Video taken at adoptions

Sunshine is about midway through with a pink collar and halter on...

Update

We have now had Sunshine with us seven months and we're shocked she is still with us... She's friendly at adoptions now and allows people to pet her... She plays ALL DAY LONG with the pups and babies... She's always tended to play with Nacho, but seems to favor the younger dogs... Sunshine weighs 8.3 pounds and will be 2 years old soon... Maybe Santa will bring her a furever home, 'cause she's been a good girl this year!

Brrrr.... It is Tshirt & sweater time!

With the onslaught of fall and the cooler nights, it is T-shirt and sweater time around here... Thankfully most of those with short-haired coats don't mind wearing a T-shirt or sweater!  Isn't Sunshine dashing in her polka dots???

More progress...

Sunshine has been with me now for over two months and there's been a TON of changes in her life in the past weeks... From being a mom and protector of Gizmo, Sunshine arrived here snarling and unhappy if another dog even came within two feet of her or her puppy...

Although she probably never had to socialize with other dogs to any great extent as a backyard breeder, Sunshine has learned a lot of canine manners from the dogs around her... And she has grown into one absolute sweetheart, still preferring to sleep on my shoulder with her nose underneath my chin at night...

At one time, I felt sure she'd have to find a furever home with no other dogs, but now I no longer hold that opinion... Being spayed has radically changed her personality for the better (like it always does with intact dogs - male or female)... She still doesn't care to be slept upon, but now is willing to sleep with other dogs (as long as she is not at the very BOTTOM of the dog pile... )... She still thoroughly enjoys her morning sunbathing and I love to watch her watch the world around us... I always sit there and wonder what she's thinking about... What level of thinking do dogs actually do? Beyond just watching a butterfly float by her, what is she thinking about that, ya know? She usually has this look of intense concentration and I've caught her watching the TV (National Geographic) with some pretty intense stares...

Quiet by nature, she's joined the 'Teeny Pool' as I call them - the tiny Chihuahuas who are her size or smaller... She has begun play bowing, tail wagging - especially with Scudders and Princess... Something I never thought I'd see...

Beyond just being social creatures by nature, Chihuahuas tend to be clannish and I thought Sunshine was a bit odd initially because she didn't seem to have this trait... I guess it was all a matter of time and trust before she'd develop this unique character trait of this awesome breed!

P.S. She's also grown into being an 'UC' Chi... (undercover Chi)... Preferring to have at least her head (if not her body) under a light blankee to sleep!

Poor Sunshine...

Poor Sunshine keeps getting left behind as others get adopted and go onto their furever home and I just don't understand why... She's such a sweetie and I think it's because she doesn't show well at adoptions... She doesn't stick out with some amazing markings... She's more of a one-on-one kind of dog

But every night? She curls up in bed with me on my shoulder, laying her head in the crook of my neck with her nose underneath my chin... Sunshine could readily be taught to be a "purse puppy" for she loves to travel and walk around, out and about... She accepts being dressed up and wears a small size... Sunshine would make an awesome companion for someone who wants to spoil a little one, but yet not go through the gruesome puppy stage of *poopin', piddlin', eatin' and sleepin'* (to be repeated from the beginning over and over again)... (smile)...

We need to find Sunshine's furever family... Are you all out there somewhere?

Sunshine in the evening!

When we pulled Sunshine from one of the local shelters, she was considered 'snarfy' or 'nippy'... She's still not happy if she gets crowded too much by other dogs, but I wanted to post this photo of her with my husband... Right after I snapped the photo, she laid her head back on his shoulder and went to sleep...



So much for being nippy or snarfy, huh? (smile)

At night, she cuddles up and prefers to sleep under the covers with her head on my shoulder or touching me somewhere... She couldn't be a sweeter little pup if she wanted to be!

Coco did well at adoptions, as did Chloe & Sunshine

Our three somewhat fearful dogs did real well at adoptions yesterday - Coco, Chloe and Sunshine. I'm VERY proud of all three of them - Coco and Chloe especially. They handled the whole experience very well - not just being in the crates, but all the people coming by, new volunteers picking them up and holding them, etc.

