Minnie's found her furever home!

I'm VERY good at not letting these fosters climb into my heart... I know for every one that I allow myself fall in love with and want to keep, that's one other Chihuahua dying in a shelter that we can't rescue... I care tremendously for each and every dog TLC has saved and/or I am fostering, but I just don't allow myself to fall in love with them...

Two dogs recently managed to find their way into my heart - Boots and Minnie...

Minnie especially so because of her need to be held... You can't hold a dog and have them look up at you with those endearing eyes and not fall in love... And while I didn't realize it at the time I first saw Minnie at the shelter, a few days after wards, I noticed that she has that same 'look' my dear sweet Rogaine had... If you journey to his R.I.P. page here, and scroll down to the photo of him resting his head on my hand, you can see what I'm talking about... She would have made a great pet therapy dog - not only in size, but in personality for she loved everyone she came in contact with...

Accordingly, while I kept bringing her to adoptions and officially she was up for adoption, I had already decided that if people weren't interested in Minnie because of her shortened jaw, or the right person did not come along and also fall in love with her to the depth I had, I would outright adopt her myself...

I know, I know... Everyone loves puppies, but I'm the kind of soul that care much more passionately about the dogs that get left behind in the shelter for whatever reason - usually the sick, the seniors, the great dogs scared out of their minds because of the situation they've fallen into... Everyone can easily love a puppy, but it takes a VERY special person to love a dog that's not perfect or has medical issues...

And Minnie didn't deal well with the shelter experience she underwent, plus she was picked up as a stray... I'm sure being on busy streets with cars flying by rattled her more than most... Someone must have loved and held her a lot in her past, for Minnie wanted nothing more than to be up in your lap and held... My husband and I both spent a lot of time with Minnie in our arms or her asleep on one of our laps...

While she didn't scare easily as a rule, she didn't care to be away from someone she knew and loved... Especially if left in a strange or scary place... I tested out this theory several times and realized that her anxiety issues were directly connected to this...

But as long as she was being held, cuddled or was in eyesight of someone she loved, she was in Heaven... And you just can't help but to be touched in your heart when you run across a dog that wants you to that degree!

We'd had several people look at Minnie and quite a few emails about her... She just wasn't the size and temperament of a dog that would do well in a household with toddlers and small children running about...

I almost felt I wanted to tell people that they'd do better to buy their children life size stuffed animals that would move and bark rather than trying to adopt a petite sized dog like Minnie (just being honest here - I mean what I say and say what I mean)... People were attracted to her small size and adorable expression, but you want your children to be kids - run, holler, play, etc. and a small dog like Minnie is apt to be hurt eventually because she wanted to be with humans... And she'd run and try to engage with any human, but her desire to be picked up and cuddled would have been her downfall with some of the families interested in Minnie...

Last Saturday a couple came into adoptions and I operate a LOT on instinct... I really don't care how much money someone has or the kind of home they have, the kind of car they drive, etc... I operate probably 90% from the gut in regards to people and TLC dogs... I watch how they interact with the dogs and that's what I operate from... I liked the woman from the start and got the sense she would baby and cuddle Minnie just like Minnie had gotten used to here...

When the couple left to go to other rescues and look at more dogs, I felt an inwardly sigh of relief for I felt sure they'd find a more 'perfect dog' somewhere else... Minnie will always snore and sound 'wet' because of her shortened lower jaw... Her kisses will always be somewhat rough for her tongue doesn't completely fit back inside that mouth of hers (similar to how BeeGee's tongue is)...

To me, these things are adorable and endearing... But I know how the public views issues like this in a dog, so I had felt that Minnie would eventually end up being a permanent member of our household... (and had hoped it would be so!... smile)

When the couple returned, I have to admit my heart did sink a little bit, but it is really what is best for the dog and not me... And if Minnie had the chance to go to a great furever home and have someone's attention 100% of the time instead of sharing it with other dogs, that is what is better for Minnie and her life... My husband did the home check and called back to say it had been approved, so with a heavy but happy heart I started the paperwork progress for the adoption... I did my best to put a smile on my face, but I'd be lying to you all if I didn't admit I was sad in my heart...

Rescue is a bittersweet thing... You have to be extremely passionate about what you do in order to do it well... My husband has always said when the dogs reach a point that they've gone from great to awesome, they always move onto furever homes... But that is the essence of being a good rescuer... TLC may not adopt a ton of dogs, but each and every one is a diamond in the rough when we find them... And they develop into a multi-carat jewel by the time they are ready to be adopted by a loving person or family...

