Sunday, January 22, 2017

Winnie's Gotcha Day

Three years ago, a friend shared this photo on Facebook.  As soon as I saw it, I knew that this tiny, geriatric little dog was supposed to be ours.




Winnie's appearance has changed a lot since then.

Day one with us.


A recent photo.


What hasn't changed is her feisty attitude, and amazing spirit.


Barking at the doorbell.


Surveying her yard.


Reluctantly modeling her Christmas sweater.


I credit these changes to good food, lots of love, and giving her the chance behave like a dog.

Leaving the spot that I swept for her, to go poop in the snow.


Barking, again.


Walking at Hollywood Cemetery.  "Stop taking pictures and come on, Mom."


Rolling on something 'fragrant'.


I never saw myself as the type of person who could have a little dog.  Winnie changed this, with her big dog personality in that little dog body.







Happy Gotcha Day, Winnie!

(As I was gathering these photos, I was amazed at number of sweaters in Winnie's wardrobe.  All of these are knit from a pattern that I designed, available for free HERE.)

26 comments:

  1. I have always enjoyed your Winnie tales. She never fails to make me smile.

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  2. She is so sweet! She looks so happy since coming to live with you and the big dogs!!

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    1. Winnie IS happy, as long as there's not a cat nearby. I swear that she's plotting to somehow eliminate them.

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  3. Sweet little Winnie! I am so glad she gets to have a happy life. i enjoy seeing updates on her.

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    1. The only way Winnie's life could get any happier is if she had been adopted into a house where there were no cats ... see my comment above. :)

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  4. We are so lucky when life brings us so much love in such a tiny body. Gotcha days are better than birthdays!

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    1. I'm one of those folks who totally believes in trusting the little voice in our gut. When I saw that photo of Winnie on FB, the little voice was SCREAMING, and I had to go with it. It worked out, for her and for us. We are all blessed.

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  5. Amazing the transformation! And I was never a little dog person either until I got one. Now I won't be without one ever again - Adopting a senior is such an act of love, too, they are so often overlooked.

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    1. I had no idea that little dogs could be so much fun. Most of the others that I had encountered were a total pain in the ass. Winnie is awfully well behaved, unless you count her periodic cat attacks (which have become less frequent since Maggie died last summer. It was obvious that she hated Maggie most ... probably because Maggie didn't defer.)

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  6. How nice to see a post from you and look at that sweet Winnie. You are a good mom right down to the knitted sweaters. xo Diana

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    1. Gotta knit something with all this yarn that I have hoarded ... might as well be tiny dog sweaters. My husband tells me that it looks like I'm knitting doll clothes.

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  7. What an adorable post about an adorable dog! Thank you for taking in this precious little senior and making her life AMAZING!!! My hubby and I were hard-core animal rescuers for about 10 or 11 years but burned out and now we just donate money where we can and take care of the seniors that have grown old with us. We have a 15 or 16 yr old blue/gray chihuahua mix named Carson that recently had cataract surgery on both eyes to restore his vision. He is doing just great and is a joy in our home. It takes courage, commitment and love to adopt a senior but every ounce of your investment comes back to you a hundred times over, day after day! We just want to say: "Happy Gotcha! Day" to little Winnie and to you! A wonderful story you have shared. And thanks for the sweater pattern....my Carson is a bit larger than she is but I think I can adapt it. May God bless all of you!

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    1. I have to ask you about Carson's cataract surgery. Winnie is blind in her left eye, from a severe infection that she had when she was found. Her right eye has cataracts. Both eyes have glaucoma, worse in the left eye than the right, kept under control with eye drops twice a day. Winnie's ophthalmologist says that she has diminished vision in her right eye, and little depth perception. It slows her down a bit, and she is fine for now, but I worry about the cataracts progressing to the point where she may lose vision in her good eye. I never thought about surgery before .... I will ask the ophthalmologist when we go back for a follow-up in the spring.

      Winnie's sweater is pretty simple, and I'm sure that you can modify it to fit Carson. If you do, please send me a photo!

