| Ally and Olive
Thu, 4 Dec 2003 14:37:19 -0800 - from Victoria
I was lucky as a child to grow up with Min Pins as part of our Family. My Father bought Heidi
(a show dog drop out) as a companion for my older sister when I was born. My sister was
determined to name ME Heidi! (Lucky for me the name went to the dog and I was named Victoria.)
So I have no memory of being without a Min Pin as a kid. Heidi was a wonderful gentle pet who
took her babysitting duties very seriously. My Mother would give the command "Go to Baby" and
she would wiggle though the bars of my playpen and stand guard.
(Heidi lived to be 22 years old. Years later when we placed my baby niece on a blanket and
commanded old and half blind Heidi to "go to baby" she tottered off in the baby's general
direction, went right past the baby and settled proudly with me. I was still "Baby" to her no
matter how large I got.)
Later we added Conrad a handsome male min pin and then finally Puppet, a delightful imp of a
girl who became my very own dog and constant companion. I was unfortunately a very sickly child.
I was in and out of the hospital very often and for a long while I could not attend school or
play outside. I can remember watching from the upstairs window as all the kids went off to
school together while I stayed home. My little Puppet made it all bearable. We had a very
special bond. She kept me company and cuddled up with me in bed each night. She was sweet and
smart and best of all adored me. Later when I was better she rode in the basket of my bike. We
had tea parties and pretended to be great explorers in my big back yard.
When I had kids of my own I told them stories of our Min pins and promised that we would
someday have another one. I waited a long while before adopting a dog, because I wanted to make
sure we had the right conditions to give a dog the proper care. I did not want to adopt a Min
Pin and leave it home alone all day.
This last year had been a tough one; I found myself in and out of the hospital once more. It
made me realize that life turned on a dime and that I shouldn't delay any longer. My kids were
all older and I was working from home, we had a lot of loving hands to offer a good home to a
Min Pin.
My older Daughter who lives in L.A. is a great animal lover and was always calling with
reports of an animal that needed a home. So, when she called saying she had a neighbor who had
a Min Pin they could not keep, and would I like it? I said yes. I think she was pleased but a
little surprised. But the people who had offered the dog got flaky. I don't know what the
problem was, but after weeks of promising the dog they evaporated. It seems they had moved the
dog to a grandmother's back yard where it stayed alone all day. My Daughter and I were both
disappointed; we had both got all worked up over the possibility of a Min Pin in the family.
So, I started looking on the Internet and came across
IMPS. I loved the site and poured over all the dog
stories. I thought "maybe someday I will get a dog from them." I had a lot of experience with
dogs and thought I would be a good choice for a rescued dog. Then one day I saw Ally's story
posted, followed by a Photo later. Ally had been bought as a gift for someone and then rejected
because of a skin condition. They dumped her at the pound where IMPS rescued her and found her a
foster home with Jacqueline in Concord, California. She sounded perfect for us and it was love
at first sight. I was so excited and so worried because I wanted to pass all the requirements. I
have 18-year-old twin daughters at home and a 15-year-old son. We all kept our fingers crossed
and jumped for joy when we got the news that Ally would be ours.
We loaded up the SUV for the ride to Concord where Foster Mother Jacqueline was looking after
Ally with her own herd of Min Pins. All the kids came. We fell in love with Jacqueline and her
brood too and could see that Ally had been very lucky to land in such a safe and loving haven.
Even though Ally was just a pup she was prancing around the house with all the big dogs and
having a grand time. She went happily with us for the car ride home but turned her head and gave
a forlorn look as we left Jacqueline standing in her driveway. We all cried.
Ally had some emotional baggage when we brought her home. Jacqueline had done a fine job with
her but who knows what really happened to her before she found that safe haven. She appeared
very high-strung and was on emergency mode all the time. She was very hyper. At first I couldn't
get her to urinate or defecate. She was just too nervous. I would hold her and pet her until I
could hear her sigh and relax, then I could put her down and she could do her business. She
loved all of us but felt she had to "guard" us from strangers. So at first she growled and
snapped at new people. We worked with her and all handled her a lot and took her out a lot and
soon she began to understand that the world could be a nice place.
About this time I got a call from my Daughter in L.A. without my knowing, She had been
looking for a dog for me too. As luck would have it some friends of a friend from her work had
heard we were looking for a dog. They had just bought a Min Pin Puppy when the job offer of a
lifetime came their way. (Work on a movie being filmed overseas.) They hated to give the puppy
up but wisely knew they needed to be around for the puppy part of their new dog's life. (They
may have found a Min Pin a little more work than expected as well.) My Daughter called to offer
me the pup only to find I had just brought one home.
I never intended to have two puppies, but I just couldn't resist it, so we said yes to Olive
the Min Pin from L.A. We drove all the way to L.A to pick her up. Ally who is about two weeks
older was thrilled to have a playmate. I think Olive was a little overwhelmed at first. Now they
are sisters as if they were born together. Ally is more serious while Olive is the sweet lovable
clown. They suit each other very well.
These two pups have given us such pleasure and made our family complete. So many moments with
my childhood Min Pins have come rushing back that I did not expect; The puppy smell, the
cuddling under the bed sheets, the pirouettes before dinnertime, the graceful little feet and
sweet expressions. The girls are almost potty trained now. They know how to sit and roll over
and lay down. When they get excited now they start doing rollovers like mad, one after the
other, both at the same time. (Just too cute!) Our Thanks go out to Jacqueline, Tracy, Alison
and everyone at IMPS who made this possible. These darling dogs are so worthy of our care and
attention, I am so glad IMPS is around to look out for their welfare.
Many thanks
Victoria and the family.
| 
Shots of Ally and Olive
