He  may not look like much:  tiny, almost to the point of being miniscule, scruffy fur, clouded eyes, and oversized ears and paws; yet he's managed to wrap his little self around our heartstrings.

Our dog, "Willie", is one in a million.  He is all mutt:  a little Chihuahua, some terrier, maybe a little bit of Pomeranian in him.  He looks rather goofy to most people, but he has a heart of gold and an insatiable will to live.

We found Willie by a dumpster about a year ago.  He was in very sad condition.  We were certain that death wasn't far off.  When we took him to the veterinarian, so he could be checked out, the vet told us if we'd waited any longer, he would have been a goner for sure; it was a good thing we'd brought him in when we did.

Unfortunately, he was blind.  We don't know why he'd lost his vision (perhaps a chance encounter with a mean cat or maybe poked himself in the eye with a tree branch or something), but he would never be able to see again.  That upset us, but we were determined to give this misbegotten little canine the love he obviously never had.  It was clear that he'd been abused because at first he growled, snapped, or barked at us. 

Eventually, Willie got used to being around us.  When he saw that we weren't going to hurt him, he soon took to us, although it took months; yet we were very patient and loving with him.  When he messed up or barked inappropriately, we'd let him know without using loud, scary voices or violence to drive our point across.  A simple, sharp "NO!" did the trick; he soon learned what was acceptable or not.

Willie was very smart, even with his visual disability.  Eventually, he filled out and gained weight.  He is still a very small dog, but compared to the sad condition he was in when we'd found him one year ago, he has come a very long way.

Willie has a gigantic personality that makes up for his tiny size.  Sometimes I swear he thinks he is part pitbull because once he sets his mind to something, there's no use trying to change it:  he is going to do what he wants to do, no exceptions!

We've now had Willie for a year, but in that year he's endeared himself to our hearts, and in the hearts of those who have had the pleasure on meeting him.  He is an enchanting little ham, always on the lookout for an extra snack or an extra opportunity to show off. 

We didn't think we'd get another dog ever since we had lost "Checkers", our beautiful five-year-old golden retriever (she'd been hit by a car), but then we found Willie ...  or perhaps Willie found us ..., and the rest is history, as they say.  So now we have a dog in our lives, and because of it, our lives will never be the same!