Missy and Percy (Percy was named Boyess) came into Chihuahua Rescue care when their owner passed away. It is truly a brilliant story - read about them in Missy and Percy's Chihuahua Rescue Victoria Success Story. We received two updates for these two in 2010, and then this update in 2011. We have included them all on the one page (the link we provide here).
Hooley Dooley and Lacey
Wednesday, 14th of September 2011
Here is the story of how a little abused Chihuahua named Hooley Dooley found his new forever home, and was joined later by another dear rescued Chihuahua named Lacey.
Hooley is on the left with his sister and sparring partner, Lacey. (Wednesday, 23rd of November 2016)
Hi folks,
I would love to add my story to your success stories section.
I had always wanted to have a Chi, and for a number of reasons it just was not possible. Until, that is, about 4 years ago I found your site on the Internet and thought it worth checking out. I originally had planned to buy a pedigree male, until I fell in love with a small fellow on your Chi rescue site who looked perfect.
When my partner at the time, and I, finally got to meet Rita and Mayer and the pup I had thought was perfect, I changed my mind very quickly. He was a Chi cross, which was not an issue, but not what I wanted. I have a certain psychic connection to creatures and my senses were telling me, "no".
So I looked around at the 'flock' of Chis as I call them and saw this little fellow hanging around at the back of the flock. He was quiet, and I would have thought somewhat emotionally damaged. He was trying to look as small as possible. That was a hint to me, so I asked Rita if I could pick him up and she said yes but be careful - he does bite. Warily and gently I picked him up and he nuzzled up against my neck and went to sleep in my arms. Love at first sight for me, and may I say an enduring love. Rita very sensibly said, get the gear you need for a Chi and think about it.
Hooley Dooley had spent two weeks in a pound in Sydney and was on his final day on death's row when a friend rang and told us about him. We immediately said yes we would take him in. When the doggy bus arrived in Cranbourne, Mayer and I picked him up and my exact words to Mayer were "Hooley dooley what a poor little scrap of a dog", hence his name! Hooley Dooley spent many weeks with us before meeting Stewart. Stewart and Deb had to consider a lot of possible problems with Hooley. He was terribly malnourished and weak, and we did not think he would live a very long life due to the hardships he had suffered. We had no idea of his age but thought he was getting on a bit. He had two quite bad luxating patellas but was considered too weak to survive the operation. Stewart and Deb were advised to give it a lot of thought, and come back in a week's time to see if the "connection" was still there.
We were half way back to Melbourne and I was begging Debs to go back. Fortunately she was strong and said no. Anyway, one week later we are on the doorstep laden with doggy stuff and much more at home, the rest is history.
The "history" is that Stewart and Deb persevered for weeks to keep this little fellow eating and slowly gaining confidence. They taught him to walk on a harness and took him out daily, socialising him etc. Slowly but surely they trained Hooley to accept their friends in "his" new home when they entertained.
Stewart and Deb came down to visit several times over the next few months and watch all the Chihuahuas coming and going. They were very interested in one little long coat girl, Lacey. Lacey had come in to our care after she had been attacked by a neighbour's German Shepherd who killed Lacey's little mate and very seriously damaged Lacey. She had already been through seven operations on her stomach, back, legs, neck and bottom jaw, to repair the damage caused by this dog (Lacey was a very tiny 1.3kg). She was so seriously "damaged" by all these operations etc. that we were told she would not live through another operation. We decided that we would keep her for the rest of her natural life as we could not risk her going out for adoption where she might get "mated" by some male dog when ever she might come in to season.
When Stewart and Deb asked if we had another little Chihuahua to be a friend to Hooley Dooley we had none apart from Lacey. They were the only people we knew who could be trusted to care for Lacey, after all, look how well they were caring for Hooley.
Rita enquired as to whether we would be prepared to take their very much loved Lacey, a little long haired white girl, who had survived many ops due to being attacked by a big dog. After much thought we said yes, and as you will see on the chihuaholics site she is as loved as is Hooley. They are loved, respected, and the most beautiful little people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Thank you so much Rita and Mayer for being insightful and supportive. I know that parting with Lacey was a huge effort from both of you, and can tell you that she is happy, healthy, and keeping Hooley in his place, at every given opportunity.
Love Stewart
Thursday, 15th of September 2011
I sent the above update to Stewart, and was charmed with the following response.
