Øyvind made a small road trip to IKEA to pick up a new pillow for me, “Gosa Raps”. I was borrowing his while my neck was acting up, and since it felt a lot better than mine I decided to get one of my own. Please don’t propose Tempur, I can’t stand that crap. While he was there he also bought a pack of three polyester baskets like these for Theo. The original thought was to keep some of his toys gathered in one of them, instead of all over the floor, but funny enough he seems to be afraid of it! Now he’s sitting on the floor, within safe distance from it, whining.

With these small dogs there’s always a relatively large possibility that you have to take them to the veterinarian when they start shedding their baby teeth, to avoid later problems with the new and permanent teeth. I was crossing my fingers and hoping that this wouldn’t be a problem with Theo, and I’m extremely happy to tell you that he has lost all but two or three of his baby teeth, which are loose and about to fall out on their own. I’m really against putting animals under anesthetics if it’s not absolutely necessary, so I’m relieved. He has still got both his upper canines intact, so we’ll have to pay close attention to them. As far as we can tell he has now got a very nice 6+6 scissor bite, with all his new teeth and all, and I’m hoping it’ll stay like that. On April 11th we’re possibly attending a puppy show nearby, just for the fun of it, unless something unexpected happens. I’m hoping Theo will enjoy it, so we can do it again this summer. I’ve got big plans for our little ball of fur, provided that he’s comfortable with the whole setting.

In this picture he barely dared to pull that toy dog over the edge of the basket, where it’s still hanging. Sometimes he’s just difficult to understand, but he’s awfully cute in the process of being a tiny little weirdo!

It’s almost midnight and I’m tired. Unusual to be me really, seeing that I’m a true creature of the night, to say it in a rather dramatic manner. No, I’m not a vampire .. but the night is the very best time of day, the time I thrive the most.

Today Monica came back for a visit with her own two female Chihuahuas Zita and Lizzi, and this time she also brought the two males Angelo and Lucas. It was fun to watch Theo get to know these two new dogs, them being males and all, and to see that he reacted quite differently than he did the first time he met Zita and Lizzi. There was little or no insecurity, and they interacted immediately. Then the five dogs spent a few hours playing with each other, and Theo absolutely loved the company! When they left he started looking for them, sniffing the floor and the sofa, and then he sat still on his pillow for about 15 minutes without moving. I find it amazing to watch these dogs interact and communicate, it’s really fascinating. Theo clearly prefers Lizzi’s company, as she got most of his attention, but he’s a lot more confident now than when he first met mother and daughter. Lucas was a very charming guy, who almost immediately decided that my lap could be used for a quick cuddle, while Angelo was trying his very best to avoid any conflicts between the others (also play-fighting). A gentleman indeed. Lizzi is the typical teenager who seemed to enjoy all the attention from Theo, and Zita kept everyone in order as the junior leader of the pack.

I have fallen utterly and completely in love with these little dogs, and I’m very grateful to have met a wonderful friend like Monica. Theo was completely exhausted after all the impressions, all the playing, wrestling and running around, but I think he’s a quite happy little dog right now. I just had to share this picture with you. It shows Theo and Lizzi, whom I think he has a crush on, having one of their play-fights. And one thing is absolutely certain, we LOVE the company!

Photo © Øyvind H. ‘10

Date: Feb 11th, 2010

Photo © Shamini Thevarajah ‘10

I’m feeling so restless I could die. On the other hand I don’t feel like moving at all. Dilemma. This weekend our elevator stopped working, apparently after being serviced, and caused a lot of distress for all the older people living in the building. I was planning on going to a dog show this Sunday, but I didn’t feel up to it, so the elevator crisis didn’t really concern me. See, our apartment is on ground floor, but there’s still a small flight of stairs from the entrance to our front door. No biggie, really. It’s still nice to have a functional elevator, just in case.

Outside the sun is actually gracing us with a guest appearance! I’m intrigued. I’m so sick of Jack Frost, with his cold breath, icy touch and the continuous snowing. I know, I’ve said. It’s just that I’m longing to go outside again, without having to plan it according to the weather forecast. I need some light, some sunlight, some temperature. God, I wish I could just jump on a plane.. to Greece! Or somewhere else, as long as it’s warm and exciting. Come to think of it, Greece isn’t really warm this time of year. I know, I was in Crete in March a couple of years ago. It’s pretty depressing having to wear the exact same (warm) clothes in Crete as you would at home.

This is me doodling.

Oh, I almost forgot. On Friday we had company, all three of us! Monica came to see us with her two wonderful Chihuahua females, Zita and Lizzi. We hadn’t met Monica before, only spoken on MSN and via a forum for Chihuahua owners and breeders, so it was really nice to finally get the chance to meet her face-to-face. Theo seemed to really appreciate having two girls over and willingly shared everything he had, even his food and goodies. I think he fell deeply in love with Lizzi, because he just couldn’t leave her alone! At first he seemed a little stressed out over these two unknown and fearless ladies, but you could clearly see how much he wanted to join in on their play. After a little barking and a few insecure jumps back and forth, he slowly figured out that they weren’t scary at all, and after that he seemed to really enjoy their company. This was an excellent opportunity for Theo to spend more time with other dogs his own size, socializing a little, and it’s enjoyable to watch these cute little creatures interact with each other. I hope we can meet again soon!

I really wasn’t planning on another post today, so I’ll keep it brief. I’m not a fan of multiple postings, but I just have to brag a little! You see, Øyvind discovered that Theo’s vet was offering a free 5 month checkup throughout February, so we decided to bring him in to have him looked at, especially since he’s teething now. He made me so proud! There was nothing wrong with his teeth, the vet said that his fur was nice and shiny, and commented on him being healthy and looking good. He even said that Theo was a mighty fine individual indeed.

So tomorrow it’s time to go meet other Chihuahuas (and their owners), as we’re attending our very first exhibition training session. Theo is first and foremost our four-legged family member, but I’m thinking about showing him at the NKK exhibition in July, just for fun. We’ll see what happens. It’s still some months away, and if it seems like he’s not thriving in such a setting, I’m not going to force it on him. I know I’m biased, but I think he’s really handsome, and I’d like to hear what a judge would have to say about him as well.

I’m proud, so proud.