awwwww....... this makes me kinda sad :-(

Taco Bell ad star Gidget the Chihuahua dies at 15

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gidget the Chihuahua, the bug-eyed, big-eared star of 1990s Taco Bell commercials who was a diva on and off the screen, has died. She was 15. Gidget suffered a massive stroke late Tuesday night at her trainer's home in Santa Clarita and had to be euthanized, said Karin McElhatton, owner of Studio Animal Services in Castaic, which owned the dog.

Although she was hard of hearing, Gidget was otherwise in good health up to the day of her death, eating well and playing with her favorite squeaky toys at the home of trainer Sue Chipperton, McElhatton said.

"She was retired. She lived like a queen, very pampered," McElhatton said.

Gidget was found at a kennel and wasn't show quality, McElhatton said; she had an undershot jaw and huge ears.

But Gidget knew she was a star, McElhatton said.

"She was a prima donna, basically. She absolutely knew when she was on camera," McElhatton said.

In a 1997 Taco Bell television commercial, Gidget was seen as a male dog who, through the magic of special effects and a voice actor, proclaims in a richly accented voice: "Yo quiero Taco Bell" — Spanish for "I want Taco Bell."

Viewers were charmed. What was supposed to be a single ad became a campaign that ran from 1997 to 2000.

The ads made the Taco Bell mascot wildly popular, although they provoked criticism from activists who accused them of promoting Hispanic stereotypes.

While other Chihuahuas had bit parts, McElhatton said it was Gidget who got the closeups and the quips (Carlos Alazraqui was the voice).

Gidget traveled first-class, opened up the New York Stock Exchange and made an appearance at Madison Square Garden, McElhatton said.

In later years, she did other acting work, appearing in a 2002 commercial for the insurance company GEICO and in the 2003 movie "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde."

She remained the object of affection after her retirement, going on hikes and beach visits with her trainer. She aged gracefully, and liked nothing more than to snooze in the sun.

"She was like a little old lady. She'd kind of gotten smaller," McElhatton said.

Gidget will be cremated, McElhatton said. Her owners had not decided on a final disposition of her remains. Taco Bell Corp. said in a statement Gidget would be missed by many. "Our deepest sympathies go out to her owners and fans," the company said.

Does your dog remind you of.....Yourself?

I recently read an article on PetPlace.com that I found intriguing. It asked the question, "Does your dog remind you of yourself?"
I immediately knew the answer for me was yes, but I had to think about why...
Collectively my husband and I have 4 dogs. But the truth is, I have 2 dogs and he has 2 dogs...and we all live together and make it work like the Brady Bunch.

So my 2 dogs are both Chihuahuas. They have been with me through everything....all the important and not-so-important highs and lows in my adult life. A little history...

FANCY
Fancy is my heart (and the one this blog is named after).
She is 14 years old, and has been the most consistent part of my life for the last 12 years. I picked her up in Midland, TX from a lady who was moving from a house to an apartment that did not allow pets. This lady worked with the mother of a friend of mine, and my friend knew I wanted a small dog that was potty trained, so she connected us.
I remember the day Fancy stole my heart like it was yesterday. After the introductions my friend and I sat down on the lady's sofa. Fancy came into the living room from the hallway and looked around for a minute to see who had come in. The lady called Fancy's name and she went over to the lady then sniffed around at our feet. (Here is the kicker...) Fancy then jumped on my lap and pawed at my hand when my petting her slowed down too much. She stayed on my lap for the duration of our visit. It was like she just knew I was there to take her and love her forever. She had me at Hello.
During the visit the lady told me all about Fancy's 1st two years of life....we all cried.
The lady had been a foster Mom to a little boy from age 2 until age 5 or 6. He was neglected and abused as a baby and toddler, so when she took the boy in, he already had some problems. He first asked her for puppy, which she gave him. But it turned out that when the dog got big, the boy was scared of it. So then he asked for a small dog. This time she made him save up his allowance to pay for the next dog himself. He did so and found a mix Chihuahua puppy in the newspaper. They brought the Chihuahua puppy home and the little boy named her Fancy. I have no idea why he chose that name, but 14 years later it still fits her perfectly.
Soon the foster Mom started realizing that the little boy was abusing Fancy. He would chase her, hit her, swing her by her tail, and more. The foster Mom tried to teach the little boy to respect animals and how they should be treated, but she had a really hard time with this and had to keep a close watch on Fancy whenever the boy was around.
Apparently the boy had several severe episodes that led up to the final straw... One day the boy pulled a knife on the foster Mom and told her he hated her and wanted to kill her. She immediately reported the incident to the case worker and the boy was taken away.
The foster Mom was so upset about losing her foster son that she decided to get rid of everything that reminded her of the boy. That led to her moving to an apartment and giving Fancy to a good home.
The lady told me that Fancy never takes to strangers very well (especially kids) and usually runs and hides after she sees who the visitors are. (Which Fancy still does.) She was completely shocked that Fancy had so easily and quickly taken to my lap and stayed there. She knew I would take excellent care of Fancy and could see the instant connection. I, of course, left her house with a new best friend that day. I wish I had kept her contact information so I could tell her now how Fancy is still with me and has had a nice life.