Hi Rita,
That is beautiful he says with a 'small' tear in the eye. They are so well known around my neighbourhood now, everyone loves them.
There are some builders up the road who have been working on a house for a number of weeks. When we go for our daily chi constitutional, these young workers, go "well here they are again - the pocket rockets!"
I live in a very friendly area, with loads of very old folks, and very young children. They all want to know who is who and their history. This is where you and Mayer get the big wrap-up: your ears must burn constantly. Hooley loves all the other dogs around us, and Lacey wants to beat them all up. Mind you, it just indicates their respective histories. Cars pulling into their driveways always stop for us to meander past, and enquire as to the dogs' health etc. The front of my unit is all glass, and it is primarily Lacey's job to ward off anyone having the audacity to walk past. Hooley always arrives after they have passed, does one bark like WTF and goes back to sleep. I have about eight cushions near the front window so they can luxuriate there and watch the world go by. Young parents with little ones in prams often stop to see the little puppies. I can hear them showing the littlies my babies. I should probably start charging. LOL.
Love and best wishes from Stewart
Willis
Mid September 2011
In mid September 2011, we received this from Kelly, Brendan and Willis and Dexter the Kitty! Willis was originally named Max in 2007/8.
I don't know if you remember me but my name is Kelly and my partner and I adopted a wee chi cross something of an older age from you almost 3 years ago. We re-named him Willis, but you had previously taken him in under the name 'Max' with another cross named Rex.
We have moved back to NZ - and yes, wee Willis came with us! I just wanted to say THANKYOU for everything you do. I think of you often and always watch Chi Rescue on Facebook. Thank you for our dear wee Willis, he really is my best friend and is sitting on my feet as I write this, wanting attention!
I'll attach a photo so you can see him now, including a shot with him and the kitten he brothers... hehe.
I'm so proud of how far he's come, he plays little games and loves nothing more than a belly rub - from anyone! He is a far cry from the timid little man who was frightened of everything a few years ago. Everyone now is a potential friend, and he's a little fatty on a diet as he figured out how to get to the kitten food and ate it faster than you can blink a few too many times. Now the cat has to work for his food up high. :)
Love Kelly, Brendan and Willis and Dexter the Kitty! xx
Zack
Mid May 2011
In mid May 2011, we received this fantastic email from Zack.
Dear Grandma,
I had a good time with you in Victoria, and I want to thank you for all the care and love you gave me. When I got put in that crate and had that long flight, I thought my end was nigh! I felt really down and out. Then I arrived in Cairns - the sun was shining, it was nice and warm. And the lady who picked me up was also nice and warm; she gave me a big hug, put me in her car and talked to me all the way home. She told me all about herself, her house, and big garden. When we arrived home she had a nice warm bed ready, one inside and one outside.
The past 4 weeks we have spent lots of time together at home, also went to the beach with a special dog-section and other dogs. I am still quite shy, but my new Mum (I call her Mutti) is always there to look after me. I am really very happy now.
I also lost a lot of my undercoat hair, handfuls actually. Now I feel quite comfortable in the balmy tropics! Mutti tells me that winter is coming, but 28 degrees during the daytime feels quite warm to me. No frost up here! Anyhow, my inside bed has nice warm blankets.
I like the food too. Mutti makes a meal for herself and then one for me - so we eat together. She is very strict and never feeds me from the table. My appetite is getting better. Well one acre of land is a lot to run around in! There is lots of jungle, I feel like Tarzan.
At night I stay with Mutti till about 9-10 and then I go in my own bed. For about 3 nights I protested, you know, barking and howling. Then I understood, as she explained to me, that when it is summer here, Mutti has an air-conditioner on during the night and that would be too cold for me. I might get sick.
My favourite toy is an empty jelly cup. I throw that in the air and when it comes down it bounces on the tiles and I chase it all through the house. I sometimes do that also with my food and water bowls. However, I think Mutti does not like that. She does not say anything but I, by now, start to learn to read her face.
As you can see, I am extremely happy up here; it is a tropical doggy paradise.
Look after yourselves; take it easy and a big wet kiss from ZACK!
We also received this email from Zack's Mutti.
You asked me what I thought of Zack.
I am absolutely bowled over with him, he is a little gem. Yes, he still has to learn a lot of things. But he is intelligent and considerate, and learns pretty quick. He is smart too, and lets me know if he wants something. In the past 4 weeks he has learned the layout of the house - he races around inside and never bumps into things - and has become house trained and goes outside when necessary. Accidents sometimes happen when I forget to open doors; he knows where his food and water bowls are.
