Honey, can we get a Yorkie? I've always wanted one.

Bringing Mattie home

It was a beautiful day in December, 2004, two days after my birthday when my sweet husband and I enjoyed a lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I said "While you pay the check, I'd like to go next door to the pet shop."

For some time, we had discussed getting a small dog because I was having health problems and he was traveling quite a bit, so we both thought that I would enjoy the companionship of a dog. John was raised in the country and had had outside dogs, but never one that lived inside. I, on the other hand, had only had inside dogs that were treated like people - namely a few poodles.

I went into the pet store and there was one little bitty Yorkie in a big cage all by herself. I asked the owner if we could get her out. (She had a huge, and I do mean HUGE, price tag.) The pet shop owner got her out and all one pound of her pranced around the store like she owned it! She played and was just "Miss Personality". By the time John got into the pet shop, I was already smitten! Honey, this is the one! I want her! As a side note here, I really didn't care whether it was a male or female and John had only two requirements. One, it cannot bite any grandchildren and two, it would not stop us from traveling. I agreed to both with no problems because who really wants a dog that bites. Right?

He said okay and we started the paper work and the pet shop owner gave us a cage and food so that we'd have everything that we need for the first few days. She told me to put a heating pad on low under her cage at night to keep her warm. So, we were all set!

We bring her home and I think she slept in that cage for about a week and John just couldn't stand it. She was in bed with us from that moment on!

Within just a few short months, Mr "she can't bite and she won't stop us from traveling" was totally loving this little ball of energy. Now he says, "well, no one needs to put their hands near her" and "we'll just pay to take her with us" and that's how it's been.

She is really great on a trip. She rides in her little safety seat on the console and knows what the rest stops are for. The great thing about traveling with her is that people come up and talk to you that you would have walked by on the street. We have met some really wonderful people on our journeys and have heard wonderful stories about their pets and have had lots of questions asked about Mattie.

Here she is getting into contraband - a Christmas present!

She is named for two of my great-great grandmothers. While doing genealogy, I found two great-great grandmothers whose name was Matilda - one on each side of my family. Her registered name is Lilly Matilda. The Lilly is for John's grandmother that lived to be 101.

This is in Blowing Rock, NC - one of our favorite places.







This is in front of the visitor's center there. I had so many people stop to talk. There were several that wanted their picture taken with her.







Mattie with her favorite ball.

When she was a few weeks old, John came home with this purple ball. He rolled it on the floor and she went for it and immediately brought it back. He said, "Oh, isn't that cute? She fetches." Little did we know!!!!! She can tell time. At three o'clock, on the dot, she brings that ball out of nowhere and it's play time. She will bark until you throw it! She will fetch it for as long as you'll throw it. We have to say, "It's time to put the ball up." Reluctantly she will surrender her ball. We play for long periods of time, but after two to three hours, we have to stop. Needless to say, the Vet notices that she stays at her trim 4.9 lbs and has since she was a little over a year old. Here's an interesting little side note. She will not play with any other ball. We have tried to replace this scummy (although we wash it often) ball several times. She will not fetch another one. John tries to fool her. He'll hide the purple one and throw a red or green one and she'll go and smell it and come back with a funny look on her face. She is just too funny!!!

Here we are doing genealogy work at my family cemetery. She's wearing her matching sun visor and collar and leash.








This was our 2006 Christmas Card photo.

I think this photo says it all. This is on Christmas morning. If you look closely, you can see her kissing me. She is mine in the morning and John's in the evening. It's like she evenly divides her day between us. We didn't do it, she did! She sits close to me or in my lap in the morning and she finds him in the afternoon for her fetch fetish!!

One thing I do know. We have our precious pets for such a short time! When I am knitting or sewing and she comes to get in my lap, I stop what I'm doing and love her until she's ready to get down. I don't want to ever feel that I should have spent more time with her or have any memories of brushing her aside. I just stop what I'm doing. How important is knitting or sewing anyway?