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You would think that after 25 years of marriage, and raising 3 children that we would rule our roost, manage our menagerie, dominate our domain, be the King and Queen of our castle. NOT SO!! Our home is run by two dogs, one is the Queen, and the other is just a spoiled princess! Talk about being taken over by animals!!
I guess I should start at the beginning.  We actually did get caught once! It was in a local restaurant, and by the nicest waitress! She went back in to the kitchen and got us a little saucer of cottage cheese. I sat it on the seat of the booth next to me for Tawny, and she gobbled it up while I finished my coffee. Back when I first got Tawny, I was a stay at home mom, so I was with her all of the time. We used to go out to coffee alot with friends and Tawny came to like coffee. ALOT! She is addicted to it. If she doesn't have her coffee in the morning, she can be a real bag!  Now, I know you aren't supposed to give coffee to dogs, especially little dogs but she likes it and she is 14 years old and alive and kicking. (If she has her coffee in the morning!)She also likes chocolate, and once got into a box of candy bars my son was selling for Little League and ate her fill. Scared me to death, didn't hurt her at all. She still eats chocolate, but not as much as that time, now she just gets teeny tiny bites once in a great while! Anyway, because of all this close contact, she very quickly became my dog! And it was rubbed in my face every chance my husband got that I sabotaged the relationship because I really wanted Tawny for my own! Not true, but it sounded good to my big pouting man! Well, over the years, we have had 5 min-pins; three females and two males, plus the various litters of puppies that were sold. We still have Tawny and her last female puppy, Rosie, (who is 12 years old now). Most of the time the "old ladies" as I call them are well behaved little lap angels, but they do have their moments. Then they are called hemmroids, because they are pains in the rear! They can be complete brats. When things do not go their way, they become like angry premenstral women. I for one will not mess with them. My grandchildren are also well versed in when to back off. The old ladies are the queens of this house and we know it! Contrary to popular belief, Min-Pins are not a miniature Doberman Pinscher. They were actually bred from terriers. A lot of sources also say that these dogs make good pets around children. I do not advocate raising children around these dogs, nor visa versa. It has been my experience that Min-Pins are tempermental and will not put up with the actions of children. They are rather high strung, and can tend to nip. Also, these are very small dogs, with very small bones. I have seen more than just a few injuries caused by a little too much loving from a child. They aren't extremely fragile, but they are not built for "ruff and tumble". The quick actions of toddlers make them nervous and they will bite at the toddler's shoes. I have witnessed this in several of the dogs, including both my own. Another thing about Min-Pins is that they do not realize they only weigh 7 - 10 pounds. One of my little males escaped his run once and decided to take on the black lab up the street. Needless to say the lab wound up trying to have Beau for lunch, and I had a wounded little dog and a vet bill for almost $1000 to sew him up from the inside out to the fur. It was not pretty. My advice to anyone interested in purchasing a Min-Pin, is to know the breeder. Do a little investigative work. Talk to people who have dogs from the same parent dogs if possible. Ask questions about the temperment and general health of the dogs. Ask about the character of the owner as well. Contact breeder associations, and dog clubs in your area for the names of reputible breeders. My experience with Min-Pins has been wonderful. They are excellent companions. They tend to be one person dogs however. They choose and latch on to their person and just tolerate everyone else! They are loyal to a fault. I only have one other thing I want to touch on. Please be a responsible pet owner. If your dog is to be a pet, and you never intend to "show" your dog, and you are not a breeder, please have it spayed or neutered. If you never intend to "show" your dog, consider the option of not doing ear cropping. It is painful for the dog, and unnecessary. It serves no other purpose than cosmetic appeal to the owner, other dogs couldn't care less! Mostly, if you do decide to adopt a Min-Pin, get ready to fall in love. They well definitely steal your heart. Then they will steal your home!! Sadly, both of our girls crossed the rainbow bridge this past year, one was so old she couldn't get around anymore, and the other had terminal cancer. We miss them terribly...but their memories live on... More information on Miniature Pinschers Follow these links for more of The Pom's Mom's pets of the past, including owls, and goats.
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