Our new family member...

....is a doggie! Fooled ya. ;)


We adopted her from the Animal Shelter yesterday. She is a Chihuahua-Dachshund Mix. When me and Kyler were driving in the car talking about names for her, Kyler called her a mexican sausage, and I immediately said "CHORIZO!!". We are both pretty amused with ourselves for coming up with that name.

She is one of the sweetest little dogs I've ever been around. She is so quiet, and never barks unless she sees another dog, or we leave. She loves to cuddle on the couch and play fetch with her tennis balls, and also to exhaust me on walks. She listens when we say no. Her tail wags pretty much as fast as possible when "daddy" comes home from work. She is basically my shadow now. If I walk into another room, I would bet you the million dollars that I don't have that she will be right behind me.

When she was taken to get spayed, it was extra painful for her because her spleen was enlarged and attached to her ovaries. They think this was because she was abused. She was also beat up and picked on by other dogs while she was recovering.

Here's where I start to advocate. If you are in the market to buy a new puppy or kitty, I highly recommend going to the local Animal Shelter or "pound". If you go to a pet store you could end up paying 400-1000 dollars for a dog that will be no better than the ones you can save from being killed, and you'll pay a lot less! Chorizo was only 85 dollars, and she was only that expensive because it included the cost of being spayed and the rabies vaccination.

I will admit when going to the shelter was suggested to me, I was very leery. I figured if a dog is at the pound, there's a reason for it. There is-people getting animals who shouldn't have, abusive people, or people not knowing how to deal with them. If you do some research you'll find that having a dog isn't just as simple as love on it and play with it every now and then. I was very surprised at all the things you have to consider. Here are some of the things I found that can help your "pound puppy" be just like a puppy you bought brand new from the store!

First, when you walk your dog, you are supposed to walk it, not the other way around. If the dog leads the way, they assume the "Alpha" position. Apparently this puts a lot of stress on dogs and they will also not feel the need to obey you. When you walk it, if the dog tries to take the lead, just gently bop it on the behind with your foot or poke it lightly in the neck and firmly say "no". Don't continue walking until it stops, calms down, and lets you lead the way. Walk it before you take it into your house, to get rid of all of it's built up energy. When you take it to the house, make sure you walk in first, and the dog walks in after you. Do this every time you go in and out...this estabishes you as the "alpha".

Second, dogs, especially small ones, need lots of exercise. Chorizo has shown me this! If they don't get the exercise they need, they will be hyper and have pent up energy, and will probably not behave the way you want them to.

I am definitely not a dog expert, but I was amazed at the things I read. I pretty much would have done the opposite of all of those things, just because I didn't know how dogs worked at all. We assume they are like humans, and they aren't.

So, if you want a cute new member to your family, go to your Animal Shelter! You can save a life and give a previously mistreated, abused animal a loving home.