New addition

As you may have noticed from posts like this one here and this one, we were in the mood for dog. And because of our special needs (cats and husband's allergies), our choices were somewhat limited. After ogling the listings at our local shelters (ACPS and Humane Society), trying a few rescue groups (of which only the Greyhound Rescue GAP was helpful - incredibly so - even if it didn't work out), I finally gave in and listened to my friend Nina's prodding to come and meet her dogs.

You see, she shows Chinese Crested and as luck would have it, just had a first litter born to her prize-winning dogs. Happy healthy puppies who'd grown up with kids (check!), a cat (check!) and are considered hypoallergenic (check!).

The problem?

Whenever I heard "Chinese Crested", this is what I envisioned:

[source: Miss Ellie, RIP]

A sight only a mother could love. A birth mother. A blind birth mother.

I'm clearly exaggerating. Actually, by now, I don't find her quite that ugly anymore.

Nina won. Three weeks ago, just after the Greyhound fail, we drove out to Mandarin to visit her and her little pack of Chinese Crested.

Within minutes, nay, seconds we were head over heels, madly in love with the rowdy bunch of puppies and their parents! This is a breed of dog you clearly have to SEE and FEEL before you can make up your mind. The Powderpuff variety is a Chinese Crested with a fine fluffy coat of fur and if untrimmed, looks like a cute little terrier. Groomed, they are ueber-cute with their little faces, soulful eyes and big bat ears.

[Mio checking out the kitchen while being checked out in turn.
Notice sneaky little Buttons in the back]

So we brought this little guy home with us: Sayuri's Amore Mio aka "Mio" (Mee-oh), this adorable 4 months old Powderpuff.

[Sweet little faces]

Here are my boys: Little Man and Mio, enjoying some cuddle time on Mom's lap. Mio is a darling of a well-adjusted puppy. He's attentive, happy, playful catching quick cat naps atop my feet in between walks and playing.


It took Buttons about 24 hrs to decide that Mio was the best plaything ever. The two -love- each other: they hang out together, nap together, share food and rough-house like a pair of puppies. When it comes to playing "Fetch!", though, Buttons has Mio beat hands-down. Boots, our senior cat, is glad that Buttons has somebody else to play with and ignores both (unless they get to close; then she calls them to order).

[Best place on earth? Mom's lap]

Mio is a perfect fit for our family and our first week together has been nothing but joy. I'm so glad we had the chance to get to know this rare but wonderful breed of dogs and are really lucky to add one to our gang.

Mio has two siblings who are still looking for a new home, so in case you are interested, check out Nina's webpage and drop her a line!

[source: Sayuris.com]