His Name Was Tiger

I had been wanting a dog for awhile. Watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and looking at the many breeds helped me decide.

I didn’t want a dog that out weighed me as I had pictures in my mind of being drug down the sidewalk by a beast I could not handle.

So many dog breeds to chose from!

Then I saw it — the perfect dog breed for me.

A Yorkshire Terrier.

Certainly a size I could handle with ease. Doesn’t eat much and doesn’t poop much. And I don’t need a shovel to clean up behind it. Now that’s a plus!

When I told my husband that I wanted a dog, a Yorkie Terrier, his exact words were, “A Yorkie, That’s not a dog!”

A Yorkie, That’s not a dog!

Well, you can imagine how the conversation went from there.

So, I began looking for Yorkies close to my home.

As it happens, we were having lunch at the mall and there was a pet store there.

After lunch we went in to look around and there I see a tiny Yorkie in a cage with a Dachshund. They were cuddled together like best buds.

Of course, I asked to hold the Yorkie. He was so tiny, about 2 3/4 pounds. Holding him was like holding air.

Anyway, the manager of the store said that he was on medical hold, but there were some people interested in him ahead of us.

His medical hold was because when he arrived his knee had slipped out of joint. This is called sub-laxating patella, which means slipping kneecaps. This is a condition that affects several breeds.

At the time, I didn’t know how serious it might be.

The manager said we could check back if we were interested to see if he was still available.

We waited 3 days and you can guess the rest. The other people didn’t want him. I was so excited and I couldn’t wait to get him!

We bought him a dog carrier (not a crate), toys, food and a small lead. He adjusted well to his new environment. He slept in his dog carrier the first night, but after that, he slept in the bed with us the rest of his life. We named him Tiger.

My husband made a ramp at the foot of the bed, so that Tiger could come and go as he pleased.

He did have anxieties. One of them was that he didn’t like the dark, so we began sleeping with a lamp on in the bedroom. It was a big room, so the lamp did not keep us awake.

He was very playful and loving. He loved little balls and could run very fast after them and if his leg slipped out of joint, he would continue to play on 3 legs.

He was a little guy, but he thought he was a Great Dane! He had a very big heart, full of fun and frolic.

He was so small that he would fit into my large purse. He went from 2 3/4 pounds to a full grown weight of 4 pounds. He would sit down quietly and no one ever knew I had a dog with me.

I bought a Sherpa dog carrier and took him everywhere I went. He would lay down quietly and never bark. The Sherpa bag was vented and he could see out. He never seemed to mind his bag.

Funny Story: We were in Barnes and Noble one day and I had Tiger in his Sherpa bag. I was looking at gardening books when a man came over and stood beside me. The man really smelled bad and Tiger was sniffing the air. His nose was really working! I could hear him sniffing and snorting

I moved away from the man to the opposite end of the aisle. but he moved closer again. I am sure he could hear all that sniffing going on, but I don’t think he new where it was coming from.

Finally, I went to find my husband. And the man stayed behind. But Tiger never barked or growled, he just sniffed.

At the time that I bought Tiger, I did not know about puppy mills and pet stores. I have since learned a great deal and realize that the dogs that are sold in pet stores may be from puppy mills where the parents are over bred.

Many times these dogs never see grass , sun or have any kind human contact.

With so many dogs in shelters, there is no reason to buy a dog from a pet store.

Yes, there are hundreds of pure bred dogs in shelters across America.

If you do a search on Google you will find many different breeds available. If you are looking for a new furry companion, please check the shelters. Also check Pet Finder.

Tiger lived to be 14 years old. He still looked like a puppy when he passed away. I hope to adopt another Yorkie or two some day soon.

Yorkies are cool!