A new girl in town

The past week I have had major doggie brain. Some of it has been full of sadness. Some has been full of happy memories. Some has been full of ghosts born of old habits and expectations (that Tootsie would be home jumping up and down in the front door, excited to see me return from work). The bulk of it, however, has been aimed at finding a dog. Was the timing appropriate? Not according to most people. Joey could have waited until after things in our lives were generally less hectic. Mom could have waited… well, forever, but urged me to wait until after April’s wedding in late June. Even someone on the Craigslist pet forum said they grieved over a pair of shoes longer than I seemed to be grieving over Tootsie. I can understand the stance taken by each of these people, but all I know is what I was feeling, which was that I wanted/needed/felt the urge to find my next furry companion. Tootsie made such a deep impact on me, that it went beyond just HER specifically, and (back) into pets. (Sorry mom!)

So, I started thinking and looking around to first figure out what TYPE of dog I wanted. A big dog would be better for baby, but would not fit through our doggie door, so it would have to be let in and out manually all day. Besides, larger dogs cost more for food, vaccines, etc. So, I decided to stick with a smaller breed. In researching breeds, I kept finding myself drawn to miniature pinschers (minpins). Something about their look and temperament was appealing.

Tootsie was an awfully cute and sweet mini-dachshund, or WAS she? The more I read, the more I realized that perhaps she had some minpin in her. I had always thought she had long legs and less of a schnoz than the typical doxie, and so I posted some photos of her to the Craigslist pets discussion board (where I got the grieving comment). Several folks commented that they could see minpin in her for sure.

Part of my research took me to a contact point for a breeder (Fenton MinPins) in Alvin who was also part of a minpin rescue organization. I emailed her on Friday and she wrote back that evening, saying she had several dogs which needed homes. I was looking for a rescue or shelter doggie, and these were all hers, but most minpin rescue activity seems to be going on up around Dallas, and I didn’t see them show up in shelters too often. So, when the breeder called me on Saturday morning, we made arrangements for me to drive down and meet a 9lb 2-year-old red stag girl.

So, I loaded Ivy and Rusty in the car (Joey was at the rodeo with a friend) and headed south to meet the little minpin.

OMG. It was like looking at Tootsie in a funhouse mirror. This girl had longer legs and a docked tail, but otherwise it was the same coat, face, bark, look as Tootsie (a bit on the scrawny side, but we can fatten her up easily enough). The breeder, who had seen Tootsie’s photos in the blog entry below this one added that she wasn’t a dachshund, but in fact looked to be a minpin! Apparently I had a minpin all along, and didn’t realize it. That certainly explains the attraction I felt towards the breed. I also learned that minpins were a long-ago cross between dachshunds and italian greyhounds. That also explains why Tootsie always seemed to have what I called “sprinter’s legs” (rock solid muscular legs… she was definitely rear-wheel drive) that were much longer and straighter than dachushund legs, and less of a schnoz than doxies. She had a tubular torso like doxies, but the rest seems to be minpin. How cool! 🙂

I had gotten some cash beforehand, and that was it. I managed to come home with her straight from that visit. So, Fifi has joined our family.

She will be a challenge, though. She’s 2, but really hasn’t been around any people other than her owner for her whole life, so we are REALLY new to her. She’s not used to being on a leash. At all (tried that for a walk this morning, and she flipped out… and confirmed that when she’s scared or anxious, she poops). She’s not housebroken either, and hasn’t seen any dogs other than minpins, so even Rusty is weird to her.

Fifi is rather skittish at the moment, but I am working on calming her down and helping her get used to me first, and then the others in her new family. It’ll take time, but I am so glad to have another little doggie back our lives again.

Meet Fifi (best photos we can manage right now), the new girl in town: