When your children grow up and leave home!

When your children are grown up and leave home, they leave a hollow empty feeling. Then they give us beautiful grandchildren that we love with all our hearts. We know these grandchildren belong to their mom and dad. We have no say as to what they should be allowed to eat, drink, or wear. Our kids have read all about how it should be done. They have their own views as to how to raise their children. We have to stand back, and let them be the parents. We love our grand children with unconditional love, no doubt about that. They may come visit and we enjoy them, But they still have to go home with mom and dad. Then the day comes when
the grand children grow up and would rather be with friends, and do their own thing.

We are dog lovers in our family. We have had pets as long as I can remember. They have all been special in their own way. We have fond memories of all the pets we know are in dogie heaven.

Our daughter Michelle, decided she wanted a little chihuahua for her birthday. Her husband Jeff who loves her very much, and would do anything for and bought her a beautiful little tiny black and white chihuahua. Michelle told me Jeff named her Skittle. He fell in love with this tiny tiny bundle of joy, who was so much like a baby. I fell in love with her. I told my husband, honey you always ask what I want for Christmas, and get mad cause I can not think of anything I want. Well I want a chihuahua like Skittle.

My wonderful husband, who loves me, wanted to grant my wish. He went to the lady who was selling some who looked just like Skittle. When I got home, he handed me this tiny little puppy. It was not the same as Skittle. He told me it was a male puppy, the lady let him have it for $150.00 less cause it was sick. I was in disbelief, as I looked at the puppy. It was wheezing and so frail. My first impulse was to take it back. I called the lady she said she still had some that looked like Skittle. My husband said it is yours, do what you want. Michelle and my grand kids, said Nana it will die if you take it back. Needless to say I could NOT take this baby back. I can also tell you this I think if my husband had not bought HER, she would have died. The lady selling her, had just had twins. I do not think anyone else would have wanted to buy a sick puppy. I took her to the vet, gave her medicine, was up a lot of nights, just as if I had a new born baby. She became my little princess. My grand daughter Jessica, asked me to name her Peaches. As Jessica normally has her way with me, she was named Peaches.

Peaches must have bonded with my husband the day he drove home with her. She is truly a daddies girl. My husband used to think a small dog was worthless. He was used to having big dogs. I think the reason he used to think that is because he is such a tall, big, and rough looking man. He is in fact a teddy bear. Dogs have always taken to my husband. I tell him he has an aura about him, that animals always go to him to be petted.

Peaches, was supposed to be as little as Skittle. She wound up much bigger than what we expected. Size does not keep her from thinking she is a tiny baby. She is full of love, and affection for us both. She sleeps with us, and has never messed on the bed. She sleeps on the pillow, with the blankets up to her chin like a human. There are times she decides to crawl under the blankets to sleep. I love it when she does that, cause she keeps my legs warm. Waking up to her is a joy, she seems to always have a beautiful smile on her face.

Peaches does not like it when we leave her at home. She started chewing paper and shredding it into tiny little pieces. I knew it was her way of getting back at me for leaving her by herself. The vet said I needed to cage her up, when I had to be gone. I could not do that to our baby. I felt it would cause her to really feel abandoned.

As luck would have it, the lady who sold Skittle to my daughter, called her. The lady said she had a puppy that looked like Skittle, and remembered, I had wanted one just like Skittle. She asked Michelle, if I was still interested. My birthday was coming up in two months. Michelle decided to surprise me, and took me for a ride.

Yep, you guessed it, we went to the ladies house. She had one puppy that looked kind of like Skittle, and another one that looked like a doberman. Oh, they were so adorable. The lady had several other puppies. She told Michelle that if we took two she would give us a discount. Michelle, looked at me and said, well for $100.00 more, we can have both. Do you want them both? What a silly question, I thought. I was overwhelmed to have two more babies in our house hold. I just knew, Peaches, was going to be so happy because she would never be home alone. No more mess with the chewing up paper, I thought.

I named the one that looked like Skittle, Don Pokito since he was so tiny. Pokito only weighed 9 oz. when we got him. The other puppy we named Dobby, since he looked like a doberman.

