Lola Luvs to Swim!

My friend, Diane, filmed this on her phone...Lola will "swim" every time the water is running in the sink.  It is a pretty cute video.

Happy Halloween!

Lola is not much for trick or treating, but she does put on her dinosaur costume every year!

What does your dog get dressed up as for Halloween?  Let me know!

Chihuahua Clothing: Function or Fashion?

It was 11 degrees yesterday morning when I got up to let the dogs out.  Lola ran out on to the deck, turned around and ran right back into the house.  This is definitely a signal that if I don't want her using the pee pads (or worse, the rugs) that I have to put a jacket or fleece garment on her to keep her warm enough to do her business.

This is Lola's blaze orange sweater that she wears when we go hiking during hunting season.  You can tell by the expression on her face that she does not like wearing it, even though it keeps her safe.  I knitted this wool cable sweater for her, but she still doesn't appreciate its worth.

Missing your Chihuahua When You are Out of Town

I try very hard to take my Lola where ever I go, even on vacation.  Recently, I had to fly across the country and could not take her.  Although I have trained her to use a pee-pad in an airplane bathroom, it is just too stressful for her to be in a travel bag all day.  I know, from the reports I get from her caregiver when I am gone, that she misses me and is looking for me everywhere.  My only solace is that when I see her again, I will give her lots of love and attention to make up for my absence.

I think the hardest part is not to spoil my dogs upon my return because I am feeling guilty about being gone.  My dogs only eat animal food and treats, but their caregiver gives them people food.  It becomes even more difficult to give them extra loves while I am also weaning them off of the bad food they never should have been eating in the first place.

How do you deal with boarding your dogs?  I would appreciate your feedback.

Making Car Travel Comfortable For Chi's

Lola loves her little beds that I have scattered all over the house. They are inexpensive, machine washable and they provide her with her own personal space in the house. I decided to put one of these beds in the car, to see if she would be calmer if she had her own "place" in the car. It definitely worked! Here is a photo of Lola sleeping in the VW on a recent road trip.



She is calm enough in cars that she slept through the Cache Valley Cruise In Classic Car Parade on the front seat of a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Here she is getting ready for a ride in a 1971 Corvette LT-1.


I recommend trying to replicate your chihuahua's favorite setting in the car to add comfort and lower stress of car trips.

Walking Along the Snake River

Lola loves long walks along the river, but there are times of the year, like the spring, when eagles, hawks and other raptors are nesting and looking for food, that walking the dog includes a nasty kink in the neck.

Chihuahuas can weigh less than a Snake River trout, making them a food source for these hungry birds and their chicks. Most people consider predators for small dogs as coming for them along the ground, but watching the sky is critical here. Other Chihuahua owners in the area are also quite attuned to the sky as well as the ground when guarding their little dogs.

Fortunately, summer is well along, the risk from the air is much lower and here is Lola enjoying her walk.