Placeholder Content Image

Tiny chihuahua saves 90-year-old woman with heroic act

<p>In the world of unlikely heroes, step aside Batman, move over Superman, because Minnie the Chihuahua cross is here to steal the spotlight.</p> <p>This petite pooch from Kingston, in the South Australia's southeast, has recently been showered with praise for her unexpected, life-saving antics.</p> <p>Picture this: Minnie, a little dog with a heart as big as her bark, not particularly keen on hugs, found herself in a situation that required more than just a wag of her tail.</p> <p>On that fateful Friday, December 1, Minnie noticed that her 90-year-old owner, Joyce Gibbs, was in a bit of a pickle – struggling to catch a breath. Now, most dogs might just tilt their heads in confusion (you can picture it) or fetch a chew toy, but not Minnie.</p> <p>Untrained in any form of medical assistance, Minnie decided to take matters into her own paws. Whether by sheer luck or by innate instinct, the canine prodigy leaped onto Joyce’s lap and – brace yourselves –  <em>pressed the medical alert device hanging around her neck</em>. Yes, you heard that right; she hit the SOS button, sending out a message that would make any emergency service scramble into action.</p> <p>Lyn Gibbs, Joyce’s daughter, expressed her astonishment, “Minnie never jumps up in that chair when mum is in it..." she <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/chihuahua-praised-for-saving-90-year-old-south-australian-owner-struggling-to-breathe-c-12821344" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told 7News</a>. "Minnie knew she needed help, so she jumped up, trying to help her.”</p> <p>A stroke of genius? An incredibly lucky accident? Either way, Minnie became the the hero of the moment, saving the day like a furry little Avenger.</p> <p>As Joyce found herself in the hospital grappling with Rhinovirus, Minnie continued to be her unwavering companion. Doctors predicted a three-week recovery period, but after only four days, Joyce was back home, thanks to the vigilant care of her four-legged saviour.</p> <p>Lyn couldn’t help but gush about Minnie’s dedication, “Minnie’s been so good from the day I got her... she’s the best dog... she doesn’t leave her side.” Move over Florence Nightingale; we’ve got Minnie, the dedicated dog nurse, taking care of business.</p> <p>This heartwarming tale isn’t just about Minnie’s heroics; it’s a reminder of the importance of those pesky but life-saving medical alert devices. As Lyn says: “The medical alert is just so important for old people... a lot of them won’t wear them. They put them on the cupboard or on the table, but you really need them at all times, especially in the shower.”</p> <p>So, take heed: wear your devices and maybe, just maybe, you'll have a four-legged hero by your side, ready to leap into action when you least expect it.</p> <p>In a world where a Chihuahua can be the difference between a close call and catastrophe, we salute you, Minnie, for proving that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.</p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Not without my dog! Man wins anti-discrimination case against pet chihuahua

<p>Queensland pet owner Raymond Matthews has won an anti-discrimination claim against his local pub after his assistance chihuahua, Coo-ee, was denied entry.</p> <p>Matthews' favourite watering hole was The Woombye Pub, a stone's throw from his home on the Sunshine Coast. “I’d go up there for a chicken parmi and a beer, maybe once or twice a week,” he told <a href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/sunshine-coast-man-wins-8000-discrimination-claim-after-pub-refused-entry-to-his-assistance-chihuahua--c-8079310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7 News</a>.</p> <p>However, that all came to an end in 2017 when new management started refusing entry to Coo-ee.</p> <p>“(The) dog almost got run over one night, having had to stay outside. I went back inside and got directed out and barred for a month and made out to be the bad guy - that I’d intimidated people.”</p> <p>Three years of consistent refusal-of-entry to The Woombye then caused Matthews to say enough was enough and seek legal recourse.</p> <p>In a case opened against the pub, the tribunal found the venue broke anti-discrimination laws and awarded Matthews $8000 in compensation.</p> <p>Matthews said he tried to explain the significance of Coo-ee to the new owners but they wouldn’t listen.</p> <p>“The more I tried to convince them, the more I sounded like a broken record,” he said. “I’d been to the doctor to get the dog signed off as an assistant.</p> <p>“What she does is she introduces me to myriad people - the amount of hurdles I’ve got over because of the dog, just breaking the barriers down that normally exist with bureaucracy.</p> <p>“I take the dog with me and it just brings people down to a level playing field and you can speak with them, you can get along with them, you’ve got a common denominator and the dog, I feel, is the one that does it.”</p> <p>In a happy ending – certainly for Coo-ee at any rate – Matthews and the pup have now been welcomed into the venue.</p> <p><em>Image: Sunrise</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Meet TobyKeith, the world’s oldest living dog