PENNY
Penny is my soul.
She will be 10 years old this September, and I have had her since the day she was weaned from her Mommy. I decided I needed to get Fancy a "friend". Honestly though, Fancy was totally fine with being my only girl...so it was just my excuse to get another dog. I decided I wanted a blond Chihuahua, so I searched for weeks through the newspapers and finally found a breeder who listed her AKC blond Chihuahua puppies. I called her about the puppies and found out she had decided to only sell one of them, and lived in New Mexico...a few hours from me. We agreed to meet in the middle so I could meet the newborn puppy. It was absolutely love at first sight. There was one sister who almost didn't survive the delivery. The breeder had to revive the sister puppy and there were obvious effects of that trauma. The breeder had grown so attached to her little survivor that she decided not to let her go. So that left the one I had immediately fallen in love with. Since the puppy was from a long line of AKC show dogs, the breeder had already sent in for the puppy's AKC registration.....thus, she wasn't a cheap purchase. I paid my deposit and set up a date we would meet again for me to take the puppy home. The puppy was still very young and not yet weaned from her mother, so I had to wait a few weeks to make her mine.
On the drive home from having my heart stolen that day, I tossed around several puppy names. It was harder than I thought it would be to pick the perfect name. I had dogs all my life, but I never had the opportunity to choose the name....it had to be perfect. PENNY popped in my head and it stuck. It stuck for the next several weeks until I was able to take her home. I tried out the name on her and it just seemed to fit.....still does.
She was the cutest, tiniest puppy and I think that she still is! She has a funny, playful personality and never meets a stranger. She doesn't love children, (I don't think Chihuahuas typically do) but she will tolerate them for a while. She has a few toys that she loves to play fetch with, but she does have a favorite that has been her favorite for her entire life....a squeaky carrot. When she was younger she would wear the things completely out, so I bought all the carrots I could find and kept a stockpile. Penny would visit friends and family we would inadvertently forget the carrot. So she has left a trail of carrots behind her that other dogs have claimed as their own.
As Penny has gotten older I have tried to broaden her horizons and bring out different toys to play with. She learns the names of her favorite toys quickly and is always up for a game of fetch. Some of her favorite toys have been her purse, ducky, puppy, Tigger. But even still to this day, when I bring her carrot out of hiding, she forgets all else and that is the complete focus of all her endless energy.



Before Bobby came over to my apartment for the first time, I told him about the personalities of my 2 girls. I told him that Penny would take to him immediately, and if he threw her toys for her she would be his friend for life. I explained that Fancy was quite the opposite. She would come out of her cozy bed in the dark closet, look around to see who was home, then after she realized there was a stranger in the house she would run back to her bed and stay for the rest of the stranger's visit. That is how it always went, even when I tried to get her to socialize, she would take off back to her bed at her first chance.
So Bobby came over for a visit and Penny did exactly as I said she would, but Fancy surprised me. Fancy came all the way out to see and smell this new person. Bobby pet both the dogs and Fancy stayed near him. Bobby threw Penny's carrot for her and as I suspected, won her over immediately. When Fancy didn't run away, Bobby picked her up, petted her, and put her in his lap.....and she stayed with him the entire visit. I was shocked! I had never seen Fancy do anything like that....other than the day I met her for the first time when she took to me immediately.
I guess that is when I knew that Bobby was the man for me (and my girls).