Despite none of the three were adopted, it was a very good opportunity to be socialized and learning to handle new experiences and strangers that won't hurt, harm or scare them. Every new experience handled with TLC and patience is one more step forward to getting back to what a dog should be - able to trust and love unconditionally.

Sunshine's son, Gizmo, got adopted by a great family with young children and a mom that promises to love him to death.

Bravo, you three! I'm very proud of all of you!

Sunshine kisses...

Sunshine is definitely starting to 'blossom' now... Last night she crawled into bed with us and is an 'undercover Chihuahua' apparently... Thankfully she does not snore!

This morning she enjoyed sitting out on the Chi futon by the pool, sunbathing...



Although she's a few ounces underweight, her coat is like silk... And as the sunlight hits it, you can see blonde hairs intermingled in her coat - almost like sunbeams as the light hits it... I think I picked a pretty appropriate name for this little one!

And she's faithful about using the doggie door to go potty as well... She's eating well for me, so I expect she'll readily pick up the few ounces she needs soon enough...

Sunshine has been giving me kisses left and right today too!... When I sit down, she begs to be picked up and curls up for a snooze... Wherever I go, she is now following me around the house... She's not barky either, so she will make someone a great addition to their family!

Mother and son arrive...

I don't know very much about these two little ones yet - they just arrived yesterday... I am sure as time goes along, I'll be adding a lot more information to their blogs, but for now, this is their back story...

Apparently they were part of a backyard breeder's 'stock' and the mom ended up in the shelter system... With no proof of ownership besides bringing in the son, they were unable to establish themselves as owners and both mom and son ended up in the shelter system...

I've named the mom "Sunshine" because she needs some rays of sunlight to permeate her life now... Being a breeder like this is a horrible existence for a little dog, especially the Chihuahuas because they are such a 'one-person' kind of breed... Without that consistent human contact and socialization, they develop into that 'nasty, snarfy, yappy little rat dog' they have the reputation of becoming...

Sunshine was spayed yesterday and today she's not feeling very good, so I'm not even attempting to pick her up to gauge her temperament... She's tiny (5 lbs, 4 oz), and has already been micro-chipped, up to date on her shots, including rabies and will be licensed for Ventura County today... She's very protective of her son (Gizmo) right now, so we will give her the time she needs to settle in, stop feeling the pain from the spay and learn there is no one here that is going to hurt her... She's already starting eating for me (can't resist my home cooking of chicken and rice with veggies~!!!), so that's a good thing!

Her son, Gizmo, is another story... He's already friendly and outgoing, but looking for clues from mom as to what is trustworthy and what is not... Gizmo was neutered yesterday and as he's 8 weeks old, he's a little wobbly this morning on his back legs from the anesthesia yesterday... He too is eating and thoroughly enjoyed his dinner last night and breakfast this morning! Gizmo weighs 2 lbs, 9 oz and has gotten his first series of puppy shots, plus has been micro-chipped already...

Gizmo has an 'out-ty' belly button... The shelter tech thought it might be an umbilical hernia and when he was neutered, I asked that vet to look it and/or repair it if need be... That vet said it didn't need to be repaired... Gizmo also had one undescended testicle, but that issue was remedied during the neuter... Gizmo's front right foot is not properly formed, but he is walking on it fine... I think (?) he is missing one toe but I haven't handled him yet and can only report what I can actually see... I will have my vet look it closer next week to see if it is something that can be fixed as well as double-checking his belly button at the same visit... The foot is splayed outward, but not like a puppy mill puppy's usually is...

And finally, Gizmo has no tail... I'm not sure what happened there, but he has just a stub like a Boxer would after being docked... He wiggles it, but in turn, his entire butt wiggles at the same time... We named him Gizmo because of those ears of his... I'm sure he'll eventually grow into them, but for now, he reminds us of either Gizmo or Yoda, so Gizmo it was!

Gizmo will 'bunk up' shortly with Nacho in order to give Sunshine some much needed rest to recuperate from the traumas she's been through, plus being spayed... I'll post more information and pictures as I get them!