2009 Success Stories
Pepper
2009
Comment from Rita and Mayer: in 2007, Soxy was a scrawny half starved little puppy who was due to be put down (at the pound) because no one claimed her. These wonderful people adopted her as she appears in the first picture as a puppy. Just look at her now in 2009: a gorgeous happy little girl, cared for and adored!
This is a letter I received from the wonderful family who adopted Soxy, now Pepper!
We always talk about getting in contact with Chi Rescue to let you know how she was going. Well you might remember a little Chi named Soxy that you guys had. When we brought her home we thought she looked like a "pepper" and now that's her name! She fitted right in straight away and thinks she is the queen of the castle.
She has many nicknames such as peppi, pep, chi chi, princess and many more!! We absolutely adore her, and can't thank you enough for giving us this little bundle of joy. She's the funniest little dog we have ever met: she gets so excited when we come home. If we leave her for two minutes she acts like we've been away for a year!
She loves coming for car rides and as soon as we pick up our keys she flops on the floor in front of us begging to come. She loves sleeping! She HAS to sleep right under the doona, snuggled between us, up against our legs. She has about 1,000 little toys that she loves playing with, and follows us everywhere we walk.
Here are a couple of photos that we thought you might like.
Thank you for adopting her and giving her so much love.
Sir Sid
Sir Sid was one of our unidentified Chihuahuas until K and S recognised his pic and let us know recently.
He was adopted by K and S in November 2005. His name was Neeko and he was a 12 month old puppy. K and S changed his name to (take a breath) Sir Siddaly Vivian Vladimir Velour Venus Vicious III.
Sir Sid now lives with his friend Monstro who was adopted from Pom Safe House. Sir Sid and his family live on the outskirts of Melbourne and the whole family enjoy regular walks in a nearby park.
S sent us this quick note so that we know he is happy!
I can say with real confidence, Sid and Monstro are loved, indulged and spoiled! Each has a special pouffe to laze on during the day, a very cute bed with a zip up cover to keep them warm at night (called the Taco shells) PLUS sheep skins on the couch for their comfort. They have the run of the house.
The back yard is small but it is theirs! They have lots of nice sunny spots to doze when they're not terrorising the local birds.
They are both grateful for the helping paw extended to them when things got tough by your organisation and Pom Safe House. They remember and forgive the past and never fail to share their love with all of us every day.
We are so happy Sir Sid found a good home with you K and S - it is such a joy to see a happy Chihuahua!
Sanchez
July 2009
We received this lovely letter from Ricci about Sanchez.
Sanchez (or Terry as he was previously known) found me when I came to see the dogs at Chihuahua Rescue. I had come to look at another dog who was more of a true Chihuahua but Sanchez kept coming up to me, all long legs and so skittish. It was love at first sight.
I think it was perhaps within the first hour of him coming home, we explored the house together and we were starting our midday siesta when I truly felt I have never loved anything as much as I loved him!
At first he was very scared of strangers, especially men, but after taking him out into the public, encouraging all sorts of people to quietly approach him and give him a treat, he has become super social, sometimes jumping up towards strangers for a pat on the head. He now loves men, often choosing to snuggle with my partner rather than myself. Saying that, he is still a "mummy's boy" and we have a special bond.
Some lovely quirks I have found with him is that he is very intuitive with other animals, especially cats. He will quietly approach a cat - not rush towards them - and suss out how to approach in a calm way. He has also become a little obsessed with the hydrobath, eager to jump in and wait to be pampered. He loves to be photographed: posing when he sees a camera and only looking away after either the flash has gone off or he hears the click noise.
He was destructive at first, chewing a good amount of my furniture and power cords. I no longer have a phone line thanks to him pulling it out from the floor! Luckily he has grown out of it, resorting to chewing his rope bones which we have affectionately named his "boney bones".
All in all, he is the most amazing dog I have ever had, the perfect little man. He loves to go for walks, but is also okay if we just have cuddle times on the couch. My partner and I will be adopting another Chihuahua, and I am sure Sanchez will be in seventh heaven with a playmate!
Thank you once again.
And thank you to Ricci for sending this lovely story and allowing us to publish it on the web. What a very lucky little boy, Sanchez!
Penny
2009
Penny came into our care as a very old dog, we think about 15 years. Our Vet thought she may have cancer as her little breast lines were huge masses of lumps and bumps. As time goes on we believe that these lumps might be fatty tissue. However we are not Vet qualified, so who knows? Only time will tell.
Penny is the most quiet and obedient girl, no barking, toilet trained and very loving! She is a perfect little angel.
A lovely lady called Lynda has a little dog called Virgil, and recently her older dog, Virgil's companion, passed away. Virgil misses his old companion. Lynda decided she would like to give Penny a home; a caring and comfortable place where Penny can spend the last years of her life.
