It was March 20, 2000 when I first met Poco. He was 5 months old. He weighed no more than 5 lb and probably closer to 4 lb. He was so skinny you could count his ribs by just looking at his sides. He had been kept most nights in a carrying crate. He spent much of his day time there also because his family had to work. His potty training was none existent. He wanted so badly to be out that when his collar and leash were brought out he ran to get it put on. He loved the out doors but he had not gotten to spend much time outside, except on the weekends and evenings after work. On the weekends he was put on long rope that was attached to a revolving metal post that was screwed down into the ground.
When the man brought him out to meet me he, like any puppy, was eager to meet people and make friends. When I picked him up I asked him if he wanted to go home with me. His response was typical of a Toy Poodle. He reached up and kissed me. That sealed the deal right then and there. He was black with long silky black hair that was gleaming in the sunlight. After bargaining with the owner, we placed him with his collar and leash in the car and begin a long rough ride home. He had evidently seldom been in a car and he was wild because he had been penned up so much of his young life. He was everywhere and Helen had to pick him up and try to hold him the 20 miles home.
When we got him home, we gave him his freedom in our large fenced in backyard. It was fenced because when we built this house we had another little Toy Poodle named Peppy *. Poco started running from one side of the yard to the other, from the house to the back fence and all around. Just off the patio is a small 300 gallon fish pond filled with goldfish. He had never seen such a thing so he ran and jumped in. He did not expect to sink in water. He came up swimming. I caught him and pulled him out. We went in the house and took a hot bath to wash pond water off. He was dried and we put him back outside. More running and you could just see that he could not believe the freedom that he now enjoyed. But he never again has gone near the pond. For the first month he had to go outside every few minutes to explore and see that he was free to come and go whenever he wanted. The second month he was down to going out every hour. And now he feels content and only goes out every two hours when we are home.
The next morning he awoke me up at 5 minutes before 6 AM. (He has done this ever since then too.) I took him out. Lo and Behold! There was a rabbit calmly grazing in his backyard. He laid his ears back and ran very low to the ground and almost caught that rabbit as it scooted out under the gate. Poco ran and ran then he did his toilet things and came in the house to much praise for almost catching that rabbit. I could tell he was grinning for I could see it in his eyes. Dogs talk volumes with their eyes, but so many times we do not listen.
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