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My name is Delta
and I was born on January 15, 2000 which made me approx. 9 weeks old when
my soon to be parents Jim & Lorena arrived at Just Puppies Pet Store
in Orlando, Florida on March 23, 2000 just to look around before traveling
on to purchase an English Bulldog which was already picked out from They took me home and I felt so secure that I let my true self come out. My new mommy put me on the bed with her right after we arrived at home and I attacked her hair and wouldn't let go. It was so much fun to bite and pull on mommy's hair! They were both so surprised at my change to a playful pup. They gave me the name "Delta" after a dream my mommy had the night before and my new life started. Housebreaking was my first training experience. Mommy trained me to go outside and inside (paper trained) because the dew in the grass most mornings would have me soaking wet. I was only 11/2 lbs. then and the grass was as high as I was. She would have to get out the hair dryer and blow me dry every morning and that got old fast! Also, with me paper trained, eventually I didn't have to wake my parents up to go out. They love this! At first I still did because they kept me in a crate in their bedroom at night until they were sure that I was fully housebroken. It took approx. 3 weeks and I was ready to sleep with the crate door open. During the day when I decided to take a routine nap I would curl up into a tight ball in one of my mommy's slippers (keep in mind my small size). I did this until I outgrew that slipper months later. Every morning between 4:00 am and 6:00 am I would wake to use the bathroom and then instead of going back to my bed I would scratch and whine at the side of my parents bed until they picked me up and put me in bed with them. This is still my nightly routine and my favorite place to sleep is under all the covers next to my mommy's stomach until she wakes up. Feeding me was not an easy job! I was a picky little pup. Between the fact that I would like foods at first then change my mind and the fact that my stomach was so sensitive that many foods had me throwing up, my parents had a hard time. Many different brands of puppy food was bought for me in small bags so that I could test it out. I liked everything the first time I tried it and then I didn't have a taste for it anymore. Eukanuba Small Puppy Bites and Science Diet Small Puppy Bites ended up being my favorite at this time cause they were the smallest kibble. My mommy ended up mixing all the small bags of food in one large plastic container and that became my diet for about a year with little bits of table scraps thrown in on the side. I did O.K. with it but there were many time that I would throw up and my stomach would make loud sounds and hurt me. My parents ended up taking me to the vet after one such occasion because my throwing up lasted for a couple of days. The vet said that I have a very sensitive stomach and many foods that I love would upset it. From now on my parents had to be careful what table scraps they fed me. Nothing with pork which I love, not much bread, nothing with tomatoes, no more Chinese food, peanuts were out, they get me constipated because I don't chew my food properly and I practically swallowed these guys whole. There's much more but I won't bore you with my problems. My dry food was then changed to Science Diet Sensitive Stomach which doesn't come in a small kibble but thankfully this large kibble is not hard and my teeth can break it easily. I've come to like this food which is left out daily for me to snack on. My main diet was changed to Sojourner Farms. This is purchased as a dry mix and then mixed with water, vegetables and meat. I am fed a small portion of this twice a day. 1 tablespoon full in the morning and 1/4 cup in the evenings. Remember I am a very small dog. When I do still get tummy aches and gas my parents give me a dose of liquid Mylanta which has me feeling better soon. When it was time for my first Rabies shot, I was taken to the vet and the Rabies/Distemper shot was administered. When we left the vet everything was fine and I went shopping with my parents. They took me to the pet store and let me pick out a few toys and rawhides. We were driving in Orlando while I was contently chewing on my rawhide and itching my face in the seat every so often. My parents looked and saw that my whole face had swollen up to about twice its size and was very red. We happened to be near a vet that my parents knew about so we drove straight there. They rushed me in and told the vet that they thought I was having a reaction to something wrong with the rawhide they had given to me. The vet took me to the back, gave me a shot of Diphenhydramine (a concentrated form of Benadryl) and made us wait while the swelling went down. Come to find out, I am allergic to my routine vaccinations. Now before every vaccination, I am given a shot of this concentrated form of Benadryl and watched very closely for any reactions.
