Sunday, September 15, 2013

September 14, 2013: My new puppy!

I love poodles!  They have such cute curly hair and sweet dispositions.  For years I have been wanting a tiny poodle for a pet.

In 1999 I adopted a 3 year old dog that one of my co-workers was wanting to dispose of.  She told me that it was just an itty bitty dachshund mix.  She brought him to my house in a tiny pet carrier.  She said that he stayed in that carrier all day when she was at the office.

He was no tiny dog - at least 20 pounds - but he was cute and he needed me.  I kept him until he died in 2011.

I couldn't get another dog back in 2011 because I was still coping with my 3 cats, my job and a quadriplegic husband.

Then that husband decided he wanted to marry his young caregiver and he moved out.  The divorce was final in February 2013.

After adjusting to my new situation I decided to search for a tiny white female poodle or poodle mix.
I went to one shelter that had a cute dog,  but I would have had to take her brother, too.  3 cats plus 2 dogs just seemed kind of ridiculous to me as a single woman.

I would look through the petfinder's website every day.  Then I found the cutest little girl.  She was at the Pearland Animal Shelter.  Pearland is a small city about 25 miles from Houston.  I called and she was still available.  I zipped over there, filled out the paperwork and passed muster with the shelter people.  I got my beautiful approximately 8 month old puppy for a mere $35.00!

She was just so cute that I kept calling her Sweetie.  Her official name now is Sweetsie.  The animal shelter would not let me take her home until she had been spayed in a Pearland animal clinic.  I found one that could do the surgery the next day.  Sweetsie came to her new home the next evening.

I walk her in the morning and evening every day.  I have to go with her to the backyard because the new fence is too high off the ground.  She had a few accidents during her first few days.  But, she is learning and walking her helps.

The only problem is my poor kitties.  They have holed themselves up in my sewing room.  If Sweetsie sees one out she chases the poor thing.  The cats get so scared.  I've learned to hold her back when we return from a walk or when we come out of closed room.

Tonight I didn't see poor Stella in the hallway in time.  Sweetsie chased her throughout the family room and kitchen while I yelled "no, no!" at her.  I had to give her a spanking and then clean up the glass broken by Stella jumping all over the place.

I feel sorry for the cats.  All they have to do is jump up on a chair to evade Sweetsie.  But instead they start running.  I miss my kitties.  I hope everyone will adjust soon.

Sweetsie is so happy to see me when I return home.  I have to pick her up and she is just ecstatic.  When I'm home she is my constant companion.  I have even started letting her sleep in my bed.  She has had no accidents during the night.

Sweetsie is so excited to be lifted onto the bed at night.

The photo in this post was taken by a Pearland police woman at the shelter.  Isn't she just the most adorable little dog?

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