[SWHouston]

Marhcarter,

What a genuinely good heart you have, seeing the good side of "those people". I sincerely hope that you are right, but a couple things give me pause...

Navi is absolutely terrified, when I reach down to pick her up.
She cowers and urinates a few drops on an initial pickup. I can (which takes a few minutes) coax her up close enough, where she can be held. I assure you this "fear/timidity" did NOT come from me handling her roughly. I'm trying very hard to blame this on the trauma of being rehomed, but then...

When she goes into her crate, she noses the Blanket up and slips under it totally. I'm sure she can breathe ok, since when she comes out she's not staggering or breathing hard. I admit, this activity could be related to the typical Chihuahua "cold nature", or being in the presence of a new Pack. But given her shyness mentioned in the previous paragraph, concerns me as to how she may have been treated previously.

Beyond that, she's not eating a very large amount of Dog Food. However she is very active in soliciting scraps from the Table, as we eat a meal. Now yet again, this and the other issues can be blamed on the newness of her residence, but collectively, makes me think she's very glad to get away from where she was.

Out of all this, her fear of being picked up, absolutely breaks my heart.

None of the animals I have ever raised is/was anything but eagerly and anxiously awaiting my touch, and being held in my arms. I shutter at what this dear little thing could have previously experienced, which caused this ?

But, once being held, and looks up at me, she makes it very clear why someone came up with that saying, "We are their World".