simon SaysJust when we thought our dog pack was perfect with two young little dogs and an older Cocker Spaniel, Simon came into our lives. We weren’t looking for another dog, but a friend called and suggested we take a look at the little guy on the POA website. When Cathy saw his picture she couldn’t resist pursuing him further. We certainly didn’t want to upset the balance of the mix of dogs we now had, but this cute little guy really needed a home. And we wouldn’t have to change his name.  He had already been out for adoption and was returned. So off we went to give him a look.

We brought Stella and Sonny with us to the shelter and all three seemed to hit it off well and were all about the same age. Shortly we were on our way home with the newest member of the “pack”. Once Sadie met him at home, they were pals.

Simon is a sweetheart, although he does march to the beat of a different drummer, needing lots of TLC.  He is extremely playful and constantly attempts to engage everyone else in play. If no one seems interested, and that is rare, he will just play by himself. He loves to toss a small ball up into the air and bat it around with his front paws. He will do the same with small twigs and nuts on the lawn. When there is snow on the ground he will toss mouthfuls of snow in the air. He also bounds around like an gazelle in the snow.  Simon is truly a free spirit.

Simon appears somewhat frail and unsteady on his feet from time to time, but he has no trouble racing around with Stella and Sonny. They always seem to double-up on him because he is the slowest of the three. Simon is one of the most sweet and affectionate dogs we have ever owned. He’s a real kisser too.

Although Simon weighs just 7.5 pounds, his DNA testing shows eight breeds, and no single one being dominant. He actually looks like a tiny German Shepherd. His ancestry shows Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Italian Greyhound, Poodle, West Highland White Terrier, Borzoi, and Dalmatian. Go figure on this guy.

All in all we are happy to provide a home these wonderful canine companions. Life wouldn’t be the same around here.

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Big Sister Sadie

sadie Big Sister SadieSadie was our first rescue dog.As a 25 pound Cocker Spaniel she doesn’t qualify as a “little dog”.She still fits wonderfully into the little dog mix.She arrived in August of 2002 as “Mia”.

We rescued Sadie from a breeder who just had too many dogs and needed to find a home for her.She was 4 years old at the time, and a retired champion Cocker at the age of two.Sadie came to us with periodontal disease, infected ears, poor coat, worms, and was not housebroken.After all she lived in a kennel in a garage all her life.After her health issues were remedied (she had to have several teeth removed) we started to work on the house training issue.She loved to go on hard surfaces, especially concrete.A trip to the basement proved disastrous.It took us a year to train her, but after that she has never been a problem.

Sadie got along with her older “sister” Sophie right from the start.The two black Cockers made quite a pair.Sophie passed away in 2007 at age seventeen.She missed Sophie, and that led us to make the decision that she needed a new friend.Enter Stella, and the beginning of the little dog syndrome.

Soon after acquiring Sadie we made the decision to go to a raw food diet.It was the best thing we could have done.Both dogs flourished.They were always vibrant with beautiful coats and teeth.Our only veterinary visits were for routine checkups and shots.We have been feeding all our dogs this way since 2002.

Sadie has to be one of the greatest dogs we have ever owned.She is calm, kind, gentle and loves to be held.She has never been aggressive toward man or beast in all the years we have had her.The ultimate pet for a young child.She has lost most of her hearing now at age eleven.We hope she will be around for a while.She will be greatly missed some day.

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