I switched my last dog from clippers to the grinder because was not having any part of the clippers after his very first experience. It only took him a couple of times before he got use to it and actually didn't mind it - even looked forward to it when you took him in because you could hear him "tap dancing" as walked. Probably didn't hurt the folks doing the grinding fawned all over him and gave him a treat afterwards either.

I echo the sorrow for your loss, @sputnik. It is always so difficult. I was awake for 51 hours straight after the loss of my last one. It has taken me five years to get over it.

Actually that's not true - I'll never really ever get over it. But after five years I have finally gotten to the point where I am ready to have another one in my life and to give them a great life. Just starting to slowly explore. Not in any hurry, but will certainly grab "the one" the moment I find them.

It's time I post this. 2015 was an absolutely horrible year for me. Among way too much other crap that year, within a six-week period I lost my last remaining aunt, my dog Buddy, and my mother. Threes. And a devastatingly decimating set of three it was.

That's Buddy in the picture with Santa. Full-sized pure bred chihuahua. A real loverboy and ever playful. Always quiet, never one of those constant yappers. But extremely alert - nothing snuck past this four-pawed security alarm.

It's taken me the better part of 5 years to get to the point that I did in early March 2020 where I felt I was ready for another dog. Buddy was my first small dog, having only owned basset hounds all my life (three of them over the years starting from when I was six years old.) It didn't take long to see some of the advantages of a smaller dog once I had Buddy, especially as I grew older along side of him. So I decided that, when it's time, I'd get another small dog.

It's time.

To spare you hearing (and me reliving) the details in the interim, I'll skip to the end: the brother and sister pups in the second picture were born on March 31st. The female (black, in the background) was already spoken for when I stumbled upon them, so I'm taking the chocolate and tan male in the foreground. He'll be ready to come home in June. Fine with me - there's a lot of puppy-proofing to be done before then. And you always miss something; typically lots of somethings.

Haven't thought of a name for him yet. I do have a few candidate names on my list, but I always wait until they've settled in, we bond, and I see more of their personality before I finally choose a name. Buddy was called "puppy" for nearly a month until one day mom asked "So how's your buddy?" That did it. Don't know if something like that will happen this time, but I want to give him that same opportunity to effectively choose his own name.

The only thing I haven't mentioned is his breed. So to make this at least a few seconds of fun, let's see how long it takes the first person to post the breed of these siblings. One clue: they are NOT chihuahuas.

Buddy With Santa (resized).jpgIt's Time (resized).jpeg

Nope.

Nope.

Sorry, but no to both.

Another hint: They are NOT teacup anythings. But they will be small as adults.

Nope. But when they have black and golden brown markings they are dead ringers for a minpin.

I always thought that's the way I would be. Four dogs later and picking up my fifth in 3 weeks, I'll just say a couple of things that I found:

1. You need to be ready for your next dog. You have to grieve the loss and take some time getting used to being without a dog. In time, I've always found it's better to have one. This last time took 5 years to get to the point where I was ready for another one.

2. You cannot compare dogs to each other. Each will capture your heart in their own ways. None of your dogs are better than any of the others. They're just different but wonderful for being different.

3. But the thing that always makes me eventually want to get another dog was when a friend told me along time ago that *I* was being selfish for not wanting another dog sometime down the road. As I was about to tell her where she could stick that kind of talk, she said "Look at you. You're focusing on the one bad thing and not the millions of really good things over all they years you had him. And that one bad thing is INEVITABLE. It's going to happen to all of us, humans and canines alike. There's nothing you can do about it. So there's no reason to even think about it, let alone dwell on it. That dog had an absolutely wonderful and very loving home and an extremely happy life all because *YOU* were his pet parent. Far too many dogs NEVER get that. I'll let the famous Starfish Story wrap this up.

