el fin

   Im not good with sad and emotional stuff so I try not to get too attached to my dog, Momo. I talk from experience because I use to have another chihuahua just like Momo. Her name was Chiquis, which is short for chiquito which means small in spanish. Momo and Chiquis were completely different. Momo was quiet and liked to be alone and Chiquis was so lovable and always full of energy. Chiquis was much more younger then Momo. This probably explains why Chiquis is always energetic and Momo is so calm. They sort of had a mother and daughter relationship even though they weren't related in anyway. Momo never had offspring and she probably never will. Well getting back to the point of not getting so attached, Chiquis died like two or three years ago from a disease called Parvo. Parvo is an airborne dog disease that comes from grass. To avoid this disease, a dog must have its vaccination shots. Unfortunately, Chiquis didn't have them. The symptoms of this disease is diarrhea and vomiting. This disease results in fatal consequences if the dog doesn't receive immediate care from professionals.  She contacted this disease from my other dog Maya. Just to make things clear, I have a total of three dogs, all three of them being females, Momo, Chiquis, and Maya. Maya is the youngest yet biggest of the three. She is a blue nose pit bull. Maya is probably the most active out of all of my dogs.  Luckily when Maya came across this disease my parents were kind enough to take her to the vet and safe her life. Sadly once Maya had gotten better, Chiquis got the disease and my parents simply couldn't afford to take her to the vet since Mayas recent trip to the vet was extremely expensive. It really sucked losing Chiquis. Im the type of person that rarely or never cries but Chiquis death really hit me like a truck. This is one of the reasons why I don't want to get so attached to Momo knowing that the end is almost here for her. 

Chiquis

Maya The Great

   Momos health has been getting worse day by day. What has really been getting bad is her breathing.  She always gets these little breathing attacks when she gets to excited or she eats or drinks water too fast. Turns out that "One common health problem among many Chihuahuas is something commonly referred to as "reverse sneezing", which is basically characterized by them wheezing"("Chihuahua..."). "The sound that accompanies reverse sneezing is kind of a sudden, startling sound that makes many dog owners think their pet is either choking or having an asthma attack"("How..."). At first, my family and I thought she had asthma but then I decided to do some research to see if it was possible for dogs to get Asthma. At the time I thought it was asthma but its just a little something called reverse sneezing. "This behavior isn't only common in Chihuahuas, but most small dog breeds can exhibit it. However, there are a number of specific breeds that appear to be predisposed to it, including Chihuahuas. Many dog owners have rushed to the vet's office in a panic over this health condition, though such a brash move isn't necessarily required"("Chihuahua..."). So from this research I have concluded that this condition is nothing close to or as bad as asthma. Whenever my dog starts reverse sneezing all I have to do is give her space to breath and try to calm her down and tell her that everything is going to be okay. 

Momo

    It has been a very interesting experience having to observe my dog very precisely for a couple of months. From these observations that I have done, I have come to a conclusion that in life, we should enjoy the little things as much as we possibly can before they are gone. By little things, I mean my old little vicious chihuahua. I never really payed much attention to my dog ever but this task of observing her has made me open my eyes and appreciate her and her little grouchy self a little bit more. The emotional and physical changes that my dog has been going through in these last couple of days has made me realized that she's getting much older and her time to go is almost here. 

Works Cited:
"Chihuahua Wheezing Problems." Chihuahua Wheezing Problems. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.

"How to Recognize an Episode of Reverse Sneezing." Mercola.com. Dr. Karen Becker, 03 Dec. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
   

cinco

My dog has been looking very sad and depressed lately. I think my dog always seems depressed because we never really take her out much. I haven't taken her out for a walk in over four years. I know i should take her out but I never really have time on my hands anymore.I always try feeding her but she is never hungry. This is probably why she is never hungry because she never does any sort of activity that takes up her energy. In research that I made, past president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, John Ciribassi states that, "Dogs will become withdrawn. They become inactive. Their eating and sleeping habits often change. They don't participate in the things they usually once enjoyed". This explains why my dog has been so lazy and never eats. I learned that dogs can get depression just like humans do.

So from all of this i have decided to take action and take her for a walk. When I took her for a walk I saw a side of her that I haven't seen in years. She was so happy and full of life. She was running as fast as she could on her three paws. By three paws, I mean exactly three paws. She walks with four paws but when she runs she likes to run with only three paws. For some odd reason she runs on three paws and she keeps her rear right foot in the air while she runs.

These weird actions of her caught my attention so I decided to research it. So it turns out that if a "Chihuahua hopping while holding one of their back legs up, chance are they are suffering from a knee condition known as "patellar luxation". This is one of the breeds most common health problems, as Chihuahua experts and health professionally estimate roughly 10% of the population suffers from it."

From observing my dog walk like this, I thought it was just a cute little habit of hers but it turns out that it can be something bigger and serious. From research that I made, patellar luxation is a condition in which the kneecap (patella) slides out of its normal place, which is frequently off to the side. In a healthy canine, there are grooves at the base of the femur where the kneecap gently slides in and out of as the canine walks and moves about. These cartridge grooves are necessary to create a smooth surface for the knee to move back and forth."

