"The fluffies are comin'... the fluffies are comin'..."

Listen my friends, and you'll feel glee... 
The fluffies and scruffies are now at TLC~~~!!!..... 

Well, not exactly like Paul Revere was reported to have spread the word of the British arrival, but I tried!... Normally, TLC concentrates the most on the number one breed coming into shelters - the Chihuahuas... But there's adults and puppies of the 'hairy' variety now up for adoption!

Allow me to introduce "Freeway" currently debuting this week at Pets Hope in the Simi Towne Center Mall... What a handsome man he is!  About 15-18 pounds, Freeway was found running a freeway (hence the name), he has been neutered now, up to date on his shots including rabies, microchipped, etc.:

And we still have Nacho looking for his furever home... Isn't that look just absolutely priceless?

Next comes Libby and her sweet little girl, Lulu:

Next on the runway is Flower:

Finally, Flower's litter of 6 fluffies are ready for adoption having been speutered this week... Puppies will need their rabies shot at 4 months old, but otherwise they are up to date on their shots, microchipped and licensed for the county of Ventura... The boys first parade down the TLC runway:

And now the ladies.... 

If interested in adopting one of the fluffies and scruffies (or several!), hurry on down to either the PETCO in Moorpark this Saturday between noon and 4PM, head over to Pets Hope 7 days a week to find your next best furry friend or check our websites for other absolutely fantastic cuddle bunnies!

Oscar's running with the 'big dawgs'....

Oscar's been buddied up with Nacho, but he's been out 'running with the big dawgs' for the past two days... He is already showing great canine manners - knows how to eat properly with older dogs, runs and plays but not dominant or aggressive towards the others, etc. Wherever Nacho is, I can generally find Oscar... (smile)...

At night, Oscar and Nacho sleep together in the Xpen and during my afternoon nap, they sleep in a crate aside of my bed (for their own safety as well as my peace of mind), but otherwise they are both out and about...

While Oscar will readily go outside and potty, I can't say I would call him housetrained yet... He will go through the doggie door and out, but I am taking him out frequently also... Once I get to the grass and say "potty, potty" he usually squats and whiddles... So far, no accidents in the house however...

I snapped these photos today of Oscar and Nacho playing out back, as well as cuddled up in a doggie bed together... It's hard to see where one pup begins and the other ends, but Oscar is wearing a blue soft velvet crossover harness if that helps!

Gizmo can hold his own with Nacho!

Gizmo and Nacho played outside on the patio again this afternoon when it warmed up... I put two Nylabones in their playpen - one flavored with bacon and the other with chicken (readily available at any petshop)... With both cutting teeth, they're forever trying to chew on something, so I try to provide them with something to help the endeavor.

Gizmo decided he wanted the bone that Nacho had, but Nacho didn't want to give it up. A few select growls were to no avail.

Gizmo sat and looked at the situation, and then he came up behind Nacho and nipped him on the butt. This caused Nacho to drop his Nylabone when he looked around.

Gizmo has this springy thingie going on and he can fly straight up like a grasshopper (from a standing position), so he did his 'gizmo spring' and landed in front of Nacho, grabbed the Nylabone and took off for the other end of the playpen!

Nacho's looking around behind him, searching for his bone, looking behind himself again and he had this totally confused look on his face... "I KNOW I just had my bone RIGHT here... WHERE DID IT GO?"... I laughed until the tears ran down my face~!!!...

Gizmo's totally content with his piglet butt facing Nacho, gnawing away on that Nylabone like nothing at all happened!

Snuggle bunnies...

Nacho and Gizmo have become the best of buds and major snuggle bunnies... I snapped this photo of them this morning as they were sleeping, nose to nose, in a doggie bed...



Nacho's probably a longhaired Chihuahua, but he's only three weeks older than Gizmo... Without all that rabbit-like hair, there is not that much difference in size... Nacho has already started potty training and 'runs with the big dawgs' out back... Gizmo is watching what Nacho does, so he's already learning what is expected of him by watching his older 'brother,' Nacho... LOL...

Today was Gizmo's first trip out into the big world of the backyard, but I kept him in an Xpen for his safety... Nacho showed him what you do in the backyard in an Xpen, but Gizmo spent a LOT of time just looking around, listening to the sounds and taking it all in... He got fascinated by watching a bright yellow rose bush and I kept checking to see if there was a lizard there that had caught his attention... I think he was just intrigued by all those yellow roses!

