There's a Chihuahua in the House!

I'm not saying rush out and buy a puppy, far from it.

 

Such an animal is a very serious commitment and if little one is tiny and often poorly then the extra hassle and hygiene worries would have tipped me over the edge. Wee and poo accidents on the floor near a crawling toddler would make me shudder. Finding time to train and walk and play with a new pet amidst hospital appointments and stays would have caused additional stress.

BUT, we are in a good place now (touch wood), the heart surgery is over, the appointments are few and far between. Natty knows not to eat a tail or a poo. So we took the plunge into puppydom.

I have observed the most unexpected upside to have Pippin in our house. Natty is no longer the youngest, smallest member. She can no longer grab most of the attention by means fair or foul. The dog has been a learning curve for her, at first nervous, now able to feed and pick him up, even attaching his lead today. I caught her carrying him to his toilet, saying "do poo poo here Pippin." Now she is the teacher.

Something has switched on in Nattys head. Another leap has been made. And suddenly she is conversing differently, full sentences are flowing. Tonight she used her knife and fork perfectly, bedtime was easier. It's as if she now feels more grown up because we have a new 'baby' in the house.

Puppy Pippin joins Downs Side Up

Before someone helpfully leaps in and tells me that dogs aren't just for Christmas, I'll explain that we have been toying with the idea of a puppy for many months. 

I favoured something large and robust. Daddy Downs Side Up thought something tiny would be easier to manage and less threatening to the girls. He was right.

3 days after Christmas a friends forwarded an ad for Chihuahuas that she had seen locally.  That, as they say, was that. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

The madness and travel of Christmas had passed. We were ready and the ideal dog was waiting.

Here is a *CUTE PIC KLAXON* photo of Natty meeting her dog Pippin for the first time. What has been lovliest is that she is no longer the tiniest member of the G Unit, the one who needs toiletting help and explanations of how life works. She is now explaining and dictating to the micro-puppy, who, in DS terms, is just the right size for her to manage.