Gypsy - 10 Feet Tall and Bullet Proof! (She thinks.....)

by Toni Chattin
(Waverly, New York)

I got Gypsy when she was 4 months old. She was the only dog out of the litter I could afford, as the breeder was willing to sell me this little "runt" for $400 less than his other "beauties". She was shy and clingy, but also stand-offish at times until she got to know us, and very quiet. She was a bit scrawny and mostly black, although the breeder said she was "salt and pepper" on her pedigree papers.

Unfortunately she broke her cruciate ligament trying to jump up on my bed at 5 months old. Having to wear a cast for a month, she slipped and slid on our slippery laminate floors and fell flat on her belly so many times and needed me to pick her up and set her upright. Since then she never has overcome "slippery" floors and I must keep scatter rugs for her to navigate in the house.

She tends to be a bit of a "scaredy-cat" if she is picked up, as I also fell on her while carrying her down snowy steps before she was 6 months old. Add to that, she was raised in the country and not very well socialized, so she is not fond of other animals or little children, and is quite yappy.

She is very "female" and will sleep where she darn well pleases, but if she likes a stranger, she will jump right up in his lap. Her favorite thing is riding in the car in her doggie seat, and at Lowes she rides in the basket and sucks up all the praise and admiration she can get.
She loves her daily walk, but lunges as if pulling Santa Claus' sled, instead of walking! This is something I can't seem to break her of, and I am still trying.

Gypsy loves to give kisses, sits, shakes and gives "high fives". I can't imagine life without her, as she is that 13 pounds of love that eagerly jumps up to see me when I come home after being away a few hours.

To my delight, Gypsy's black fur has turned to a beautiful silvery gray, and wavy as she has matured. She has incredibly long eyelashes that measure an inch long at the corners and the groomer playfully leaves them long (which makes her look like a Disney character!)

She will be 3 years old July 1st, and she is the most delightful dog!

NOTE FROM LINDA AND MAX: She sounds like one heck of a character!