Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  My Jilly was a 4 1/2 mo. old Yorkie runt with many medical problems & I was told she would only grow to about 3 lbs. The breeder almost pressured me into getting her as she had so few people she would/could never place a tiny, delicate, extremely fragile dog with. She was runt-sized, thin, had bad conformation, looked like a twig & I was scared she would die. She was NOT the healthy, sturdy Yorkshire Terrier with flowing coat & gorgeous topknot I wanted & she never would be. My life stopped essentially for the first few weeks - and I called the breeder 2 or 3 times stating I just didn't know how well this would or could work out - mostly it was the fear & responsibility of living with a dog that was going to have ongoing medical problems, all the vet trips to be made, the worry, the end of life as I knew it, etc. She would encourage me, saying "Jilly is the dog you need, Jeanie. I know you." And she did - I'd known her for years by then & we spent literally hours talking frequently & I visited her often. But at that point, I really didn't love Jilly & she was not my Scotty - my first Yorkie, whom I still missed so, though it had been 5 long years since I lost him. He was the love of my life. He was incredible - and Jilly was definitely not Scotty.
Then, one day I came home & took her out of her crate & some kind of light switch turned on somewhere & wham, I was headoverheels in love with that scraggly little Yorkie! I adored her! It was a "moment in time" - one of those inexplicable things that happens & changes you forever. From that minute forward, Jilly & I were inseparable & I was totally devoted to her, took her everywhere with me, slept with her perched on one hip(no kidding), & could not wait to get home to her when I had to work or go out with friends/date, shopping. I nursed her through many bad medical conditions & terrible times & there were many, many vet trips - many a long night sitting up with her worrying, crying. There were those moments when I would realize she was well again & the joy that came with it. We'd made it over another hump! She went on vacations with me and before long, I thought she was the cutest dog on the planet - and so did everyone else. Everywhere we went people gushed over my "cute" tiny dog & people wanted to know where I got her all the time - yes, that thin, scraggly, sickly-looking little girl blossomed with love & care. She housebroke like a dream, was totally clean in the house & smart as a whip. When I was sick, injured, had bad times at work or with friends or family, Jilly was there licking my face, curling up on my lap. When my back went out & I was bedridden, she slept with her back against mine like a heating pad - she never left my side. At the end of a punishing day at work & a long, traffic-jammed trip home, Jilly was there jumping up & down, making me laugh.
The changes I made in my life were taken reluctantly at first but after a while, with relish - anything for Jilly. She was literally my best friend! She lived 12 1/2 years and I would do it all over in a heartbeat. I lost her Christmas Eve almost 10 years ago now. I still miss her so, even sometimes to the point of tears - still. We had such a special, special life together. She was an Angel from Heaven.
Same with Tibbe. I got him about 5 years after I lost Jilly. I went to get a healthy, fat little puppy & wound up with a 9 mos. old big "problem" dog, who'd spent 9 mos. in a cage outside all his life at another breeder's & had never been socialized. He was wild with fears, almost feral. The first 2-3 weeks I had him, it was so hard I literally didn't think I could make it! It was "love at first sight" with him when I first saw him & my rescue heart kicked in but I had buyer's remorse for a good while & that "love" sort of waned. But one day - "click" - on went the lightswitch all over again. Same story. He's my love, wouldn't trade him for any other dog on the planet & we're inseparable. He's my best friend in the world & I cannot imagine my life without him. He's everything Jilly & Scotty were to me. He's a ray of sunshine, like the best Christmas present you ever got as a child, a Little Angel gifted straight from God. He's my boy.
With dogs, unlike with our mates & with friends, you have no courtship - no getting to know them period over time, of learning what they are like. It is see them, select the one you want & then it is yours to bring home & care for, work out your relationship & life together. At times & especially sometimes at first, if you are someone like me, it takes a while. I don't give deep love easily - it is slow in coming - but when it does, it is that kind of love that says "forever" and it means everything.
Hang in there with your baby & let time, day-to-day living & that Yorkie & your heart work it all out. Real, lasting love is often just not automatic & takes a bit of time & work. But once it kicks in, that little dog will become your best friend in life & you won't believe the change in you. Here is hoping you are graced with a Scotty/Jilly/Tibbe-type relationship with your baby because if you are, you will be one happy, satisfied, blessed woman. ♥♥♥ |