Great thread!
I love just about any breed of dog and over the years, through fostering, I've had many different breeds in my home. But I think my favorite as my personal family member would be the Chihuahua, with Italian Greyhounds being a very close second.
Here are some I've loved over the years:
Jack. The love of my life. He was blind many years before we even knew. He had figured out the lay of the land and navigated so well we didn't know he was blind until we moved to the farm in 2003. He died from a tragic accident in 2007 and my life has never been the same. He was my special baby.
Oscar. My sweet little boy who is 12 this year and not feeling very well these days. He's got bad knees and hips from his momma, Carmelita, and his having a particularly rough time this week. Please keep him in your prayers.
Carmelita. Many of you may remember Carmelita's story from my website (isn't up there currently). She was Oscar's mom. We met her when we bought Oscar and at that time I just knew I had a connection with her. I even asked if I could adopt her when she was retired from breeding. Well, a LOT happened in the next 5 years, but she ended up being sold at an auction to a puppymill breeder and was living in horrid conditions - all the while crippled and unable to walk. But she was still being bred! Through the help of unbelievably kind strangers, I was able to get Carm from the puppymill and she spent the last 6 years of her life with me. She never walked the entire time I had her, but that didn't stop her from enjoying life and demanding to be treated like queen! This picture was taken when she was about 11. She died in 2009 from congestive heart failure.
This is Darcy, my current IG. I adopted her last May at the age of 10. She was in a puppymill until she was 8, then spent a year with the ASPCA and then a year with the Italian Greyhound Rescue Association (Midwest group). People were afraid of her age, but I think she acts like a 4 year old! Her nickname is Spaz!! Pictured here with Oscar.
And this is Ethyl. She now lives with my ex-husband, but I love her and miss her terribly. We adopted her from a no-kill shelter in 2006. At that time she was estimated to be between 10 and 15 years old. She had a rabies tag on from 1991 but the vet had no records going back that far. She is still going strong, although she's slowed down some. This pic is from 2007. She weighs 3.5lbs. You may have seen her at nationals or worlds with us.
And this is Sammy (blk/wht chi). He passed in 2009, a couple of weeks after Carmelita. We went to the vet to have his teeth cleaned and his heart literally burst while he was being examined. He was on the table and suddenly climbed up on my chest and then he passed out. They rushed him away and came back and said he wasn't going to make it. His heart had literlly burst and there was nothing they could do short of a heart transplant. He was 13 years old. This pic was taken when he was about 2 and Oscar was about 12 weeks.
:wub
