Bryan and I have each other, and Birdie has us.

Birdie Willoughby Schmidt


It's been a year this month that I met and fell in love with Birdie, the surprising chihuahua. When I called Bryan and told him (begged him) that my mom's chihuahua had sired puppies and she wanted to give us one, he absolutely refused. We played our little back and forth banter game for a while. It went something like this:

C- "I'm coming home with a chihuahua puppy! My mom is giving her to us, it's that wonderful?"

B- "Like hell."

C- "You know as well as I that once we have her you are going to fall in LOVE with her!

B- "I'll kick her when you're not looking."

C- "I can't decide what to name her, I was thinking something sweet in spanish!"

B- "Whatever you name her I'm just going to call her Taco."

This went on for a week or so. If you knew my husband, you would understand. He's a life-long dog owner and lover of huge dopey mutts. He's annoyed by little yappy pure-breeds. He was worried about the reputation that chihuahuas have. It's true, too. They DO say that chihuahuas are nervous, noisy, territorial, not recommended for homes with small children, blah, blah. Besides all that, I was working in Los Angeles for weeks at a time and he just KNEW he was going to get stuck taking care of her. But I was determined!

And so with a heavy heart and a long face he agreed that we would try it out and see how things went.

So now here we are...Bryan will sleep in one position all night without moving before he will risk waking up "princess". If he's laying on his stomach, she plops herself on his back and does some fancy log-rolling trick when he rolls over. He swears there's an attachment for the motorcycle so that she can come along on rides! He buys her doggie chew toys and then chuckles when she just shreds all his shoes instead. He is ever patience with her and deserves her adoration.

As for Birdie....she does not bark, yip or yap. She is for the most part, quiet as a church mouse. She is loving, loyal and affectionate. She loves children and other dogs! She is a great traveler and has flown cross-country twice and driven cross-country once in her short little life! She is a burrower and can often be found under blankets, towels, and her favorite, Bryan's dirty laundry.