Not a cat…but not a dog.

You see them every where.  Shoved into purses, handbags, grocery carts and sporting more bling than a three year old who broke into her mother’s jewelry box. Little dogs. They are a plague it seems sweeping the nation, invoking another heart to stop and buy one.  I admit that I’ve referred to these tiny creatures as vermin, rats and rodents.  But a tiny few may change my mind.

This past week I examined a small Yorkie weighing in at 3.1 lbs.  To protect the “innocent” I’ve changed his name to Valentine.  Unlike most Yorkies who shake uncontrollably all the time, Valentine was a raging canine with perfectly groomed hair.  His owner had set some ground rules with the little tyrant, but he views our hospital as a coliseum match.  Prior to going in the room I was warned by the other nurses that Valentine was sweet until the exam began…but then he’d “getcha”.  Also in juxtaposition to the typical Yorkie mentality, I was informed by his owner that Valentine had become a bonefide Gopher destroyer, killing around 6 of the rodents a day.  Considering that your average Gopher (ground squirrel) weighs in at 1-1.5 lbs and has an impressive set of teeth and claws I was amazed.  The entire veterinary team has been guilty on more then one occasion of squealing when a diminutive pet mouse bites us with their barely visible incisors.  And here Valentine was taking on an animal about 5X that size.   The entire terrier class was bred for the destruction and control of rodents.  Yorkies…although they kept the “terrier” part of the name are not known for keeping rodents at bay. As I mentioned above, shaking, is what they do best.  I read a study once that falling off of couches and being closed in doorways were a Yorkies most common cause of death.  But Valentine threw off his Yorkie lineage and plunged straight down the terrier hole…literally.  I stood there agog as his owner recounted tale after tale of gopher pursuit and destruction. The small canine would disappear under ground for several minutes at a time, and emerge victorious from another hole hauling his prize.  Her neighbors have asked to borrow Valentine for a few days to reign havoc on their gopher population.

The same day I met Valentine I heard a news report about three tiny Chihuahuas who saved a toddler.  The Chi’s combined weight was around 12 lbs, and individually none of them weighed over 5 lbs.  The toddler and dogs were let out into the yard to play when the dogs rushed ahead of the young girl barking as only Chihuahuas can.  The girl’s mother followed the sound to the garage where the would be heroes had “treed” an adult mountain lion in the garage rafters.  The mother quickly rushed her daughter inside and was able to call back two of the dogs, but the third long haired Chihuahua, Rosey, kept her position below the snarling cat and continued to bark insults at it until the Fish & Wildlife department agents arrived.

So to the breeders instilling the BIG DOG attitude into the pint sized canines of the world, I salute you.