Meet My Chihuahuas

It’s time to have another easy read on this Friday morning. This time, I’m introducing you to my 4 Chihuahuas. Some of you may know them well or you may be new here. All you need to know is that they’re my life. Actually, you need to know a bit more so that’s why I’m going to introduce you to each of them one by one.

Meet Pixie

Pixie is my original girl. She’s my OG. I got Pixie when I was 19 years old. I’m 33 now. Pixie is 14 years old. I’ve had her since she was about 14 weeks old. I did my research and found a breeder in Pennsylvania that had show dog Chihuahuas and from time to time had puppies that were available as pets only. (No, she wasn’t a puppy mill at all – she’s an extremely reputable breeder). I put down a deposit and saved money from every paycheck so that by the time I could bring Pixie home I had enough money. I had contacted her just before she had a litter. So a few days later, she emailed me their photos and I picked “the fawn one with the white diamond”. I just felt so drawn to her for some reason. It was crazy waiting all those weeks for her then but I got pictures along the way.

I was ecstatic when I brought Pixie home, it was like the best day of my young life. She already came potty pad trained and with the best personality ever. Pixie is such a good dog. She’s a regulator. If another one of the dogs breaks a rule, she’ll come get me and point it out. In fact, Pixie is so awesome that she was stolen in a home burglary when she was 2. Read about that story in my blog post I linked to. I got her back and she’s no worse for the wear which is a miracle.

Pixie enjoys eating food, begging for food, sleeping, playing fetch with her mini tennis balls, inspecting ANY little piece of ANYTHING on the floor, and being chased by her siblings. She intentionally gets them fired up so they chase her around and she is FAST.

In 2018 I signed Pixie up to be a therapy dog so we could visit people and brighten their days. Every Monday Pixie visits some Alzheimer’s/Dementia residents in a facility up the road from our house. They absolutely love her. She knows when someone isn’t feeling well and she’s extra gentle with them.

In the last year (2019), Pixie’s age is showing more. Her eyes a little bit cloudy, her joints are a bit flimsy, and she takes advantage of selective hearing, but overall she’s healthy and happy. I hope I have her for lots more years!! She’s definitely the boss. No one tries to take food from her bowl, but as the alpha female, she can surf past their bowls and they don’t freak out.

A fun fact about Pixie? She’s afraid of her own farts. Often times she’ll cough or sneeze and a little fart pops out, and between the feeling of it (that she doesn’t understand) and the sound, she SHOOTS off into the distance. She can be fast asleep in her bed and then sneezes/farts and she takes off like a rocket. It’s hilarious. Pixie’s nickname is Piggy or Miss Piggy because her nose is so short that she snorts a lot. Also, her signature look is the fact that her tongue is too long for her short snout so it’s always stuck out which I find simply ADORABLE!

Meet Grace

I got Grace when Pixie was 2. Grace is now 12. After the burglary with Pixie, I wanted to make sure I had another dog in case something ever happened to Pixie again. Grace was also from a reputable breeder in the state and I got her when she was around 14 weeks old. Grace has always been very active and very loyal to me. If I leave the room, she follows me. She’s second in command behind Pixie. Grace is also the guardian. She doesn’t take shit from anyone. If someone shady is walking by the house, she has a different more aggressive bark than usual. She also runs routine “security checks” as we call them, where she’ll randomly get off the couch and trot through each room in the house giving it a quick once over. Grace completed a dog training course through Petsmart and even got a diploma. She is very obedient.

Grace’s personality is different than the others, just like some people are different than others. Grace wants to come to you on her terms. So if someone comes over to the house and they go to pet her, she will back away. She wants to sniff you, lick you, and be left alone. When people try to go against that, it upsets her and they end up calling her mean which is NOT the case. Once someone leaves her alone, she remembers and they soon become her best bud upon their next visit.

When Grace was 9, she was diagnosed with a bulging disc in her cervical spine (neck) and it cost a CRAP LOAD of money just to get the diagnosis from a neurologist. He said surgery was possible to take the top part of her spine off but I didn’t feel safe doing that. Instead I brought her home since it only flares up once or twice a year. My regular vet uses pain management with Grace. Now when she has a flare up I just give her a course of steroids and she’s good to go. I’ve also been massaging her back and neck a lot more these days and making sure she moves ALL her joints.

A funny story about Grace? When she’s excited she spins in circles. She’ll do it the whole way from the bedroom to the kitchen. Her nickname is Annie because I also call her Grace Anne.

Meet Stella

Stella came to me when Grace was 2 and Pixie was 4 (I always staggered them 2 years apart). She is 10 now. Stella is the sweetest damn dog ever. She came from my good friend who was also a reputable breeder. Stella has always had SUCH a sweet personality and looks just like her mom and dad. She’s shy compared to the others. She comes out and wants love, but if you make too much of a big deal over her, she seems to get embarrassed and she’ll run under a chair and then wag her tail at you from there. I think she’s just really humble.

Stella is lower ranking in our wolfpack so she isn’t as pushy with food but she’s learned to stick up for herself over the years. She can be a sassy bear! Her nickname is baby bear because she looks like a puffy little brown bear cub.

Stella is a therapy pet as well and one Thursday a month we go to the library where kids that struggle with reading sit down next to her and read out loud. Some of them have fear of dogs so their parents bring them to get them used to dogs and it seems to work great. I’m told Stella is talked about very much in certain households. A couple years back, Stella was diagnosed with issues in her right hind leg. She’s doing great now though because she’s on joint supplements, her weight is healthy, and I massage and move her leg all the time. It doesn’t stop her. In fact sometimes she’ll fake it for attention.

Stella is also known as the nanny and healer of the household. When another dog is sick or injured, she snuggles with them as much as possible. She’s just the sweetest little angel ever.

Meet Rocky

Rocky is 15 years old and I got him when he was 7. You can read about how he found his way into my yard here. He’s the sweetest happiest little guy ever. Rocky is the alpha male so he has no competition. He was a great addition and has always gotten along with the other dogs. He’s very clingy to me and loves affection. He lays on his back in my arms all evening. And when he’s happy he kicks his back legs. He can be fast asleep in your lap and if you pet him, he’ll kick.

When he was 11, he was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Disease, an enlarged heart, and a heart murmur. I was devastated and thought I only had a year or so left with him. Boy was I wrong. He acts like a puppy now and thanks to his medicine and being surrounded by love, his heart is pretty much back at it’s normal size and it doesn’t hold him back at ALL. He takes medicine twice a day. People are so shocked when they hear he’s 15 because aside from his frosted face, and somewhat cloudy eyes, he acts like a puppy. I love him so much and am so glad I took him in.

His nickname is Buddy Guy and I also call him Rockford, Rockman, and Rocketman. He is the goodest boy! He especially loves his sister Stella and they often snuggle together. If she yips because you bump her, he immediately comes to her rescue. He actually does that for ALL the dogs. Rocky enjoys sleeping in every morning and I usually have to force him to get up and go outside to the bathroom. He also likes wrestling with his sisters and looking out the window.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know my babies better. Tell me about your pets!!

PIN THIS POST

| FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA |