Coco, My dog

Yep, this post is about my dog. But coco isn't any ordinary dog, she is the best dog I have ever had and she is my baby.

I got Coco four years ago from a breeder in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Now, I had been several different places and looked at several different puppies. One places was a seriously tragic puppy mill, where some of the dogs didn't even have full coats of hair. Another was a great place in Des Moines, Iowa where I could have gotten a beautiful merle colored puppy. I played with them for a while but none of them stole my heart. So finally I went to a family home in Cedar Rapids. They only had two puppies left. One girl and one boy, so tiny and calm. They had their small children playing with them the puppies were just calm and content with the handling. I picked up the little girl and held her, and from that moment on I knew she was meant to be my baby.

I paid for her, a hefty $200.00. I held her the entire ride home, and I have never regretted spending a single penny on her. When I showed her to my mom, she came up with the name Coco for her, because of her chocolate colored fur. She is a full blooded Deer head Chihuahua. Where I lived at the time the floors were always cold and she was so tiny, it seemed only obvious she should sleep with me. So she did and has everyday since then. She loves to cuddle and is always ready to curl up with me.

Coco suffered a bad back injury about a year and a half ago, we believe she fell down the carpeted stairs at my moms house. It caused severe swelling around her spine, which cut off the nerves to her entire lower body. She was basically paralyzed from the waist down. After several visits to the vet, I had to put her on special wet dog food with added lubricant, so she could pass it. Then I also had to take her outside every few hours and squeeze her bladder so she would pee. She had to have some one supervise her nearly all the time. She is the kinda dog that was everywhere I was. So if I left the room she would struggle to follow me, dragging her hind end, hurting herself. So I had to devise a system, I placed her in a tote with clear sides so she could always see me, and then moved the tote from one room to another as I did, so she would feel safe.

Coco was like that for about a month, and then the next 4 months or so she slowly regained use of her back end, and then slowly went back to normal. She is pretty healthy today, but I have to watch her to make sure she doesn't fall or jump onto high things. The vet told me when I saw him that she may never recover, and may always be handicapped. There was no hesitation for me to say that I would care for her if she stayed that way. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for that little doggy. Coco is always happy to see me, loves me unconditionally, and never lets me be sad alone. She is a amazing comfort, and I would never give her up for anything.

I hope everyone can have a pet they love as much as family. Coco is cuddled up next to me while I write this, and I love her!