Pickles Update

Happy Pickles!

If you missed my first blog post about Pickles, check it out for his back-story: http://ohfortheloveofdogs.blogspot.com/2013/03/meet-pickles.html

I've gotten a few more good photos and videos of Pickles over the last few days since we brought him home on Wednesday. He's doing GREAT settling in and getting along with everyone (dogs & people alike). He is the sweetest little thing and he loves to crawl up in your lap and snooze. He gives plenty of kisses and likes to do that silly Chihuahua thing where he rubs his head all over your body trying to get his scent on you. It's kind of a reverse upside-down noogie...Flea does it too and I have to admit, it's one of my favorite Chi habits. It just makes you feel loved and snuggly! Pickles doesn't have much of a Napoleon complex at all, really. He's more the needy clingy lap Chi type. In fact, I think Cindy Lou might have been a bit feistier than Pickles. He's really mellow.

Pickles snuggling up for a nap

While Cowboy is still Pickles's favorite playmate, Pickles and Flea have a go at it every now and then too. As you can see in the video below, they do this funny little Chi-showdown quickstep routine where they face off shoulder to shoulder trying to decide who is King of all Chis. It's hilarious. I do still have to always make sure to carve out a little me and Flea time so he knows he's still my little Chi baby.

Poor sick Pickles

Sadly, Pickles is pretty under the weather right now. Yesterday he woke up with an awful wheezing hacking cough and developed a fever as the day went on. He's really lethargic and doesn't have much of an appetite today. Here's hoping it's nothing more than the typical shelter cold / respiratory infection. I picked up some medicine for him this afternoon from the shelter vet, so hopefully it nips it in the bud quickly and has Pickles feeling back up to par soon. He's been so pathetic. It makes us sad to see him all dejected and lousy feeling. On the plus side, he's doing great with potty training and before he got sick we worked a bit on "sit". Check out the videos below to see how happy and cute Pickles is when he feels healthy! Stay tuned for more updates on Pickles and please email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov if you're interested in adopting Pickles once he's healthy.

Pickles learning "sit": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O2n-qjMKzQ
Pickles resting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu6F53LPNSw
Pickles & Flea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ibY-G-4_fI

Meet Pickles!

Pickles at the shelter

Pickles is our latest foster. He's an adult 8 pound male Chihuahua who hails from DeKalb County Animal Services. An officer picked him up as a stray on Lawrenceville Highway near I-285. He's heartworm negative, but has hookworms. We gave him an oral medication that will get rid of them pretty quickly. Oh yeah, he has an awesome little underbite that makes his bottom lip stick out! I know what you're thinking: wait a second, didn't she just write a long ranting post about how 5 dogs is too many for her? Yeah, I did. And we still have Cowboy until April 6th, so Pickles indeed makes 5. BUT, I'm a crazy Chi lady and nothing gets me more than a poor little chachkee stuck in animal control.

Chihuahuas (and all other teeny breeds) have a really hard time in the shelter. Due to their size, they tend to get very stressed and scared in the loud foreign environment. For self-preservation purposes, Chis resort to what we call fear-aggression. Basically, they put up a mean as hell, bite your fingers off, rabid dog front because they're simply terrified and hoping that they can scare off anything that might cause them harm. Consequently, they aren't promising adoption candidates and they're less likely to make it out alive because of this. It's not that they're actually mean or aggressive, it's just that they need to be in an environment where they can relax, learn to trust, and gain socialization. Some are worse than others. Cindy Lou was the sweetest thing, even in the shelter. Pickles, on the other hand, only had two friends: the rescue coordinators trying desperately to get him out alive. Maybe I'm numb to crazy Chis after domesticating Flea, but Pickles really is a great little guy.

Pickles and Cowboy playing

Nobody wanted to see poor little Picks go down without even a chance, so we picked him up yesterday after his neuter surgery. He's doing really well! He snapped at me a few times last night because I startled him by moving my hand too quickly when reaching for my drink, but that's par for the course. He gets along great with Cowboy and Oliver, as odd as that seems. Oliver's quite clumsy with him, but Cowboy knows he needs to be gentle when they play. Cows gets down on Pickles's level and lets Pickles climb all over him like a jungle gym. They're ridiculous...I think they're in love. Head's up: the end of the video below is a tad X rated...! Bunks and Flea aren't too keen on Pickles yet, but Flea does let him share my lap when we sit in the recliner. Progress! Pickles likes Drew a lot, too. I think he likes him more than me so far. But I've gotten a few Pickles kisses already!

Pickles is available for adoption through DeKalb County Animal Services. He needs to go to someone who understands Chihuahuas and their Napoleonic personalities. I never really recommend putting Chihuahuas together with children or super big dogs (for the safety of all involved), but I think Pickles is well-suited for a home with experienced pet owners and other dogs of small-medium size. Not sure about cats. If you're interested in adopting Pickles, please email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov for application information.

Cowboy: 30 Day Update

Exciting progress: as of yesterday, Cowboy is 30 days into his heartworm treatment! I gave him his oral dose of ivermectin, which will kill off any remaining heartworm eggs and larvae. Over the next two weeks, he can begin gradually increasing his activity level. After that, he'll be able to go back to normal. We've had Cowboy for six weeks now; he's such a good boy. We just love him. As transport time draws nearer than ever, we're beginning to get a bit melancholy at the thought of saying goodbye to this handsome boy. Although it'll be difficult, I'm super excited to see what his future has in store! 

 
In other news, I found an old embedded collar scar around Cowboy's neck. Because he has heartworms, I imagine he grew up outside either chained or with a collar that became too small as he grew bigger. His scar is covered by fluffy fur and only runs around the top half of his neck. It's super sad to think of Cowboy in pain with a collar cutting a deep wound in his neck, but he's happy and almost completely healthy now.

Cowboy's become a pro at snuggling. He's a first class mush-mallow. Check out all these pictures and short video of him soaking in the love. Please try to ignore me in the video; it shows how relaxed, gentle, and loving Cowboy is. He'll gladly let you rub his ears and belly, grab his face, pretty much manhandle him however you want as long as there's a good hug in it for him! We'll have Cowboy for about three more weeks before he goes on transport to NJ. I'm most concerned about how Oliver will do once he's gone. Old Hound and Pokey Nose are best friends. Stay tuned for the conclusion of Cowboy's journey!