You may recall me writing sentimentally about a little lost Chihuahua that stayed with our family through Christmas last year. Well, we grew so fond of “Cookie” that it didn’t take us too long to head back to Stray Acres Sanctuary and Animal Rescue and find ourselves a new furry friend: miniature variety.
So, let me formally introduce Shorty:
In this picture, taken after he’d enjoyed a ride in the bike trailer, you can see the true Shorty happy personality — all tail-wags, smiles, licks, and even wiggles, dances and jumps. There’s really nothing like a happy dog to put a smile on your face — even early in the morning.
We’ve learned that Chihuahuas are different enough from our bigger dogs to practically be their own species. Shorty, for example, likes to burrow under the covers and cuddle up to us on cold nights — I’ve never seen a dog, or even a cat, that would willingly go under the covers. And speaking of cats, Shorty also licks his paws and then uses the wet paw to groom his head and face, just like our feline friends.
But in other ways, he’s pure dog. He takes his guarding responsibilities seriously and makes sure we are aware (bark! bark!) when anyone even passes by on the street in front of our house. He loves to ride in the car and, while we haven’t seen him stick his head out the window (not that we’d allow it), he goes into super-hyper jumpy mode whenever he sees or hears us pick up the car keys. He can jump up into a vehicle — even our very tall truck — lickity split.
Fortunately, he gets along really well with the other canines and doesn’t chase the chickens, either, though they’re a little mystified by him. I found myself at a baby shower in Houston the other weekend holding him on my lap because he was nervous in a new place. This after I’d brought him along on a road trip.
Yes, it seems I’ve become one of those fur-baby moms. Not very homesteader-like, huh? Oh, well… I’ll take puppy love over dignity.
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