Home for the Holidays: Sissy & Peanut Adopted

The last few months, I fostered two puppies (they were together a few weeks – overlapped). The first one was Sissy, a long-haired Chihuahua rescued from a large commercial breeder in Southern California who was days from being evicted and he unloaded Sissy and some mama dogs. She weighed just a pound when she arrived.

Sissy was adopted by Laurie Ray in Del Mar, who, with her husband, adores her. Sissy -- now named Missy – is never alone because of a live-in housekeeper, plus Laurie takes her just about everywhere she goes. She spent the Christmas holiday with them in Oregon. One compliment they’ve given is how well trained she is for a puppy. One thing I try to do is teach my fosters basic commands – sit, stay, up, down, off, etc. It's nice to hear it paid off.

Then came Peanut, a 3-month-old papillon puppy, who had been confiscated by animal control from a man who was tossing out food to the back yard every three days. An Arizona rescue group, who had no place for her, asked me to take her. I drove to Kingman, Ariz., on a Saturday morning to meet a volunteer at the halfway point. Peanut was the last of her litter to be confiscation, left alone in a yard for three weeks and only being fed every three days. But she wasn’t skiddish, although she was needy.

Peanut found a home with Beth Merayo in Richfield, Utah, with Missy, an older Pomeranian – and range-fed chickens. She’s chasing the chickens but, when one chased her, Peanut ran back to Beth. Hopefully the chickens will train her!

I just got a note from Beth today, along with new photos of Peanut playing in the snow and resting inside. Here’s what Beth said in her e-mail:

"She loves the snow, and I have to make her come in after a short time. She is a love. She sleeps in the bed, sits on my lap and hugs. Missy is doing good with her but gets aggravated with the youngster sometimes. Housetraining is going great. She is still all pup and chews and chases, but we are working on that. I have a friend who is a trainer for agility and we have started training Peanut. She is a very smart girl. She loves everyone who visits and everyone loves her. It is fun to watch her explore new things. She dearly loves her toys and has several in the bed every night. She is a joy and once again I thank you."

I thank both Laurie and Beth for taking in Sissy and Peanut and loving them as much as I do.

Well, hello, Dolly!

Mia has another new friend, this one a special needs partially paralyzed chihuahua -- and Mia's none too thrilled about it. That's because Dolly is still a puppy and wants to chew on Mia's legs and play nonstop (it's easy to tell Dolly's paralysis doesn't hold her back from much). We're looking for a forever home for Dolly. Here's a story, below, I wrote about her for Best Friends Animal Society's Web site. I'm also including an adorable video of Dolly that will make you laugh. Tiny rescued dog displays a big heart By Cathy Scott, Best Friends staff writer (Courtesty of Best Friends) A tiny paralyzed puppy -- found all alone on a city sidewalk -- has a new lease on life, all because of a kind veterinarian and Best Friends volunteers. Dolly, a partially paralyzed long-haired chihuahua, was found last October abandoned on a street in Riverside County, California. Just two months old, she was taken to an animal shelter, where a volunteer veterinarian was asked to put her down because of her paralysis. “The staff fell in love with her, but she was deemed special circumstances due to her legs,” Dr. Ron Friedlander says. “Her greatest feature was her attitude; she did not know she was not a normal dog.” Because she weighed around just three pounds at the time, she was kept in the shelter’s receiving area. “Many people were able to play with her,” Friedlander says. “She would sit in the palm of your hand and try to lick your face. If you put her on the floor, she would scoot across the shelter almost as fast as a normal dog.” Once the shelter’s five-day hold was up and no one had applied to adopt Dolly (previously known as Twinkle), Friedlander took her to his emergency veterinary clinic. Three days later, Catherine Macias, who volunteers with Best Friends’ Los Angeles Programs, walked into the clinic and was told about Dolly. She found a temporary foster home for her. Because of a sore on her leg that turned gangrene, Friedlander removed one of Dolly’s rear legs. Now, because there’s no possibility of rehabilitating her remaining rear leg, that too is being amputated, so she can scoot around better without the leg -- which is straight and in front of her -- getting in the way. In Las Vegas, Cassandra Schneller took Dolly in to care for her following the surgery. “She has an enormous heart in such a tiny dog,” Schneller says. She took Dolly to work – diapers and all. “I brought her with me to work every day and any public place that allowed dogs,” she says. “Dolly had a passion for life and loved every part of it -- people, dogs, toys, treats, outings. If she wasn’t in someone’s arms, she was moving faster than I could keep up with her.” While with Schneller, she even learned to play fetch. Now, Dolly is staying with my dogs and me. The exposure to and affection from people she received from the moment she was plucked off the streets has paid off. She’s a happy, active, well adjusted six month old who adores people and other dogs equally. The one thing missing in Dolly’s life is a forever home with someone who has experience and is dedicated with caring for an incontinent, disabled dog who needs regular diaper changes. “Her good looks and charms make it impossible to not want the best for this little doll,” Schneller says. Click on the image to the right to see a video of Dolly in action.