Kate is our 5year old Chihuahua who has been in our lives for just over a year. She didn't have the best start in life but she's coming on leaps and bounds! Here is her - very spoilt, pampered life.

Sunday 29 September 2013

Long Post Alert - Our Chihuahua's History!

Kate came into our lives nearly 18 months ago now. We went to see a Chihuahua dog breeder in North Wales as my partner Gemma had always wanted one, but I wasn't convinced a Chihuahua was the breed for us. I had always had big dogs and I was put off by the Paris Hilton stereotype that all Chihuahua's live in handbags. We originally went in to view - Gemma wanted to show me what type of Chihuahua she wanted a few months later, once we had got everything ready and set up. We walked into this tiny house, and the woman had 5 other Chihuahua's in cages in the kitchen, two of whom were pregnant. She was selling Kate and she refused to breed and was too small. When we got her she had a burn on her tail, was underweight and super shy - even for a Chihuahua. We were concerned and asked about her Vet and health history, and her owner replied "We only had her 9months, I haven't had a chance to take her".. We decided on the spot we had to get her out of there. We emptied our bank accounts, rushed to pets at home and stocked up on all the necessary items. Knowing Kate now, looking back at the first few hours of her time with us tells us so much about her previous homes. Is she is away from Gemma at any point she looks for her. Her connection is like none I have ever seen. She loves me - don't get me wrong, but the relationship between Gemma and Kate is adorable and so strong. When we picked Kate up and took her home, she never looked back. In the car you can see she is a bit un-settled but never pined or missed the home she was in. She was in the breeders home for 9 months prior to us picking her up. She fell asleep in my arms on the way home, around 5 minutes after this photo was taken.
You can see how thin she was in this picture - her Head looks like its about to fall off!
She stank to high heaven, had marks on her fur from sitting in her own urine and was very jumpy. One of the reasons she is not very good with other dogs is the fact she was locked in cages with males in an attempt to force them to breed. We booked her into the vets the very next day and she was horrified. She was Chronically underweight, Her Teeth were rotten and she had hip and knee problems. She was so small (even for a Chihuahua) that breeding could have killed her, and at the very least would have paralysed her back legs and been agony throughout. We reported her to the RSPCA shortly after we got Kate out, and they rescued all the Chihuahua's she had. On the plus side to this - Kate now lives the best life ever to make up for her not great start. She is not a "princess" in that she is a dog but she is still spoilt. She is not a handbag Chihuahua, she loves a good run off her lead (We call her our "pocket rocket!") and would sniff until her nose fell off given half a chance! You can see that she is much happier and more content (spoilt!) now!! This was taken only a week after she arrived. I think you could say she was relaxed here.
We have both never been happier, that sudden impulse to get her out of there was the best thing we ever did. She helps us as much as we help her. Does anyone else have a nice rescue story or blog? I love reading happy endings! :-) Cuddles, xxx

3 comments:

  1. Dawwww! This is so beautiful. It's great to see when a doggy finds a great home. We've already talked about that before. People say I grew in the last few months, but I was already an adult dog when mommy came to fetch me. But now I have muscles and a shape. That's why I look bigger. ;)
    See, happy ends are not only in Hollywood movies. You looked so terrified in the beginning, and now you're such a happy wee dog! I'm so happy for you Kate!
    Kisses, Alan x

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  2. I love how much Kate has changed since you and Gemma rescued her. She's such a confident little thing, standing her ground against big bad Rotties! It's hilarious when she steals Del's food and won't let him have it back:) She's a great testament to how much work you've done with her, and couldn't imagine your little family without her x

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    1. Tell me about it - now we have to work on the other side! Politeness and manners. Good job that Del is the utmost gent and puts up with her mood swings. :-) xx

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