First visit to the vets, and my, what a hit!

Elvis & Priscilla (to be called 'Gidget' by her new mom) went today with Ginger and her litter to see our favorite vet (Dr. K. at Valley Vets), and the two of them along with Ginger's puppies, were MAJOR hits... Now that everyone has had their first series of shots and the two litters are only 2 weeks apart in age, they reside together in the same HUGE Xpen...

So they were pretty comfortable riding together in the large kennel to the vets office as well... It's the kind of kennel that opens from the top as well as from the front, so once I 'popped the top' Elvis and Priscilla kept trying to make these leaps for life out of the kennel!... It was like trying to stop random jack-in-the-boxes from popping up without warning!

Priscilla has developed into a somewhat sedate nice young lady, but Elvis? He's ALL Chihuahua... not a clue as to just how tiny he is right now nor that he'll never be a BIG dog - just his attitude is the persona of the typical Chihuahua - 5 lbs of weight with a 100 lbs of attitude as I seem to say constantly! :)

With both, their tails are up and curled over, ears are up and just the very ends are still are folding over... Won't be long now and they'll be that upright radar ear that everyone is accustomed to when seeing a Chihuahua... Both of these guys will be VERY little though... I doubt if they'll get more than 5-6 pounds as adults...

They've learned what the pitty pad is for (finally!)... Prior to this, it was something for them to chew up and pull out of the pitty pad holder... ... For the most part, after eating and drinking, they'll both walk over to it and do their business... They have not yet been outside and in grass - just to the vets office and at adoptions where we required everyone to use hand sanitizer prior to touching them...

They should be spayed and neutered next week... They are just now hitting 2 pounds (barely), but they are 2 pounds of nitro when they get going!... LOL... On occasion, I have to go over and tell them "NO" because they can get a bit rough (at least in my opinion) and aggression is a big NO-NO in my home... Elvis looks up immediately when I say his name or "NO" now... But he's still SO full of himself!!

Elvis, Priscilla (now Gidget) and Max (now Diesel)

Lots of things have been going on and I've been remiss about getting everything blogged... Apologizing here in advance!

Max (now renamed Diesel by his new furever family) has been adopted, but his efforts to teach canine manners to Elvis and Priscilla (now named Gidget by her new mom) was especially appreciated...

Initially I hadn't intended for this to happen, but whenever the orphans would get a new Nylabone to chew on, Max would hop their Xpen to enjoy them as well (smile)... The orphans were initially surprised, then discovered they could chase him around their Xpen with abandon with retaliation, so it was also great fun to watch all three of them interact...



I have only one other dog that I've trusted to this degree when introducing to new fosters or puppies (and that's Frito)... Max was consistently sweet and loving 110% of the time, so he will ALWAYS remain in a special place in my heart!... He certainly helped introduce the orphans to what is like being around other bigger (and adult) dogs, so I'm thankful he was one of my fosters while the orphans were here. Yep, Max is one heck of a dog and we're VERY happy he's gotten himself such an awesome new furever home and family!... Congratulations, Max (now Diesel)!!!!

And Gidget has gotten herself a lovely furever home as well and will be moving on once she's spayed the last week of June in time to be a 4th of July baby!... On Sunday, I moved them into a larger Xpen more in the traffic flow around here and they've handled the transition well...

They can see the other dogs and interact with them, but from behind the safety of an Xpen... Both pups seem to enjoy the 'mock charges' at the older dogs, then scurry back to the protection of their doggie bed... Five to eight weeks is the time puppies develop their fears, so if they're not introduced to strange dogs, unfamiliar sounds and smells, etc. they develop lifelong fears that you can't always overcome...

Both are very good at going over now to the pitty pad and that pleases me... Although they have plenty of toys, they prefer to play with each other (common in this situation) and while we used to hear cries only when they were hungry, now it is more common to hear yips and yaps, growls, etc... Elvis doesn't seem to appreciate that Gidget likes to dogpile on him, so on occasion I'll run to their Xpen when hearing a squeal to find Elvis trying to wiggle out from underneath Gidget... (smile)... Guess laying on top of her brother is more comforting than on that cushy doggie bed!

Gidget has developed into an UC Chi (undercovers) and frequently when she tries to get underneath their blankee, she'll find Elvis is stopping her because he's sitting on it... She'll give him a growl and if he doesn't move (or move fast enough for her liking), she'll follow it up with a sisterly nip! Gidget is definitely smart, but Elvis is exceptionally loving (like most male and female Chis are)...

They've decided they don't care for the kibble at all, but prefer the baby food chicken... This week I'll start them on chicken and rice to see if I can completely transition them off of the puppy formula... Despite what they like, their puppy teeth are now coming in (and trust me, they're like mini razors! OUCH)... Overall, they're doing very well and I still look at them, amazed I was able to keep them alive when they arrived here so young and so tiny (less than 5 ounces!)...

Elvis & Priscilla - now 6 weeks old

As they say, "You've come a LONG way, Baby!"... That's how I feel about Elvis and Priscilla... Arriving here as 10 day old to 2 week orphans, I wasn't so sure I could keep them alive, so seeing them celebrate their 6 week birthday was pretty rewarding today... And they got their first series of puppy shots, so it's a milestone for them as well...

We already have an adoption application and home check pending for Priscilla... You're more than welcomed to submit a backup application in the event that fails (download off of the website and fax to us), but as puppies are in such hot demand if you are interested in adopting Elvis, you really should make the decision and get your application in... They will get spayed or neutered at the end of June...