I brush his hair, sitting in a particular chair. So when I go and sit in that chair, he can't get there quickly enough; he loves it! He listens when I call him by name. So now I can take him out anywhere and let him run, on the beach, and in the park. He is a very good watchdog and has a bark like a bigger dog! Well that is not bad for a little bloke and I love him dearly.
And in regard to his letter to you, Zack has given permission for you to publish it on the website. As long as you let him know which website, he wants to have a look too. Understandable, it is his first literary effort!
Cee Cee
Cee Cee was adopted in January of 2011. Following are some of the wonderful reports we have received from her new Mummy and Daddy.
January 26th, 2011
Lamb is (at this point) Cee Cee's favourite food. She told us so, and who are we to doubt her?
She hung around that kitchen, and when I was saying "No" to her, she turned to her Pa for support. This dog has it all worked out on how to get her own way. The sweet little innocent quiet bit is all an act! She's done this before in a previous life obviously.
So, not to give in to her, we substituted some well cooked lamb for her meat balls, and I put that out on her tray in the sun-room. I coaxed her out, holding the lamb in front of her nose until I got her out, down the step and gave her the meat. Then, with the speed of a startled rabbit I leapt up and inside and shut the door into the dining area. Not that she noticed, because she had her nose in that food bowl until it was emptied, then put herself to bed.
I might be a slow learner, but occasionally I know when I'm going to be conned. I will have to stay alert for our little dramatic actress and her 'get food' schemes.
Oh well, another day nearly over and I know who has the most to learn.
Tomorrow we will try the harness and a walk out to the front on the lead, then I'll see if she will go any further. Otherwise I'll carry her around again till she gets used to the street.
She's a good sleeper at night too, as I never hear her. She came into our bedroom this morning and cuddled in with us for an hour as though she has always done it.
January 27th, 2011
Only blot on her copy book from yesterday was when I went to bed last night and found 3 separate little (hard) jobs in our bedroom. Have no idea when she was in there? I kept the door shut today.
Also, she is definitely a Lady who "Likes to Lunch"! Put a bowl each of the left over soup and some toast on the table at lunch time - for us. She got up from her inside bed and started dancing and performing around the table again. She is so sure that she is due a lunch! I gave her a bit of dog chewy and she settled.
This morning she wanted her breakfast, but you didn't tell me that even though her food bowl was out in the sun room, the meat content tastes so much better if it's picked up and carried in to eat on the carpet. What have you been teaching her? She must have done this at your place too! Anyhow she ate the lot.
I gather we are being trained into how Cee Cee likes to live her life, not the other way around.
She certainly likes to cuddle and sleep. We, CC & I, went in to watch the tennis around 2.45pm with Andy Murray. She was cuddled up on, between and over, my knees, lap, chest. Somtime, we went to sleep for a set or two, and I woke at 5.35pm to see the end of the match.
Cee Cee seems to love HER yard, HER toys, HER bed(s) and OUR laps!
No problem with food - in fact she's a little food bandit. Sure there's no Labrador in there somewhere?
She goes to bed with no argument and sleeps all night. When I open the sun-room blinds or door she is there, ready to run inside - and now - into the bedroom to twirl around until she is picked up to get on the bed. Yesterday morning it was my turn to be kissed to death, cuddled and fussed over. This morning Daddy got the full treatment. When she wants to get off the bed, she gets up and moves to the side. I lift her down and she gallops outside. This morning she galloped off, and a few minutes later she was back saying 'pick me up again' onto the bed.
She instigated a game of "chasies" this morning: giving me little barks, and running away around the table. I went after her, laughing and talking to her, and she raced around the table, and under the table with me behind her - although I didn't follow her there - no "under the table" for me! The tail wags when we speak to her: she knows her name so well that when either of us call her from another area the little ears go up and she races off to see what you want. Last night my husband was talking about her at the table and said her name. The next minute she was dancing at his side as if to ask what he wanted!
My lap is for spending the evening on in the lounge-room. She sleeps until I say it's time for me to carry her outside for wees, then it's inside to the sun-room and into her bed. I cover her up, turn off the light, and that's it till the morning.