<p dir="ltr">When Florida resident Gisela Shore decided to adopt the dog she named TobyKeith, she had no idea that 21 years later, Guinness World Records would proclaim him the world’s "oldest dog living."</p> <p dir="ltr">Shore, who volunteers for an animal organization, visited the owners giving up the Chihuahua, to see if she could help find a way for them to keep their pet. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The woman told me that she was in very bad health and she just couldn’t take care of the puppy. Her husband had just been diagnosed with cancer,” Shore, 54, said. “She was too overwhelmed. She had the puppy in a box and he was itty-bitty, maybe 2 pounds max. After hearing her story, I said, ‘OK, I’ll take him.’ So I took him — and it was love at first sight.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Shore adopted the pup and renamed him TobyKeith, after being a fan of the musician, and also thought it would be funny for a little dog to be named for a big guy. He had seen her through good and bad times, including a divorce and, happily, a new marriage.</p> <p dir="ltr">TobyKeith welcomes all of the puppies and dogs Shore fosters for the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.</p> <p dir="ltr">The tiny little pup celebrated his birthday on January the 9th. He feasted on his favourite treat and got a bath and a pedicure before taking a car ride.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He loves car rides, so that’s how he celebrated,” Shore said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-01f360d9-7fff-3a86-3e35-32fd160c1fc4">He got to do it all over again a few months later when Guinness World Records named TobyKeith the world’s oldest living dog. He even got a framed certificate to recognize his achievement.</span></p> <p><em>Images: Today</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Brave chihuahua sacrifices own life to save owner

<p>If ever you needed a reason to convince your partner to let you adopt a dog, let this be it. A brave 10-year-old chihuahua named Cooper has sacrificed his own life to save his family after discovering a deadly eastern brown snake in the backyard.</p> <p>Evangeline Lim from the Gold Coast was about to hang her washing out on the line last week when she heard her loyal pooch barking at something in the backyard – one of Australia’s most venomous snakes.</p> <p>“The snake was upside down and Cooper was on top of it and wrestling,” the Hope Island woman told the <em>Gold Coast Bulletin</em>. “He was obviously saving me from the snake.”</p> <p>With Cooper’s help, Evangeline and her family managed to trap the snake under a pot plant. Unfortunately, the courageous canine had been bitten in the process, and he sadly died 10 minutes later after suffering cardiac arrest while in the car en route to the vet.</p> <p>According to Tony Harrison from Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catchers, eastern browns are more common in the Gold Coast area than you might think. “I catch a couple a day so people need to be more aware,” he told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/cooper-the-chihuahua-praised-for-brave-final-act-to-protect-family/news-story/3bcd1ce3af1503feee4f7f6f0e978c74" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">news.com.au</span></strong></a>.</p> <p>He explained that the deadly species are quick to defend themselves as soon as they feel threatened, which is likely the reason why it began wrestling with Cooper.</p> <p>“As soon as a dog interacts with a snake you should be hightailing it to the vet. I’ve seen plenty of dogs and cats attacked by brown snakes over the years and many of them don’t last 10 minutes,” he said.</p> <p>Harrison says the venom from an eastern brown snake can quickly cause blood clots and muscle seizures in both animals and humans. “It’s not a nice thing at all. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, let alone a little chihuahua.”</p> <p>Have any of your pets ever been in danger of a snake at your home? Share your story with us in the comments below. </p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Heroic Chihuahua saves 92-year-old owner

