On the way home from our day in Tecate, on highway 94, about three miles from the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, I slowed down for a little white Chihuahua in the road. Highway 94 in that part of the county is a rural, windy, one-lane road on which people drive far too fast. Without thinking, I veered off to the shoulder. In the rearview mirror, I saw him running up to the car.
I got out and tried coaxing him to me. He clearly wanted help, but was too scared to approach closer than six feet or so. Car after car sped by without even slowing down. About to give up, Rich gave it a try. He sat down on the curb, and the dog approached, but was still too frightened to come close. Rich signaled to me to cut the engine. The fan kept coming on periodically and it was making the dog nervous.
Head down, ears back, he cautiously came to Rich. Several minutes of petting followed. Then the dog climbed into Rich’s lap.
Now the question was, what to do with him? We have a cat at home, after all. Stopped at the nearest market to ask if anyone had been looking for him. No luck. Got some water for him which he didn’t drink. Stopped at another store and got some dog food. After a while, he laid down on Rich’s lap and almost slept. Poor thing was skinny and exhausted. Apparently Campo is an area where a lot of people take animals to abandon, perhaps thinking they’ll somehow survive in the wild. I have to believe there’s a special circle of hell waiting for people who abandon pets.
Especially sweethearts like this one. We decided to bring him home.
Kept him in the bedroom and away from Gracie last night. She’s okay, but in hiding. Apparently Chi’s frequently get on well with cats. Their small size helps. A friend of mine is involved in the Chihuahua Rescue Society, and she tells me that Chi’s and Pit Bulls have the highest kill rate at shelters. Don’t know why.
Once we got him in the house and laid out some food and water for him, he went to town eating and drinking.
He seems healthy. No fleas or ticks, paw pads in good shape. Some tear stains under his eyes, and skinny. He’s a complete and total lap dog. Wants constant contact or at least nearness.
Oh, and just like dachshunds, they LOVE burrowing under blankets. This was the first real rest he’d probably had in several days.
Last night, it rained and howled all night long. If he’d been out in this storm, he’d have been a goner for sure. It’s a miracle he didn’t become coyote food.
So this morning we went to the vet’s office to have him checked out and see if he’s microchipped. He’s not chipped, and he’s not neutered, either. He’s around 3-4 years old. Weighs 9.5 pounds; it should be more like 12. He got all his shots boosted today, if he ever had them in the first place. We’ll wait on neutering until the shots have taken effect and he’s gained a bit of weight and settled in.
Now for a name: we like Cisco.
Oh, my God! Thank you SO much for what you have done. My heart is in my throat, literally. Bless you 100 times over for rescuing this sweet baby. I have over the years rescued ill cats, frozen cats, abused cats. I just cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Love and (((HUGS))) Amy
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I simply cannot keep on driving by and pretend I didn’t see it, or that someone else will take care of it. About 9 years ago, we stopped for two lovely dalmatians who’d been abandoned in our remote neighborhood. Luckily, that time another neighbor was able to take them. One went to a fire station; the other went to a good home.
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You are an Angel. Truly. Thank you so much! (((HUGS))) Amy
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🙂 I seem to much more moved by the tragedies of animals than those of people. So be it.
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Honey, I seem to be the same way. People have done so much harm not only to themselves but to this world. These poor animals are so abused by people. I do like what you said about people who (what did you say exactly?) abandon (yes that is the word!) and what should be done to them. I have NO empathy for someone who hurts animals. I more or less am the neighborhood woman who takes cares of those animals who keep turning up at our property. xx
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Oh, bless you for taking him in – sounds like he’s found his new home.
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He just got a bath, too. Now we got one pooped pup.
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I have tears in my eyes. Look at him, he’s just a doll and was a complete goner if you two hadn’t stopped for him!!!
I have goosebumps! You’re one lucky Cisco Kid!
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Whether we can keep him or not, his life will be okay now.
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It will be. Thank you. We had an absolutely darling lab-mix dropped off in front of our house. We are out on a rural road, but I have no doubt that someone knew “the vet” lived here. I saw the poor girl running up and down the road….back and forth in a loop for about an hour. I finally realized she had been dumped and went down our 400 foot driveway. She was in the road, nervously barking at a neighbor who was biking. He asked if she was mine and I said, “No, I believe someone dumped her here.” I sat down in the grass at the end of the driveway and called her. She came over within a couple of minutes, tail wagging…but scared. I told her we would go up to the house and get some water. Within 2 minutes she was beside me while I watered flowers….drinking from the hose. Completely relaxed. It was the most wonderful feeling.