Chi things she does - as our first little Chihuahua did. She lies on her back sun-baking a lot, either in the yard or on the tiles. She lies on her back playing and juggling with a toy in her hands and she spreads toys all over the house. She always wants lots of cuddles and she is a quick licker! She is adorably cute - and knows it! She gets little half smiles on her face with her eyes almost closed when you talk to her while she is on our laps, and she comes looking for us after a while if we haven't been looking for her.
I gave her a chicken neck yesterday: she wasn't all that interested in it. Then it disappeared. I think it's planted in some violets near the back tree because she kept going over there a lot.
She's getting used to the various noises that happen around this place, and is not reacting as much.
She barked madly yesterday when somebody came to our front door, and when a phone was ringing loudly on T.V. she put her head up and looked around.
There were fireworks on Australia Day evening and apart from a brief 'ears-up', there was no other reaction, even though we turned the TV up a bit and kept talking over it.
April 22nd, 2011
Yesterday I was cleaning up in the ensuite bathroom/wardrobe area, so I lifted her onto the bed so she could watch me. I had to take a phone call and when I came back into the bedroom she wasn't on the bed, but there was a lump half-way down the bed. She'd gone up between the pillows and burrowed under, and she eventually came out the same way. We haven't had an "accident" in the house for ages; I think that's all finished now, and she is so good at telling me if the door isn't partly open.
We didn't go out yesterday, and I said to her that we'd go out today. From about half an hour after she came into bed, she started working on me to get me out of bed and give her "breakie". Then she was tearing up and down the family room, study window to me, to Daddy, and then following me from room to room dancing... we had to go out!
It was cold and windy, but I took her lead. Firstly we had to call on somebody in the Probus Club to collect some bookwork (who came out and admired our beautiful little dog), then we drove around to the Lake. The sun came out and Cee Cee was looking out the window at the other dogs. I say "Look Cee Cee, Dog, Dog!" and she swings her head around to find out where I'm pointing. We all got out. Cee Cee had her harness on and walked so well, dodging puddles, sniffing posts and staring at people & dogs coming along. Under one tree there were possum droppings, and she went round and round that big tree sniffing, and kicking her back legs, and peeing: it was so funny! She ended up all muddy and dirty from kicking up and prancing through the grass, but she was quite happy. I should have put her coat on, but I wasn't thinking about walking off a made path, which she wanted to do.
Her vocabulary is growing every day. We have to change the way we speak so as not to be harassed at times. I keep saying to her Daddy to stop saying "see" or "sea" in her hearing, because immediately she arrives and wants to know why we called her. I can't say "she" now, because the tail wags and she comes to me. I only have to glance at her, and she's looking back at me, and the tail wags in greeting. We have to say "Og" if we mean "Go", but I think she'll figure that one out soon too. She really loves to come with us everywhere! I don't think she loves the car much, but she is so willing to go everywhere with us that she overcomes her nervousness of the car.
I just heard a little "snore" and she's down here alongside the computer, I didn't even hear her come in.
May, 2011
We just came back from a walk in the cold wind, but with sunny conditions. For the first time Cee Cee didn't want to turn into our street coming back but elected to go another block: so she is starting to enjoy walking, and is not so 'jumpy' at strange sights and sounds. She does a lot of sniffing & leg kicking & what I call 'ballet poses'. Sticky beaks up every drive and stares at something she is not sure of, but seems generally unafraid now. The traffic noise isn't worrying her even on a busy street.
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Dear Grandma,
Lamb is (at this point) Cee Cee's favourite food. She told us so, and who are we to doubt her?
Yesterday I was cleaning up in the ensuite bathroom/wardrobe area, so I lifted her onto the bed so she could watch me. I had to take a phone call and when I came back into the bedroom she wasn't on the bed, but there was a lump half-way down the bed. She'd gone up between the pillows and burrowed under, and she eventually came out the same way. We haven't had an "accident" in the house for ages; I think that's all finished now, and she is so good at telling me if the door isn't partly open.
We just came back from a walk in the cold wind, but with sunny conditions. For the first time Cee Cee didn't want to turn into our street coming back but elected to go another block: so she is starting to enjoy walking, and is not so 'jumpy' at strange sights and sounds. She does a lot of sniffing & leg kicking & what I call 'ballet poses'. Sticky beaks up every drive and stares at something she is not sure of, but seems generally unafraid now. The traffic noise isn't worrying her even on a busy street.
