Poppy Lights Up My Life!

by Tasha
(Melbourne, Australia)

Poppy - my little friend

I went to the local RSPCA shelter just out of curiosity really. I didn't think they would have the kind of dog I was interested in. I wanted a little dog, something quiet who would like to spend all day indoors with me but be happy to go out for a walk each day to get me out of the house. I thought most of the dogs at the shelter would be the big, bouncy kind – I didn't think I could cope with that!

How wrong I was!

I said I was interested in looking at small dogs and they showed me this absolutely gorgeous bundle of fluff called Poppy. They said they thought she was a purebred Shih Tzu and she was in pretty good condition except for being a bit skinny. She had not been clipped but had a lovely long silky coat that needed a bit of attention.

Poppy didn't have much wrong with her except for terrible teeth. They were very crooked and had become quite dirty. The shelter people said this can happen with little dogs that don't get enough bones and chewy things to clean their teeth. It was probably why she was a bit skinny – she could only eat soft food.

Well, I didn't care about that. She was just so sweet-natured and pretty! She was quite full of energy too and the shelter staff said she loved going out for a walk. So I was sold!

That was about 1 year ago and she's had a few teeth out and the rest cleaned. She can now chew on small bones – you should see her getting stuck into a chicken wing!

She's just the most perfect little companion a person working from home could have. She loves her morning walk and then she just snuggles up in her bed by my desk and sleeps until the afternoon. Then we have a little game and she's ready for her dinner! As you can see I keep her coat long – it's just too beautiful to clip and I don't find the brushing too onerous if you just keep up with it.

Poppy is my dear little companion. I don't know what I'd do without her now. So thank heavens for puppy adoption!