If only our butts were this cute!

Last night I put the newbies' Xpen aside of the puppy Xpen where Nacho stays (when I can't have ALL FOUR eyes of my eyes fastened on him... smile...) and they introduced themselves to each other...

This morning, Gizmo moved over into Nacho's "digs" for a visit, and at breakfast, I quick snapped this photo of that cute little Gizmo butt... it's like a little piglet's butt!!!... Oh my goodness... How cute, huh?



So for the rest of the morning after breakfast, Nacho and Gizmo have been playing and rough-housing with each other, using the table leg as a 'limbo bar'...



There is only three weeks differences in age, but Nacho is EXTREMELY fluffy with fur similar to a rabbit's, so it's hard to see they are almost the same size and weight...



Gizmo's fur reminds me of a deer's whereas Nacho's is like a rabbit's... But they are both pure puppies, enjoying their playtime this morning:

Nacho - I'm a celebrity and I went to the groomer's!

Mom took me Maggie's yesterday... The twins needed to be groomed... Mom has been rubbing my paws since I was just a baby, in preparation to having regular nail clipping done... Us Chi-wow-wows grow toe nails that are unbelievable... Unlike most dogs, our weight doesn't wear them down while we walk, so Mom tells me, "Nacho, you'd BETTER get used to this NOW so you're not a PITA later..."

WHO ME?... A PITA??? ;)

Maggie thought I was a-DOR-a-BLE!... I gave her a ton of kisses and made her a very happy camper!... It works EVERY time!

I've been going potty with the 'big dawgs' in the backyard and Mom is SO proud of me... There's just one spot in the whole backyard I like, but I run up, do my 'spread eagle' position and just let it rip!... She immediately gets that high pitchy voice and squeals with all of these "GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB, NACHO!"... It is just SO easy to make these humans happy, ya know?

Mom says I'm now a celebrity 'cause she's been gooing and ahhing over a photo she took of me a few weeks ago... She made it into a line of products available for purchase at the TLC CafePress store that you can find HERE


She tells me my photo and 100% of the profits from the sales of these items will help to save more dogs and puppies from the shelters in the Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County shelters... I think I'm pretty darn cute, don't you?... Maybe I should start practicing my 'pawprint signature' for the autograph hounds???

Nacho moves on

Nacho has moved onto another leg of his journey in life as the unofficial mascot of TLC with his own blog HERE.

Another first - COOKIES!

One of the coolest things about puppies is watching them do things for the first time... I'm not really a 'puppy fan' in nature, preferring to do rehabilitation and training of older dogs, but today I actually enjoyed watching the puppies experience a new thing in their lives - COOKIES!

Around here I practice the 'nothing in life is free' mantra, so cookies are handed out for following through on a command usually... The puppies have been chewing on toys and chew sticks for a few days, so I could tell they were breaking in some teeth... And thought I'd give it a try to see how it goes...

A beautiful day, I put two large Xpens together on the patio and having most of the space in the shade, I brought out a bag of cookies and settled in to watch (and make sure this experiment went OK)... My guys prefer those dehydrated chicken strips you can get in the big bags from Costco and I have to admit - they do smell divine!

Handing one to each of the three puppies, Sofia left hers at one end of the Xpen and then wanted one from either Ebony or Nacho - Sofia didn't care - she just wanted on of theirs!



Patience is not one of Sofia's strong suits... She wanted one and RIGHT NOW...



Barking and mock charging had no effect on either Nacho nor Ebony, for they continued to sit in a corner and chew on their cookie, totally ignoring Sofia's repeated requests to share! Even her pitiful cries failed to move them, nor did they give theirs up either!



Nacho and Ebony must have chewed on their cookies for a good ten minutes, paying absolutely no attention at all to Sofia's plight... And then Nacho made the mistake of getting up for a drink of water, leaving his cookie behind... It was just the opportunity Sofia was looking for, and she quickly stole his and moved to another corner of the Xpen...



Nacho on the other hand, found Sofia's original cookie on his way back from the drink and it turned out to be a full cookie without any pieces missing yet...



In the end, it all worked out well... Everyone was happy and Nacho got 'seconds' on the cookies too!

All spayed or neutered...

