You only think you want a Rattie!

Recently, I was surfing the internet and found this site--"Rat Terriers
What's good about 'em, What's bad about 'em"

As I read this site, I wondered to myself if Satchmo had been visiting the author because he certainly "nailed" my dog. There is not one piece of information on that page that does not describe Satchmo to a "T".

So, if a rat terrier might be in your future, please click over to see if it will be a good fit. Ratties are really not for everyone, even though they are little and cute.

Another thing I thought about today is Satch's babies. Back when he was locked up in the cage for all those weeks, he spent the days at my neice's home while I worked. She carried him outside and carried him back inside while he "did his business" and then she talked to him all day long so he wouldn't get lonely. He looked so pitiful that I guess she decided he needed his own "baby" to be in the cage with him. She got him a Taco Bell Chihuahua that were all the rage at the time. OMG! He loves that thing!!!!


He played with that stuffed dog so much that it stopped talking and had a permanent stain on its back from being in his mouth all the time. When I started travel nursing, we had to pack Baby in the car with us and he played with it when we stopped and spent the night at motels.

One day, I simply could not find Baby!!! It was a MAJOR EMERGENCY!!!!!!!! We looked everywhere. Satch moped around and stopped being himself. I tore the apartment apart looking for that stupid stuffed dog to no avail. Being the good mom that I am, I went online and found another Taco Bell Chihuaha on Ebay. Paid $8.00 for the damn thing plus shipping. Nevertheless, my Satchmo was going to have his Baby.




The exact day that it arrived, I found the first Baby. So, now Satchmo has two Babies and he is so happy!

This is Satchmo riding in the car. He loves to go riding. He is really very compliant and obedient in the car--amazingly enough, because he is not either compliant or obedient anywhere else!

This is what you will see the entire time you are riding around, unless a big truck happens to pass you--then he barks!

This particular pic is when we were in Berkeley, California. He loved the weather there. He is definitely a Cali-man!

Getting Started...finally!

I have just gotten into this thing called blogging and wanted to have a place to talk about my best friend and constant companion (someplace that will not get me committed or get me crazy looks).

First, let me introduce you to Satchmo. That's a picture of him up in the banner. He is a 10 year old Rat Terrier that has lived with me since he was about 5 weeks old. He started out small enough to be carried in my shirt pocket, which I did during a whole shift at work when I first got him. He currently weighs in at a whopping 13 pounds and stands approximately 12 inches off the ground.

He has quite a few foibles that I have adapted to. First, he has a deformed toe and he HATES for anyone to touch it. When I cut his nails, you will think that I am killing him with all the howling and yelping he does. Second, he is allergic to just about everything. He can't take any shots without first getting Benadryl and steroids. He can't tolerate the flea drops that you put on the back of his neck--he falls over and can't get up when you put it on him. Third, he is always hungry. I mean it. He will never say "NO" to food. I've had him checked and he has no parasites, so that's not the problem. Fourth, his mouth stinks. I have his teeth cleaned fairly regularly, but his mouth still smells like the bottom of a cat box. Fifth, he likes to sit up like a prairie dog and stare at me. It is really cute, and he can sit like that for a very long time.

He also is an escape artist and will scoot out of a crack in the door if an opportunity presents itself. When he was about a year old he did his escape act and dashed out into the road. Since he thinks he is as big as a Great Dane and meaner than a Doberman, and he absolutely has no sense about the world at large, he tangled with a pickup truck and he lost. Oh, that was a horrible day!

He ended up with 5 fractures to his pelvis and spent the next 8 weeks living in a cage. So, as a result of his exuberance and stupidity, he has one back leg that sticks out slightly at a weird angle and his hips cause him some pain when the weather changes (God, do I understand that!).
I was really worried that his prairie dog days were over, but not to worry! He just learned to balance his weight differently so he could still sit up and look at me with his big sad eyes.

I'm sure there are more peculiarities, but I can't think of them right now. I'll just close this posting with this comment. He is a steadfast and true friend; he is really good company; and he makes me laugh. He also wants to go out every 2 hours, so I stay active whether I want to or not.

Enjoy life!

Shirley