Patches - We Miss You So Much!

We got Patches, aka Boo, aka Booda, when she was just a few weeks old, in 2004. Patches was a designer Greyhuahua, a perfect mixture of Miniture Greyhound and Chihiuhua. Sadly, we lost Patches to a vengeful mammary tumor, six months or so, after it was surgically removed in 2016. While Patches only had 12 years with us, they were absolutely the best years ever!

Patches was my little companion. She went with me everywhere and anywhere. We took to trails together so much, we once were lost in the middle of the greenway adjacent to Pundt park for hours. In Colorado, she navigated Pikes Peak with us and she and I travelled down many trails there, some of which were private property. It was easy going "down" the trails, however, we were huffing and puffing coming back up them. We miss her so much! What a little angel! There will never be another dog like Patches. Now we have Sasha and Sophie!!!

Sasha Minosha

Just a few short months after loosing Patches in 2016, we took a trip to Montgomery County Animal Shelter, just to check things out. We had no intention of adopting. Long story short, we adopted "The Cute One". So timid and shy. Just what we were looking for, right? Not! As soon as the bandages came off after spaying, she came out of her shell. We were actually afraid of her in the beginning. After "two" plus years of yanking me all around, to the point of giving me a bulging disc in my back, and failed Petco training, she "finally" settled down and started to make us proud. It was a love-hate relationship for a while and, almost, didn't work out. But now, she has settled in, calmed down in many ways and has made a few friends along the way. Now she is a regal, lovable, fur baby, we just absolutely love!

When we adopted Sasha, November 2016, they thought she was a Miniature Pincher, less than a year old. She was 11 lbs. when they took her in (11/4/16) and only 8.7 pounds when she had her spay surgery (11/16/16). We brought her home, that afternoon. It was quite crazy, how fast she went from 8.7 pounds to 12.5 pounds, which we were told was on the heavy side. After pulling our hair out trying to keep her under 12.5 lbs., today "we" are all happy with her at 16-16.5 lbs. We love every pound!

After a year of telling everyone she was a Min-Pin, we had a Wisdom Panel Canine DNA test done on her. Waiting for the results was hard, lol. But when we finally received them, it was quite a shocker. Sasha's DNA is consistent with a F1 cross between a Chihuahua and Rat Terrier. Meaning, she is a designer dog. Commonly referred to as Rat-Chi. Go figure, a designer dog, from an animal shelter! Wow!

Today, 4.5 years later, she is a well behaved and loved member of our family. We are blessed to have her with us and look forward to interacting with, and caring for, her each day. She gets a minimum of a mile walk, everyday and lots of play time with Sophie.

Sophie Minophie

Sophie was originally named Winnie and was returned to Conroe Animal Adoption Center 8/30/19, where she was spayed. She was very, very thin, only 4.8 pounds. The rescue group Operation Pets Alive took Winnie and renamed her Mini. When we met with Sarah, to meet Mini, she was still only about 5 lbs. When I saw that cute little face wrapped in a blanket, I just melted. We brought her home, in hopes that Sasha and Mini would get along. Well, Sasha and Mini seemed to get along, just fine. However, Mini just didn't fit. So, we decided to call her Sophie. She looks like a Sophie. Don't you think?

After a few days with us, one thing was very clear, she was not eating well at all. We went to our vet whom recently changed, because Dr. Murphy retired. We were told to take her back, she was defective. Are you kidding me? Really? We left and went to another clinic, where Sophie weight was only 5.8 pounds. They ran all kinds of test and could find nothing wrong. Armed with this info, we went home and dedicated ourselves into teaching Sophie to eat right. So, from then, until now, we sit on the floor and hand feed her kibbles of dry dog food. Some days, she will aggressively take over eating on her own, but most days, she has to be encouraged. She also has to be taken out for potty, every four hours around the clock. So, we have two shifts, I take days and Andy gets nights.

Today, she is 7+ lbs. and very playful and even silly. We believe, she may have underlying neurological issues that cause her to lose focus. It can take several minutes for her to accomplish doing number two and often, she does number 1, a few times in a row as if she forgot she did it already. No, it is not marking, it just looks like she actually losing her thoughts and then they come back. It shows in her behavior. We try to be very patient with her and on her next vet visit, we will discuss this for a better understanding of what is happening.

We decided to have Sophie's DNA done as well. We were told, she was part Mniture Geyhound and Chihuahua, which is what we were looking for to follow Patches. We learned thru her DNA test results, that she was 62.5% Chihuahua, 12.5% Beagle, 25% mix of Companion, Asian and Terrier. While not the designer dog we were hoping for, she is this Crazy Dog Lady's mutt, just the same!

Sophie is special and it takes a special environment for her to thrive and we believe, we are providing that environment and would never consider otherwise. That face, OMG, that face, had me at first sight. I love her so much and she sleeps with me, every night!

Operation Pets Alive

Sophie was returned at least once and originally found her way to the Conroe Animal Adoption Center. Sophie is a special little girl, that needs a special kind of care. If not for Operation Pets Alive, it is highly likely, that "Winnie", would have been put down, long before becoming our precious little Sophie. Sophie, is just one small example of the dedicated work OPA does. So, please, if you can, consider supporting Operation Pets Alive on a regular basis. The need, never goes away! We are so thankful to them for making it possible, for us to have Sophie. Thankfully, we can give her the love, care and attention she needs.