Sometime later, the girls & I made the big move in with Bobby and his two big dogs. It was a huge adjustment for all of us. As a family we have been through some rough times just trying to get the "pack" figured out over the last few years. We have a system figured out now that seems to work for us. It will be VERY interesting to see how the new addition fits into this already too big pack.

Wow, I got really sidetracked. So back to the original question....."Does your dog remind you of yourself?" To answer this question I had to lay out my dogs attributes....

Fancy is, above all else, loyal. To her I am #1 and that never waivers. She always knows where I am and even if someone else is holding her, she demands to have her eyes on me. She is low-maintenance, sweet, and caring. She knows if I am hurting or upset, the best thing she can do is snuggle up with me and hope it will make me feel better. Fancy is a fighter, and even as a small dog, will stand her ground and not take crap from bigger dogs. She can be independent, but always prefers to be with the one she loves. She has a big heart and it has a direct connection to mine.

Penny is crazy and likes to have fun. She wants to be where the fun is and loves to be the center of attention. She makes friends easily and remembers the ones who really know how to make her happy. She loves to make her friends happy too. She is not a multi-tasker....once she gets focused on something, she gets tunnel vision on that one thing. She can fit in with any "pack" and she quickly realizes her place and accepts it. She is happy with what she has, but is always looking for ways to get more. Her soul is lively and sunny and complements mine perfectly.

