The SPCA begged me to take her because she was "too ugly" to adopt and was going to be put down. Not being familiar with small dogs, I thought she would be the barky type, like many chihuahuas I've seen. However, I soon learned that small dogs can be trained like the big dogs. She was an easy dog to train.

Born in 1989, I got her as a 9 month old puppy. She was quite a tough little character with the talent to get what she wanted from the other dogs (and people). If they have a chew toy that she really liked, she would run to the gate and bark up a storm, as if a stranger is coming. When the other dogs reached her side, she raced back to wherever the chew toy is, snatched it and chewed on it to her heart's content. A real little thief! Dudley called her a Drat! (dog-rat)

She developed arthritis, and when her hind legs gave out in May of 2002, we had to put her down. She was 13 years old. We never adopted any more pets after her.

This was another SPCA dog that we adopted. She was from an abusive home. You couldn't touch her without getting bitten, but after 3 years with her, we could pick her up, brush her fur, playfully tug her tail, and even bath her. She still would bite, but always warned you with a snarl. After 6 years, she KNEW biting was not an option!

She was born in 1990. I received her as a year old puppy. Her greatest trait was her intelligence. She probably had the highest IQ of all my dogs -- not that the other dogs were not smart, but "Peetu" understood more words, and showed it well. She loved attention, and playing fetch. When she was younger, she used to love catching frisbees, but I couldn't enter her in the contests because her MUCH LARGER competitors thought that SHE was a frisbee...

She succumbed to liver disease in March 2002, and had to be put down. She was 12 years old.

Jolene was one of those "new" breeds, the "malti-poo". I took her away from an abusive owner who was starving her when she was a year old in 1989. She was very insecure and always needed to be with people, sometimes getting stepped on, and often driving us crazy with her constant need for attention. However, we never could give her away.

Her greatest trait was her ability to race. She could pivot on a dime, at high speed, reminding me of a wild rabbit. And if there IS a wild rabbit around, I had to have a good grip on the leash or else she was gone!

She passed away from kidney failure in May of 2001 at age 12.