Freya Lorelei ([info]freyalorelei) wrote,
@ 2009-07-19 17:52:00
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Current mood: calm

Don't get me wrong, I love the teenydog, but....
After a year and a half of living with Cricket, I have decided that I will never, ever have a dog under 10 lbs. While she is darling and possessed of a sparkling personality, after two broken legs in under a year and hypoglycemia, she is just way too delicate. In addition, she seems to have no clue that she IS delicate, and shows no qualms in leaping off furniture* and wrestling with the cats, even on three-and-a-half legs. (Technically she still has all her limbs, but the left front leg sort of...dangles and isn't good for much more than keeping balance.)

So my next dog? Whippet. Totally, completely, and utterly whippet. A medium-sized breed that I'm familiar with and that has few physical weaknesses. Toy breeds are adorable, and I love my Pekingese (actually, I wouldn't mind having another of those, but good breeders are hard to find, and I'd be leery of ill-bred rescues), but I don't want anything inclined to athleticism without the sturdiness to back it up.

I've also considered rescue greyhounds, but they're a bit on the large side for me. Large dog = large food bill + large waste to clean up.



*It was just the one time, from a height of maybe eight inches; we monitor her VERY carefully, but she can be so freakin' fast and agile that it's hard to prevent her sometimes. Spindly Chihuahua body + fearless Dachshund brain is a nightmare combination.


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(Anonymous)
2009-07-20 03:07 am UTC (link)
First off, congratulations on your new position, Scribe. :D

Eight inches? Seriously? That is fragile and talk about having no sense of self preservation. Is she smaller than a regular Chihuahua? My grandmother's wouldn't have had a problem from that height but place her on a chair and she wouldn't have budged. But Chihuahuas aren't as fragile as they look.

I've seen a Labrador hesitate on a particular step on a staircase as he apparently missed that step once (apparently that really traumatized him) so it's rather comical to watch, as he'll take like half a minute before he'll move further down the steps.

But what is the prognosis from the vet about her leg? If she can't put weight on it, knowing that she has fragile legs, there's a lot of stress on her other foot, which well, could lead to bad things.

If I do get another dog, my top three choices are: Welsh (Pembroke) Corgi, Dachshund, Labrador.

By the by, did you ever get my e-mail I sent like a month ago?

-J

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[info]freyalorelei
2009-07-20 05:45 am UTC (link)
At 3 1/2 lbs, she's lighter than a purebred Chihuahua, and her legs are ridiculously skinny for her body. She's built more on the lines of an Italian Greyhound than anything else. Her father was a miniature Dachshund, her mother was a crappy backyard bred Chihuahua with loooong legs, and she's the runt of the litter--both of her siblings are literally twice her size.

The vet tested her leg, and she had response in two of her toes. If she maintains live nerves in her foot for at least another week, she gets to keep the leg, which is far, far preferable to amputation. It will help her keep her balance, and eventually the tendons will strengthen enough to allow her some support on that leg.

And yes, she is truly fearless...she regularly romps around with Stosh, my roommate's dad's 65 lb German Shorthaired Pointer (or she did before the break, I don't know if she'll resume that level of activity), and two of her best friends at the grooming salon are Huskies. (Her very best friend--yes, Cricket has a best friend--is a longhaired Chihuahua, although she really gravitates more toward the big dogs.)

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