On May 28th my friend Kelsey posted this picture and this comment on her Facebook page.
Kelsey's family had found the dog while they were on a walk with their own dogs in Chowchilla. The poor puppy had been abandoned and Kelsey's family wasn't about to let him fend for himself on the streets any longer. They took him home, gave him food and a place to sleep (as well as a few doggy buddies to play with). Already having a few dogs of their own they weren't up to taking on a new puppy. So Kelsey posted the photo on her Facebook in hopes that someone would take the bait and give this cute little guy a good home.
I have never really been a dog person. My parents didn't let my brothers and I have any pets (other than fish) when we were growing up. I think the original reason for this 'no pet' rule was that, because my dad was in the military, we moved around a lot. It also meant that we lived in military housing which, much like apartment housing, needed to stay in good condition. Mostly, I think that my parents just didn't want to worry about taking care of more than us kids. Both of my parents worked full days and didn't get home until after my brothers and I were already home from school.
So, for the last 26 years, the only pets that I have owned and cared for have been fish. Aside from a phase when I really wanted a St. Bernard (I think the movie Beethoven and the fact that I hadn't yet reached double digits in age had a lot to do with that) I have never really had the desire to get a furry creature. Seeing this little guys' face on Kelsey's Facebook profile did a lot to change that.
After looking through all the photos of the puppy that Kelsey had posted, Zac and I decided to get the details from Kels. After a few messages back and forth we decided to go meet the pup and see what he was like in person. On Wednesday June 1st we drove to Chowchilla to meet the tiny Chihuahua...who we were calling 'Jim'. During our online conversation regarding the plans for meeting the puppy Kelsey told us "I don't know if you wanna drive down to see Jim but you're more than welcome!" She had meant to type "I don't know if you wanna drive down to see him...", but the message said Jim instead. Zac and I thought that it was really cute. Jim is such a grown up name and this puppy was such a tiny little dog. Zac said that it could be short for Jiminy Cricket. It was a name that stuck over the few days that we waited until our planned meeting and we decided that if we did take the little guy home, his name would be Jim.
Needless to say, we were a little attached already by the time we drove to Chowchilla. Okay, who are we kidding...I was already attached. I was definitely excited with the idea of getting a little puppy to take home. Zac had furry pets all throughout his childhood so he knew both the fun and the work of having a dog. He was also excited about bringing home Jim, but made sure to remind me of the reality and responsibility of having a pup in our home.
We only spent about 10 minutes with Jim before we decided to bring him home. Kelsey's parents gave us his only belonging, a cardboard box, and we headed back to Fresno. Well, we headed to a few places (the Bennett's and a few stores to pick up some things for Mr. Jim) before we headed home.
When we got home we set up Jim's box in a way that was familiar to him, finding him an old pillow as a soft bed and turning on the box on it's side to create his little "man cave". He took to it very well.
We also got Jim a few toys as a "welcome home" gift.....
....and as you can see...
....he put them all away in his little cave.
Fetch is not yet his favorite game. Instead, we call the game "Throw Jim's toy and watch him pick it up and put it back where it goes". Catchy, right? Although it would be nice to eventually play a game of fetch with Mr. Jim, for now it's pretty cute to see him pick up his toy mess. Here's a little clip of our "game" on the first day we brought him home. *Sorry in advance for the baby talk. It's not my proudest moment. Playing the video on mute might be fun too....just sayin'.*
We've noticed that Jim already has a preference for his toys. The squeaky toys are his faves, while this blue bouncy ball (pictured below) does not make his list of greatest toys. Jim only stares at this toy when it is placed in front of him and when rolled toward him, he takes off running.
In addition to loving his little cave, he found the spot under our coffee table to be a comfortable spot. We're not sure if it's because the carpet is so soft (especially compared to our all tile flooring) or it's just that the table is so low and gives him a hiding spot that is much like his box. Either way this was the new spot that Jim liked to sit. Once we realized that he also thought this looked like a good spot to pee, we decided to roll up the carpet and plan to leave the floor bare until we can get him house trained, as tile is much easier to clean up.
Our little Jim is definitely a snuggle-buddy lap dog. He loves sitting in a warm lap, curling up, and falling asleep. On his first full day in our home he spent a few hours sleeping on my lap while I read a book and waited for Zac to get home from a day of sailing.
The next day, after he made his way up to the second floor, he took a little nap in the office with Zac, who was still pretty tuckered out from his long sailing trip the day before.
Last night we gave Jim his first bath. While he tried to climb out of the sink a few times, he didn't make the slightest sound (not even a whimper) or fight us when we washed him. He stood quietly and let us dry him off and cooperated so nicely when I put him into his little orange sweatshirt. Yes, I got Jim clothes.
Over the past few days, Jim has gotten settled into our home. We got him a new little bed which he loved so much we were able to take away his box without any fuss. He even let me dress him in this cute little polo shirt. I was very surprised that he didn't struggle, fight, or bite at the shirt when I put it on him.
We just love little Jim and he seems to like his new home pretty well, too.
:)
