Cookie's Story

          Hello,
      
My name is Cookie.  At least it is now, but you will understand that
after you read my story.
      
In July of 1998, my mommy decided that she needed another friend
in her life, so she bought a local trader paper and began looking
for a dog.  After looking through all the overpriced breeders’ ads,
she spotted one that caught her eye.  The ad said “AKC registered
shih tzu – free to good home”.  She wondered why anyone would
want to give away such a dog and decided to call the number.
      
When she spoke with the lady on the phone, it sounded like she was
really concerned that I should go to a good home.  So mommy drove
to where I was staying – over an hour’s drive from where mommy
works!
      
This is a picture of me When she arrived, there was a couple there buying a Chihuahua
and my brother the puppy.  After they left, she explained that she was the person who
Christmas after Mommy had called earlier about the shih tzu and asked to see me.  The lady
brought me home. there was very insistent that mommy should wait there and she would
  ab go back and get me.  She did not want mommy to see the kennel
  where I used to live.  When she went back to the kennel to get me,
mommy heard lots of dogs barking.
      
She brought me out to see the lady who is now my mommy.  I was 
not the most attractive dog to say the least.  Since I had lived in a
small cage my whole life, my front legs are bowed and I was not
used to walking around.  It took a lot of effort for me to walk.  When
mommy bent down to look at me, she noticed that I had a big bald
Here's me relaxing spot on the back of my neck with a big scar there.  She asked the lady
on Mommy's bed. about it and the lady told mommy that some of the other dogs had
ab attacked me a year or so before and that the hair would probably
  never grow back.  Mommy didn’t care; she loved me right from the
start.  Mommy asked the lady why she was getting rid of me and the
lady who I used to live with told her that since I was 7 years old, she
could no longer breed me and that I was of no use to her.  Mommy
was mad!  The lady even told mommy that since I was free, she would
not give her my AKC papers.  Mommy said she did not care if I had
papers or not.  When mommy signed the papers saying that she was
taking me, the lady told her that my name was "Miss Fluffy".
Here I am in my      
Halloween costume. Mommy put me in her truck and we went to my new home.  The lady
ab I used to live with never even said goodbye.  Since I had never been
  around people, I was really scared.  Mommy tried to call me by my
name, Miss Fluffy, but I did not know my name.  No one had ever
called me.  I had lived in a box my whole life and did not know how to
do anything except produce and take care of puppies.
     
Mommy was very kind and patient with me and decided that since I
did not know my name, she would give me a better one.  She thought
and thought and finally decided that I looked like an Oreo cookie,

Here's me with big hair!

 and I have been Cookie ever since!
ab      
  Mommy took me to the vet the next day to make sure I was okay. 
The vet told mommy that the scar on the back of my neck did not
look like a dog bite to him.  It looked more like someone had beaten
me.  He also said that the reason there was no hair there was that the
injury was recent and it had not had a chance to grow back yet.  After
checking me out, the vet discovered that I had some teeth that were
infected because I had not been fed the right kind of dog food.  I also
had a bad gum infection.  Mommy had all those teeth taken out and
had me spayed so that I could never be made to breed again.
      
Mommy decided to check out this lady a little bit more and looked
in the trader paper again looking for more ads with this lady’s phone
number.  She discovered that this lady breeds about seven different
kinds of dogs and that she had two other adult dogs she was giving
Here I am at the park away because they were too old to breed anymore.  Mommy and my
in Three Rivers, Michigan. new daddy tried to get the lady shut down.  They are both members
ab of the HSUS, ASPCA and PETA.  They called them and called the
  police and everyone they could think of trying to get her shut down.
But everyone they talked to told them the same thing, they could not
do anything without proof and since the lady would not let mommy
go back to the kennel where I used to live she had no proof.  At least
mommy rescued me!
      
After a few months, the hair on my neck started to grow back.  The
lady who had me before kept me cut very short so that I was less
trouble.  Mommy decided that I would be beautiful with a long coat
and decided to let my hair grow out.
      
I was not housebroken when mommy got me and the first time she
tried to let me outside to go potty, I did not know what to do.  I had
never walked outside, much less gone up and down steps.  I did not

This is me now!

 know how.  Mommy was very patient with me though and in time I
ab learned.  I can now jump up and down the back steps with no
problem!  Although I will never be able to run and jump as well as my
brother Crackers, I have made a lot of improvement!
      
I can jump up and down the back steps with no problem.  I can run
around in my backyard.  I love to go for rides with mommy and

daddy.  My favorite thing though is to relax on the couch in the
living room or to go to bed.  Mommy lets me and my brother sleep
in the bed with her and daddy.  She says, “Lets go to bed” and I go
running down the hall to the bedroom.  My legs are not strong enough
to jump up on the bed, but I try.  Mommy laughs and picks me up and
puts me in bed with her.
      
I always knew that someday something good would happen to me
and it did – over two years ago.  I now have two people who love
      me and the kind of life I wish every dog could have.  Mommy calls me
ab her little princess and that’s what I am!
            

Thanks for reading my story!