Diego, last one to go--found a home...

Forgot to mention, that Diego our sweet little Peachy (really apricot in color) King has found a home and will be the first one to leave tomorrow...  So sad to start seeing them go.  It never gets any easier.  But he will be spoiled rotten by his new family, which includes older children and an occasional chi visitor which they babysit from time to time... 

His new home is local in Celebration, FL, yup the happy Disney Community... 

Chili came to visit us today!

Trang W/ Chili

Today ended on such a nice note...  Chili from Nini & Chico's litter DOB 8/11/08 came to visit us, with his sister/companion (not from ChihuahuaCrazy).  It was great to see HIM and his owners again...  Chili had been groomed recently, by Marty's mother's groomer.  So, his fur was quite short.  Would have been nice to see him in all his fluff and glory...  His tail is really full, even when short...  

We set up an umbrella and toys in the backyard for them to romp around with...  But, they had much more fun romping around with each other!  We had a nice long visit--caught up on our lives.  Trang wanted to walk away with Diego in her purse--haha.  It was all good.  :) They can't wait for Lucy to have more blues...

             Marty w/ Chili

                                                                        Carlos w/ Chili

Nini's Minnie Me-if we have ever had one!

The pups are all doing great--getting around and around---and into everything!  But, they are a bundle of love and joy and you just can't help but smile when they come running your way...  :)

Just wanted to share our "Minnie Me" of Nini which is, of course, Lobo...  I actually think his facial markings make him more beautiful than Nini.  But, don't get me wrong--Nini is my "Queen."

Daisy is chugging along--not so receptive to food, which makes feeding time kind of stressful. I want her to eat well and nourish those little ones in there! But, I do continuosly feed her in small amounts throughout the day...

Blanca has found a great home...

I am so fortunate to say that Blanca has found a fabulous home with two musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic, (Alex is a cellist & her husband a violinist), and 3 other doggie siblings...  We have had such an interesting array of people join us here at ChihuahuaCrazy (by joining, I mean becoming a part of our family).  From Marines/Air Force, to Air Tower Controllers, to Dentists, to Accountants, to Hairstylists, to Stay at Home Mothers (go moms!) to Educators to future Chiropractors and the list goes on...  If you choose one of our puppies, then in my mind, you have joined our family--because our puppies never truly leave us...  OK, so you are thinking, at this point, "Psycho ChihuahuaCrazy lady breeder." 

Take it easy... It's just the spiritual side of me talking (don't freak out!)  

We are hoping that we will get to see Blanca in the future for puppy playdates...  So, Diego, is still needing to find that special home.  Maybe you know of someone who would love our "Peachy King?"

Rain, rain go away--again...

It has been a very unusual winter this 2009/2010 season.  "El Nino" has just thrown all this rain our way... Could be worse, eh?  At least it is not snow/ice we're dealing with.  I think of Fifi, up on Long Island, NY all the time.  Poor thing going out onto the snowy sidewalk--or not going out at all!  Ya, just like rain--it cuts their outside time down to zero, somedays... 

So the laziness is endless today amongst dogs, humans & horses...   Days like today remind me of San Francisco, when the fog would set in during the evening or would not lift until midday-blahhhhh... Cold and miserable.  Yet, I guess it's good to remember where I am from.  Those were glorious days for me and my childhood.  San Francisco has never left my heart or maybe my heart has never left it?  It's so easy to become so involved in our fast lives that all we can see/worry about is where we are going... We forget about where we are from--good to remember every once in a while...

New horizons for Nini's litter today...

Nini's litter is now getting to explore the vastness of the house...  It's not an easy thing to do--ya know poo & pee patrol can get tiring.  But, they have a spot with newspaper held down by two small bricks (so they don't grab the paper and pull/play with it).  They also have their water, food and comforter all in the same area.  So, they can venture out and explore further if they desire (yet always have that safe spot to run back to).  This helps to create confidence and independence from MOM, which needs a break at this point!  All in all, it just good for them.  They see and hear us all the time and learn that life is just can be hectic, quiet, calm or crazy--all the compenents of everyday life at the Gonzalez Zoo. 

