Chihuahuas - Big Dogs in a Small Package

This site is about the Chihuahuas in my life starting with "Tinker-Belle" aka known as "Stinky". She was a very small Chihuahua, the size of a dandelion full grown. She was a very special Chihuahua who I brought home at only 5 weeks old...probably too young, but the breeder thought she'd be better off with me than being picked on by her litter mates. She was the runt of the litter and was having a hard time competing with her brothers and sisters. Stinky wasn't the first Chihuahua that I ever had but she was the first one who became part of me. Only a dog lover would understand that statement! Stinky lived for 15 wonderful years and I'll always miss her. After her came 2 sisters who also won my heart!

Stinky's first night home with my daughter Kim and her new brother, the gentle giant Hannibal. Looking back it was a crazy thing...what was I thinking... but the 2 dogs were wonderful together. Stinky was so small with her apple head being so top heavy that while eating, she would tip over lifting her back legs from the floor! It was hilarious! Hannibal, the Great Dane was so gentle with her, as if he just instinctively knew she was very fragile.

I've always loved this photo with Stinky's little arm posing on Hannibal's leg. Stinky and Hannibal grew to be great friends and companions. Great Dane's by nature are very gentle and noble dogs and Chihuahuas are known to be lively, spirited dogs! The photo on the right was of Stinky racing around the kitchen while Hannibal grabbing a sniff as she ran by. He just couldn't understand what she was doing. She was just being a puppy...but such a small puppy! He was bewildered. Stinky was definitely the boss of the house. They never let me down! They were the best!

In having a toy dog there is one thing that I've always noticed...they get cold easily. They are close to the floor where the drafts are and they can get sick very easily if you are not mindful about that. When Stinky was very young, her first sweater was a child's mitten that I cut and sewed into a turtleneck coat for her. It worked out beautifully...kept her warm. Then she quickly grew out of the mitten sweater, so I had to find other resources. Here she is dressed in some of the things that I had found on the market. These days, there are so many stylish and warm clothing that you can buy for your small dog to keep them warm. I had even started sewing little velour sweatshirts myself. Stinky had a whole wardrobe and she was ready for any weather!

The above drawing came about as a therapy project after Stinky passed away. Losing a pet can be a very devastating experience as they become part of the family. In Stinky's case, she was with me almost every day of her life so it was a very hard time. She shopped with me, went to the movies, restaurants and other places, mostly incognito so other's didn't see her. A good day for her was being with me at all times and vice versa,This drawing helped me through it and still helps when I look at it to this day. It's important to grieve your lost pet as you would a family member. Your grief is real.

Saw this video on You Tube and thought it was very reminiscent of Hannibal and Stinky in the early days. He would lay on the floor and just let Stinky have her way with him. It was quite something to see and I can see here that it is just the good nature and instinct of the Great Dane that makes it possible. Oddly enough, the two breeds go well together!

The above drawing of Hannibal the Great Dane was done after he passed away. He almost made it to 10 years old which is a milestone for the Great Dane. There is a magazine called The Great Dane Reporter, where a Dane that makes it to 10 years old can actually have a full memorial page dedicated to him for absolutely free. Hannibal was so close, that they gave him the page. It was nice to see him remembered in that way!

This Maggie the Mastiff and Chihuahua are an exact example of Hannibal and Stinky playing together when she was a little puppy. How cute is the little Chihuahua jumping and running around and how sweet is the Mastiff who wants to get up and play so badly with this little one! Great video! Hope they make a sequel sometime soon!

Daisy and Peanut came to me at a time in my life when I really needed them. AND...from the looks of them, they really needed me also! This was the first photo that I took of them after bringing them home. They looked absolutely pathetic but adorable all at the same time.

Peanut like all Chihuahuas loved to burrow anywhere she could grab an opportunity. One day I had thrown some clean laundry onto a chair in the living room. Couldn't find Peanut...calling her and calling her but she was nowhere to be found. Then all of a sudden her head popped up from the laundry which was quite comical and very typical!

This photo is compliments of " Regan Wood" Photography. She is a photographer of dogs and she is wonderful at her craft! She took this photo while visiting Todos Santos and a photo opportunity presented itself. She was gracious enough to let me post it. Sometimes when you aren't planning for it, you can get the best shots and I just love this one. You can see how this little girl was loving the sun while her owner, a surf instructor was working. Regan mentioned that she had "lots of 'tude". Somehow I can exactly believe that!

You can visit Regan Wood on FaceBook at: www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Regan-Wood-Photography/183406983674

You can also find her work on her website at: www.reganwood.com

Visit her! I promise that you won't be disappointed.