When I weighed 3 lbs. and was around 8 months old my parents had me spayed to reduce the risk of mammary cancer later in life. "Hershey" a Chocolate Labrador Retriever that my parents had before me, died from mammary cancer which maybe could have been prevented if spaying had occurred at a young age. This day was really hard on my parents. Anesthesia is always a risk and my small size made it even riskier. They stayed by the phone all day and were even allowed to pick me up by 2:00 pm, earlier than any of the other dogs because the vet knew that they were so stressed and couldn't stand to be separated from me that long. I recovered quickly after the spaying with out throwing up at all and went back to my usual life of playing with my toys and going off with my parents. I have many toys spread out all over the house. My parents used to pick them up nightly and put them in a pail with my name on it. That stopped soon after because every day I would take them ALL out and spread them around again. Now they just walk over them. The only time they get picked up now is when mommy vacuums. I always go and hide in my bed when this goes on. I don't mind a hair dryer but the vacuum scares me to death. My favorite toy is probably the most unusual toy I have. It is a little round soft nerf disk that is loaded with many others into one of those little guns and used by children to shoot at each other. I love this soft toy. I roll over on my back and throw it up in the air with my feet and I chase it around in my bed. They are so small, approx. 2" in diameter that I lose them quite easily. My parents had to go out and buy a whole gun just to get the nerf disks that came with it because they couldn't find them sold separately. When my parents went off they would practically take me everywhere. I would only stay home alone once in a while, for instance if they went out to dinner and it would only be for a short time because they couldn't stay away from me for very long. I think they would miss me and wonder what I was doing. I was never a big chewer and never (except twice which was my mommy's fault) chewed on anything other than my own toys. When we went off I mostly stayed in one of those fisherman's baskets with a the hole in the center of the lid (usually asleep). It had a shoulder strap for my mommy to use and it was perfect for my size which allowed me to go everywhere with my parents. My mommy converted a child's small backpack into a pet pouch which she carried on her chest with the criss cross straps in the back. We still use this at flea markets and places where I want to see out. My mommy started training me at a young age to obey a few basic commands and to do a few tricks. I was and still am a very quick learner. Sit, Down & Stay were the easiest and first commands that I learned. Next she taught me to Sit Up and Beg. This took a whole 5 minutes to learn since I'll do ANYTHING for a treat, which by the way is never given to me unless my daddy tries it out first. He makes sure that I'll like any new treats mommy buys for me by testing them out himself. Learning to Shake Hands was easily accomplished next and from the Down position I learned to Roll completely over which took me the longest to learn, approx. 10 minutes. Learning to Crawl was probably the funniest of them all. My mommy would slowly pull me across the floor while I was in the Down position while repeating "Crawl" over and over and then she'd give me a treat. I learned this pretty quickly. Finally, I learned to scratch the floor when told to do so and also to jump through a small hoop. Posing for pictures was something my mommy forced me to do many times and still does, I put up with it for the treats involved. Usually she has me dressed in a costume or outfit and puts me in the pose that she wants me in. Nice sweaters and shirts down to my grampa's old converted socks make up my whole wardrobe. I was in a pet costume contest when I was around 10 months old at the John Young Science Center & Museum. I didn't win but I had a lot of fun barking at all the other dogs. I even made a huge Great Dane put his tail between his legs. I don't think he knew what I was. My mommy spent the whole night before hand sewing an elf costume, hat and all for me to wear in this contest.
Next, we moved to my favorite place of all, Fort Myers Beach, Florida where I could walk on the beach everyday. We lived across the street from the beach and the back of our house backed up to the bay where I could chase the small Fiddler Crabs on our boat dock. This was heaven for the 4 months that we lived there. One day in September of 2001, while we were still living in Fort Myers Beach, my life changed. To put it simply, I died. We were all in the car traveling on I-75 from Naples to Orlando. We stopped at a rest area at the last Punta Gorda exit and my daddy walked me to use the bathroom while mommy was inside. As I was in the grass 1 or 2 ants bit me on the foot. My daddy saw me jerk my head to see what was causing me pain and he knocked the ants off of me. Little did we know what would happen next. Everything was fine for the moment. We got back into the car and maybe drove for 5 minutes when I had a slight seizure (more like a trembling of my whole body for a few seconds). I then threw up a couple of times all over the seat and my mommy. Still my parents knew nothing serious was wrong because I had been known to throw up before due to my sensitivity to certain foods. I laid down on my mom's lap to rest and the next thing I know my mommy's shaking me and telling my daddy in her most serious voice that something dreadful was wrong. He heard the seriousness in her voice and began to get worried himself. I had stopped breathing and my gums were turning blue. My eyes were in a fixed stare and I