About a year ago, we decided to get a second dog. Our first, whom is very sweet, is a collie-retriever mix named Annie, who was getting very lonely with out a companion. Over several weeks, we checked the animal shelters and rescues around our area until one day we came upon a pet adoption at Petsmart. As we looked over all of the rescued dogs and puppies, we came across one that was a chihuahua mix. As we inquired on that puppy, we found out that she has been adopted but her brother was still available. We found him and it was love at first sight. He was 5 weeks old and absolutely precious. He was so little that he could fit in our hands; there was no way that we could leave without him. Within a matter of minutes, he was ours to take home. I cannot begin to describe how cute he was. he looked like a brown rolly- polly. He was so pudgy and homely that he was cute. His ears were huge, so we named him yoda, it fit him perfectly.
Over the next few weeks he gained his strength and was into everything, as puppies always are. He and Annie bonded quite quickly and were always into trouble. They loved chasing our two cats upstairs. Their favorite game was to chase the cats upstairs and then give them kisses, against their wishes. Since he was so small and mischevious, we devised a playpen for him so that he could play and be aroud us, even if we could watch him, such as cooking dinner. He had a lot of room in that pen and we could move it around to anyroom we needed to. We nick-named it " The Yode Abode." it lasted for about a month before he figured out how to get out.
As time passed on, Yoda became an incredible dog. He had a sweet innocence to him that I cannot begin to comprehend. Yoda could get himself into big trouble, then look at you with his precious eyes and you couldn't stay upset with him.
My dad took to him very quickly. At first, he just kept saying "He's your mom's dog." Pretty soon, Yoda was sleeping in dad's lap, and getting table scraps. Dad, Annie and Yoda would always be out playing in the yard after dad came home from work. As for mom, yoda was always happy to be in her lap, enjoying all of his attention from her, especially all the treats she loved to give him. We kept getting in trouble with the vet because we would take him in for his shots and he would have gained more weight than expected.
As for me, Yoda and I would cuddle together on the couch and play with his stuffed animals. I loved teaching him new tricks.
As a puppy, Yoda loved stuffed animals. We bought him a stuffed animal, in the shape of a beaver, from Kohl's as his first toy. The "beave," as we called him, was Yoda's best friend. Despite the fact that over the past year, yoda has received about 30 more stuffed animals, the beave was his favorite. One of my favorite memories has to do with his friend, the beave. Yoda had a great habit of "sitting the beave up," as if he were a real person. It was so funny because you would look in the kitchen or living room and see the beave sitting up and staring at you. On this particular day, Yoda had a chewy that he started to eat before he went outside. he left it by the beave for safe keeping. Annie came in the house before Yoda and stole the chewy. For about 20 minutes, Yoda just stared at the beave, as if he were asking the beave "Why did you eat my chewy?" He finally looked over at Annie and figured out that she took his chewy.
Withing the year, we taught Yoda how to lay down, sit, stay, roll over, which was very impressive for his stubborness. There were so many days we tried to tell him to sit and he would just stare so innocently as as, as if he were saying " I am too cute to lay down." He was just the sweetest dog and incredibly intellegent. He loved being cradled like a baby. He also loved going for walks, especially in the park, and car rides with Annie and dad.
Within the last couple of months, Yoda started a new habit. My mom would let him out of his crate in the morning and he would go wake my dad up and wait for him to shower. every morning, they would walk down the stairs together. If dad forgot something, Yoda would follow him up the stairs.
Yoda was very healthy up until his sudden death. He started throwing up the day before and we scheduled an appointment for the vet the next day after work. I got home first and I knew something was wrong as I stepped in the door. I rushed to his cage to find him half-alive. I rushed him to the vet, cradled in my arms. I handed him the the vet and that was the last time I saw him alive. The vet told my mom and I that the condition that he had was likely brought on by a bug bite, such as a scorpion bite. It came on so suddenly and there was nothing we could have done. It was a fluke and even if we had brought him in with the first time he vomited, the vet still could not have caught the condition. The damage was already done. Yoda was just a year old.
I had to take him up to the vet by myself because I was the first one home. I called my parents and my mom was able to come first. The brought Yoda in for us to see one last time. He was completely limp and helpless. My mom stroked his head and his ears shot straight up. I had not seen his ears perk up since he started throwing up. I guess that's how he told us he was fine, and happy up in heaven. It was his way of saying goodbye. My mom needed that. I know that he held on until one of us got home. He was everyone's dog and he loved us all equally. He will be greatly missed.
Wherever you are Yoda, we love you very much and we hope you are safe and happy.