For 16 years Daddy was a valued member of the Millan family. He became theirs at 4 month so of age and spread his calm attitude to all that met him. I feel like I know this dog myself. I have watched the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel for years. I have read Cesar’s books and I have fallen in love with a Pitbull. As a Pomeranian lover you would think that loving a Pit would be crazy. The seems so opposite from each other.
Daddy was the gentle giant of his breed and a great ambassador. I cried the episode where a man had fear of dogs all his life and ended up playing with Daddy as the dog rolled onto his back and exposed his belly for him. The noises, growls and grunts that came out of him just made me grin from ear to ear. Thank you for changing my attitude toward your breed Daddy. On the day I learned of your passing I was in the pet store and a little 8 week old Pit puppy was there in a girls arms. In the past, I would have had thoughts like “How cute but what a terror he will be when he grows up”. Instead, I reached out and tickled his face and said, “Are you going to be a good Daddy or maybe a Junior when you grow up?” and walked away feeling very maternal and loving toward the tiny innocent pup.
Daddy is said to have passed quietly with his family. My heart breaks. I haven’t been able to write this until today. If a dog you have never met, that lives clear on the opposite side of the US, can touch you that deeply imagine how many others have been touched. How many others have had their attitudes changed toward Pitbulls over all? Daddy has had quite an effect on all of the people and dogs he has personally ( doggally??) helped to rehabilitate but that’s not all. He has left quite a legacy. Daddy has helped to change the perception of the general public. Not an easy thing to do.
My heart goes out to the Millan family and those at the Center. My heart goes out to the Nat. Geo. crew and anyone who has ever had the privilege of meeting Daddy. I know a little piece of all of us went with him but that’s okay. He gave so much to us…
The DEAR Fund will provide assistance for dogs who are victims of abuse or violence, man-made disasters(hoarder and puppy mill rescues), and large-scale natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, and other natural catastrophes).
Hey, Claudia!
Wanted to tell you that J and I are thinking about getting another pom in the next year. I’m reading through your site (or rather Abby’s site — amazing the work she can do w/o opposable thumbs!) But wanted to know if there is anything you can think of we should be aware of. For instance, helping Chewie adjust; whether the gender makes a diff (Chew is a male); sharing toys, etc vs respecting Chew’s stuffage. I’ll continue to look online, but thought I’d run it past you. J is pretty set on buying from a breeder. Generally, I’m a big proponent of shelter adoption. I figure, if our goal is acquiring another fuzzy family member and spreading the love, I could care less how pure bred the animal may be. Y’know? Your thoughts?
Thanks!
L
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Hi L!!
I’m so happy to hear that. They say Poms are like potato chips you can’t have just one. First off, there is another option for adopting. Check out a Pom Rescue. They have all sorts of ages and usually are purebreds or at least a Pom mix.
I have two girls and they are both fixed. In my experience boys are a bit more “excitable” so to speak. I know when I’ve seen groups together the boys are a bit more rambunctious. My girls, once out of the first year are both calm sweethearts. So that is something to keep in mind. Plus, with the doggy dominance thing, another male may make Chewie feel like he has to act out. It all depends on the second ones personality. If he is going to be assertive, Chewie will have to decide if he wants to be the boss or if the new pup is happy go lucky then things may just fall into place.
If you get a baby then just be aware of the fragility of a new tiny pom. Physically they shouldn’t jump off things, be around toddlers and they need to eat regularly so their sugar level doesn’t drop (But the breeder should explain all this plus not allow a brittle hypoglycemic puppy leave their care.) etc.
Biggest advice is, dogs have a pack instinct and will love having other dogs unless they themselves are old and feeble and feel threatened. They tend to work out their hierarchy themselves if we just let them. Pomeranians are very people focused and the biggest issues I have run across are jealousy of my attention. Then it’s just like kids, you have to play referee and divvy up your time.
Hope that helps get you started! Thanks for our first “dear Abby” lol
Good luck! … and be sure to let us know how it goes!
Claudia
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Abby& Mama!
Thanks for the response. We will definitely check out Pom Rescue and similar services. Chewie is very pack-oriented. We belong to him and he’s a snuggler. He is very excitable and I will warrant a guess that he has tendencies towards dominance — he and J have a little power struggle going that he doesn’t exhibit with me. (“He” meaning Chewie….well, and J too for that matter.) J got Chewie when he was a newborn, palm-sized Pom and so is well experienced with that stage. I’ll keep you informed. Thanks again!
Each year we hear of Dogs that save lives. Each year we hear of fires from Christmas trees. This one is both of those stories. I just read an article about Tuffy, a 2 year old Pomeranian who became a hero. A family of 5 in Michigan is alive today thanks to Tuffy. In the cold hours of the early Sunday morning, the little dogs barking woke them up in time to escape through a bedroom window. They didn’t have a smoke detector but they had a furry angel instead. Unfortunately, is sounds like he was in a panic because the article states he ran off before they could catch him.
They call Pomeranians “yappy”. Well, every time I hear a story like this or one about robbers avoiding houses with noisy small dogs, I thank God for ‘yappy’ dogs. God bless you Tuffy and I know you will bark your little heart out when your family joins you after a longer life. Five lives you helped to see another day. You certainly earned your wings.
Ready to get a jump on the holidays? The humane society of the US has a great collection of the cutest dog and cat holiday cards available. What a great way to to spread that holiday cheer and help out those homeless pets.
