When we saw her at the shelter, Missy was a bit shy but was in with fiver other females who were more dominant than she was... So she hung back rather than confront them to get to the front of the kennel run... We watched her for a bit, and then kept coming back to her kennel run to observe her again...
There are just some Chihuahuas that don't do well in the kennel and shelter system... Maybe they were used to being on someone's lap and cuddling - the shelter environment is a hard one for them to transition over to... Or maybe they were someone's backyard breeder and did not receive enough or proper socialization... Once in the shelter system they tend to go to extremes - either go inwards or become over aggressive in this environment...
We took a chance and judging upon our past experience, thought Missy's issue was being put in a hostile environment where she did the best she could - she just tried to survive...
Missy also has scarred ear tips and a scar on her nose - two opinions believe it is flystrike... For those not familiar with this condition, it usually comes from squalor or filthy conditions where a dog sits in its own feces and/or isn't bathed properly... This is a common thing with backyard breeders who house their breeders outside in kennel runs...
Some dogs get annoyed with flies buzzing about or there's a confrontation between dogs that results in an open wound or tear in the ears... It only takes one small open wound for flies to lay their eggs in the flesh... And in the hot summer weather, flies are attracted to feces not cleaned up routinely and promptly... The dogs who have any open wounds are a virtual feasting ground for this kind of situation...
Now that Missy has had a bath, we discovered she's snow white with the exception of the 'Hershey's Kiss' shape laying sideways in tan on her right side, the tan markings around her head and an 'angel's kiss' on her back rear butt... We've already started medication procedures on her ears and around her eyes plus nose... It is already responding to treatment... The scars will remain behind once she has fully healed, but the tips of her ears will remain jagged permanently... Just adds to her character and unique markings in our opinion!
Now as far as her being aggressive?... She doesn't like fast grabs when in a crate, which solidifies our opinion she was a breeder kept outside...
However, within two days upon her arrival with us, she was wagging her tail and coming forward with interest for a treat... Crated at night with Buddy, Missy has already figured out the routine and when we say, "Let's go to bed" Missy quickly responds... On the third day with us, she handed out her first 'Missy kiss'.... So much for being too hard to handle or aggressive... We think it was environment and not persona with Missy...
Day two and with two tries, she watched the other dogs and learned the doggie door... She's not a barker and we suspect she's a natural born cuddler just waiting to happen... When she's picked up and hears her name, the tail just never stops wagging...
Missy is 6.5 pounds and just perfect in weight for her frame... She is about 2.5 years old and has tremendous potential despite being forgotten at the shelter as she stayed below the radar and didn't cause any problems (which might have been a good karma thing so she didn't end up on the kill list)...
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