I try to do what I feel is best for them. It isn't always easy for me--we are, afterall, a BIG family (4 human kids, my husband, mother and her dogs).  Lots of cleaning up is put forth throughout the day which can get exhausting and quite boring...  Who lives to clean--don't know too many people that do???  But, in the end, I want to do what is best for my pups and hope for the best when they do go to their new homes...

Puppies out in the big yard (not dog yard) for the first time...

                                                    Adriana enjoying some puppy love...                                                    

It could have been a prettier and sunnier day for the puppie's first outing--but, they needed to go out and explore for the first time.  The pool is becoming quite confining, at this point, and they are more restless in the wee hours of the night--ugh....  So, out we went for some exercise and exploration.  They had a ball.  At first, they weren't sure what to make of the pokey grass, which is quite dead and dry.  But, hey, they're puppies--that only lasted about two minutes.  Off they went tumbling about in the excess of leaves.  Later the game became one of "tag"; lots of room for that...  Then Boogie came into the picture and boy did they all go to town with him...  It was fun to watch. 

Boogie went one by one, first one being Maya, of course!  She is our little "show off."  Maya will not miss the opportunity for a good shot, or a good rumble with one of her siblings or a fun game of tag witha dog that is much more experienced than her--Boogie.  She wants to show she can run with the best... So cute.  She will fit right in with her new family which has a young pre-school age son.

                                            Wee look at all this room to run around!                                                                                   It's getting hot out here, momma...

Another interesting thing I learned today.  Fifi, who was one of Lucy's girls from her last litter and which lives on Long Island, NY, did something interesting.  Her young owner, Nicole, was on my website last night and was playing the current video I have of the puppies.  Well, as soon as Fifi heard my voice coming through on the video, she became very alert (ears up) and then began to whimper, whine and run around as if she was looking for me!  Awww, it melted my heart to hear she did this...  It just makes me re-affirm that, "ya, I love what I do."  She may be coming down to Disney World in the near future and will hopefully stay with me while her family enjoys the park...

Boogie will prove whether he's Da Boogie Man in May

Boogie, thanks to Charlotte, has his first shot at mating with another chi, hopefully, in May.  It will be his "Stud Debut."  I can't wait--first, to see if he will be able to get the job done and secondly, if he does get it done, what the outcome will be???  His future girlfriend is a Chocolate Merle who is also very small, her name is Fiona.  Pepsi from http://www.thetinychi.com/ was the first in line for Fiona, but is larger than Fiona. So, Charlotte referred Boogie. Let's hope it all goes as planned...

Playdate with Skyla (our Moo Moo)...

Skyla sniffing around in our yard

Yesterday, Feb. 15th, we had a wonderful visit from Skyla, our Moo Moo born out of Lucy X Chico, 10/16/09.  She has been coming to play with us quite often and we love to see her!  April, her owner, says that she immediately knew where she was at before driving into the driveway...  She began to wag her tail and whine!  So funny how they remember and sense things.  These little dogs are as sharp as a pistol;  don't think twice about that!

Skyla and Boogie smelling something doggy yummy...

In fact, let me quickly tell you a story about my very first litter.  I sold a pair of chihuahuas to one great couple who lives two houses down from my mother, in our neighborhood.  They are called Jack and Jill; Jill is Baby Girl's female and Jack is Nini's boy.  Yet, they ended up together.  Well, their house happens to fall on a path that we take when we go for long walks as a family.  Usually my daughters and I are chatting away as we take our walks.  As we start to approach Jack and Jill's house, they hear my voice and begin to call out for me.  It is not a bark, but a beckoning call or whine that alerts you (they know you are near).  It is the cutest sound...  I adore it.  As soon as they start their call, Sandy, their owner, lets them out into the yard which faces the path and they immediately rush up to me crying for me to carry them.  They were born March 22 & 26th of 2006.  Yet they have not forgotten.

Look at her dark blue spots--same color as mom...

I would love to have a get together/barbecue here at our house before we officially sell it with all of our previous chis and their owners.  After all, these are dogs that bind us all no matter what cultures we come from... It would be the perfect "Adios, Adieu, Ciao, Sayonara, Au Revoir, Adeus" for this wonderful home of ours...

Pancho's new home is his old home...