<p>A rescued shelter dog has saved the life of his 92-year-old owner, after she took a rather bad fall in her front garden.</p> <p>Marie Alexander went out for a short stroll the mail box when disaster struck; she twisted her foot and fell backwards onto the ground. Despite her efforts, she was unable to pick herself up and was without a phone to call for help.</p> <p>Thankfully, her nine-year-old pup, Sassy, sprang into action. The nonagenarian told local news source  <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ftaoo7mNqc" target="_blank">ABC Action News</a></strong></span></em> that Sassy barked non-stop at passing cars for some five hours in an attempt to get help, while she lay immobile in the Florida heat.</p> <p>Finally, Sassy’s bark caught the attention of a couple walking by, who found Marie in the nick of time. She was dehydrated and had suffered bruised ribs but her spirits were high. She says that she is lucky to have survived, but even luckier to have a loyal dog like Sassy.</p> <p>“I saved her at the shelter and she saved me,” Marie told the ABC. </p> <p>Do you have a heart-waring story about a heroic animal to share with the community? Let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/special-bond-between-senior-dogs-and-their-owners/"><em>Images capture special bond between senior dogs and their owners</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/08/why-pets-give-you-the-side-eye/"><em>Why pets give you the side eye</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/why-do-dogs-tilt-their-head/"><em>Why do dogs tilt their head?</em></a></strong></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Cool cat leads group of Chihuahuas

<p>Who told you that cats and dogs can’t get along? We’ve seen out fair share of cat/ dog duo’s, and even the group of <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/huskies-befriend-kitten/"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Siberian huskies that adopted a kitten as their own</strong></span></em></a>, but Ritchie the cat is no adoptee.</p> <p>Meet the plump puss that heads up a pack of little Chihuahua’s in the Yuta family home in Thailand. With over 5,000 pictures and a growing 27,000 followers on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yutafamily/" target="_blank"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Instagram</strong></span></em></a>, this family is turning into a domestic animal kingdom.</p> <p>While the pack often poses in sunglasses and costumes, Richie is clearly the most confident, and the group follows him everywhere.  Always cool, calm and collected, he seems completely unfazed by the camera.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see the adorable images.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/09/why-greyhound-make-good-pets/">8 excellent reasons to adopt a greyhound</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/08/animals-who-love-warm/">In pictures: 12 animals who love warmth more than anything</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/08/animal-sleeping-buddies/">Unlikely animal sleeping buddies that will melt your heart</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Photographer captures moment dog begs for freedom

<p>These powerful emotive photographs capture a shelter Chihuahua in California beginning for an escape and more crucially a new home to belong to.</p> <p>Photographer, John Hwang, has spent one on one time with the pooch, who he described as restless from being in the kennel, looking to find a way out. It wasn’t until he started snapping some shots of the furball when something surprisingly touching suddenly happened.</p> <p>“He got up on his hind legs, put his front paws together and shook them up and down, as if begging me to help him,” Hwang said.</p> <p>Initially it was too real to be true and Hwang thought this action of beginning was unintentional, but the dog continued to do it and it was seen as a sign of beginning for freedom.</p> <p><strong><em>Related links:</em></strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2016/01/worlds-happiest-countries-in-2015/">These are the happiest countries in the world</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/11/how-to-banish-negative-thoughts/">7 ways to banish negative thoughts</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/11/how-to-be-happy-in-todays-world/">How to be truly happy in today’s world</a></strong></em></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Chihuahua puppy thinks she’s a goat