Wednesday, 17th of June 2009
Here is an email we received recently from Lynda!
Just a quick email to let you know that Penny is settling in very well. Virgil and her are being polite to each other, eating in the same space without any problems, sitting on the couch together - not touching yet! And Penny has decided that she prefers to sleep under my doona, next to my feet. She is a little sweetheart, and I hope will be happy with us for her twilight days. I will talk to you soon.
Saturday, 15th of August 2009
An email from Lynda!
Hello Rita and Mayer,
Thought I'd give you a quick update on how Penny is going. She and Virgil have now overcome their initial shyness and will lie back to back together on the couch. Penny also has a very healthy appetite - I love to see her chewing away on chicken necks! She doesn't have many teeth, but she absolutely loves her bones. I think she feels more settled now, and has even started to roll over onto her side and back for a belly rub. I took her to my vet for her vaccinations, and he also said he thinks her belly lumps are cancer, but so far, there's no sign of this affecting her. Penny is sleeping on my lap as I type, and she's snoring away! I wouldn't know what to do without her, so thank you for all the wonderful work you're doing with the rescue service.
Thank you. Lynda. What a wonderful person you are to take on a darling little older dog. Wonderful to hear from you, thank you.
Bella
2009
Thank you, Sandra, John and Nick.
Bella was picked up in 2007 as a six month old puppy suffering from epileptic fits. Her family did not want her and the responsibility that went with that problem. Despite very limited experience with epilepsy, Chihuahua Rescue took her under their wing.
It soon became obvious that Bella had a beautiful personality but was a little wary of people coming to see her.
In early September 2007, a call came: "Have you got any Chihuahuas?" Later that day Sandra called in to visit and meet the Chihuahuas who were looking for a home.
Bella chose Sandra, making it quite obvious that this was the lady she wanted to be with. However, Sandra was a little reluctant. The questions Sandra asked me included "how will I look after a sick little dog?" She was not exactly sick though; with the appropriate medication, it is all under control. Sandra was still worried and reluctant, so went home to discuss it with her family. A family conference was called to discuss the pros and cons of adopting an epileptic dog. Nick made the very poignant comment "Mum and Dad, if one of us was sick, would you reject us?" That was the clincher - Bella had a new home!
Sandra, John, and Nick welcomed Bella into their home and spent a great deal of time training this little Bella to walk on a harness, sit and wait, sit nicely while being driven in a car, go outside to the toilet etc. Bella was kept on her epileptic drugs for many months and then (with veterinary approval) Sandra slowly weaned her off them! It has been many months now and Bella has not had any "turns" whatsoever. Sandra rang so many times to tell us of Bella's antics and the joy, love and devotion Bella showed to the whole family.
Six months after adopting Bella, the bottom fell out of this wonderful family's life. Sandra received the shocking news that she had a very insidious breast cancer.
The following months saw Sandra go through drastic breast removal, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Sandra has experienced so many weeks of terrible pain and illness caused by all these treatments. Not only has she had the beautiful gift of an extremely loving, caring and supportive family, but she has also experienced the true comfort and love of a tiny little dog who seemed to understand what she was going through. All through the nausea and pain, Bella lay quietly beside Sandra; comforting her with some little licks of her hand now and then. Most beautiful of all, Bella never left her side, almost as though she was guarding her!
Bella also comforted John and Nick as they worried and waited for news. Kissing and licking their tears, sitting quietly on their laps and seeming to understand that now was the time to just be quiet and wait together.
Now it is 2009; almost two years later Sandra is in remission and Bella is clear of all epileptic turns. They are a very happy, loving family with their little Bella.
Disco
June 2009
Disco came to live with us five years ago and has enriched our lives one hundred fold. He is a real character! Each morning he begs to come on our bed and then, after a cuddle, he plays like a puppy: pretend biting, twisting and dancing. At dinner time he goes from doggy plate to doggy plate ordering the other dogs to move aside, and they do! Then he goes off to sit in the sun.
At nine years of age, a Chihuahua can give so much love, joy, and laughter. Disco has always been a sugar drop baby and has required constant watching to make sure he gets his honey when needed.
He can also be very protective of his little friends. One morning Mayer picked up our little Gypsy for a cuddle and Disco became quite angry with Mayer! Growling, barking and standing up on his hind legs trying to get Gypsy, he was very agitated. He "attacked" Mayer's leg with his gummy mouth until, in his agitation, he tipped over on his back and did a complete somersault!
Disco has an endearing habit of rearing up to his full height of about six inches and sitting back on his haunches. To keep his balance, he uses his tail like a kangaroo - straight out the back! This stance is also used when a stranger comes into our home: this is his way of showing he will protect all of us. Mind you, he is trembling in great fear at the time! He will not relax his protection until he is sure the person means us no harm. He is simply amazing, and even now in 2009, aged fourteen years, he still protects his family.
