If you have seen our tweet @dogopolis, you will probably guess that I am pretty obsessed with Dachshunds. However, I’ve been thinking of getting a Chihuahua breed lately. The reason is because I noticed that Chihuahua owners in the Bay Area have such a great community. It’s as if, when you adopt one, you become part of this giant Chihuahua family.

If you don’t believe me, you should’ve seen the SF Chihuahua meetup run by Kate, Mike, and Tim. You know there are stereotypes of Chihuahua owners but the meetups prove that chihuahua owners are very diverse. They have meetups every month with over 400 members. I attended their “Small Dog Christmas Extravaganza” this weekend and it was quite fun. The chihuahuas that I met seem to be pretty calm and are happy to just hangout in their owners’ lap.

I’ve been thinking of adopting a second dog for 2 years, but have not really had the chance to adopt one just yet because I wanted to make sure that I would be able to handle the responsibility. Getting Obi, I have to admit, wasn’t a well thought out plan. I decided to adopt him because he was a cute puppy… it was a rough first 6 month. There were issues such as separation anxiety, “accidents”, and much more. I remember one time, Obi was placed in an area with a puppy gate while I was gone, his 3 lbs self managed to bust the gate  down and run around amok in the house, setting the alarm off.  There was another time where Obi was running around my bed and decided to stop and pee on it while staring at my face, it was not fun to clean up. [ Let this also be a warning to those considering a puppy... be prepared for mischeviousness ]

We are all innocent of whatever you're accusing us of

Finally after about rounds of puppy classes with Sandi Thompson, Obi finally became the dog that I was happy to live with. He obeys commands and most importantly understands that the world is not his toilet (just the backyard).

Now, I’m in a comfortable place with Obi and I’m starting to notice the cute pooches that are up for adoption at the local shelters. Although this time, I remind myself not to be so easily persuaded by the cute puppy dog eyes. Sandi warns me that training a 2nd dog will be a lengthy process, one which requires me to train the new dog separately from Obi, as well as train the dog around Obi. But we’ll see. I’ve spotted some cute pups up for adoptions at the SF Chihuahua “Small Dog Christmas Extravaganza” that seemed to be friendly to people, and are female (i’m looking for a female dog to complement Obi).

Here are some rescue organizations that have dogs up for adoption. If you’re a first time dog owner, it might be worthwhile to check out an older dog that’s already potty trained and well adjusted rather than getting a puppy. You help the local shelter by saving a dog and you get to have a wonderful companion.

A Leg Up Rescue – http://aleguprescue.org/

Shake Wiggle and Roll – http://www.shakewiggleroll.org/about.htm

Grateful Dog Rescue – http://www.gratefuldogsrescue.org