All About a Spoiled Chihuahua

This is Lexie Taylor. She may not look it, but she is one very spoiled chihuahua!

But it hasn't always been that way. The first nine months of her life were very hard. She was kept outside, locked in a cage with two very large dogs. She had to fight for her food and she had no blankets to keep her warm. How she survived, we'll never know.

Somehow, our Aunt Wylene found out what was going on and was able to rescue her. She brought her home and kept her for about three months. But an active puppy proved to be too much for her and Uncle Willie to handle, so they gave her to us.

And the healing began.

When she first came to us, it was like she was broken. She was scared of people, scared of our other 2 dogs and just stayed curled up in the corner by herself all the time. Because she was kept outside in the middle of winter, she craved the heat. So every night we would warm her blanket on the wood stove before we wrapped her up in it to go to sleep. Because she had to fight those two big dogs for her food, she had what we called an eating disorder. She ate her food so fast, she would choke and have trouble breathing. So we got her the Buster Dog Food Cube. It's a little ball we fill with her food. Then she has to roll it around on the floor and the food will come out one piece at a time. It was a life saver.

We were always carrying her around and holding her every chance we got, so she learned she could trust us. The other dogs were gentle with her, so she learned she could trust them. Lexie very slowly came out of her shell. After a while, she learned she was warmer when she cuddled next to one of us, so now her favorite place to sleep is between our legs. She learned that the other dogs were more interested in playing then anything else, so now she runs around the house with them. She finally realized she's a true member of our family, with all fringe benefits. And that's when she became our very spoiled dog.

The Buster food cube is a great product for dogs that have trouble eating. It stimulates their mind, provides exercise and let's them enjoy every bite. If you'd like to learn more, you can visit The Best Way To Feed Your Dog.

Every dog has to look her best

The first thing we did was go shopping. You wouldn't believe the things they make for dogs these days. We found the cutest little shirts for her. One even had wings sewn on the back and said 'I'm an Angel'. So cute! So we bought 5 of those cute little shirts. Then we decided we just had to get her a new coat. We found a pretty pink one with fur on the hood. It even had a pocket so she could carry around a doggie treat. And of course we had to get her a rain coat (she hates the rain). Then we found the best outfit of all, this gorgeous red dress. Isn't she adorable in it?

Lexie even has 3 Halloween costumes and a Santa suit for Christmas!

So now that she was stylin in her new clothes, we just had to do something about her nails. They were horrible. Every time she walked on our hardwood floors, all you heard was click, click, click. So we bought one of those Pedipaws nail filers. She didn't like the noise too much, but eventually she settled down enough to let me file her overgrown toenails. In fact, she settled down so much, I decided to give her the full pampering she deserves. So I painted her toenails pink.

This polish is formulated just for dogs. No harmful chemicals, chip resistant and fast drying.

After a while, we decided it was time for Lexie to get out and socialize. So we took her to a park in the neighboring town (can you believe our local park doesn't allow dogs?!). At first she was scared. I don't think she'd ever seen so many people. But then her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to go exploring. We walked the path for a while. Then we spotted a large fenced in area with a fire hydrant in the middle of it. An actual dog park! So we let her run. Then a lady came in with a big dog (named Hotdog!). We weren't sure how Lexie would react. But apparently she was having so much fun, she didn't care. So they ran around together and we got to see Lexie be free and happy for the first time. It was wonderful. And now, she's not scared of other dogs anymore. We even take her to doggie play dates!

To look at Lexie now, you'd never know she once lived a tortured life. She's happy and secure with her new family. She's involved in every activity we do, from driving to get the sunday paper to hiking off the NC Parkway. And once a month we take her to visit Aunt Wylene. I swear she knows when the time comes because she always gets so excited. I gotta say, I hate that she had to go through so much as a puppy. But I'm glad it brought her to us. She's brought so much joy and meaning into our lives. I just don't know what I would do without her.

This lens won a purple star award!

Photos and text; © 2010-2013 Catherine Taylor. All Rights Reserved

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

All comments are moderated.