Happy Thanxgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrated.

I'm a little late in getting this posted tonight since I've been gone all day but I wanted to participate in Minna Krebs' adoption stories and Frankie Furter's presents for parents game so here it is, better late than never.

Shiver's Story

In all honesty, I'm really not sure why I ever got Shiver.  I already had an elderly fox terrier and a sickly cat at home, I certainly didn't need a new puppy running around and getting into everything.  But that's just what I got. 

I'd been thinking for awhile that my next dog would be a chihuahua.  I just really wanted a small dog.  Four years ago on Thanksgiving weekend, I went to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping.  One of my first stops was at the pet store.  They had my baby in a small area in the middle of the store.  I picked him up and cuddled him and kept thinking I wanted to take him home.  But he was already a big chihuahua and I wanted a small one.  I noticed some other chi puppies and went over to look at them.  I was told they were too young to adopt out and that their price would be higher than what I'd pay for Shiver. 

I walked back over to Shiver and held him some more.  The store clerk let me take him into a small room to spend some time with him.  Shiver was scared and didn't want a lot to do with me.  But I just knew he and I were meant to be so I bought him.  And he's been with me ever since!

I was going to call him Avery but on the way home, he just shivered and shivered.  So I decdided to name him Shiver and it seems to fit him quite well. 

Chico's Story

While I'm not sure why I ever got Shiver, I know exactly why I got Chico!  Less than a year  after I got Shiver, my other dog passed over the rainbow bridge.  Two years later, my sickly kitty passed on as well.  That left Shiver.  I soon discovered that Shiver HATES to be left alone.  I'd come home from work and he would just cry and cry.  Even if I left the house for five minutes, he'd cry and cry when I came back in.  It became clear to me that he needed another companion.

I wasn't ready to get another cat so I looked for another chihuahua.  I asked around and everyone kept suggesting Craig's List.  And that's where I found him.  I emailed and asked a few questions.  It turns out the person who placed the ad was the owner's mother.  She told me Chico was a very special dog and that he'd spent his first year of life in a small kennel with little to no human contact.  He was only let out to go potty and make babies.  She made it clear that if I was interested in him for breeding purposes, the deal was off.  I explained that I wanted him as a playmate for my other chi and that I had no intention of using him for breeding.  She gave me the phone number for her daughter and son-in-law so I called and made arrangements to pick him up on Thanksgiving weekend. 

When I went to get him, he immediately barked at me but then he also came and cuddled and sat on my lap.  I'm not sure why I spent so long there but I stayed for about an hour just playing with him.  He was already named so I didn't change it, although I do sometimes think about what I would've named him if he hadn't been.  And to be honest, I'm really not sure.  He's just a little boy and the name fits him.

I asked my boys if they could buy me anything, what would it be and this is what they said:

Shiver said he'd buy me a winning lottery ticket so that I wouldn't have to worry about losing the house or paying my bills.

Chico said he'd get me dog treats.  He says that he knows I wouldn't eat them which means I'd give them all to him and Shiver.  Silly boy!