We never quite know enough about how to keep our Chihuahuas healthy and happy. They are unique and spunky little dogs with endless energy and need to have the proper diets to keep them healthy as possible. Because they are companion and lap dogs and because we love to spoil them, we need to understand how to make a healthy balance so that they will be a healthy weight. Although table food is a nice treat sometimes, it can lead to an unhealthy diet and an overweight dog. There are so many healthy foods on the market that can help keep your small dog fit which will allow them go on to live long happy lives.

It's also important that they fit in with our kids, family and friends. Chihuahuas have a tendency to become snippy and yappy if they are not socialized enough as puppies and young adults. If we carry them around a lot and they become one person dogs, they become very protective of their master which leads to the snippy reputation that we have all heard about. I have had both types, sweet and ferocious. Stinky was carried around from the day I brought her home. She was definitely my dog and she knew it. She didn't want to be held by anyone else and she displayed that on a daily basis. By the time it happened, it was too late to change her ways. Daisy and Peanut, on the other hand, were the sweetest little chihuahuas that I've ever seen. They loved everyone, never barked. Because there were two of them and a bit larger than Stinky, they were not carried around and it's my belief that it helped with the territorial tendencies. Of course they were held daily, but one at a time allowing them to learn taking turns as all siblings are taught.

When potty training...do we train the smallest ones to go into a box like a cat or do we train them to go outside? It depends on your particular lifestyle. I have done both. Stinky was so small that going outside was almost impossible during the winter months. Daisy and Peanut used a custom made platform the first 2 years of their life and then they naturally made the decision themselves that they'd rather go outside like a bigger dog after we had moved to a new house. It all works out in the end! I always felt better having books around when something came up that I didn't know or understand.

If there was one thing that the girls loved to do, it was to bask in the sun. Didn't matter whether it was indoors or outdoors...they loved to be warm and in the sun...like reptiles! As the sun would move on the floor, so would they. Very funny to watch. They were sisters but such different personalities, just like people. Daisy was smaller but all dog....but at the same time looked to Peanut for worldy advise as to whether to bark or not. Peanut was full figured and all lady...such a lady! She would never think of begging at the table...to much the lady. She was the smartest dog that I ever had...Ms personality! Daisy was smaller and was always competing for the lead but instinctively seemed to know that she had a role in caring for Miss Pea. She spent her life caring for Peanut until she fell victim to Cushings disease. Who knew a dog could get Cushings? The symptoms were there with a potbelly pig look about her but I didn't know until the symptoms became very obvious. It is said that after a dog is diagnosed with Cushings, that they usually have 2 years left with treatment and that's exactly what happened. It was a crushing reality when Peanut passed away at the young age of 10. After Peanut's death, Daisy went on to being top dog and had earned every second of it. It's funny the way nature handles things in that it was almost like Daisy knew that Peanut needed to be cared for and she did it with no complaints. Daisy went on to live until 14 years. They both are so loved and so missed.

I am a book person and whether I know a lot about something or I know nothing about a subject, I like to have books on my shelf to refer to when needed. I hope these books are that for you!

I found Tonya about 2 years ago after losing my last little Chihuahua Daisy at 14 years old. Took awhile to have room in my heart again but things happen as they do in life....just go with it. I was running out of Macy's when I spotted an adoption truck outside of our local Petco. I told myself....Lynn...don't go over there......don't do it...but of course who listens to that little voice that we all have in our heads. As fate would have it, she was the first face that called out to me as I entered the truck. Looked at everybody on the truck...there were even Chihuahuas there but Tonya was mine from the start. We chose each other. She's a good girl and I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't have wanted her...so smart and good. Just wants to be loved. Save a life today. Adopt a rescue.

There is nothing better than a puppy or puppy breath...and here are a few puppy brothers having some fun. Happy little guys. Couldn't resist! Love this video...

Stinky in particular absolutely loved little stuffed animals. She loved tossing them around, especially when she knew I was about to feed her dinner! It was a ritual for her and very sweet. Peanut and Daisy on the other hand had gotten very attached to the stuffed toys that would make a sound...like a stuffed pig that oinked. Sisters have this unspoken language between each other and it can be fascinating. Both slept on my bed at night and when it was time for bed, one of them would bring a stuffed toy from their toy box. Seems, whoever had the stuffed toy entitled them to sleep next to me and the other had to sleep at the foot of the bed. Their rules...not mine and they were very consistent about it. Peanut was the dominant of the two but if Daisy stole the toy, much like stealing first base, she would get to sleep next to me and Peanut would then take the foot. These little dogs are very smart and always thinking, learning and planning their next move.