Pancho, who I thought would be very hard to place after coming back to me for a second time, has found his way back to his original owners.  They just happened to get him at the wrong time at that point in their lives.  They are a wonderful young couple who is originally from Wisconsin.  But, Pancho was picked up by them the very same weekend they had just moved here---too much; too soon; too overwhelming, and understandably so.  Neither of us had any hard feelings, it was just not meant to be... 

But, they continued to check my website throughout the weeks because they missed Pancho.  And when he was back here again for the second time--they knew it was meant to be.  That is, that he was meant to go home with them for good.  I am so glad, mainly because he has them that love him and care for him. 

He will go through some puppy training, I am sure, which will be great for him and them.  Every new dog owner should learn the basics of dog training--it benefits both sides. 

Life can be funny.  In this case it's not only funny, but LIFE IS GOOD...

Graduating to the BIG POOL...

It has been a couple of days, at least, since Nini's litter was moved to the bigger pool.  I have two sizes.  One is very small, for when they are just newborn until about 3 and a half or 4 weeks of age. At that point, they start to get their legs--or become better at walking and getting around...  So, they need more space to practice their large motor skills (as we teachers like to call it) which is basically walking, running, jumping--the use of all their large muscles for movement. 

And, when they do get into the big pool, potty training starts on the newspaper.  There is enough room for a folded comforter/pillow where they can cleanly lay with mom and siblings and for newspaper on the rest of the space.  Now is also the time they start to be introduced to their dry food (Biljac Puppy) in our case and their water bowl; lots to experience. 

When they first enter the pool, you can see the overwhelming look in their eyes.  They are a bit intimidated at first by this bigger new world of theirs...  But, in a matter of a day, they are exploring, running, tumbling off the comforter and smelling their food and water.  They also begin to get the jist of coming off of their comforter, which is nice, warm and clean, to go potty on the newspaper.  They become very good at using the newspaper in no time.  From that point on, they associate the newspaper with going to the bathroom.  It's that simple. 

Still cannot believe how fast time has past--they have grown so fast!  =(

Oh sooo big sooo fast...

Maya ready to have some fun...

Not much to say--it's all OK, thank goodness...  I am like, "How did time pass so quickly???"  Just yesterday, they were born, Nini and Chico's pups, and now they are trying to get out of the baby pool! 

Each one is displaying a certain personality--Maya is the "Oh I am sooo COOL-you can do anything to me and I won't mind..."; Blanca is the "I have to test the waters first, to see if I will like it."--a bit on the shy side; Lobo is always pining for Mom--looking for her everywhere and making sure he stays by her side; and, last, Diego is "Hey, hey what are you up to and can I join in?" 

Lobo wondering why mom is no where near...

Funny to see them progressing.  Boogie is wanting to get into the pool and play with them.  Nini won't have it just yet.  Pancho has already snuck in and stolen a little lick from the puppies when Nini wasn't on guard... 

Blanca looking up at Boogie, who was on the edge of the pool.

Diego instigating some wrestling, boy style...

It's all very funny to watch...

Picture Crazy...

At about this point in time, when they start to walk around and can see/hear, I go bezerk with the photos!  I can never just get one good one--it ends up being more like a hundred and something by the time I am done... A bit of OCD, I guess.  But, they are just so CUTE and each one's personality starts to show at this time...  What to do with all these pics--can't put them on the website or it will take over an hour to load when you log on.  So, I will just have to share them with the world--quite alright with me--always like to show off my bunch. 

If I could only show--if only.  I know that we have produced several show quality pups here at ChihuahuaCrazy.com ...  And it's funny to see what some breeders out there, which have been in the show circuit for quite some time can actually get for their puppies.  Sometimes I look at a certain one from one of the big names, and think, "My xyz... puppy is just as well put together and as beautiful as that one!" Or, maybe in my arrogance?,  I think, "My --- puppy is prettier than that one!"

This breeding world is a dog eat dog world.  Some tough cookie breeders exist out there that think they are "the last COKE in the dessert."  And I get that they have worked hard at establishing themselves up to now...  But, one thing I do not want to ever become is, "I am too good for you to even consider having one of my puppies...Snot, snot (nose in the air)."  Met quite a few in this business which think they have to keep their practices under lock and key...  All I can say is, you never know when a small time breeder will come and knock you off your high pedestal...