I Love Chihuahuas

With a Little Help from Her Friends, Annie Sage Found Love and Health Annie Sage might appear to the untrained eye like your standard, slightly walleyed Chihuahua, but the story of her winning battle with cancer is quite remarkable, and the fact that Annie has two talented actor parents lends an air of "celebreality" to her tale. Annie’s story begins in 2004, when she and two younger Chihuahuas were surrendered to  Pet Orphans , a Van Nuys, California animal shelter, by an owner who could no longer provide sufficient care. Many of the animals at Pet Orphans receive multiple adoption applications, but while Annie’s Chihuahua companions were adopted immediately, Annie was left behind, enduring three months of being overlooked for adoption. Fortunately, she had Judy, a Pet Orphans volunteer, lovingly looking after her while she waited. When Judy and her husband David first met Annie, they were recovering from the tragic loss of their Papillion, Tess. Getting a new dog was not so...

Miracle Milly, a 3.8 inch tall, one pound Chihuahua living in Puerto Rico, is officially the World’s Smallest Dog measured in height, according to Guinness World Records. Imagine having a dog as small as an athletic shoe. The nearly two-year-old dog may not be as big as a ham, but she knows how to act like one, according to her dog mom, Vanesa Semler, who lives in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Milly will stick her tongue out anytime someone points a camera at her. "She knows how to pose," Semler told the Associated Press, as reported by NBC News. Milly is one of ten dog siblings that live with Semler. Semler says Milly likes only certain foods such as chicken and salmon. The doted upon tiny pup even sleeps in a baby crib. "People are amazed when they see her because she is so small," Semler says. "And she has a big personality. People love her." Milly was apparently strong enough to push a slightly larger dog from Kentucky out of the seat for the title of the small...

Pet insurance (also known as pet health insurance) helps cover the cost of veterinary care if your pet becomes ill or injured. Some pet insurance plans also provide reimbursement for wellness procedures such as vaccinations, heartworm testing, and spaying/neutering. Pet insurance is similar to human health insurance in that it has: Deductibles Co-pays Maximum payouts Premiums Waiting periods No coverage for pre-existing conditions Deductible A deductible is an amount you must pay before the insurance company will start paying. There are two types of deductibles: per-incident and annual. A per-incident deductible is an amount you must pay for each new illness or injury. An annual deductible is an amount that you must pay each policy year. Co-pay A co-pay is the percentage you must pay after the deductible is met. The remaining percentage of covered expenses is paid by the insurance company. For example: if your co-pay is 20 percent, the pet insurance company will pay 80 percent of cover...

Deciphering pet insurance terms and figuring out the policy options can be tricky—you might not know where to start. Here are the top 12 things you should know about navigating the process of buying pet insurance. 1. Never buy pet insurance without doing your own research. Your pet’s health is an important investment. It’s not an impulse buy, but something you should put time into researching to make sure you get the right coverage for your pet’s age, breed, health conditions and lifestyle. Use a pet insurance comparison tool to compare policies side by side to make an informed decision. Each company’s website will also have a “Get a Quote” button that you can click to see exactly how much you would pay and what coverage limits you would have. 2. Do not pick pet insurance solely based on the cost of the monthly premium. It is very tempting to just go with the policy that offers the lowest monthly premium. And if you simply can’t budget for more than the lowest premium, then of course, ...

Are you in search of a purebred puppy? Picking the right breeder is the first and most important step. Remember, a healthy puppy is a beautiful puppy. You really want a puppy. In fact, owning a puppy is something you’ve been dreaming of ever since your evil stepmother cruelly denied you one at the age of 10. So after years of therapy, you’ve suddenly realized the cure: get yourself a puppy. Perhaps that isn’t the reason (although it does make for good dinner party conversation), but you do really want a puppy. If you've already decided against adopting a dog, choosing an ethical, reputable breeder is important. Your first task should be making a list of breeders who deals with your desired breed. Do a little research to see what their reputations are. Dog societies, friends with dogs, and vets are good sources of information. Then it's as easy as crossing off breeders with bad reviews off your list. If there are reviews, do they come with pictures and stories of the dogs as adu...

A man from Catamarca took bargain shopping to a new extreme when he purchased what he thought to be a pair of Toy Poodles from the La Salada market in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  The man learned the hard way that his reasonably priced dogs were not what they seemed to be. According to a Buenos Aires news report, the man took his new “Poodles” to the veterinarian for vaccinations and received the shocking news. The veterinarian revealed that the pair were actually ferreted on steroids. The veterinarian believes that the two were given steroids at birth to increase their size and alter their physical features to resemble the in-demand dog breed. The disguised ferrets were also groomed to look fluffy like a Toy Poodle. This is not the first time a prospective buyer was duped into believing they were purchasing a purebred dog for a bargain price. Previously, a local TV station reported that a woman believed she was buying a Chihuahua for a fraction of the cost, but it was also a ferret. ...