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“Dogs don’t need clothes, they have fur.” Uh huh? And where do you live, Bub? LA? Sydney? Florida? How nice for you!

Here at the Rancho de Chihuahua, we have frozen water that falls from the sky, and even more frozen water that comes up from the ground in the form of ‘dew’ (or shall we say ‘ice!’) five months of the year. Fur plus ice may make a fine, easily shuffled-off combo when dealing with a longhaired, say, chow-dog. It may even suffice for a hardy Shepherd breed.

But we’re talking a 10-pound, shorthaired transplant. They’re about as warm as you are on a ski trip without your fleece gear and whiskey flask.

Now a Chihuahua is a tough little soul—ask any of them, they’ll tell you. (And if you like the feeling of sharp rice-teeth on your forearm they’ll show you…) A Chihuahua is like an Irish pugilist who bares his knuckles and says, “I dare you!” But if you are the lover of an Irish pugilist—or a Chihuahua—you know you’ve got to step in, eventually. Do let them have their pride—but also do step in.

You don’t want it to end in tears…yours!

Of course, our Chis live inside. But they do need to go outside several times a day. In the Chihuahua world, that means sweaters and coats after October 15. And that means money spent on clothing. Quite a bit when it comes to dog clothes. (We don’t have a local canine version of TJ Maxx… sadly.)

We were a shakin’ here at the RC when winter came early—so very early—this year. We were caught unawares by our budget, and had many Chis to clothe. In a hurry. We were scared!

Thanks to our super friends Kim and Tiffanie who thought of—and executed—‘Operation Chilly Chihuahua,’ we were supplied in mere days. These very, very busy, lovely women from a whole different state mobilized their friends via email to send us sweaters—and other warm stuff for our Chis. And boy did it make a difference! They could not have been warm without them!

If any of your human or other friends, or their dependants, needs something—say bedding, jackets, firewood or beans in a can, I urge you to do what Kim and Tiffanie did—send the plea out and make it specific. Make it very specific and timely. And don’t ask for cash—it’s kinda cheesy and gross to ask for cash. And a bit suspect. Not to mention—how many of your friends or your friends’ friends have extra cash lying around?

Anyway—our rescue Chis are warm due to Kim And Tiffanie’s brainstorm. True, they are brilliant and dedicated—but riffing off of them, think what you can do for someone else?

We all need something, sometime. People want to give if it’s appreciated.

Major, major goodness! Yay!

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