Terrific Theo

Meet the first of my fur babies, Theo! He is a long-haired Chihuahua that often gets mistaken for a Pomeranian. I tend to think that he looks like a fox (especially when his ears are straight up).

Theo has perhaps the saddest story of my bunch. He was abused by his previous owners. When we met him, he had a large section of fur missing from under his neck (it has since grown back). Since all Theo ever knew was violence, he became unapproachable. He was taken to the Belleville Animal Shelter where he was scheduled to be euthanized.

One day, a woman in the area who specializes in rescuing pugs (she had 17!) saw Theo. She asked the shelter workers about him and got the usually answer: “He’s mean.” She didn’t buy that. The woman understood that all dogs are born loving and good. Their behavior is shaped by the environment that they are in. Something horrible had happened to this dog and she was going to try to show Theo how wonderful human contact could be.

She approached the area where he was being held. Theo snarled and snapped. Calmly, the woman sat outside with her hand up to the wire door for two hours. Amazingly, Theo had stopped his snapping and even let the woman pet him! So, Theo left with her on the very day that he was to be killed.

My mom found a picture of Theo on www.petfinder.com and knew that I had always wanted a Chihuahua. She contacted the woman and pretty soon, Theo became one super-spoiled member of our family. When I got married and moved out, Theo came with me. He enjoyed being top dog (and still is).

Now, he is 10 years old and the best big dog brother any fur baby could have. He is very protective of his siblings and always keeps an eye on the people that are petting them. Theo still has some psychological issues: He hates children. My husband and I think that children may have been his main abusers. However, thanks to the kindness and patience of one woman, I have the bestest best friend in the world!