June 4, 2013  2:36am  

Now the rest of the story.  Emrick lives with me and my other dogs. He gets along with all the dogs big and small. Loves to walk , run around the backyard,  go for car rides, and go to breakfast at the Sanford Chamber Wednesday Business meetings.  He is well adjusted in public now.

He has a heart condition and takes his pills morning and night mixed in his food.  The pills are not very expensive. A lot less than anything you and I would have to take, that's for sure.  It sounds like us oldie's but goodies .
Judy

His history: 
Emrick was found as a stray by a animal lover. She took him to her vet to have him checked out; little did she know the vet was a friend of the rescue! We offered to help find this sweet little dog a great home. He is a little shy and thunderstorms make him a bit nervous, but otherwise he is a sweetie! He has done best with dogs his own size.

Medical Update: Emrick has been diagnosed with heart murmur. Although we love this sweet little dog we wanted to let any potential adopter know that this MAY shorten his life expectancy.  Emrick is on three cardiac medications for this condition.  He takes his meds very well with a bit of peanut butter!

• Leash Manners - He walks well on leash.
• Crate/House Training - One of Emrick's medications makes him need to use the bathroom frequently.  He is housetrained but needs to go outside every two to three hours or he will have accidents.  He will let you know that he has to go.  He is crate trained and should be crated at night so that if he has accidents during the night it's not a big deal.  He also needs to drink a lot of water.
• Socialization - He does like to play a little bit. He gets along well with my dog and my older kids.
• Energy Level and Exercise - Emrick is a very sweet and quiet dog.  He is on the restless side which may be due to his medications.
• Confidence Level - Sometimes he can be on the skittish side but for the most part he is trusting.
• Personality Quirks - He looks like a fawn with his lanky legs!  He likes to be with the family and seems to always be curious as to what is going on.
• Ideal Home - I don't recommend a family that has a hectic lifestyle or small kids.  I think with his health issues and the attention he needs he needs to be with a family that is on the quiet side or an elderly couple and who are home most of the day.

Like many dogs in the South, Emrick is heartworm positive, but don't let that stop you from adopting a great dog.  We are treating him with monthly heartworm preventative, our preferred method.  Many heartworm positive dogs go on to lead long and healthy lives.

PRBJ treats ALL of our dogs with monthly Heartworm preventative. HW+ dogs are treated with the recommended slow method, using monthly HW preventative as it is gentler on the animal’s system than the more invasive, injection method. Most dogs that are Heartworm positive can lead healthy, normal lives if the disease is caught early and treatment began. There are different options to treat HW and new owners may choose to redirect their type of treatment with direction of their vet.  All HW+ dogs have a HW slow treatment info sheet in their adoption folder which will be provided to new owners.

Emrick qualifies for our Senior for Senior program. If adopted by a senior person (55+) then his adoption fee is $75.

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Chihuahua is the oldest breed on the American continent and the smallest breed in the world. Native to Mexico, nonetheless it seems to have been introduced by the Chinese. It was only brought to Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. The Chihuahua is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua where he was brought to the rest of the world by travelers. This breed is believed to have been sacred to the Pre-Columbian Indian nations. The Chihuahua is a popular, economical companion dog. Courageous, extremely lively, proud and enterprising, it gives and demands affection. Bold and saucy, it moves swiftly to avoid being stepped on. Chihuahua's are strong-willed, intensely loyal and become very attached to their owners, even to the point of jealousy. They like to lick their owner's faces. It is undeniably suspicious of people except for its owner. When strangers are present, it follows its owner's every move, keeping as close as possible. This breed may snap at teasing children, after all it is too tiny to get away. The Chihuahua must resort to his sharp teeth in self defense. It is not recommended for children. He can be noisy and may require patience to housebreak. Many owners simply paper train this breed. The Chihuahua hates the cold and may shiver, although this may be due to high metabolism as much as temperature or anxiety. It will tolerate and even appreciate a warm sweater on cooler days. They are good little dogs for apartment life. Although it is tempting to carry these dainty creatures about, they will keep fitter if taken for walks. A body harness is safer than a collar. Don't think that just because he is small he should be confined to a small space. Chihuahuas have a life expectancy of 15 or more years.