Late-Blooming Dog Lover

If you are born one way or the other, I'm pretty sure I was meant to be a dog lover. As with most things it took me a while to figure this out. Allow me to explain.

I had tropical fish and hamsters growing up. I would have enjoyed both more had they not been banished to the darkest corner of the basement. The fish were interesting, and I've had aquariums on and off ever since. Hamsters were too prone to escape, and in the end, not all that cuddly and more than a little smelly.

Soon after I moved out I wanted a dog of my own. But my third floor apartment and the fact pets were prohibited made dog ownership problematic. A coworker had kittens, so I got a cat. In fact over the next 15 or 20 years I got several cats: Damien, Mehitabel, Penelope, Damien II (The Sequel), and Sadie. All had their good points but Penelope was the best of the bunch.

Now we have little chihuahuas, Tico (15 months/7 pounds) and Toodles (8 months/4 pounds). They are infinitely more demanding than any of the pets I've had before. But worth it.

Tico is a sweet, well-behaved little dog and a very positive role model for his younger half-sister. He's very friendly and gets along with most dogs and all people. He's also smart. He knows all his toys by name and is quick to learn new tricks.

Toodles gets sweeter all the time. She's a talker with an extensive variety of sounds. She can express frustration a dozen different ways. She won't let me out of her sight, and stays at my feet, by my side or in my lap as much as possible. I'd take her with me everywhere if I could get by with it.

The two of them together are a constant source of entertainment. They wrestle, play keep away, fetch and tug of war, and chase each other in mad circles around the house. Whatever the game they follow a set of complex rules only they understand. Adorable.

Never say never, but I really don't see me ever getting another cat. The dogs wouldn't approve. And I'm pretty sure I'll always have a dog. Why wouldn't I? I'm a born dog lover and...

The Crotchety Old Man

Life at the Top

According to one very small dog, I am the greatest person in the world. In her eyes, the sun rises and sets with me. Have to say that I'm loving life at the top.

With Tico I have always been the #2 daddy. He belongs to my partner. They have a great relationship and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I must admit that early on it bothered me a bit to be #2. But Tico made it clear that when my partner was not around, as the first runner-up it was my job to be the daddy. Over time Tico also let me know that the distance from #3 to #2 was MUCH greater than the distance from #2 to #1. So I relaxed. But I was and will remain #2 in his world.

Toodles loves me more than anything in the world--anything. There are few things sweeter than the greeting I get when I let her out of her crate. After that, unless she's sleeping or playing with Tico, she follows me everywhere. It's who she is.

She drops whatever she's doing and comes running when I get down on the floor to play. She's up for any game, with or without toys. Tico can play, but he's not allowed to come between me and Toodles. If he does, she turns into the Tasmanian Devil. The little bitch has a temper!

When she's through playing with Tico (or has decided she needs my protection), she will sit at my feet, look straight up, and wiggle until I pick her up. If I don't respond in a timely manner, she yaps to get my attention. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

When she can't find me, she sits in the middle of the floor and cries. Hearing her calls, I come to see what's going on. When she sees me it's like first thing in the morning all over again--pure joy. What's not to like?

Sometimes I let her sleep with me, usually until midnight or so when I crate her up. On occasion (when I feel like getting up every two hours or so to take her out), she stays until morning. She is still so small (1 & 1/2 pounds) that she somehow manages to sleep underneath me, wedged between the pillow and my neck. If she wakes up, she tries to scootch in even closer. Adorable.

We figure Toodles is ten weeks old today. Tomorrow she will have been with us for four weeks and is still not as big as Tico was when we got him. Even so, it's pretty clear she is well on her way to ruling the roost around here. All I know is that it will be her fault if I lose all credibility as...

The Crotchety Old Man

Heartbreak and Betrayal

You know that I absolutely adore little Tico. He is a beautiful, well-behaved little dog with a very sweet disposition. But our relationship has changed rather dramatically with the arrival of Toodles.

Tico has been my partner's dog from the start. He was the one that really wanted a dog. After 20 years of cats and nearly a lifetime of tropical fish, I was thoroughly enjoying a pet-free existence.

Tico won me over pretty fast. It's hard to resist two pounds of 8-week-old chihuahua pup. I dare you to try.

I have always been #2 daddy for Tico. It's never been a problem because I was a very close #2. Was. Now that Toodles has entered the scene, Tico has been more than a little aloof. Before Toodles he was almost always next to me or at my feet if my partner wasn't home. Now he's often asleep in his crate. I poke my head in and he looks at me with those sad, chihuahua eyes and I know.

