The beginning of my love
affair with the Silky Terrier
breed.
In December of 1988 I walked into a local petshop and looked at the puppies.
They had this little black dog that was so cute; she was jumping up and down
barking at the puppy in the cage next to her and trying to get the other puppy's toy.
The longer I stood there the more I wanted that little jumping furball; I asked if
I could hold her, but the price was a quite a bit more than I felt I could spend.
I asked to see the owner and I who had never negotiated a price before in my life began
to bargain with the proprietor because I was hooked on this puppy
We named her Christina and called her Christi; she was the love of my life and the
beginning of my interest in the breed. She was AKC registered and was a beautiful,
frisky, seemingly healthy puppy. I remember how she was so sweet, loving, and playful
with so much love and joy to give; she touched my heart as no other pet had. It wasn't
long though until health problems began to appear; over the next few years we spent
many hours and countless dollars on trips to the vet and to the emergency room.
At the age of five, we knew something was terribly wrong when Christi became
lethargic, occasionally vomiting and showing little interest in eating. The vet ran a
number of tests, then called me with the results; Christi was a little diabetic. I was
very upset but then someone reminded me that I am a diabetic but I live a fairly decent
life. I began her treatment which included two insulin shots a day and trying to test
her urine for glucose; I usually told everyone she inherited it from me.
things. She loved to go for walks with me, but soon she would not
walk at all because she could not see. I would pick her up and carry her,
telling her "Mommy will be your eyes." I didn't know what to do; I called
the vet and he referred me to an animal opthamologist. HA!
I didn't even know such a thing existed!
We went to a wonderful animal eye doctor that surgically removed Christi's cataracts.
The day of her surgery, I received a call at work when she awoke; they said she was so
nervous it was making her very sick. Of course I left work and went to her right away;
she looked just awful but perked up when she knew that I was there. Thankfully after
a few weeks her eyes healed and she had the gift of sight again.
Click Below to
Read the Rest
of Christi's Story