I talked to my mom about this and told her that we should take her to the doctor and check her knee out. My mom did not agree with me. She thought that our dog was to old anyway and that it would be way too much money. She said that my dog has lived her life already and she will most likely die anytime soon anyway. I thought this was very selfish on my moms part but what can I do.

Works Cited:
"Patellar Luxation in Chihuahuas – What You Should Know." Patellar Luxation in Chihuahuas – What You Should Know. Jennifer Mitchell, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.

cuatro

Out of everyone in my family, my dog likes my dad the most. Other then my dad, she hates everyone and she doesn't like to be touched, carried, or even looked at. On this one particular day, my dog just good by the door waiting for my dad to get home. My dog never wags her tail, but that day, she actually wagged her tail when my dad got to the house.

My dog waiting for my dad to get home.

   In the summer, my dog is usually outside but now that it is fall, she is nowhere to be found. She is usually wrapped in a blanket somewhere in the house. She is also so little that I don't even notice her in the blanket and I accidentally step on her. I have stepped on her so many times because she is so little. When it is very cold she likes to sleep in my bathroom. She would just snuggle her way under a towel by the heater in the bathroom. I shower everyday before I go to school so I would usually sleepwalk into the bathroom and accidentally step on her because I would probably still be sort of asleep. I should probably be more careful on what I step on.
   When I got home one day from school,   I couldn't find my dog like always because she is so small and quiet. I looked all over the house but I couldn't find her. Then I walked outside and saw her on my front lawn. She was just relaxing on the grass, minding her own business. Then out of nowhere she sees these people walking by and she jumps up and attacks them! I think this is hilarious because she is so little and harmless yet vicious and she thinks she can take on the world. This is the reason why we don't ever take our dog out into the public. Once she sees someone that she doesn't recognize, she feels the urge to start barking and attack.

tres

Throughout momos life,  she never really had a partner or male dog with her ever. She would never let another dog get close to her. She always enjoyed being by herself. She preferred her own company most of the time. In my opinion, I think my dog is really strange and she's nothing like all the other dogs. I see my dog like an antisocial dog. 

Before I even started observing my dog for this english assignment, i'd never really pay attention or even acknowledge my dog. But I always remember that she would always be carrying this little valentine teddy bear around. Always. Everywhere she would be, there would always be this teddy bear in her site. She doesn't let anyone get close to it. She protects this teddy bear as if it were one of her own. My dog never had offspring.

my dog protecting her teddy bear.

 As one can see from the picture above, my dog was really overprotective of her teddy bear. Just by looking in her eyes you can see how serious and angry she can get if anyone tries to get close. I was just simply taking a picture of her and you can see how much she defensive she was about her teddy bear. At first, I thought she just wanted this teddy bear as a chew toy or something but at this point, I'm starting to think that all this loneliness is getting to her and she wants this little teddy bear as a source of company in a way. 

In research that I made,  Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian and animal behaviorist, founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and the author and star of numerous books and videos on dog behavior and training, and he said that, "Object-guarding, a common problem with family dogs, will develop throughout puppyhood if owners allow it to. Owners may fail to notice their adolescent dog becoming increasingly possessive and protective. Some may actually encourage their puppy's protective displays, thinking they are cute. It is natural for dogs to protect their possessions. In the wild, a wolf would hardly pop next door to borrow a cup of bones. Domestic dogs quickly learn that once something is gone, it is gone. So it is not surprising to find dogs trying to keep their possessions away from people."  

dos

My dogs name is Morusa, which means crumbs in spanish; I like to call her momo though. My parents gave her this name because she was very little when we bought her. She was only one week of age when we bought her off the streets about 12 years ago. My dog likes to be alone most of the time. I never really interact with her anymore but from having to do these observations, I noticed that she's gotten old and she's very fragile. I observed her struggling to jump off of the couch.I also noticed that she use to sprint down the stairs and now she can barely go down a couple of steps at a time. It was really sad seeing how old she was getting and all the white hairs that she had. This made me realize how fast time was going. Just the other day she was just a little puppy.

uno

I have decided to make my observations on my very old dog since I know she doesn't have much to live anymore, I would like to pay close attention to her last moments in this world with us. From observing my dog for a whole good two weeks now, I have noticed  that she's not your typical energetic dog that's always waging her tail. She is more on the chill side and she spends most of her time sleeping and away from everyone. Since my dog is a chihuahua you would expect her to be  full of life and everything but she's the most calm and collected animal I know. Even though she is a very  relaxed dog, she can also be very vicious and  aggressive if you get close to her or if you try taking something away from her. In many ways I see myself through my dog because I prefer my own company and being in solitude.

Her fur is all sorts of colors such as black, brown, white, and grey. I noticed that my dog always has this melancholy look on her face most of the time. I wanted to give her a hug but if I do she would try to bite me. She isn't aggressive but if you try to touch her she will attack.  What I really like about my dog is that if you howl, my dog starts to howl as well. below there is a picture of my dog howling. I think my dog looks like a miniature coyote.