Disco was given some professional assistance to mate with a small bitch several years ago. This produced a single bitch puppy, who was born badly deformed and died soon after birth. Shortly after that, Disco was placed in a pet home since he couldn't "breed". He lived happily with this lady for eight years when she became very ill. After many trips to hospital she passed away and Disco came to live with us at age 9 years. That is how he came to our home and has enriched our lives beyond imagination.
Disco was featured in our 2011 Newsletter for April 6: Old Dogs!
Lolly
March 2009
Great news! Little Lolly went with Pippin to a new home. Both little girls have settled in and are really happy: it makes your heart skip a beat to know they have fallen onto their little feet so happily. The lady who has adopted them protects them completely and everyone has settled down really well.
Thursday, 9th of October 2008
Today we took into care a tiny Chihuahua called Lolly, the saddest little girl we have seen. She is so tiny and timid, with very bad back legs. She is one year old.
Monday, 13th of October 2008
After a trip to the Beach St Vet Clinic we now know that this little girl has suffered from rough treatment. She is so malnourished that she cannot have any operations or treatment yet, so for now she is on special foods to improve her strength. Four days here and now she is wagging her tail, following us and showing some signs of "play"! We have great hopes for this darling little dog - she is unassuming and unobtrusive. You cannot help falling hopelessly in love with this little dog!
Some of the donations towards Poppy are being used to assist with the special vet expenses that this little one will have shortly. Grateful thanks to all who have assisted.
Thursday, 16th of October 2008
This morning Lolly has been showing signs of pleasure: little wags of the tail, little nibbles - in play - of my fingers. The damage to her back becomes quite obvious when she tries to do a little "dance" and you notice how her hind quarters tend to go sideways a bit. I have been trying to get some Nutrigel into her, both to increase her appetite and to give her some vitamins etc. She clenches her teeth together, so I wiped a bit of it on her mouth. The little devil! Instead of licking it off, she wiped it on my jeans! So how did we manage to get it into her? We put it in an old plastic syringe (no needle!) and squirted it between her clenched teeth, both of us holding her! It is the fighting spirit you have to admire. She deserves a second chance, just for her spirit.
Friday, 17th of October 2008
This morning we have given Lolly a much needed bath (very gently) and she was not impressed!
Wednesday, 22nd of October 2008
At last this little one has come out of her shell: playing with the other little ones and wanting some cuddles and attention. She eats spasmodically, but she is slowly gaining precious grams! We hope to have more Vet checks next week.
Tuesday, 28th of October 2008
We have booked this little charmer in for x-rays on Friday. We will then know what has to be done to help this darling little girl.
Well, back to square one! Lolly's x-rays have been deferred for another week while she gains some strength. This afternoon Lolly decided to play with Hillby and Poppy - play as in boss them both around! It is good to see her showing some excitement and play!
Saturday, 8th of November 2008
Little Lolly spent the day at the Vets having several x-rays of her spine, both hips and back legs. She was too weak to have a full anaesthetic so was sedated with a gas mask. It appears that she has been either badly treated or run over by a car or suffered a similar accident. Her hips have been badly broken at some time in the past and have not healed properly - obviously she did not receive proper treatment at the time. The head of the right femur has enlarged - it's outside of its socket - to about four times its normal size and cannot be put back. The spine (thank goodness) is not broken but is curved from long term favouring of one side of the hips. The brain swelling has subsided and that is a great relief.
Hip replacement operations are available for large dogs but almost unheard of for very small dogs. The cost of such an operation would start at $8000(!), with no guarantees of success, even assuming the dog survived such a large and traumatic operation. First question for our Vet was "is Lolly in any pain now?" He reassured us that she was not. She is all right for the time being but must be protected from further harm. Lolly will develop serious arthritis in both hips and legs later on in life.
We feel quite strongly against euthanizing these little dogs and operate on a "NO KILL" basis as much as possible, providing the little one is not in pain. We have decided that little Lolly will live the rest of her life in our care.
We would like to express our very grateful thanks to all those wonderful people who have enabled us to have so many x-rays of Lolly. This has proven to be very expensive and we would not have been able to do this on our own. THANK YOU!!
Saturday, 14th of February 2009
Our darling little Lolly has gone to a new home with a wonderful lady who will be able to give her all the love and attention she reqires without the damage of other doggies jostling her all the time. There are no children or other dogs who can harm her, and although we are both broken hearted to see her go, we are also very grateful to this wonderful lady for taking on the responsibility of a little dog with no great future expected. Our grateful thanks to everyone who has helped us with little Lolly!
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