Tito was my first "little dog" and he came to us purely by accident. In 1999 I was just finishing my last year of nursing school. There was a young woman in my class that had just purchased a Chihuahua (from a pet store, unfortunately). One day when I was asking about her new little puppy, she admitted it was a mistake to buy him because her 20 lb. cat was terrorizing the poor creature. Having a soft heart for dogs, I offered to keep Tito until she could find a home for him.

I should have given my offer a bit more consideration before speaking up, because I had a rescue dog at home and I had no idea of how Bandit would react to a small, quick moving puppy. I didn't need to worry. When I arrived home with Tito, Bandit did give me a brief, uncertain look. He seemed to ask, "What am I supposed to do with this, Mom?" But this aging rottie/shepherd mix took care of that puppy as if he were it's mother. Tito didn't seem to mind either, in fact, he seemed to think that Bandit made a nice warm perch.

But I'm claiming Tito as one of my own dogs, why? One week after fostering Tito, his human mom dropped out of school. The school didn't have a current address on her, as she had recently moved. The phone number I had for her was disconnected. I tried for three months to find her with no luck. It seemed I had myself a Chihuahua.

Tito was an active and much loved member of our family until shortly after Bandit went to the bridge. Tito became increasingly depressed, refusing even to eat. He lost quite a bit of weight and the vets were beginning to become concerned. It was time to put his needs above my own. I joined a Chihuahua breed list on the internet and found a lovely family that had five female Chihuahua's - Mickee, Maude, Maggie, Murphy, Molly and the Aussie dog that herds them all, Minnie. Tito went to stay with them on a trial basis to see if being around other dogs would help. Tito (although neutered) suddenly found himself with his own little harem. He never came home to us again, but his new family keeps in close contact. They've given him a new name, he's Toto now, but he'll always be "Tito Burrito" to us.