Princess

Amidst all my computer issues, one of Della's TOPS pals told her she had a little dog that she was trying to find a new home for. This dog was a 5 year old fixed female, a cross between a Pug and a Pekingese, weighed about 10 pounds and had a severe overbite. The woman has several other dogs and this one seemed continually fearful of sharing her environment with so many other canines. When Della mentioned this in passing to me the next day, I said, "When can we go see her?"

We made arrangements to go see the little doggy on Wednesday afternoon. You can imagine our surprise when a) the dog looked nothing like a Pug and b) weighs between 25 - 30 lbs.! It was readily apparent that this was a very nervous girl because, as she came to greet us (sort of), she was shaking like a leaf.

We had our other dog, Jasmine, with us, so we introduced the two and they almost seemed disinterested in the other. We took this as a most positive sign as it might indicate no aggression between the two of them. It didn't take either of us more than 5 minutes to decide that we had found a new sissy for Jasmine.

Princess (a name I wouldn't have chosen, but it DOES fit her personality) came home with us and, as of today, is becoming less nervous and fitting in with the Smith home. She has decided that I am her mother and follows me from room-to-room all day long. When I went to the grocery store yesterday, Della said she stood at the window and cried for about 5 minutes, then sulked around until I arrived back home.

One of these days I may post pictures of our two dogs, but for right now, I'll explain a bit more about her breed. It's obvious that she predominantly is an overweight Tibetan Spaniel. If you use the Wikipedia link provided, she looks a lot like the photo EXCEPT that she does not have a Pug snout. No, her snout more resembles that of a Papillion (not the ears, though).

She is very sweet and loves the role of being a lap dog. She has several very quirky behaviors, e.g., she likes to try to turn over dog feeding bowls. We were told that she NEVER barks, but we quickly discovered this is not true. She barks at strange noises and when I get more than a room or two away (probably fearful that she has been left behind).

I think she is going to fit in very nicely with our family and me, in particular. I've missed having a constant companion since my dear Scruffy died in January 2009.