Any man willing to fly with his fiancée to buy a puppy or kitten as a wedding gift is a keeper! 

Eleven years ago, Elizabeth and Neill picked up their first ‘child’, Kylie, a Mi-Ki, which is a Maltese, Papillon and Japanese Chin mix. She must have been the cutest pup on the planet. Full grown the dog weighs 3.5 lbs. She doesn’t bark or shed and rides in her Mom’s pup-purse.

“Kylie is incredibly good natured, sweet and kind. So much so that our 6-year-old son, Mason, calls her Sweetie Kylie and he is right,” said Elizabeth. “She moved with our family from five cities, three states and has traveled to Montreal, Canada, and completely unnoticed in her bag has visited hundreds of restaurants. The fact that she doesn’t bark helps. To our family, Kylie is not a dog, she is a person. Another member of the family. The older sister to Mason.”

The ‘little sister’ is intuitive, obedient, gentle, and part of Grandma Janet’s extended family too.

“When I was a child, I was afraid of dogs,” said Grandma Janet. “My sister convinced our parents to get a puppy and it was a crazy dog. He raced through the house and barked if anyone walked down the street.

“As an adult I had dog problems too. After I was married, when I was walking my husband’s dog, she pulled me flat on my face. Then, another time, on an empty beach, three huge dogs surrounded me. I was terrified, paws-itive that was going to be the end of me! Thankfully, their owner called them off in the nick of time.

“So, when my daughter adopted a Mi-Ki, I wasn’t happy, but this breed of tiny, sweet, gentle, and loving dog won my heart. I am happy to grand-doggy sit to cuddle with her. She sits on my lap or chest for hours.

“I always thought that Kylie’s bark was broken until we were sitting on the sofa and the mail came through my front door’s slot. To her it must have looked like Harry Potter’s mail arriving from Hogwarts! Kylie barked. She had never seen mail arrive that way and envelopes were mysteriously floating to the ground. I am the only person who has heard her bark!

“One time I took her to a Long Island arboretum where dogs were supposed to be leashed. Suddenly, two unleashed large dogs came barking and bounding towards us. I was able to pick her up and turn my back to the dogs until their owner stopped them. This time I only thought of protecting Kylie, not my own demise.

“Her parents feed her a healthy, organic diet which explains why she is doing so well for her small frame. When she was young, it was fun watching her trying to chase birds. She has now developed cataracts and is completely blind. She knows loved ones and when she hears my arriving voice, she gets excited. She continues enjoying walks and life!

“I love having Kylie for my grand doggy. Surprisingly, I have even considered adopting a dog of my own, but then I think no dog could ever equal Sweetie Kylie.”

TIPS

“Don’t leave a small dog outside by themselves. A hawk or other animal can carry them off,” said Grandma Janet. “During house parties, have someone care for a small dog so they don’t get stepped on. I usually get this job and love it!”

“When I see cigarette butts, I always pick them up,” said Californian Tips ‘n’ Tales reader, Dixie. “I learned years ago, from a TV show that tobacco is poisonous for animals and the non-biodegradable filter won’t break down. If a bird picks up a filter it lodges in its throat and they either starve or choke to death. Sometimes dogs eat them too, so I pick them up to prevent tragedies.”

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