couldn't blink. My daddy was driving while my mommy started to give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. In between giving me mouth-to-mouth my mommy was yelling at my daddy to hurry up and get to the next exit and get off the highway. Before we found the next exit my mom called 911, told them her "baby" dog was dying and asked for their help. She then gave the phone to my daddy who was trying to figure out where we were exactly on the highway so he could tell the 911 operator. At this time we came upon the next exit, the Port Charlotte exit and this is where we got off the highway. My daddy told the 911 operator the exit we took and they said they would send a patrol car out to escort us to a vet when we saw a turn with a Humane Society sign. We took the turn telling the 911 operator that we would be O.K. because of what we had found. They canceled the police escort and we were on our own again. As we pulled in to the Humane Society my mommy was still giving me mouth-to-mouth and at this point she could no longer find a pulse. Unfortunately there was no Vet on duty at the Humane Society and they told us that a vet's office was not far away at all. As we were backing up to leave, two of the lady's that worked there were instructing my mom on how to massage my heart to keep the blood pumping. She did this along with the mouth-to-mouth on the way to the vet while daddy broke all of the speed laws. We even passed the police officer who had been on his way to help us. He just let us go by. We made it to the vet, they rushed me in and I was handed over to the first person my mommy saw and they were told that I was dying if not already dead. They asked what had happened and my daddy said the only thing different was that I had been bitten approx. 10 minutes before by ants. They immediately took me to the back where I was giving a shot of Diphenhydramine (a concentrated form of Benadryl) and a shot of Epinephrine. Thirty minutes later I was feeling a little bit better but still scared to death and shaking violently. They handed me back to my parents and instructed them to sit with me in one of their rooms for about an hour so they could see how I was reacting. My mommy held me tightly wrapped in a blanket crying the whole time. Eventually I stopped shaking and everyone calmed down. The vet's staff informed us that I was allergic to insect bites and suggested that I visit my regular vet soon. They said that my mommy probably saved my life by what she did. We visited my regular vet the next business day and my mom informed him of all the details. He gave up shots of Diphenhydramine to carry around with me at all times. I am to be injected with 1 dose into my thigh muscle and rushed to the vet if I am bitten again. My regular vet asked if I had ever been bitten by an ant before. My mommy remembered that I had been bitten once before. A fire ant had crawled up to my face and bit me right above my eye. She saw the ant and got him off of me but not before he had bitten. My eyelid swelled up a little bit and went back down an hour or so later before the vet appointment, so we canceled it. A few days later my parents mailed out thank you cards with a picture of me to the vet's office and to the Humane Society. We were ALL very grateful to them for saving my life!
While in Tampa, my parents came across a great deal on a '90 Suburban which they jokingly refer to as "Delta's rolling toilet ". Being on the road so much, the purchase put to rest everyone's anxieties about ants in rest areas and my little bladder. A 6,900 pound vehicle for a 4 pound beast. No! My parents aren't crazy! They just love me very much! From
Tampa we moved to Orlando. Here we stayed 11/2
months with my mommy's
parents, Ronnie & Iara and two of my mommy's brothers, Jasonn &
Ney. Every other day I would go with my mommy to the nursing
home where her grandmother, Juavue lives and visit with her. I
My
favorite place to go and run and play is the beach. I just love it
with a passion! Chasing the ghost crabs and digging for them is
sooo much fun! I howl, yip and yap when I can smell the ocean
nearby. My parents can't get me there fast enough. I think
it embarrasses them a little because people always look and you can tell
they are wondering what is wrong with me. My favorite food is any
table scrap that I can get my hands one which is usually turkey sandwich
meat, rice, plain noodles, pickle pieces and fruits (especially grapes
& apples). I love it when Christmas time rolls around because
it is my favorite holiday. I Well, this is my life story so far. Check back often...I gotta go, I think I heard the refrigerator door just open. Your Friend, Delta
Delta's
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another store. Lorena spotted me pretty soon in a crib with a
Chihuahua. I was just sitting there, this little 11/2
lb. puppy with hair that was
multi-colored and longer down the middle of my back than the rest of my
body. I have mostly black hair with brown & tan streaks
throughout and white on my chest, my little beard and on all four of my
feet. Lorena picked me up and it was love at first sight for both of
us! I knew that I was going home with her. She wouldn't put me
down except to try and play with me on the floor. Jim had a
Yorkie/Dachshund
mix that he had picked up and brought over to us to try and play.
This dog was playing so much that I sat back and let it. That's when
Jim said that he didn't think that I was the right choice for them because
he was afraid that I wouldn't be playful enough. Well at this point,
I got up and walked over to Lorena's lap and laid down proving to him that
we were meant to be together. Lorena was convinced that I was the
one, so it was decided that my daddy would go and pay for me and get my
medical records.