I couldn't have asked for a better home for Minnie... She is going to be loved and cherished, provided for and will have everything I had hoped for her to have... I will miss wearing my cuddle sack as I go about my chores, and that teeny tiny small spot in our bed where she slept is just SO vacant now... But I feel good about this adoption and am so happy a family was able to look beyond the physical shortcomings into Minnie's heart and abundance of love!

Minnie Update...

Minnie is going to be one of those 'special needs' cases we come across in rescue that requires a very special person to adopt... Although she is very loving and friendly, she has medical issues going on... Our belief at TLC is that the difference between a shelter and rescue dog is that because these dogs live with us when we foster them, we can give a potential adopter all the information we've learned and observed... And armed with that, educated decisions can be make that create furever placements...

Let's get started... At the visit with the vets this week, Minnie has a heart murmur (1/6 - basically a faint murmur that she really had to listen for... I have a senior right now that has a 3/6 and it has never caused him any problems)...

The severe overbite is really one of the worst health issues she has going on... It causes her mouth to not have enough room for her tongue (which causes that to slip out and hang a lot), but moreso, she's got a 'slurrepy' wet respiration sound... We're treating that with a third (and different) antibotic as well as an OTC med... In layman's terms, she's got major sinus problems going on, so if you know someone who has this, you can appreciate the discomfort not only to them, but to those around them as well...

Accordingly, Minnie snores, coughs, etc... And it sounds 'drippy'... Can't explain it any better than that... She's prone to respiratory infections as a result of the misformed lower jaw...

The other major health issue is incontinence... Initially we believed the incontinence was caused by stress and anxiety... She STRONGLY dislikes being inside a crate in a moving vehicle, but she loves riding in the car (without a crate)...

She's 'hand-intensive' so I've had a lot of opportunities to observe her when she's not stressed out, and the incontinence also occurs when she is asleep... I've been using a cuddle sack with Minnie, so not only does this help in her feeling secure, it also keeps from having unexpected wet spots...

Every dog can find the perfect furever home if given enough time, so that's what we intend to do with Minnie... She'll have a furever home with us as a foster until the right person comes along who will love Minnie despite all of her health issues...

Minnie goes to adoptions

Minnie didn't do so well inside a kennel going to adoptions on Saturday... She widdled all over herself, her T-shirt, harness and even leash... Once there, I had to strip her down from head to toe, get her a complete new rig and another T-shirt... Then we all did a large amount of cuddling and holding, trying to get her through her first adoption event...

Minnie is extremely 'hand-intensive'... She wants to be held and has a lot of insecurities going on inside her... She could have bad memories or experiences of a kennel... Dunno... We'll just have to work through it, for every dog needs to have the ability to spend time in crate or kennel when needed... We live in wildfire country and if you have to evacuate, you won't be accepted at a shelter without your dog's ability to withstand a crate or kennel for some portion of the day or night...

Sideline here...

A few years ago, we pulled up all the carpeting here at the house because of my husband's horrible allergies to dust and a multitude of other allergy issues... We laid Solarium down throughout the house and it really helped his allergies almost overnight... And I am from the 'old school' and am probably borderline compulsive with the state of my floors... You just can't get them clean enough for my tastes when you use a mop... But with my back, I have to make accommodations - I use a mechanic's stool (also called a creeper seat) which is on wheels... And I 'crab' around the house when I'm washing my floors...

I'm telling you all this information not to bore you, but to lay the framework for a funny thing Minnie did yesterday... She's not seen me wash the floors here yet, so the image of me riding around a foot off the floor on this mechanic's stool just seemed to intrigue her to no end!... She watched me for about two rooms - she wanted up on my lap but with all the bending over, it just wasn't practical... LOL...

She also wasn't pleased with what I wash my floors with (1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water), but she still kept sneezing when she'd get too strong of a whiff of it... Didn't stop her from sticking her nose over the edge of the wash bucket (also on wheels) to investigate... I've tried just about EVERYTHING (including products Armstrong makes) but nothing else cleans, disinfects and leaves that beautiful shine on the floors I love so much... My dogs are used to it now - they see the mechanic's stool and wash bucket come out - they head for a couch or chair until I'm done!

I had just turned back to continue my task yesterday afternoon when I felt something nudge me at the underside of my thigh... Minnie had decided to crawl inside the mechanic's stool (normally where they put their tools) and ride along with me!... It was as close as she could get to sitting on my lap and yet? She didn't have to step on wet floors, nor did she keep sneezing from that perspective where she sat...

I called out to my husband to take a photo of it, but the darned basketball game was on, so you know how that goes! ... If she does it again next week, I'll be prepared! LOL... I look down between my legs and there are those chocolate doe eyes looking back up at me!... She stayed there throughout a few more rooms and I'd finished the floors...



Where there is a will, there is a way!

Delicious Minnie... what a sweetie!

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!