The shelter listed Minnie as a Chihuahua on their paperwork but were unsure if she was a Chi or a MinPin. Frankly, we're not quite sure which breed she is, for she doesn't have the personality of either! (smile) She's not 'Chi-clannish' like most Chihuahuas are and she's not got that 'on-the-go-nonstop' behavior that most MinPins have.
Minnie is 3.5 years old and about 3.5 pounds as well. Minnie is listed as a 'special needs' dog on the pet search engines for two reasons: 1) she has a shortened lower jaw that causes her (on occasion) to have a tongue that hangs out a bit (referred to commonly as a 'lazy tongue' but doesn't affect her ability to eat or drink) and 2) she's apparently spend a LOT of time in her previous owner's lap and right now is not willing to give up that habit.
If you are sitting down, you can expect Minnie to be at your knee, insistent at being picked up and held. Right now we're using a cuddle sack as a tool to lessen this need of being held all the time. However, Minnie is EXCEPTIONAL hand-friendly because of this need (desire? habit?) and if you're looking for this type of frequent interaction with a family companion, Minnie could be exactly what you're interested in! She definitely is a MAJOR cuddler!
She is getting along with other small dogs ~ we're not sure she even realizes she's also a dog in fact. Minnie was obviously treated as someone's canine 'baby' so our guess is that she realizes they all walk on four feet whereas humans walk on two -- but that could be the extent of her connecting with other dogs.
Not a barker, but Minnie will cry to be picked up. Although Minnie does knows what a doggie door is all about, she's not consistent enough at going outside to be listed as house-trained by our criteria. This could change with time --- she was picked up as a stray on a VERY busy street and the long shelter experience could have been traumatic enough for her to forget any potty training she had. At the shelter Minnie was also on an extensive requiem of antibiotics which can cause dogs to be incontinent temporarily. Antibiotics were given for Minnie has this 'slurpy-like' sound to her breathing, but the shelter vet now believes it comes from the misshapen mouth and lower jaw, as opposed to being an illness (similar to issues humans have with sinus problems). She also snores if this is an issue with you.
Minnie is spayed, up-to-date on all her shots including rabies, micro-chipped and licensed for Ventura County. Because of her petite size, she's not a candidate for a family with small children or toddlers.
I don't want to discourage anyone from adopting Minnie, but it is our TLC policy to be as upfront about all behavior or health issues as possible.
The first night here, Minnie readily welcomed my husband home - a complete stranger to her - and did her absolute best to crawl up into his lap and arms immediately. I'm not so sure she wouldn't do this anyone and everyone as a matter of fact. Minnie is much more intuned to humans than she is other dogs. I would guess dogs bigger than her would provide stress triggers as well.
BTW, that 'teardrop' on her forehead? It could be an old scar although the hair is grown in on it, but I think it just adds to her deliciousness! And it doesn't take much for her to fall asleep in your arms or lap - this is her primo spot of choice and once there, she's set!
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