His little heart is broken. I betrayed him. I just hope it doesn't turn him into the chihuahua version of...

The Crotchety Old Man


But I don't care for him. Nope. That's my partner's job. It is, after all, his dog.

Toodles, on the other hand, is my dog. More accurately, given her obvious desire to rule the household, I am her daddy. We're still trying to figure out who really is in charge.

Puppy Love

Tomorrow we leave for the first trip we've taken since we got Tico, a little more than four months ago. It's just a weekend jaunt to Savannah--probably our favorite city in America. We've known about the trip since before Tico moved in with us and decided early on it was a good opportunity to have him neutered.

We chose our veterinarian because the office also boards dogs. We naturally assumed that our little dog would stay with the Vet any time we needed to travel. Now that our first trip is upon us, I'm not feeling so good about leaving our little boy behind.

Tico usually stays in bed with us for an hour or two each night before we crate him up. Last night, instead of putting Tico to bed in his crate, I let him sleep with us all night. My partner is very serious about his sleep and is definitely not a nighttime cuddler. Tico and I are both big fans of nighttime cuddling and sleep all wrapped up together. It's surprisingly satisfying to cuddle with a five pound furball.

Since we need to leave here very early tomorrow, we made arrangements to drop him off today. Nothing says big sissy like a grown man crying over his chihuahua pup. I cried all morning. I cried all the way to the vet's office, and all the way back home. I held it together pretty good at the vet's office, but not entirely. You would have thought I was having him put to sleep.

The ladies at the vet's office reassured me (and handed me tissues). They said as cute as he is, he's not likely to have to spend much time locked up in a crate because they will have him out playing every chance they get. I also found out that we could pick him up Sunday afternoon instead of Monday morning.

I'm sure we'll end up having to leave him at the vets again. But if it's at all possible, I want to take him with us. Leaving him behind is just too hard on...

The Crotchety Old Man

Dogs Should be Tax Deductible

A lot of people cannot afford puppies. Sure, there are plenty of free puppies to be had. But my experience over the last few months suggests that the purchase price is one of the smaller slices of the total cost pie. Becoming a dog owner has become so expensive that the IRS should consider your house dog to be a dependent--just like a human child. It's that expensive.

Besides the purchase price, the initial outlay for equipment and supplies can be significant. One must have the right crate, comfortable bedding, feeding bowl, watering dish, and a toy or two. We also needed three books on chihuahuas, two on dog training, and a subscription to a monthly magazine devoted to the breed. We believe in information.

You have to feed them. This used to be a simple thing. After a full year on Purina Puppy Chow (remember the ads?), you decided on canned or dry and that was it. Now there are endless varieties of top shelf and designer dog foods available in pet stores and from your veterinarian. Some of that stuff looks good enough to eat.

They have to have shots and stuff. Back when Purina Puppy Chow owned the puppy food market, you took puppies in for some cheap shots two or three times, got them "fixed" and then came back every year for a rabies shot. Today it's all that plus pills and potions to keep fleas, ticks, and heart-worms at bay. I've had more face time with the veterinarian in the last 3 months than I had with my physicians in the last year.

You have to see to their education. Nobody likes a bad dog. Tico is home schooled at present. We're thinking about sending him on to some preppy obedience school, but frankly he's so smart and doing so well I'm not sure he needs it. Even without tuition, you have to have the right collar and leash, a clicker, and treats. My observation is to be generous with the treats. Dogs are treat whores.

You have to keep them clean. Nobody likes a smelly dog. You need the right shampoo and for some, like little Tico, conditioner. Some, but never our little dog, might also need a flea comb. You'll need the right kind of brush. Note: "right" used this way throughout this posting means there is trial and error involved in finding just what you need. We have at least two of practically everything.

You have to dress them up and take them places--especially if they are little prissy dogs like chihuahuas. At long last, Tico can wear some of the smallest made-for-dog clothing available. He looks good in Georgia red and black. I've seen a little Georgia cheerleader skirt and top but I didn't buy it because I'm not allowed to dress him up like a little girl dog. I feel like he's comfortable enough with his chihuahua manhood to wear whatever looks good.

But that's just me...

The Crotchety Old Man

Things I Should Have Blogged About

The holiday season is always a busy time of year. Even though I'm not traveling and I got all my holiday shopping done early, this year seems busier than ever. I've been so busy that I have missed out on the chance to blog about several items of ....er... importance.

