Aspen the Yorkie

I’m writing as myself today…not for Aspen…but about her.  She has been such a wonderful companion for over 11 years now, and is beginning to show her age.  She recently seems to have difficulty seeing, and other signs that remind me that I need to give her extra loving for all that she has given to me.

She isn’t as lively as she used to be, because it is hard for her to see…I just took her out for a walk, and not that far ahead of us was a cat…usually she would have gone crazy with barking and excitement, it took her a while to even notice the cat.

She sleeps more, and is always happy to have a belly rub, a back massage, and her treats, they are a special delight…something my husband gives her each night after we have dinner.

Here are just a few of the pleasures Aspen gives us:

Unconditional love, and devotion.

All that loving is healthy for you, yes, petting your dog, having their companionship, can help calm you…stroking their fur is good for them and good for you…Aspen loves to snuggle and loves her tummy rubs.

Aspen is great company when no one else is around…of course she likes all of us to be there…we are her “pack” after all.

Aspen listens to everything we say, as if she understands…and I think she does understand…a lot more than we may give her credit for. When everyone is out during the day, she is always there with a listening ear.

Aspen gets me outdoors to walk on days when I may want to just stay inside. I love walking, but some days just don’t feel like making the effort, her companionship makes it more enjoyable. We both get some exercise when we walk.

Aspen makes me feel safe when my husband has to travel, which is rare, but happens occasionally. She will bark if she hears ANYTHING, and this brings a sense of security…no barking, all is well.

I guess I’m feeling a little sentimental today, realizing that she’s an older girl now, and more delicate than she used to be. Just hope I can give her all she deserves for the joy that she has given us over the years since that March day when I watched her birth.

Love your dogs, treat them like part of the family, that’s what they are.

Today I want to share with you a story about two little dogs that belong(ed) to a friend of mine. She shared it in an email a long while ago, and I just stumbled on it, and thought you’d like it, as it shows how two dogs can learn to get along. After I post it, we’ll track our friend down and have her come read it and update on the latest news about these two little furbabies in a comment…it picks up a bit into the story about her adopted Chihuahua mix, Zeena. Enjoy!

We only know for sure that Zeena’s mom is a Chihuahua. (Dad is from a nice neighborhood.) The vet is convinced that her dad is a dachshund, because of her growing features, but we are not really sure. The vet said we could do DNA testing to find out, but I really don’t care. She’s my fur baby and she’s a doll! When I got her at 3 weeks old, she was less than a pound and looked just like a Chihuahua puppy. As she grew she changed a lot. Now, she is 5.5 lbs., completely healthy and loves everyone she comes into contact with. Very smart and very active!

Bernie, (Bernadette) my toy poodle has been with me for 3 years. She was rescued from an abusive home where apparently the young man or teen living in the home kicked her down a long flight of stairs. That was when they took her away—who knows what kind of stuff happened behind closed doors. Bernie has always shied away from men, but she knew she had me tied around her front paws the minute I held her. She needed a lot of medical care for ear infections, bad teeth and is almost toothless now. I wanted to breed her at first, but the vet said she was too old and had her spayed instead. She is not a very bright dog, but she and I are bonded and I take very good care of her, so no one can ever hurt her again. We think she is around 8 years old, but are not sure. She is very loyal to me.

When I brought Zeena into our family, Bernie wasn’t sure what to do about her. I knew she was jealous of Zeena, because I kept her near me, or carried her around most of the day when she was a baby. She had to be bottle fed every 2-3 hrs. the first week. I think Bernie thought she was a squeaky toy—I didn’t notice any mothering instinct at all! I kept them separated for the first two months, except when I was right there to help Zeena.

Now that Zeena is older, the two of them play all day long and only get mad at each other when I pay more attention to one and not the other. Bernie is not lonely when I have to leave for the day and Zeena is just non-stop fun! Geeze, I could write all day about their antics, but I have to stop for now. I like the idea of Aspen’s blog and was thinking about maybe doing one for my babies—they give me so much enjoyment! (Teri, if you still have your fur-babies, doing a blog about them is a bright spot in the middle of whatever life brings your way…luv, Aspen)

My owner and I decided to add an article today, I really liked it because it says that Yorkies one of the smartest dogs alive.  It also said that we are very cute, which is true, another reason for the article.  I made her add a few things that may be true for some yorkies, but aren’t true for me.

We like to learn because we’re smart, but we’re little rascals too, sometimes…at least I am.  I hope you like the article, you can click here to read the training yorkies article.

I’m not sure I want my owners to know all of this pet safety information, especially the part about food, but since I’m happy to eat just about anything, maybe it’s a good idea.  During the holidays, there are things around the house, and things that people eat, that are not good for pets.  Here are just a few health and safety tips:

• High-fat holiday foods that people enjoy can make some of us animals sick, especially little ones like me.  Fatty foods can lead to pancreatitis in pets, just like it can in people, only a little more easily because we are smaller.  This is a very serious thing for pets to get and will mean staying in the pet hospital.
• Chocolate, coffe and tea contain something that causes cardiac problems and problems with the nervous system in pets, which can lead to seizures and gastro-intestinal upset.  Dark chocolate is even worse than regular chocolate, which is bad as it is.
• If you have a party and serve alcohol, be sure that we don’t get tempted to finish off the glasses of drinks that aren’t finished by your human friends, that can be fatal, every year hundreds of dogs die from alcohol poisoning.
• The pretty plant, Holly, causes digestive upset in dogs and cats.
• Mistletoe causes heart problems and digestive upset
• Poinsettias cause blisters in the mouth and digestive upset
• Secure your tree if you have a cat, especially if it’s your first Christmas with the cat and you don’t know their habits.  They will sometimes climb the tree, and knock ornaments off the tree to play with.
• Cats might swallow tree tinsel, ribbon and other things that can cause obstructions inside that might require surgery.
• Don’t have batteries lying around or other little things that you dog might chew on and make them very sick because of the toxins inside.
• Macadamia nuts are not good for pets, they can affect the nervous and digestive system.
• Potpourri, the wonderful smell comes from oils, and those oils can be toxic to pets.
• DON’T GIVE PETS AS GIFTS unless you have planned well ahead for them…so many pets end up in shelters or out on the streets because the family isn’t prepared and gets tired of them, and that’s just plain mean and sad.

A lot of these tips came from a vet in a town not far from here, his site is newtonvet.com.

My owner remembers when her grandparents decided not to have any more pet dogs.  Her grandfather had one as far back as she can remember, but when Penny, the last dog they owned, passed away, they figured that they wouldn’t be around long enough to get another dog.

Little did her grandfather know that he was going to live many, many years more, until he was 97.

But this is a decision that every pet lover and owner will have to face one day, and we have an article that may help you a bit as you consider this question for yourself, or someone you love….click here for the article.