Yesterday morning, I saw two possibilities in the Manhattan shelter for NYC Animal Control: a female Chihuahua thought to be around 6 years old and a female toy poodle thought to be 3 years old. So, at 12 noon sharp (when they open for adoptions), we were already in the waiting room with our application all filled up and our documentation ready. I asked to see the poodle they had listed as Tiara (5 lbs) first because, been a white and tan poodle, she resembled most my husband's Bunny and, of course, that's the one I took because whichever dog ends up been the first in my arms is also the last and the one I take
. But she ended up been absolutely PERFECT! She weighs 5.4 lbs but only because you can see all her bones, the poor thing! Because of the severe underweight, she could not be spayed but they still released her to us and, as soon as she gets to a good weight, we will take her back for the surgery. She might be a bit older than 3 (her teeth are very dirty but, unfortunately, the cleaning cannot be done when they do the spaying -they only castrate and nothing else- so we will have to wait a couple of months and get them done by my vet) but I doubt she is more than 5. She was an owner's release and I am thinking that she must have lived with an older lady because she took to me immediately although she still barks at my husband and her sheet said that she had never been exposed to children. Apparently, the previous owner had gotten her from somebody else (she has been bred at some point in time) and kept her for 2 years but needed to move and the new apartment did not take pets. One thing I can tell you, this dog has not been groomed or even bathed in a long time because, although ACC shaved all her hair (and they only do this when they are matted), you can still see it was terribly stained. All her four paws are dark brown with the color becoming paler as it goes up her legs, reaching even her entire chest and belly and she has two stains on both her thights. Her face, armpits and tip of her tail are also very stained and she was terrified when I bathed her as soon as we got home (I don't like to scare them but I can't have a dirty dog sleeping in my bed). I clipped the uneven tufts that were left of her hair to even it out and to take out as much as possible of the brown stains and I am now treating thems with a special product designed to bleach them. She ate like a wolf both last night and this morning so she will get to a good weight in no time at all AND she peed and pooped outside both last night and this morning (she has also used the wee-wee pad which the previous owner said she did). She had no problem whatsoever with the other dogs and, although she was interested in the cats, she just wanted to smell them so she could figure out what they were. I managed to take a peep at the initial evaluation sheet and it said that her previous owner called her Precious but she doesn't seem to respond to it as much as she does to Baby so, as stupid as that name is, I guess it's the one she will end up with.
She is young, healthy, small, playful, loving and a great cuddler so I got everything I wanted and am in seventh Heaven!!!
I am ALWAYS 'happy' with them - even when they are a complete disaster of a dog (like Chicho which has been here for 2 years and is only now beginning to get better)! But, although I love them all and treat them all the same, I do have favorites. I know that one should not but I always try to be honest with myself and I have to admit that I do have favorite dogs, cats, birds, children and grandchildren (terrible of me, I know). I had lost my two favorite dogs (Tita and Michiche), and although I had gotten 'replacements' for them (Chichi and Pinky), they did not fill up the holes left when they died. But this little one will... I can tell. 