All went well yesterday with the speuter of Bella's litter... I've never understood why some men are SO opposed to neutering their male dogs and puppies... Males are usually up and about a few hours later like nothing has happened... It is usually the females that feel MAJOR YUCK that day and the next...

So Nacho was up and about an hour or so later after I brought everyone home and seemed a bit dumbfounded in regards to the absence of his sisters' unwillingness to play (or gang attack him!)... :)... He kept trying to encourage them to come out of the doggie bed and play, but to no avail...

Finally Nacho gave up and crawled into the pile with them!... If you can't beat 'em, you join 'em I guess!

New collars all around!

Next step in getting the puppies' ready for their new furever homes is collars... It's an odd feeling for new puppies, but the less issues these cuties have to go through while still with their siblings, the easier any adoption will go... So walking down the 'catwalk'... correction... 'dogwalk'... (drum roll please)

And now, sporting spring green with only the sedate charm that our little lady has, I present our Miss Ebony:



And our other reigning priceless princess in the pack is dear Mercedes, fashioning the latest in festive pink to match her cheery disposition!



And now allow me to present Ms. Sophia in vibrant red!... Ah, Sophia would you like to turn around and show the folks your newest adornment?... Can you drop the toys for just a second?



{{We interrupt the dogwalk presentation as a few of our contestants decide to engage in Chihuahua Puppy Takedown}}



LADIES... A BIT OF DECORARUM IS REQUESTED... HUMRPH... AH, LADIES???

Oh, sorry, Nacho... Didn't realize you were next in line...



And finally, our Dulce in her red collar with white doggie bones... Uh, Dulce... We love what you've done with your tail, but we really would like to see you look this way... Yes, I know... Your brindle 'tiger stripes' is your favorite side... (I need to remember these kinds of things for a girl always likes to present their best sides to the camera - don't want to get kicked out of the foster's union, ya know?



Well, folks... Hope you enjoyed today's 'dogwalk' and the new collars!

What can puppies do in five minutes?

Every day we transfer all the puppies to another Xpen and then break down their entire area at least twice a day, washing all the blankees and toys, removing bowls and running them through the dishwasher, etc... Puppies are pooky - no getting around that!... At least 5 or 6 times a day we replace the pitty pad to insure no one is stepping in piddle or anything else...

Today they have learned how to undo the latch on each side of the pitty pad frame... So what can puppies do in five minutes with a new pitty pad?... ;) Open it up and destroy the pitty pad!



It's a gang destruction project, I swear! (smile)...

I had to feel sorry for poor Ernie though... He was a good sort, nice to cuddle with and snuggle up against... Until the pups decided they all wanted him at the same time... Needless to say, he didn't survive the onslaught of four females all interested in the same toy!

Litter's first intro to another dog - nose to nose!

I do pet therapy with several of my Chihuahuas at a senior assisted living facility, along with a few other TLC volunteers... One of my guys (Frito) is just the easiest Chi to work with for he is loving life every second of the day no matter who the dog is, how big they are, or whatever human he encounters... Sadly, Frito is a liver shunt dog and not a candidate for the surgery, so he is considered 'terminal'... On the positive side, we celebrate every day of his life with us, and he in turn, meets and greets all the new fosters because of his amicable nature and disposition...

Yesterday once the baths were all done and puppies were dried, some of their puppy energy was drained off, so we decided to do the first introduction to another dog that was not their mom... They've seen my crew through the Xpen sides, but haven't had a chance to go 'nose to nose' or 'nose to butt' as dogs normally do... They still had a lot of energy as the photo shows, but it was the best time to attempt this first encounter...


While I can't honestly say that Frito enjoyed Sofia chewing on his tail, he handled it exceptionally well... ... Frito is considered a 'deerhead' Chihuahua and is about 5 pounds soaking wet if you're trying to judge the sizes of the pupppies by him... As the puppies are now 1.5 in human years at 7 weeks old, they've done the bulk of their growing in the past month or so....

Even Nacho had to get into the act, being a bit too pushy with Frito, who promptly gave out a bit of a growl about Nacho's lack of canine manners... This is how puppies learn how to be good canine citizens and if properly introduced and good socialization continues as they grow up, they grow into adult dogs that can be taken anywhere and trusted to not be dog-aggressive towards others...