I'm thrilled that Michelle won The Biggest Loser. She was an early favorite for me and it was great to see her stick it to Vicki--the nastiest bitch that's ever needed to lose weight. It was also fun to see Ed selected by America over his wife, Heba. They both made impassioned pleas last week for we the public to vote for Heba. Ed got the most votes--86 percent. That made me laugh. Heba won the competition among those sent home early, so I guess it wasn't too hard on her given the $100,000 prize.

Drew Peterson, borderline pedophile and wife killer, has a new girlfriend. They're engaged. I bet she has a collection of pen pals doing time in various institutions around the country. Some women are crazy that way.

While much of the rest of the country is experiencing abnormally low temperatures, here in Athens we're flirting with record highs. Last night it was so warm in the house that I ended up turning the air conditioning back on. Today I have been driving around with the top down on my convertible in a short-sleaved shirt. This kind of winter weather I can live with.

UGA starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, a junior, is acting like he's seriously considering another year at UGA. I hope he and Knowshon Moreno both stay another year. However, with both being first round draft choices, and Stafford looking at something like a $35 million signing bonus, I'm not holding my breath. You can talk all you want about pride and the desire to redeem themselves for a disappointing season. I'm willing to bet that the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day will be the last college game for both Stafford and Moreno.

The BF is heading out of town on Saturday to spend a few days with his family. Tico is going with him. At first, I wasn't real happy about both of them being gone and leaving (needy old) me here all by myself. That little chihuahua has been tap dancing on my last nerve the last few days. It's hard to stay mad at him because he's so adorable. But I do find myself ever so slightly looking forward to a few chihuahua-free days.

Guess that's why they call me...

The Crotchety Old Man

Our Inquisitive Toddler

Our little baby long-haired Chihuahua is 11 weeks old today. He went to the vet this morning and he's gained a full half a pound since we got him. Now he weighs in at a whopping 2.4 pounds.

His training--of us--is progressing fairly well. He was regressing on his housebreaking. We evaluated our behavior and determined he needed to be taken outside more frequently. Now as long as we remember to take him out every hour or so, there are no accidents. Well--let's just say the accidents are fewer and further between. It's all about progress.

He doesn't have any problems getting in his crate when it's time to go to bed or when we leave the house. He makes it through the night without crying now, but is definitely an early riser. That's OK. We are too, rarely sleeping past 7.

Now he's at the age where he is very inquisitive with a tendency to get in to everything. Keeping him out of the Christmas tree hasn't been too bad. Keeping him out of the presents proved impossible--we've now placed them under a small tree on a table where they are out of his reach. He adores the felt tree skirt, however, and would love to rip the felt appliques from it. He completely ignores "no" when he's attacking the tree skirt which caused us to pull out a new discipline tool--the time out. The first time we put him in time out, we opened the crate after about 3 minutes but he didn't come out for more than two hours. I think his feelings were hurt.

He's a smart little pup. My partner is click training him. You click the clicker during the training practice when he does what you want him to do. This is supposed to make it easy to teach him difficult tricks when he gets older. Seems to be working as he's already got "sit" and "lay down" mastered. Now we're working on roll-over. You can see how he's doing here. You can also see the aforementioned tree skirt.

He definitely adds a lot to life around here. When he's at his playful best, it's awfully hard to even pretend like I am...

The Crotchety Old Man

And Baby Makes Three...

Regular readers (both of you) may have noticed that I haven't been posting as much for the last couple of weeks. The reason is that we added a third member to our household two weeks ago. After much deliberation, debate, and research, we decided it was time.

All the research helped. In the end we opted for a long-haired Chihuahua. He's teeny tiny and about the cutest thing I've ever seen. At 9 weeks old, he weighs just under two pounds. He's got two modes: full on, or sound asleep.

Having a baby in the household changes everything. Our well-established routines are in a shambles. There just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs doing. In addition to all the standard chores and responsibilities, along with getting ready for Christmas, we're now doing tons of additional research. We know the formative weeks are important, and we're trying to raise him to be well-mannered and well-behaved.

We learned right away that socialization is important. The more people, places, and things he's exposed to now, the more mellow he'll be when he grows up. So we take him just about everywhere with us. All of our coworkers are crazy about him (at least to our faces!). He's perfectly content to be carried around--especially if he can burrow down into a coat or something so that only his nose and ears are showing.

If you want to see him, check him out on YouTube

Maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to get that to show up on here! Until then, I'm still...

The Crotchety Old Man