And now, let's roll with the photos from today!

Elvis & Priscilla... A move & up and about

This weekend we moved Elvis & Priscilla out of their very small fenced-in area and into an Xpen within an Xpen (more or less)... It will give them more room, allow me to put a pitty pad holder in with them and (hopefully) get them started on potty training... Additionally, it is more in the 'trafficked' part of the house, so they'll see the other dogs through the Xpen walls and become adjusted to that aspect of their life which is so crucial - the ability to interact with other dogs and learn canine manners they'll observe from the others... With two Xpens, everyone can see each other and not that my dogs would harm the orphans, but this keeps them safe and protected for my dogs can't get close enough to touch, just smell and watch, etc.

Elvis woke up briefly when he was transported into the new digs, but quickly fell back asleep ("Don't bother me - I'm having a great dream here....") but Priscilla opened up her eyes, realized the scenery had changed and was immediately interested in what was going on around her...

They've now started exploring and going beyond a blankee (although last night they didn't sleep in the new doggie bed, but dragged the blankee onto the floor and slept there)... I've started putting in toys for them to play with, but so far they're not too interested in those - just mealtimes spark their interest right now...



The tails are now up all the time and started that traditional curl over... They get into small spats of rough-housing amongst themselves and it is kinda cute to hear their little growls and noises as they engage in playing and mock charges...

They are both still REALLY small, although they are eating like little piglets all the time! Not sure how big their parents were, but we plan on weighing them again today, and then comparing that to Bella's litter's weights we tracked as they grew...

First series of puppy shots this week... Hard to believe they are already six weeks old and we've had them for a month now... Where did the time go?

Update on Elvis & Priscilla...

The orphans have made the transition from bottle feeding and formula only to eating/drinking out of a bowl and chicken, goats milk, formula and supplemental vitamins. In addition, they've become VERY active now... Rough-housing, growling, playing with each other at all times of the day (and night... LOL).

We've dropped the fleece curtain around their Xpen so that they become more aware of what is going on around them, especially the other dogs... While the dogs are interested in what the orphans are getting in that food dish, I'm not so sure the orphans are that aware (yet) of other dogs or what that means to them.

Not to disinterest anyone in adopting the orphans, but because they don't have a mom to teach them the proper canine manners and behaviors a puppy commonly gets from their moms, these two little ones could be a challenge to a new adopting furever home... They could be difficult to potty train, not have bite inhibition, etc. We will attempt to introduce them to other dogs that are known for being good with puppies, but there is no guarantees that in the short amount of time we'll have them as fosters we can get this accomplished. Just FYI.

"Puppies are sweet, but not always a treat" as the saying goes. They're now almost 5 weeks old and are entering the learning, fearful stage (5-8 weeks)... Because of their small petite size, we are strictly adhering to the locality rule TLC has (within 50 miles of Simi Valley and/or an hour's driving distance max)... We're all volunteers and otherwise, we can't do the home check nor provide the usual support after adoption otherwise. Thanks for your understanding in this matter!

Movin' on up! Elvis and Priscilla

I feel like I should be singing that song from the Jeffersons' TV show... "Well, we're movin' on up... to the big time..."... smile...

This morning we tried combining several of the new lessons - lapping from a bowl, experiencing baby food chicken mixed in with the puppy formula and goats milk, not being held to nurse, etc...

Surprisingly, it actually went well... At four weeks, a dog mom would start to wean her pups and their milk teeth are coming in now, so it was time... But MESSY~!! Oh bother~!! Were they ever messy~!! Geezie, peezie~!!



Thankfully, I put down a blankee first that I could readily pick up afterwards, so it could have been much worse... As usual, Elvis was the first one there and willing to try something new, but Priscilla doesn't like to be left out of anything her brother is involved in... So she was right behind him as soon as she heard his lapping...

They are now doing that almost cooing sound of a full belly and drifting off to sleep...

Elvis & Priscilla... coming right along

We weighed Elvis and Priscilla... They're now 12 ounces so they've tripled their weight in ten days... They're real scooter butts now... Up and on their legs, they readily suckle from the puppy bottle without a second to lose! (smile)... And I'm starting to get at least a half a night's sleep now...




Once they're done eating, both have full, fat bellies and settle down for a few hours sleep...


Today we tried out baby food chicken and lapping instead of suckling... It was a new concept - Elvis jumped on it right away but Priscilla wasn't so sure she liked it all...



Priscilla still is staying dark black but Elvis is lighting up - he's got a full white chest but Priscilla has only one white toe on each back leg...



They're doing well and will be four weeks old on Monday (6/9/09).

Elvis & Priscilla are in the house...

Elvis and Priscilla are a pair of Chihuahua mix orphans who were probably born on 5/11/09 and were handed over to one of our local shelters (without mom). Currently they are being bottle fed and are doing well.

Elvis has a white chest but otherwise is all black. Priscilla is predominantly black but has white toes on her rear feet. Puppies are not up for adoption until they are 8 weeks old and spayed or neutered under CA law. Because of their small size, they will not be shipped and must be adopted locally.

You can keep up with their progress here on their blog. We are accepting applications on these two (they do not have to be adopted together) - download the adoption application at the website - http://www.tinylovingcanines.org/adoptionapp.htm and fax to (805) 578-2604 to be considered when the puppies are ready for adoption.