[CAUTION: Very lengthy!!!]
Hi everyone. I am new to this forum. My name is Gin and I live in Fairfax, VA.
I've always wanted a pet since I was really young but my dad (coming from a third world country) was totally against it because he just wanted to provide for the family and didn't want "another mouth to feed".
I moved out and rent a house with some friends and this is the first time I've ever lived with dogs. I live with four roommates and three of which have dogs. A Maltese/Yorkie named Lola who sometimes confuses me as her owner, a Jack Russell Terrier named Kali who only really gets along with Lola, and Precious Moments III a retired English Bulldog that stays in the basement with her owner because she's a little overweight and does not get along with Kali but rather torments her. They're all female, over a year, and spayed. They're all great but that just made me want a pet of my own that much more.
I was looking to adopt a German Shepherd mix from a shelter but found out he was adopted later and was a little crushed. My boyfriend came back from a business trip from Japan and took me to a pet store where he said his friend found a cute puppy that he wanted to show me. I played with this tiny Yorkie for over an hour and fell in love with her. My boyfriend made arrangements and she came home with us.
She was 11 weeks old but very quiet. She didn't jump around like most other puppies but I thought it was because she was a calm puppy. She loved giving me kisses and would just crawl into my lap and lay down. She ignored her toys and would follow me around. She hadn't really been eating but I figured it was because she was stressed. She was with her brother throughout most of her life from Missouri, then two days at the pet store, then home with me. She pooped her first day but then only diarrhea next and she started vomiting a lot. I took her to the vet for her check up and at first he thought it was Parvo but later ruled that out with a negative test. We found out she was hypoglycemic and he brought her home with him to keep an eye on her but the next day she wasn't any better. She became very lethargic and wouldn't move. She started to show signs of Distemper and the vet was trying to be optimistic for Nala and my sake, but he made sure not to get my hopes up. She had been staying with the vet for seven days (only 2 days at my home). I visited her every single day after work until the vet closed. One day she was eating on her own (they've had to force feed her) and she was running around and giving kisses, I thought she was getting better. I was so happy. The next day, she went back to being lethargic. I still had a contract with the pet store and I didn't know what to do. Later the pet store and vet encouraged me to put her down because she was not able to do anything on her own and she was suffering. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do and I never truly found out whether it was Distemper or not.
This was my first puppy and my first Yorkie. It was not the best experience but she did teach me a lot. When I wasn't with her I was at home researching. I learned more about pet stores and puppy mills that I never knew before having her. I looked up her breeder, Jane Hawk, and only found an
article.
I've spoken to a few people and my vet and thoroughly cleaned my room (that's the only place she's been).
So that is my story on how I became a Yorkie lover.
Attached Photos:
1. Nala's first night with me, you can see my BF eating pizza in the background hehe.
2. Taking a nap before her vet appointment.
3. On the day she was up and running around giving kisses at the vet.
4. Sleeping at the vet.