I’ve been searching a while for another dog, a sister for Cookie. We have had Cookie 6 years and wanted her to have a companion and playmate. I had been searching for almost a year and wanted either another Chihuahua, a Maltese, Maltipoo or another small combination/ designer dog. I wanted a female with fur long enough to put bows in! I searched mainly on Craigslist and Petfinder. It seems the prices were too high or I just couldn’t find the dog I wanted, that would be a good fit for Cookie and our family.
I wasn’t having any luck so I posted an ad on Craigslist and said I was only willing to pay no more than $150. I got lots of offers, one lady even lectured me about wanted a “designer mutt” and how I was contributing to all the small dogs ending up in shelters.🤷🏼♀️ Anyways, I got an offer for a blue heeler pup which wasn’t in my post of the type of dog I wanted so I turned them down. When I had pretty much given up, the same person messaged me about her sister having a Maltipoo she was willing to sell for $150. I was so excited to finally be able to get the type of dog I had wanted.
I spoke to her sister on the phone and she was all over the place… talking about the fact that she bred Huskies, she had 3 goats in her kitchen that she needed vaccines for, she had pregnant cats and she had a Dotson Pittbull mix. It was hard getting her to talk about the Maltipoo which was named Mia. She told me Mia liked to wear clothes, she would “dance” on her hind legs and she liked to rough house with the Huskies. I was excited to get her, I asked all the necessary questions about housetraining, vaccines, etc. We agreed upon the date and arranged to meet at a gas station about 45 minutes from my house that following Friday.
When the lady arrived, she grabbed Mia out of the front seat by the scruff of her neck. Mia had fleas crawling all over her, her nails were overgrown, she hadn’t been groomed in forever and she was underweight. My niece who came with me looked at me as if to say “are you sure you want THIS dog?”. I held Mia away from me because of the fleas and I put her in the kennel I brought with me. I knew with a little TLC, Mia would be beautiful! We took her straight to the vet to get her shots. I learned earlier Mia was only a year and 1 month old and only 4.6 lbs. The vet gave her the Bordatella, Parvo, dewormer and a heart worm preventative pill. I then took Mia to the groomers. When I picked her up, she looked like a new dog! Her fur has since grown back curly (and cleaner), her tear stains are almost gone and she is nearly house trained! The pictures above are Before when I first got her and the second picture is recent. I have had her for about 3 months. (To be continued).
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During the summer months, fleas can be pretty bad. Face it, EVERY bug is bad during the warm months. Here in South Carolina, the gnats, wasps and beetles are everywhere! As a matter of fact, any type of flying insect seems to have come out of hiding to enjoy the warm sun along with us! This reason alone is why flea protection is so important. Having a small dog means you have to be vigilant in protecting them against fleas but also you have to be careful in getting a flea medication made especially for small dogs. You can’t put flea medication made for a Great Dane on a Chihuahua, not only can your dog get sick and/or chemical burns but it can be fatal. I use Advecta 3 for small dogs under 5lbs for Cookie. She doesn’t get sick when I put it on her and it doesn’t seem to have any side effects on her behavior. This is by far the best flea protection that I have found that works for her. I even skipped last month ( not by choice, the months are going so fast, I simply forgot) and she still didn’t get any fleas. The medicine was still in her system! This goes to show how well it works. I encourage you to find what works with your small dog and make sure you monitor them after application for possible side effects. Small Dog’s are special in that their systems can’t handle what a larger dog may be able to handle, so be careful. It’s summer and you don’t want your dog to have fleas and possibly infest your home- been there, done that! We had to get an exterminator and many bites later, we finally were able to get rid of them – not fun at all. 😞 What type of flea medication do you put on your small dog that is effective?
Cookie is my body guard, protector, security and pitbull in a 5lb Chihuahua body! She doesn’t hesitate to run into a dark room to check out any noises only she can hear or stare constantly at the door searching for any signs of movement. She barks and growls ferociously even though 99% of the time, it’s a false alarm. When she was much younger, she even ran out the door to chase the FEDEX delivery truck. Thank God I was able to grab her up before she became an unfortunate speed bump! Fireworks, loud cars, the neighborhood kids, a door slamming, even the wind blowing can set Cookie into Code Red status! Sometimes the excessive barking can be annoying, especially when I’m talking on the phone or watching television but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My little, lazy, comical furbaby is always ready to protect me from the world!
When Cookie was just a tiny little 4 month old puppy, she started making this snorting sound like she couldn’t catch her breath. It didn’t seem to hurt her and it only lasted a few seconds. We were mortified when we first heard it and were concerned enough to video it for the vet. We had never owned a small dog, at least not any that small and definitely not of the Chihuahua breed. Much to our relief, the vet informed us that it was called a “reverse sneeze” and it was common in small breeds because of their compact, short muzzles. He also informed us that it could be caused by allergies, infections, masses, foreign material or an anatomical abnormality affecting the nasal area. Reverse Sneezing can also be caused by nasal mites (YIKES!), small parasites that can infest the nasal passages and sinuses of dogs. They are transmitted from dog to dog and possibly through contact with contaminated environments and are commonly diagnosed in dogs who are boarded or otherwise have contact with other dogs. Thank God this wasn’t the case with Cookie.
How many do you own? Small dogs are like little collectibles, cute and irresistible. I currently own a chihuahua, Cookie. She’s five years old and the love of my life. I have been contemplating getting a Maltipoo for quite a while. They are like little stuffed animals and so adorable! I was even as close as making arrangements to purchase a male from out of Charlotte, NC. We were going to name him Teddy but the seller’s stupid boyfriend sold him to his co-worker. Talk about heartbroken but this experience kinda snapped me back to reality. Do i really need another dog? Should I get another baby even though Cookie doesn’t really like other dogs and haven’t been around other animals except cats which she hates!? Would this puppy fit into our very lazy lifestyle, lol!? Was I ready to adjust my schedule to accommodate house training a puppy? What about walks, could I wrangle two dogs at once? And what if they just didn’t get along? I had to sit down and really think about the responsibility of owning two dogs. Although, I still think of Teddy I do have to wonder how much my life would have changed with him. He was as cute as a button but definitely an impulse buy. There still may be a Teddy in my future but needless to say, it is still only Cookie and I spending weekends napping and only needing 3 bathroom breaks-low maintenance just how I like it for now.
It's a Small Dog's World! 