We already had four dogs and Ken said we could not manage five, but one of his fantastic receptionists told everyone about this dog and within 2 days she had a home with another dog sister.
Animals are full of love and emotion and caring and not a single one of them should be neglected or dumped or abused. It’s beyond belief.
I hope humanity continues to evolve.
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When we brought our Seamus home, he’d already been dumped at the same shelter twice. I made a promise to him that he would NEVER be abandoned again. When he fell ill a few months later (cancer), I refused to let him stay overnight at the vet’s. Because I couldn’t bear the thought that he might think he’d been abandoned YET AGAIN. When he passed away 10 months after we brought him home, we took comfort in the fact that his last days were spent in a beautiful mountainous setting with peeps who loved him. He’s the only one we have here (buried).
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I don’t know how many times I let out a bittersweet AWWWWWWWWWWW during this post. Thanks for being there for the little dewd. he obviously loves you. What a little sweetie. I thought he looked kind of big for a chi then you said his weight. So he’s a bit bigger than Elvy was. *a lil verklempt I am*
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The vet said he was mostly chi, with maybe a bit of fox terrier mixed in.
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Chihuahuas are very cat-friendly: it’s usually the cat who can’t stand the dog, lol. But how sweet of you to bring him home. Our local shelter is packed full of abandoned chihuahuas. They’re high maintenance in that they crave human company and get upset if they’re left alone too often, which often results in “accidents” on the carpet. They’re also yappy, which can get on a person’s nerves if they don’t like little dogs. People who think they want a chihuahua because their favorite celebrity carries one in her handbag are shocked the first time their tiny “toy” wees on the floor or goes ballistic when the doorbell rings.
When you mentioned “Cisco” for a name, I thought of the Cisco Kid and his “Ohhh Pancho!” at the end of every episode. I’m kinda embarrassed by what my childhood memories conjure up.
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My friend does tell me they very much love and need their peeps, and they can get nasty if denied. Well, they ARE pack animals, after all. I always wanted a cuddle bunny — be careful what you wish for, LOL!
He & Gracie are in the same room today (Cisco on leash), but there have been no confrontations. We’ll be keeping Gracie in with him for the next few days. Just as well; there’s another storm expected after the weekend.
That’s funny, because the other name we tossed around was Pancho! 🙂
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I think the other problem they have is that owners treat them like stuffed animals rather than dogs, so they don’t keep them in line. BItes are cute, growls are cute, etc. A larger dog gets trained to avoid this, chis are laughed at until one snap too many and off they go.
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They also have a bad rap for being high maintenance, high strung, yappy, mean… which makes them hard to adopt. But the stereotype does not apply here, for certain. He and Gracie are going to get along just fine, that seems clear already. He is so calm, so obedient, so eager to do the right thing.
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So glad there was a happy ending. Miss my chi. Had him for 13 years & think he will go down as my favorite dog. Not yappy, and not 1 accident. Great dog!
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Great to hear. I mean about the not yappy and no accident part. Sorry for your loss. The best ones we NEVER forget, no matter how much time has passed. 🙂
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Easy to train too. He would do anything I asked! Fun little guy!
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Just look at that cute little nugget!! ❤ I hope you can keep him Kim. You're sending some fantastic karma out there (regardless of what Gracie thinks at the moment)
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They’ve been the same room together a couple of times now. Both have behaved beautifully so far. Gracie seems interested and nervous, and Cisco seems excited and interested, but not aggressive in any way. They’re both singers, too.
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What a great thing Kim. Such a rewarding and happy ending to a great day in Mexico. Hope Cisco and Gracie at least can coexist peacefully. I love Mexico and Tecate looks like a real little jewel. The last time I was there was in 1983 when I rode the Tecate-Ensenada “fun” bike ride, as they call it.
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At the end of the day we sort of looked at each other and said, well THAT was one weird day.
The first time I went a few years ago, it was via the Railway Museum’s tracks, on a 1930’s Pullman car pulled by a restored steam engine. SUPER fun and cool. The brewery tour was included, then we had a couple of hours to explore the town before heading back.
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That is a really cute dog, and lucky too!
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We considered calling him Lucky, but that’s so done to death.
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