So in answer to the question.....YES, ABSOLUTELY YES! Both my dogs remind me of myself in an uncanny way.

~~~

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Halloween -- Team Player

I am dressed today in my High School cheerleader uniform. Yes, the one I wore in High School. Probably not the exact skirt though…this one would have fallen right off of my 90 pound body back then.

Why do I even have it? Until just recently, my Mom worked many years at the school where we grew up. Last year they decided to sell off the old cheerleader uniforms to raise money for new ones. No Doubt....since some of the ones they sold were from before I was in High School! Mom found a few of the ones my sister and I wore and tried to find skirts that she thought might fit us now. When she brought them to my sister and me, we laughed at the memories as we tried all of them on. Most fit so we decided to keep them and use them as Halloween costumes (like today), or possibly to show our kids someday. Maybe they’ll even want to play dress up in them. What a funny thought!

It was very surreal getting ready this morning...it took me back several years when I felt like I was the coolest chick putting this thing on. I felt kinda goofy putting it on this morning. Honestly, I am not happy about wearing this thing today.....or any “costume” for that matter...

A little background.....

The company I work for would never be considered a “fun” place to work. There is no feeling of team or anything remotely close. Employees go straight to their desks in the morning, take their hour lunches, go back to their desk until 5. After 5 the office is a ghost town. There is very little socializing, rare Happy Hours, and when there are any at all, it is done within each department. The only time the entire company gets together away from work to socialize, and put faces with names, is the yearly Holiday Party in December.

That is until this year..........Just this week we received an email that the company decided to “restructure and scale down” the Holiday Party due to “these turbulent times.” Since my company directly correlates to the volatile banking industry….we are all wondering what the future holds. Even though their intentions were probably meant well in scaling the party back to a “cocktail reception,” it doesn’t do much to help the nerves of the company employees.

Last night on our way to dinner, I was debating whether or not I wanted to wear a costume at all, and the wisdom in wearing a cheerleader one at that. After some discussion, my sweet husband pretty much talked me into being a “team-player” and participating in the holiday stuff at work. (Ya never know when something will happen and it is always good to be thought of as a team player when heads are going to the chopping block.) I went with this reasoning and summoned my enthusiasm to be the cheerleader.

Of course, most days I ride up the elevator to my office alone...Not this day. My boss got on the elevator with me. He saw my outfit and gave me a funny look, so I asked him where his costume was. He grunted and said, “No Way...I hate Halloween.” Great. This team player can't even catch a break! I immediately wanted to go change into the “regular” clothes I brought with me. It was too late…I had already been seen by too many people. Changing clothes would have just drawn even more attention.

Only Consolation: there are about 5 people dressed up today in the office, so I am pretty much guaranteed a prize -- which are gift cards to places I plan to go this weekend. :-)

Needless to say, I WILL NEVER wear a costume to work on Halloween again. Bah Humbug!

In an effort to end this post on a positive note this Halloween day, I will share pictures of my cuties in their costumes….

Happy Halloween!

love those Chihuahuas!

I don't care how bad the critcs rip this movie.....I still want to see it!!!
In theaters today - Oct 3!

Of course my wanting to see this movie has nothing to do with having 2 chihuahuas of my own.... But in having my own little princesses, I do know that chihuahuas absolutely have quite the personalities. I think this movie is really going to make me laugh! It just so happens that my friend Madison is just a crazy about her own chihuahua as I am about mine. So we will be laughing our heads off (hopefully) through this movie together. I wish we could take our chihuahua girls along.....

For those people who don't like chihuahuas, well...you have never had one of your own! In fact...the husband is proof of that. He never really cared much for small dogs...that is evident by his choice in his own 2 dogs: Red Nose Pit mix and Australian Cattle dog.
But his perception about small dogs has completely changed since the girls and I moved into his world. Even his dogs seem to like having the 3 of us around. Many times I have caught the husband loving on one of the chihuahuas. His favorite is Fancy...the old one (13).

In fact...that leads me to a story about when the husband & I were first dating....
....Hang on.....I am tired of calling my husband "the husband" so let's give him a name. Hmmmm, I think we will call him Bobby from now on.
Yep, Bobby it is.

So back to the story.....
Before Bobby came over to my apartment for the first time I felt compelled to "warn" him about my dogs. This is what I told him...
I have 2 chihuahuas, Fancy & Penny. Penny is the younger one and a little heart stealer....she is super friendly and loves everyone. All you have to do to have her love forever is throw her carrot and purse and maybe rub her tummy a little. Fancy is completely the opposite....she is old and set in her ways. She will come out to see who you are and possibly get close enough to sniff you a little. Once Fancy decides that you are not an enemy she will go back to her bed and you probably won't see her again for the night. IF by chance she is unsure about you she might growl or possibly bark for a bit and will act timid around you. I tell you this just so you won't get your feelings hurt when Fancy does not warm right up to you. I am sorry, but that is how she acts around all new people.
As I suspected, as soon as Bobby walked in the door Penny wanted to be his best friend. But to my complete surprise, Fancy came out smelled him and stayed at his side for most of the evening. She took to him immediately! I promise....She has NEVER done that to anyone but me - the first time I met her.
I think that is when I knew...Bobby was the man for me. :-)
~~~

Did I mention that I LOVE BIRTHDAYS?!?!?

Yesterday was my baby girl’s Birthday. Penny turned 9! I cannot believe she has been in my life that long. I remember driving 2 hours NW of Lubbock to meet the Chihuahua breeder ½ way between our homes. She advertised in the Lubbock newspaper: AKC Blonde Chihuahua Puppies.
She had me at Blonde.

There were two newborn puppies, one of them had obvious problems…but that made it even more adorable. The breeder told me that one was barely breathing when it was born and she revived it by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. So she was undoubtedly attached to it. That left the one that absolutely stole my heart from the second I laid my eyes on her. She was so adorable and so tiny…she was so small that she could stand in one of my hands (and I don’t have big hands). She was still a baby and too young to be taken from her mother. I paid the deposit and waited about 3 weeks until I could go get her and bring her home. I vividly remember the anticipation. I have always had dogs growing up, but never a puppy. Much less one that I picked & named!

Sometimes I refer to her as my Spirit. She has always been so energetic and full of life. She is friendly to visitors and new people, and she fit right into the “pack” when we moved in with my husband and his two large dogs. She curls up right beside them on their big beds to sleep at night. Her most favorite things in the world are her carrot, ducky & purse. She will wear you out playing fetch with those items if you let her.

She & I and my other Chihuahua have been through so much together in the last 9 years. Both my girls have a piece of my heart, and when the days come that they move onto a better place….well, chances are good that you will not want to be around me.

Penny is a little heart stealer! If you have met her, then she probably stole yours too!