Dulce had to get into the act as well, trying to use Frito as a step stool, and once again, Frito proved to be the 'gentle man' he is... Actually, I'm proud of all of them - pups and Frito combined, for this first encounter went exceptionally well!


Eventually they all settled down and got sleepy - busy day for the pups, usual nap time for Frito... Yet another major step in their lives!

The litter - our first bath!

I'm a bit of a buggerboo about smells and now that the litter is walking in their food dishes regularly plus the other smells that aren't always attractive with new puppies, it was time to get their first bath... We waited until the afternoon sun had warmed up the house to about 80 degrees yesterday afternoon and then set up an Xpen in the family room with extra towels...

My daughter agreed to be the pup-sitter and 'toweler -dryer' for this event... And Dulce was the first one up for a bath in the kitchen sink... She surprisingly did not complain too much about the whole ordeal but once put in the Xpen and dried off, she scampered about like a new born lamb in a field of fresh grass!... She particularly enjoyed stretching out on one of the doggie lounges we had in there as she rubbed dry her tummy even moreso...

The fish in the aquarium behind the Xpen held a bit of her attention over and over again... I think it must have been the brilliant red of my husband's Parrot Fish... Dulce kept going back to that corner, fascinated by their movement inside the tank...


The next pup up for a bath was Sofia and after she was dried, she and her sister Dulce had a particular interest in my daughter's bracelet, along with just about everything else they could smell, touch or play with! (smile)...

Even the smallest amount of movement seems to capture their interest at this age of their life (approximately 1.5 years of human life per their size, breed and health)... It is very fascinating to watch if you're an avid dog observer as I am...

They were making so much noise as they rough-housed in the Xpen, even Bella had to come over and investigate what was going on...

Ebony was the next one for a bath and she wasn't too happy about the process... She's always been the one in the litter who stands back and watches before she dives in and starts participating with her siblings... It doesn't seem to be fear-based but more of an intellectual curiousity whereas Dulce just barges into whatever is going on like the resident party girl, looking for a new toy to play with, interested in what is going into their food dish, etc...

Ebony however is the observer in the bunch and likes to watch from afar until she can no longer refrain from joining in on the fray... In this regard, Ebony is more like her momma than any of the others, for Bella likes to sit and watch what is going on around her too... It amazes me how they all can be from the same mom in the same litter and yet be so different in personalities~!!! It is almost like they watch any game to determine the rules of it before joining in and assuring they are the winners, ya know?... I don't mean 'calculating' in a negative sense however... There's not a mean bone in either the mom nor her litter who are all outgoing and loving beyond the norm...

All of us around here seem to have our favorites in the litter... Sofia is my daughter's favorite and mine is Mercedes... I don't know if it is because she's always been the smallest or because she seems to have the biggest 'attitude' in the bunch... She's vocal when you least expect it and because she's so small, you wonder where she got that voice~!!!... She DEFINITELY knows what she wants and WHEN - and is NOT afraid to tell you either!

Mercedes was QUITE content being bundled up as my daughter was drying her off, and as it took a bit longer because she of the females in the bunch has the longest fur, Mercedes was loving life being held and coo'ed to by my daughter in the towel...

Those warm fuzzies were interrupted when one of her siblings came to investigate why Mercedes was still 'lounging around' in that towel and Mercedes was QUICK to fuss about being disturbed (smile)... It was almost as if she had just come out of a bubble bath and was relaxing, but the kids were knocking on the bathroom door without relenting, ya know?







Once she was all clean, dry and warm, she was as ready as the rest of her siblings to investigate all that was going on around her now that her 'beauty requiem' was compete! ... So now that that was all said and done, it was time to investigate what mischief Mercedes could get into and my daughter's shoe strings seemed to be very inviting for further investigation and/or chewing upon!




Oddly enough, she didn't really want to share that with any of her siblings either! (smile)... By the way, both Sofia's and Mercedes' tails have already taken on that distinctive curl that Chihuahuas are known for... Ebony's is a bit longer and while she carries it just as high and proud as her sisters do, it just now starting to curl over...




The last one to get their bath was Nacho... Because of his much longer coat, we knew he'd take much longer to get dried, so we intentionally left him to last... He didn't mind all the extra attention either and gave a kiss to his benefactor of the warm fluffy towel and rub down!

... continued on to the next part of our adventure - meeting someone new, nose to butt as dogs do...