My health was not good at the time Michelle got me my puppies. Dobby, was a handful he was so hyper. I was terrified he would hurt Pokito. Dobby did not sleep as much as Pokito, he required a lot more attention. Since I was sick, I could not care for him right.

I called Michelle, I told her, as bad as I wanted to keep both the puppies, I could not keep up with Dobby. Michelle and the kids were only too happy to come get my little Dobby. I get to see him all the time, he is still part of my family.

Pokito, did not stay little very long. He may have the same color as Skittle, but our Pokito, is almost as tall as our Peaches.

Pokito, is very fisty, and full of energy. He is more of a tough dude who does not realize how to be a gentleman to Peaches. He is 6 months younger than Peaches, but acts as if he is the top dude in this house hold. My husband loves it, he thinks Pokito, is such a killer dog. Pokito seems to agree with his dad. I have to admit I love it to some degree, I still want him to respect Peaches.

We are very fortunate that Pokito, is like Peaches, in that he sleeps with us, and has never once messed the bed. Our babies are a blessing to me and my husband. I can not imagine our lives without our babies. If we can not take our babies somewhere out of town, then we do not need to go there. There is no place to see, or go to, that is worth being away from the ones who love us unconditionally, our own babies.


Nana

Who are we?

Nana and Pokito 2007 Peaches and Nana 2007

We are the 16 Paws, Doby, Peaches, Pokito, Skittles and Winnie Too!

We are members of Kottmeier and Smartt families!

We are "Sun Dogs" or Chihuahua's if you please.

Eeeee! Chihuahua! A Mexican state south of the border with Texas and New Mexico, we came from the ancient "Techichi" dogs of the Toltecs. Techichi's were heavy-boned small dogs with a long coat!

When the Aztecs conquered the Toltecs they adopted us as sacred icons of the upper classes. We were used in religious ceremonies to expiate sins and as guides for the spirits of the dead.

Somewhere along the way, the Techichi was crossed with an Oriental hairless breed that made its way to the New World via the Bering Strait land bridge and the smaller, smooth-coated, vocal Chihuahua of today was born.

Our grandparents were discovered in Chihuahua State in the 1850s and we quickly became very popular. We first registered with the American Kennel Club in 1904. We are the smallest of the AKC registered breeds, weighing in between two-to-six pounds. We can grow to be any height however most of us are six-to-eight inches tall.

We are fine-boned muscular dogs. Our head is distinctive with its rounded skull, large eyes, and large ears that we can perk upright when we are alert! Our ears also flare out to the sides when are resting. Our muzzles are moderately short and slightly pointed; our teeth are arranged in a level or scissors like bite.

We have a graceful neck carried with a slight arch and sloping gracefully into the shoulders. Our topline is level, our ribs rounded and well-sprung, and our tails are moderately long and carried up in a sickle shape or as a loop that touches our backs.

Most of us are smooth-coated and have a soft, glossy, and close coat that is full over the body and scanty on the head and ears. Some of our cousins have long-coats and have a longer soft coat that can be flat or slightly curly and must have an undercoat. Their tails resemble a plume; their ears, feet, and legs are feathered; and their neck carries a ruff. Either of our coats can be any solid color or can be marked or splashed with color on a white background.

The AKC describes us as “A graceful, alert, swift-moving little dog with saucy expression, compact, and with terrier-like qualities of temperament.” However, some of us carry “saucy” and “terrier-like” to extremes and are grumpy, haughty, or downright nasty when provoked

Our reputation of being temperamental, an of being suspicious of everyone but our owner, and having a clannish dislike of any breed but our own makes us an unsuitable pet for households with small or boisterous children. On the other hand, are perfect for elderly couples who love to pamper us, and for those who live in apartments, and those on limited incomes.

Unfortunately, our innate curiosity, intelligence, and loyalty to and affection for our owners often get lost in the oft-repeated description of the more prominent features of our temperament, We just love to be loved!

From here on out our parents and families are going to upload pictures of us and describe what happens to us for the rest of our lives! A Living Diary" so to speak!