Pop over to their site and browse. They have the cutest pictures and pet artwork. Cats Dogs and more. Gorgeous wildlife shots and They even have a beautiful annual Christmas tree ornament of seals. Titles like “Sealed with a kiss” , “Pandas first snow” or “Jolly old cat” fill the pages.
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named ‘Lucky.’ Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky’s toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky’s other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease….in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her…what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary’s dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won’t understand that I didn’t want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn’t even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn’t come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn’t understand what was wrong. She couldn’t move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!
While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It’s been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
Remember….live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget….the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.
Welcome to LitteAbbysAdventures.com We are undergoing an upgrade and site redesign. Thanks for your patience as we will return shortly. You are welcome to sign up for our RSS feed and be notified as all the changes have been made! Hugs & Nuzzles
What a happy day! I hope you slept on a soft quilted bed last night too. My humans move a bit too much for my taste but there is nothing like waking up flat on my back with my belly being rubbed. MMMmmmmm the warm fuzzy feeling of love. sigh…
Well now, where were we? Ahh yes, When I was a wee pup free to frolic and lay about all day. (MMM well , yes, technically I do that now too but…. you know what I mean right?) During the daylight hours we played, did our studies and ate. We moved to yummy Eukenuba puppy food when mom was done with nursing us. It was fine but a little awkward getting it out of the shiny disc. It was better wet but I heard something “the people” said about good for teeth. Funny thing to say, I just know my tummy doesn’t make weird noises after I eat.
One morning in late May of 2005, after a good bit of fun, I heard some of the big dogs talking about guests. Apparently, a guest is a big deal in the house. “Everyone must be on their best behavior,” mom said. Dad even got his fur shortened. He was quite dapper in his short coat. I think it must have felt good because he was even bouncier than usual. He said he felt 10 pounds lighter. lol That’s funny when you consider he only weights 4 1/2 pounds! I knew it was time when some of the lookouts rang the alarm. Barks filled the air and word spread quickly. We all ran to the other door for a good view. A big shiny white thing rolled up and 4 humans of various sizes got out. I was a little nervous. I have to be honest. I could feel the excitement in the room growing as they got closer and closer.
The “guests” came into the den and there was a lot of people talk. Funny thing was they all sat on the ground instead of on the big stuffed things like usual. I guess this wasn’t so bad after all. My brother and cousins were being picked up and they tried to talk to the guests. I was so embarrassed when my brother started swinging from the girls long fur but she didn’t seem to mind at all. She actually laughed.
I stayed back a bit and watched. Just as I was about to duck for cover behind the lady she started to talk softly to me. I don’t know what the heck she said but I liked the sound of her voice. It was soft and happy. Reminded me of my mom as she coaxed us to eat. I looked up at the lady and stepped toward her. She turned more to me and I climbed into her hands as she scooped me up to her chest. I felt strangely quiet. It was a little much at first. She smelled good, kinda fruity but it was the slow quiet way she rubbed my fur and let me look around. By this time it was a bit chaotic. Dad was jumping from couch to couch exclaiming that he was master of all he surveyed. It was quite a giggle. Mom didn’t seem to think so though. She with her quiet beauty just sat to the side and observed the strangers.
After some time, I began to settle in this comfy warm spot. I even was fighting sleep as I heard the ladies heartbeat so loud on her chest. She handed me to the man for a few minutes and she went over to my mom. Mom started to get up and go under the table but the lady talked softly to her in that voice I liked and she stopped. The two females discussed something and then the lady came back get me. Next thing I knew we were outside and walking to the big white moving thing. I burrowed into the ladies chest and she made those nice sounds again as we climbed inside and started to move. I was so scared. Where were we going? Was I going to be home in time for dinner??
Well, this being my first entry I thought it best to tell you about myself and my family. I’m here online with the help of my Mama and most of the time you will hear my voice in translation. However, at time my Mama will chime in and help with extra tid bits of info from her human perspective. We are both here to share our love and enjoyment of the Pomeranian breed. Hopefully we will learn from you as much as you learn from us.
My mama and I have been together for three years now and though she isn’t an expert on all things dogs or pom she certainly is well read and happy to explore any topics that arise above her knowledge base. She and I only ask as you come to laugh with us and enjoy all things Pom that you show your appreciation by bookmarking my site and telling your friends about it. Hopefully you will be coming back often to see what’s new and share what you and your I would like to have our own community here. A place where we can all share with each other.
I was born a happy go lucky little 4 1/2 ounce bundle of brown wet fluff. There were 3 other babies with me. I think 2 were boys and one other girl. One of the boys was my brother. (Typical boy pain in the rump.) The other two my cousins. I digress… What a happy bunch of barkers were we born into, free to roam and ready for fun. Mom, Zoe, was a gorgeous super model with auburn hair just to die for. She would sit and brush it all day. Dad, Jack, was the clown of the bunch. He thought himself quite “studly”. .giggle. I’ll tell you more about my early years later. I’m more “worldly” now and just wanted to introduce myself and my family. My real family are my humans. I have a Mama, Papa, Sissy and Brother too. We live in Florida and do all sorts of fun things. So please feel free to check back or even place me on you RSS feed for when you need a smile and maybe even a little “pick-me-up”.
Dearest friends, Thank you for coming back to Little Abby's Adventures. Recently our site was attacked by a nasty little man who practiced his "skills" on our wordpress system. I have had to start from scratch and have been doing my best to reassemble the site. I beg for your continued patience while I single-handedly recreate 3 years worth of work. HUGS and nuzzles, Mama & Abby