In
May of 2000 when I was 5 months old my parents brought home a 2 week old
Indian Ringneck Parrot. We named the bird "Lupe" short
for Guadelupe off of the film Paulie. Every day I would help with
the hand feeding of Lupe which took place every couple of hours. I
was always right there when it was feeding time because my job was
clean-up. Lupe was a messy baby so I would lick her whole beak
and clean off the food that mommy fed from a syringe. There was
always food to
clean up after every mouthful and I loved it! Then
Lupe grew older and I learned that birds bite and it can hurt. I
still play with Lupe but I am very cautious. We play tug of war
with my rawhides and other colorful toys when she climbs down to the
floor from her cage and tries to steel them from me.
Since
I acquired a family I have lived in five different homes. We hope
that our present home becomes our permanent one. My parents work
from home and travel on business throughout the state of Florida when
necessary. I was always on the road with them more so then than
now. That is why I say that I was raised at 60 mph. First,
we lived in Kissimmee, Florida for a little over a year with my daddy's
mom, J.C. and her Bassett Hound, Spaz who is an elderly dog. Spaz
never really cared for me and still doesn't, I guess I am too young and
hyper. Next door to me lived my parents daughter, Samara and
grandson, Jonathon. Jonathon loved to play with me. We had a
lot of fun with his toys. Sometimes he would even give me a few of
them.
After
Fort Myers Beach we moved in temporarily with my mommy's brother and his
wife, Lorenn & Lynne in Tampa. My cousins, Molly & Maggie
(Labrador mixes) were ecstatic. We all howled and barked joyfully
when we saw each other. They are the only other dogs that I like
besides Spaz. Unlike Spaz, Molly & Maggie are young and love
to play with me. They stay in the Down Position and crawl around
after me or just smell me. This is fine with me because they are
so big and when they stand up it intimidates me. I know that they
love me and would never hurt me because they are very well
behaved. Lynne fell in love with our parrot, Lupe and didn't want
him/her (we still don't know) to leave. She is really going to
miss that bird.
am
very protective of her and won't let anyone near her bed. The
nurses all know me and respect me. Mommy has to pick me up when
any of the nurses need to do something with her.
Orlando was a short
stay for us but my grandparents loved it and didn't want me to leave,
especially my grandmom.
Currently
I reside in Titusville, Florida. Jim's grandmother, Roxy and her
husband Werner live in Titusville, also. It feels like home and
hopefully we'll stay here for a long, long time. I am almost 2 1/2
years old now, weigh 41/2
lbs. (I gained some weight
after being spayed) and I still love to play with ALL of my toys, especially
my favorite one. Almost every day I sit outside on my very own
special bed that is off the ground and watch my daddy weed and water the
yard and plants. When we go off I now hang out in my mom's special
purse made just for me (actually I have a couple). I can sit up or
lay down and there is a hole on one end that I can stick my head out of
if I want to. I am NEVER left at home any more since my near death
experience and my parents always have my shots with them. My
parents have changed their whole lifestyle for me and I am one LUCKY
little dog. They don't even eat out anymore unless we go to a
place with outside tables where I am welcome. In Titusville it is
very hard to find such places. I even go to ALL doctor's
appointments with my parents. Everyone loves to comment on
me. Some think I'm adorable & cute others think I'm the oddest
& ugliest thing they have ever seen. Almost everyone has a
comment! I usually will let anyone pet me especially very friendly
people when I like their voices. I will let NO ONE pick me up
(except family members & the vet) until I get very used to
them. I am a very protective dog and will protect anything that I
love and own. I always bark when the doorbell rings even from
those annoying T.V. commercials and when strangers approach. I
really don't like other dogs (except for Molly, Maggie & Spaz) and
will bark like crazy until my parents calm me down. Every night my
mommy brushes my teeth with doggie toothpaste and then she uses a doggie
dental cleanser. This is very helpful in keeping dogs
healthy. In the mornings she has doggie breath spray she will use
on me if I have bad morning breath. 
stand in the middle of the action and
wait for anyone to roll up their wrapping paper into a tight ball from
the gift they've just opened and toss it to me. I learned to love
that because when I was a puppy my mommy would ball up the junk mail and
toss it on the floor for me to play with and rip to shreds. This
was a mistake because one day I chewed some important papers of
mommy's. I've since learned this is a no-no. I can only chew
what is thrown to me.