<p>Bringing a new puppy home is always a precious moment, especially when they try to fit in with all the other animals.</p> <p>Lola the Chihuahua is the newest member of the family and although she doesn’t quite look like her siblings - who are goats, she certainly fits right in at home.</p> <p>Video footage shows the playful trio frolicking around the garden like the very best of friends. Two week old goats named Princess Leia and Lady bug and Lola have been getting along so well the owners at Sunflower Farms say Lola plays with the goats so naturally that she thinks she’s one of them.</p> <p>Lola the pup is actually a Chihuahua, Yorkie, and Maltese mix; explaining her small size in comparison to her goat friends – but size doesn’t stop her from the outdoor fun.</p> <p>The video shows how she’s so small she almost gets lost in the grass, let alone between the group of other goats who hop around, up and down but never too far away from little Lola. Our favourite part is when Lola plays monkey see, monkey do and actually tries to follow in the goat’s footsteps and jump up just like them.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/koala-cries-after-brawl-over-tree/">Koala throws tantrum and cries after friend kicks it out of tree</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/garfi-the-worlds-angriest-cat/">Meet Garfi, the world’s angriest cat</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/one-eyed-puppy-finds-one-eyed-owner/">One-eyed puppy finds perfect owner in someone just like him</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><strong> </strong></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Chihuahua puppy thinks she’s a goat

<p>Bringing a new puppy home is always a precious moment, especially when they try to fit in with all the other animals.</p> <p>Lola the Chihuahua is the newest member of the family and although she doesn’t quite look like her siblings - who are goats, she certainly fits right in at home.</p> <p>Video footage shows the playful trio frolicking around the garden like the very best of friends. Two week old goats named Princess Leia and Lady bug and Lola have been getting along so well the owners at Sunflower Farms say Lola plays with the goats so naturally that she thinks she’s one of them.</p> <p>Lola the pup is actually a Chihuahua, Yorkie, and Maltese mix; explaining her small size in comparison to her goat friends – but size doesn’t stop her from the outdoor fun.</p> <p>The video shows how she’s so small she almost gets lost in the grass, let alone between the group of other goats who hop around, up and down but never too far away from little Lola. Our favourite part is when Lola plays monkey see, monkey do and actually tries to follow in the goat’s footsteps and jump up just like them.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2015/12/champagne-helps-prevent-dementia-and-alzheimers/">Champagne helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2016/01/spot-the-panda-hidden-in-this-vintage-school-photo/">Spot the panda hidden in this vintage school photo</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2015/12/mother-panda-puts-baby-panda-to-bed/">Watch this mother panda deal with her baby panda who is out way past his bedtime</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

The smallest Chihuahua in the world is smaller than can of coke

<p>Meet Tiny Toudi, one seriously small Chihuahua. He is just 12 weeks old, seven centimetres tall and weighs in at just 300 grams. To give you an idea of just how tiny that is, Tiny Toudi stands smaller than a can of coke and can fit in the palm of your hand.</p><p>The owners from Wroclaw, Poland say he provides hours of fun for the family but do have to be careful with such a tiny pup in their house.</p><p><img width="634" height="438" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/03/25/16/26FAB4A700000578-3011359-image-m-56_1427302013286.jpg" alt="Tiny Toudi: This little pup from Poland is shorter than a can of coke and can easily fit in the palm of your hand" class="blkBorder img-share" id="i-5a4ce4a5d212dd4b"></p><p><img width="634" height="429" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/03/25/16/26FAB4AF00000578-3011359-image-a-64_1427302612846.jpg" alt="Perfect pear: Toudi is a only slightly bigger than a pear, but he can't even be described as 'pint-sized' because he's smaller than a can of coke" class="blkBorder img-share" id="i-463b79115fea1919"></p><p><img width="634" height="442" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/03/25/16/26FAB50300000578-3011359-image-a-60_1427302573211.jpg" alt="Fun and games:&nbsp;It is hoped little Toudi, from Poland, will soon appear in the Guinness World Records book" class="blkBorder img-share" id="i-c1f4ad0c9b927422"></p><p><strong>Related links:&nbsp;</strong></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/03/beluga-whales-kisses-man/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Beluga whales jumps out of the water to kiss man on cheek</strong></em></span></a></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2015/03/facial-expressions-for-cats/" target="_blank"><strong>Man draws some hilarious new facial expressions on his cat</strong></a></em></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/03/two-baby-orangutans-rescued/" target="_blank">The adorable moment two baby orangutans meet after being rescued</a></strong></em></span></p>

News

Our Partners