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past president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, John Ciribassi states that, "Dogs will become withdrawn.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.