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While I was a mere tot barely 1 year old and obviously don't remember any of this, we owned a beagle named Rusty. My parents told me about him when they gave me my first dog, a Bassett hound, when I was six. The thing I remember from what they said about Rusty is that he was a tremendous and clever escape artist and that they should have named him Houdini. He'd do things like wait until my mom was carrying a big basket of laundry outside to hang on the clothesline. Then as she'd hold the basket up momentarily to open the door, he'd sneak outside beneath her basket and instantly dart around the corner - she'd never see him. They were always puzzled about how he got out. It took my father being home on a holiday to see it happen. So dad enclosed a good part of the backyard with a fence. Rusty still got out. When they finally caught him, the saw that Rusty was literally climbing the fence! He'd climb to the top, teeter a bit to get his balance, then spring out.

Well, tomorrow’s the day I bring my little guy home! Very excited to be a doggy daddy again. We have never met in person, so it’s like I have “good butterflies” thinking about it. Any final guesses as to his breed? I’ll tell everyone tomorrow night unless someone pegs it before.

Here’s the latest picture I have of him from about a week ago.

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Sorry, not a Mexican Chihuahua.
But a great guess!

Nope. Not a teacup anything.

No. He’s not a mix; he’s a purebred.

No, but the closest guess so far!

Again not a mix - but your Toby is darned near the spitting image of my last dog Buddy who was a chihuahua:

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OK, fellow canine-loving pinheads, allow me to formally introduce Dobby - my new Pražský Krysařík - aka, Prague Ratter!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pražský_Krysař%C3%ADk

Posting this while out and about as I forgot to do it this morning.
More later!

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Extremely alert, incredibly quick. He's a hefty 3 lbs. right now and will end up tipping the scales at (at most) 7 lbs. when fully grown ... which will only be another inch or two longer than he is now and (at most) 9" to the shoulder.

Alternated whimpering and sleeping on the 5-hour ride home on Monday. Curled up next to me in bed Monday night. Slept the whole night. Did it again last night. I think we're settling into a routine already.

He’s run all the squirrels off already. Right now the squirrels are regrouping in an undisclosed location trying to figure out how they can recapture my yard as their territory.

Here's one of Dobby from his observation deck keeping an eye on all activity on the bike trail, and another one asking the all-important question: "Are you going to stay downstairs for a while this time, or are you coming right back upstairs again?"

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1st pic: Dobby a HALF second after the iPhone's camera shutter went off.
2nd pic: Dobby a FULL second after the iPhone's camera shutter went off.

Alert but not worried - he's heard that sound a LOT in the 4 weeks I've had him!

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Dobby After Shutter Click (resized).jpg

The easiest way to name him is to not focus on TRYING to name him.
Let the right name present itself. It always does.

Whippet good!!!

Here's a few of Dobby in his car seat.
You can't see it in the pics, but there's a tether in the lower rear that connects to his harness
The seat itself has a set of front straps that anchors it tightly around the forward console and a set of rear straps that anchor it tightly on each side around the driver and passenger seats.

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Shhh!!! Don’t tell him!!!
He thinks he’s a Pražský Krysařík - aka, a Prague Ratter!

Dobby has developed a penchant for standing while sitting. He does it on everything: the stairs, one of my feet, his larger toys, etc.
I haven't been able to snap a pic until now since the minute I make any kind of move, he usually moves.
So tonight I tired him out real good in a play session. Once he took this stance (?), he stayed like that to rest.
I availed myself of that golden opportunity!

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As the weather has gotten cooler, I brought out a blanket for the bed. Right away Dobby began to crawl under it. He'll sleep all night completely under the blanket. First time he did it I went all over the house looking for him when I got up because the bed looked like a heap of sheets and blankets like it always does in the morning.

I managed to snap this pic during a recent afternoon nap. And here I thought I was the only one who will periodically stay under the covers to keep warm, but stick my feet out because they're too warm.

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Fortunately I had my phone in hand when Dobby jumped onto the window sill.

(And I really do need to remount the bottom moulding on that chest of drawers one of these days.)

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