Lucy
My name is Lucy and I am a very tiny deer head type Chihuahua. Boy do I
have a story to tell!
My sister, Pepperanne, and I came from the same place only Pepperanne ended up
alot less scared than me. My mom was working with Wee Rescue at that time,
and walked into the house where all the new dogs were sent to be evaluated and
treated by the vet before going to foster homes. She knew the group was
helping in a situation where 90 dogs had been living in terrible conditions at a
woman's home in San Antonio. She was about to have all the animals taken
from her but lucky for me, she voluntarily let us go into various rescue groups
so we could find good homes. We were there only for breeding and some of
my friends were bred so often and until they were so old, some did not live very
long after we were released.
Mom's group took out 20 of us. We came in all shapes: Yorkies,
Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, and Maltese. We had been kept in cages with many
other dogs all the years we were there. Some of us were never touched or
held. I was already three years old when I left there and thank goodness
too as that was considered young for most of us that were caged there.
Well, my friend, Ricky and me, (he is a Chihuahua like me) ended up with Wee
Rescue. We were the only two Chihuahuas to land there! And the thing was
that we were sooooooooooooooooooo scared of people that we wouldn't let them
touch us or pick us up. In fact, in order for anyone to move us from one
place to the other, they had to throw a big blanket over us and "catch" us that
way.
We were put in a nice pen inside a lady's house. Her name is Joanne.
Wee Rescue's friend, Peggy, brought us to her. Then my mom walked in...we
were so curious, we would run over to the edge of the pen to see her or whoever
else was around....that is, until she got close to the pen. Sometimes, we
would even stand on our little hind legs to take a peek at what was going on
around us....but if anyone came close we ran like crazy to get back to our
little bed to hide (we had never had a bed before)!
Well, my mom came unglued. She said that she had never really planned to
live with a Chihuahua before, but when she saw us, she thought we were too cute
for words. She likes those kind of dogs that "normal" people would not
take a chance on...I mean since we weren't touchable or anything! ...And
she especially loved me cuz I was the oldest and Ricky was still really a puppy.
She thought about it overnight and the next day she came back to take me to my
new home and to meet my sisters there. So she went about trying to catch
me...I sure made it hard on them! But she thought it was sad and funny at
the same time and so did her friend Joanne...
At the same time, my mom fell in love with Pepperanne, who had come to Joanne's
house the same way as me. She took us home together. She spent the
entire summer that year, catching me with a blanket or towel and holding me to
her chest as she worked on the computer or did other things around the house.
She was trying to teach me that humans were good and that touching and petting
felt nice. I finally have learned and now I love it when she picks me up
and rubs my belly.
I went to the vet and I weighed only 3 lbs. but I was not particularly
malnourished; just very small. My teeth, though, were in very bad
condition from having spent many hours I spent chewing on my cage. I have
had to have several dentals and have lost several teeth, but that is okay since
mom softens my food for me so I can eat all that I want. I am a little fat
Chihuahua now weighing a little over 4 pounds! Well fat for me
anyway....but she doesn't care since I used to take my food and hide it to eat
later like I learned to do when I lived in the cage with all those other
Chihuahua's. Now I am learning that there is enough food to eat when I
need it so I am beginning to stop my hoarding! It has taken me awhile
since I have lived here now for over 3 years.
Do you know what happened to my little friend Ricky? He was adopted that
very same week by the most loving people...they named him Conaan, the warrior so
he would overcome his fears. The last I have heard he is doing so well and
he is happy like me!
Precious little Lucy passed away on July 26, 2007 from Immune Mediated
Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) after a short and difficult battle. Those who love
her are filled with grief.
Lucy's birthday is March 29, 1999
Lucy was 8 years, 4 months old
She came to be loved by us on her first day in her forever home during the
summer, of 2002.