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She’s Come A Long Way

It was almost exactly a month ago that I came home from the grocery store to find a hungry little chihuahua rummaging through boxes in the carport looking for something to eat. As soon as she saw me, she ran into the woods. For about a week, we could catch a glimpse of her and she would run into the woods. I left dog food out but she never came back close enough to eat it. While I was gone to MO, Vince got a glimpse of her and he set a trap and caught her but while trying to transfer her to a kennel, she escaped and to quote Vince . . “she ran like a bat out of hell!” Over the next few days, he enticed her closer and closer to him until he was able to pet her but not pick her up. He made her a bed in the barrel of an old wet/dry vac and she slept there for a few nights. Then he bought a huge kennel (the size for a retriever!), put it in my sewing room and she slept in there for about a week. Then we decided she could sleep in a smaller crate in the house. After a few nights, we decided she was trustworthy enough to sleep on the sofa . . which has a slip cover and an old blanket.

She’s gone from staying outside all day and coming in after dark to staying inside all the time, except she goes out with us when we go out.

I had to laugh . . I’m sitting in my chair knitting and I looked over on the sofa to see this:

Rita Sleeping

Rita Sleeping

Sound asleep on her back with her leg up in the air. I guess the cell phone clicking interrupted her sleep and she stretched a bit before falling back to sleep.

Rita Stretching

Rita Stretching

She’s pretty comfortable with her new home. I’m thankful that wherever she came from, she was already house trained, she knows basic commands and except for being just a bit bossy with Speck, she isn’t a hard dog to have around.

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Comments

  1. I currently have three rescue basset hounds. Two were starved, one they didn’t think would make it. But both of the “Boyz” have recovered and I can’t get them OFF the sofa. They came a year apart but from the same place. And they were only two of 7 we have taken from the home. I can’t imagaine getting a cute basset hound pup then starving it to death.

    With my 30 plus years in rescue, and 45 as a dog trainer, I would imagaine she is the first in a long line you will “inherit” over the years. Once word gets around that you don’t shoot the dogs that are dumped, well, you will become the local drop off.

    Sad to say, good luck.

    glen

  3. I have a friend who lives near Yosemite, about once a month or so she’ll spot a dog on the road between work and home (mostly open country.) If it’s still there the next day, she’ll invite it into the car and take it home and feed it. She’s re-homed countless dogs, and kept several of them. We both hope someday people won’t be stupid enough to “drop the dog off in the country and let it take care of itself.” A lot of them get hit by cars or starve to death.

    Rita is so lucky to have found you and Vince!

  5. You gave her the name RITA … and she seems to be responding to it. What a smart little pup!!! I have acquired several dogs over the years … They all were given to me with a name that was responded to! I could not change any dogs name if I wanted to! Rita is surely a real “keeper”.

    • We had no idea what her previous name was so there wasn’t much we could do but change her name. I doubt her name was Rita! 🙂

      • So in addition to getting used to living with you, she’s adapted to being called Rita! Good girl!

  8. They are very bossy dogs and they think they are bigger then all the rest, but they are a loving loyal dog. and they will protect you and warn you if there is a problem that is not normal, Mine woke me up at 3:00 am to let me know my son was having a grand mall seizure,. You know have a friend for life… GOD bless

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