Our Chihuahuas
Our current brood
We have four Chihuahuas.
Two is a good number unless someone is always home for a lone
dog. A lone dog will be OK for a working household with no one
home during the day if the dog has adequate shelter available to it
from the sun, heat, cold, and intruders. But, they are happier
and better off with two or more when no one is at home during the day.
How many is up to you and your local zoning laws and such.
Many cities limit households to two, three or four dogs.
Read on for the comings and goings of our Chihuahuas over the years.
Enchilada comes to us in
1973.
It all began with Enchilada. In 1973, someone was given a
Chihuahua puppy, very young, and dropped it off at my place until they
could find a place to live that would take pets. Three months
later, the dog
wouldn't leave with them, and she became the spiritual matriarch of a
rather amazing clan. Enchilada was a brown short coat, about 5
pounds in
good trim.
Enchilada was too young when I got her, and she had to be fed with
formula from an eyedropper. She had no shots and lots of worms,
and was quite uncomfortable and unhappy. It took about a week
with shots and pills and a sunny, friendly disposition emerged that
never left her. She weaned herself by stealing a piece of Pizza
and running off and eating it under a chair where we couldn't reach her.
Taco comes to us in 1984.
In 1984, my wife wanted her
own Chihuahua, and she fell in love with Taco at a pet store. He
was depressed and wasn't eating. He was too young, too. My
wife held him and sheltered him while we collected the right food and
bowls, and by the time we got home he was quite content and happy.
When my wife went to put him down for the first time, he leapt
mouth first in the food bowl, allaying all fears about his not eating.
Taco grew up
into the most amazing dog, physically and mentally, taking care of the
other
Chihuahuas while keeping the premises free from cats and other threats.
Taco was a light tan short coat.
Princess comes to the
family in 1984.
Again in 1984, my mother
wanted another dog after her beloved toy Poodle died. She was
mightily impressed with Enchilada and decided that she would break with
tradition and get a Chihuahua. She got Princess from a breeder.
About eight years later Princess was orphaned and came to live with us.
Princess was a white and tan long coat.
Our first loss in 1991.
Enchilada lived to the ripe
old age of 17 and was nearing her 18th birthday. We were planning
a party, but she didn't make it. She had been blind the last two
years of her life and deaf for the last four, but Taco had taken care
of her. Taco took her out to the yard in the morning, then
brought her back to the garage and through the doggie door a little
later, and other
such as necessary in her growing infirmity. She was healthy and
happy
to the last, but we couldn't have taken care of her properly without
Taco.
Demi comes to us in 1994.
We bought Demitasse from a
breeder in 1994. We should have known that something was amiss
when the breeder wanted to meet us in the driveway of an in-law at
night, and it turned out to be a dark house with nobody home. She
was sold to us as a teacup, and she grew up to be the biggest Chihuahua
that I have ever seen anywhere. This is the only Chihuahua that I
know of that jumps fences and can outrun cars. And she has an
amazing gentleness and grace. She has adopted as her own every
puppy we have brought home since we got her. Demi is a reddish
brown short coat.
Our second loss in 1996.
In 1996 we moved.
There were some repairs on the house the day of the closing and
some bricks were moved that blocked the bottom of the fence. The
first day after
closing, we had the dogs over getting used to the new yard, and Taco
dug
out where the brick was missing and was run over and killed.
Mocha and Manon come to
us in
1996.
A few weeks later we bought
Mocha and Manon, litter mates, from a breeder. Mocha's ears never
came up. He is the lop eared Chihuahua you see on this site.
Manon, pronounced mono, is a classic beauty, if a little chubby
as a pet. They are both chocolate smooth coat Chihuahuas.
Manon is a French word for "little flower in the forest."
Our third loss in 2001.
In 2001, Princess passed
away suddenly of a stroke. She was 17. Manon was doting
over her for the last two years of her life, when her blindness,
deafness, arthritis, and other problems were mounting.
Papillon comes to us in
2002.
We found Papillon in an
ad in the paper. He was a pet shop puppy for four co-ed's in a
dorm -- an illegal dorm pet. Papillon is quite capable of filling
a dorm suite with entirely too much life for the end of the term, and
they wanted a good home for him. He is now a part of the family.
Papillon is French for butterfly, because he is forever in
motion, flitting about the room. His ears bobbing about are
reminiscent of a butterfly. He
is a magnificent dog, with unending effervescence, fine configuration,
and
he is our smallest Chihuahua at about 4 pounds.
Our fourth loss in 2002.
In 2002, Mocha developed
stomach cancer. By the time we realized how ill he was becoming
and found out what it was, he was terminal. It happened very
fast.
He was 6. This is very young for a Chihuahua or any dog to
develop cancer. His sister Manon is very healthy, and she misses
her brother as well as Princess.
BeauGeste comes to us in
2002.
BeauGeste came to us a few
weeks after Mocha died. Beau Geste (his name is one word) is a
French phrase meaning "beautiful gesture." He is a tri-color,
black and brown on white. He is unrelentingly positive, cheerful,
and gentle. The other Chihuahuas have their favorites among the
others, but all of them love
BeauGeste. Because of his bloodline, his AKC papers aren't
supported
by the breeder until we neuter him, and we haven't done that because
his
wonderful disposition makes that unnecessary. Look for the mostly
black
and white tricolor in the photos section.
Demitasse Dies in 2009
Demi died suddenly and quietly in her sleep on March 30. Our vet tells us that it was probably an embolism that was the direct cause of death. She suddenly started losing weight in January and we were giving her special gourmet canned food while our other Chihuahuas were eating dry food. We had her thoroughly checked out in February and her blood work gave her a clean bill of health. Still, she seemed to be less comfortable this last few weeks.
Demi played with the boys occasionally to the last, and loved everybody.
The Personalities
The patriarch is now
Manon. Manon
is demure, coming out to play when we come home after being out awhile
and occasionally playing with BeauGeste. Papillon is a ball of
fire, and will go and get a toy to play tug with before he will stand
still and be scratched. He is very jealous of Manon, which is
probably because both he and Manon are more the man's dogs, while
Demi and BeauGeste are more the woman's dogs. BeauGeste is the
consummate schmoozer, and has a knack for charming anyone, dog or
man. We use BeauGeste for pet therapy in social work, and he is
certified. BeauGeste will retrieve paper napkins and other booty,
which Papillon will shred, and they are a team. Papillon and
BeauGeste chase each other around the furniture at least once a day,
and Demi often joins in.
Other dogs we have used in pet therapy in the past include Enchilada,
Princess, Taco, Manon, and Demi when she was younger.