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    2. So sorry to be late responding to your query about the cataract surgery. Carson was almost too old to have the surgery...we had recently had an ultrasound done of his heart (he has a level 2 heart murmur we are monitoring) and THAT doctor said if we wanted to get the cataracts removed we needed to do it quickly before the murmur worsens. It is an investment, to be sure, in both money and TIME....the pre-surgical work up can be costly and then the surgery itself, with associated follow ups. There are common issues that arise AFTER the surgery that cost more money to fix, but they ARE fixable....our surgery came with 5 free follow up visits...which we exhausted in the first 3 weeks because of issues...we have lost count of follow up visits now but I am going to guess we are on 9 or 10...the eye drops are costly and change frequently due to what they are needed for at the moment. We took him in on Monday for a 3 week follow up and were given a new drop due to a bit of increased pressure in one of his eyes. Stopped several of the drops we WERE doing and added this one...used it Monday evening and last night...this morning, he was unable to open that eye and it was matted up...when I raised his upper eyelid, that eye was blood red...so we go back to the dr again this afternoon. The first 3 weeks are like intensive care....drops in each eye, 2 & 3 times a day...so time consuming...we kept a log/spread sheet of all the drops and times we administered...at times we felt overwhelmed but we have NEVER regretted any of it. Due to the fact that Winnie has a diagnosis of glaucoma already she may or may not be a candidate for the surgery. Since you already have a relationship with a doggie opthamologist that you trust, he or she can certainly give you tons of info. We are located in Dallas, TX and ours came highly recommended. If Winnie had the surgery she might be one of the miracle cases who has no issues at all and that would be an enormous blessing. Carson is so happy to be able to see again and we are thrilled for him. Probably will be doing some kind of drop and monthly check ups for the rest of his life. We are glad to do it. Please let me know what you decide! And if I have success with the little sweater I will definitely send you a pic!

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    3. Thank you VERY much for sending such a detailed reply!! My husband have been discussing this, and we decided that surgery won't be an option for us, even if Winnie were a candidate. We make big decisions like this based on a 'Dooms Day' scenario ... imagine the worst possible outcome, then decide if it's something that we can live with. Winnie is happy the way she is, and I'm fine with that.

      What you are doing for Carson is heroic! I completely admire your determination to do what is best for him. (If you're not doing so already, investigate Costco pharmacy for Carson's meds. Winnie is on Dorzolamide/Timolol for her glaucoma. It costs $28 at Costco. Would have been a whole lot more anywhere else.)

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    4. You are so right on the dorzolamide w/timolol...$44 at the vet; just this week she changed him to plain dorzolamide w/o the timolol due to his heart murmur...$34 now..for the tiny little bottle. I mentioned Winnie to my doc.....she said with her glaucoma she wouldn't be a candidate for cataract surgery. You are doing the very best for her that you can. Clearly our love for our pets knows no bounds....which is what I am most comfortable with. We will definitely pursue the Costco tip when it is refill time. Thank you for that! May God bless and keep you and little Winnie!

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  8. Winnie is the best! I love all the photos, but especially her expression in the last one while she's donning her Christmas finest and peeking around the corner. :-) So happy for all of you that you saw Winnie and brought her into your lives--and ours via your posts!

    Shirley

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    1. That last photo is a special one. It was taken within the first month that she was here (as evidenced by her sweater, which is the one that I made from a boot sock while I was designing and knitting her first handmade one) That expression, as she poked her head around the family room door, says "Hey, what are you people doing in there?" It was the first time that I remember her showing what we have come to know as her 'true' personality.

      My life is richer for having Winnie in it, and I am glad to hear that it's the same for you. My wish is for people to see Winnie and read 'her' posts and make the decision to adopt what may seem like a 'hard-luck' senior dog for themselves. Old dogs are my favorites. With Winnie, we skipped over all of the young dog stuff and got straight to the good part!

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  9. Happy Gotcha Day, sweet little girl. See, there are miracles when you least expect it. Maybe you will even learn to love the kitties!��

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    1. Winnie says that she loves living here, and that (if she's being completely honest) these cats aren't as bad as some that she's met. She still hates them, tho.

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  10. A beautiful love story for all of you.

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  11. How wonderful to see a post full of Winnie photos and tales. Yay Winnie!

    I'm so glad you took her into your family. She is such a sweetie pie.

    Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  12. I love this SO much!
    Reminds me of my Katy
    and also my friend/co-worker just adopted a 16 yr old Chihuahua a few months ago.
    Isn't it surprising how someone so small can have such a huge hold on our hearts?!
    LOL!
    Thank you for being you.
    XOXOXO

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