Tuffy is not a new rescue for HTFF, but his is a great tale. After his adoption, Tuffy left California and now lives with his family (the Hildreths) in Washington state. Not only was Tuffy a successful adoption, but he’s also an amazing two-time rescue. Earlier this year, Tuffy and his family had a harrowing experience when he choked on a piece of broccoli.
Q: How did you find HTFF to adopt Tuffy?
A: We adopted another dog, a poodle/Bichon mix a couple months before Tuffy (from a different rescue) and completely fell in love. It was my first experience with smaller breeds and specifically, poodles and a poodle mix. Harry had a similar situation as Tuffy. He had been picked up by Apple Valley humane and was on the Euthanasia list before being pulled by Dancing Dog Farm and Rescue In Yelm. I live in WA state and adopted Harry in Yelm, WA.
My parents also fell in love with Harry and were interested in adopting a small poodle type of dog of their own. While visiting CA a couple months later, my dad and I starting searching shelters and rescues via Adopt-a-Pet and Petfinder to find a dog that might be suitable. I brought Harry to CA with me and decided to take him along on our meet-and-greets to see what he thought. We met a couple dogs prior to Tuffy, but they weren’t the right fit. We went to the adoption fair at the Petsmart Monrovia where HTFF was set up.
Q: What character(s) of Tuffy made you specifically want to adopt him?
A: When we met Tuffy, we thought he was darling. He was quite shy but Harry was obsessed with him ( in a good way) and we spent some time with him and fell in love. We adopted Tuffy that day and the rest is pretty much history. We’ve had him for 5.5 years now and he is the little love of my life and he and Harry are still obsessed and completely in love with one another.
Q: Has Tuffy’s arrival to your family made any significant changes? If yes, what are they?
A: Tuffy did give us a real scare a couple months ago when he choked on a small piece of broccoli. He has always loved slivers of broccoli stalk as a treat. He ate his then grabbed our larger dogs chunk and tried to wolf it down and steal it. Sadly, he ended up taking in more than he could chew, literally, and choked. Luckily, I had just seen a Facebook post about doggy Heimlich maneuver and put it to work. When we weren’t entirely successful we went straight to the fire department as the vet was closed as they helped us successfully dislodge the broccoli. Tuffy recovered 100% that evening. I no longer allow broccoli as a treat.
Q: After Tuffy’s accident, what advice would you give pet owners to keep their fur-babies safe?
A: My advice to dog parents would be to know basic first aid, know what common human foods are dangerous or deadly to dogs and make sure that the dogs are not exposed and be aware. Be aware of kids leaving doors open, try to anticipate things that people in your family or people visiting might do that could put you pet in danger. Don’t let people leave prescriptions on the counter or chocolate or chewing gum. Don’t leave doors open or gates open where dogs can run away. Keep dogs safely on a leash. With the Fourth of July just around the corner, be aware that for most dogs, fireworks are terrorizing. Dogs need to be securely confined, indoors and kept safe from the possibility of running away in fear.
We always had large dogs before Tuffy and Harry so having a small, toy in Tuffy’s case, the breed was quite a change. Some of the things I love are how portable he is, he has flown in a carrier under the seat of the airplane with me back an forth to CA numerous times and he is the perfect size to hold in my lap at my desk while I work from home and to snuggle at night in bed. Having a small dog has taught me some new concerns that I didn’t use to have as well. Tuffy, at only nine pounds, is small enough to be taken by the larger birds of prey, like hawks and eagles. Tuffy is always on a leash outside and closely supervised as there are lots of eagles and hawks. He is also quite fragile and we are very careful with him.
Read more about Tuffy’s second rescue in this article by the Islands’ Sounder.