Here's Nicky! Finally!

[Mahealani770]

Hey there! I finally have pics of Nicky, I hope you can see them, as they were taken with a camera phone. When I first saw him, I said, "Pomeranian!" Everything about him says Pom, except his face. His body, his legs, everything, says Pom. His fur is blonde and red and it is brushing the ground. The only thing that let me know that he may be mixed with something, is the fact that his muzzle is too long. It's not short and "lion-like", like a purebred Pom. This thing will only let me upolad one pic at a time, so I'll have to make new threads per pic. Anyway, what do you think?

[chico2]

I think he has a Chihuahua face,an adorable little fur-ball:love:

[Mahealani770]

Another pic of Nicky.

[technodoll]

beautiful boy! more photos please

might he have some maltese in him? by the coat and maybe face... or Lhasa Apso?

[jesse's mommy]

He's beautiful! We definitely need more pictures!

[Mahealani770]

I was thinking Chi as well...I'm not experienced enough to guess anything else..lol He's just sooooo Pom...I've been in denial for a long time that he's mixed with something, but I've come to terms..lol
I'm having a hard time uploading pics. I'm gonna go try something, and I'll be right back with more of Nicky.

[Mahealani770]

[Mahealani770]

Here are 2 more of Nicky:

[rainbow]

I'm always bad at guessing the smaller breeds so I'll just say PomXCutie.

[Mahealani770]

haha...I just can't stop..look at my sweet boy! lol

[Mahealani770]

Awww...thanks everyone...he's my little man!

[Cygnet]

My best guess is that he is a purebred pomeranian. I really don't see any reason to think otherwise. He is obviously oversized and not breed standard but there are a whole lot of people breeding pomeranians that look a lot like him.

Anyway, he is certainly cute. What is his story?

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by rainbow

I'm always bad at guessing the smaller breeds so I'll just say PomXCutie.

Hey,that's what I was going to say

[Prin]

Very cute!

btw, if you click the little image button (yellow with grey mountains) beside the quote button when you're posting and put your photobucket link in the pop up box, it'll display the pic directly.

[normag]

He is beautiful, such a cute little face, I wish my dogs would accept a little
guy like that, but I can"t take the chance enjoy him I know you will.

[Skryker]

He's beautiful! Cutie little lion dog.

[Mahealani770]

Originally Posted by: Cygnet

Anyway, he is certainly cute. What is his story?

Nicky was found in a ditch on a busy highway, here in Atlanta. My co-worker was driving down this highway one Saturday evening and barely saw Nicky's head pop up out of the ditch. At first he said he thought it was a fox or something, but as he got closer, he realized it was a little dog. So, he pulled over, stopped traffic, and called to Nicky. He came to him!
Nicky was very matted and his long fur was tangled with briars and all kinds of crap. He had no collar on, was not mircochipped, and had no tattoo. It was as if someone simply dropped him off on the side of the road to fend for himself.
Anyway, my co-worker brought him to work on Monday (December 2005) and kept him at his desk as he had nowhere else to put him. My co-workers wanted me to take him because they knew I had just lost my pug, Suki, when my house burned down 4 months prior. So, I spent a few minutes with him here and there that day and fell in love. My co-worker wanted to do everything he could to find his owners before giving Nicky to me, so he had him for about a week or two. Obviously Nicky's owners weren't looking for him, because my co-worker did everything in his power to find him. He even had some people trying to pretend that they were Nicky's owners, but my co-worker kept catching people in lies, soooo....Nicky became my little son..lol

It was 3 days that I had Nicky when I found this site and if you look back at my original posts, you'll see how completely frustrated I was and how ready I was to give him back! lol Nicky and I have both come a long way since then and I owe it all to the wonderful people of this website. I have completely changed my thinking around about pets and have become inspired to want to foster special needs animals because of this site.

Nicky couldn't be alone without barking incessently. He peed and pooped in the crate I had to keep him in when we would go to work or leave for any reason. He had to be put in a crate because he would pee all over the apartment. So, since I had no idea if Nicky had ever been in a crate, I began to crate train him using positive reinforcement. He also had guarding issues with his chewies and he also guarded my partner. Everytime we came near his chewies, or if I tried to get close to my partner, he would growl and/or attack my feet. He was an aggressive little thing and I was at my wit's end with him. I spent hours on this website learning how to NILF and Alpha train him, with the help of everyone here. Nicky no longer guards anything. I broke him of that by hand feeding him his kibble one piece at a time and then plunging my hand into his food bowl while he ate. I also practiced exchanging one treat for his chewy, until he realized that I was the boss. Nicky also sits before he gets ANYTHING.

I could tell that Nicky had already been somewhat trained because we can take him outside without a leash and he will stay right beside us. He also knew how to sit. The only thing he doesn't know how to do is to play. Nicky is somewhere between 4 and 5 years old and it seems to me that no one has EVER played with him. He also continues to pee in his crate and once in awhile he'll poop. He has a small kitchen and his crate to roam around in, which is baby-gated from the rest of the apartment. Nicky does not bark anymore and is finally comfortable being alone. That took a lot of walking in and out of the apartment to get him used to the fact that we were not abandoning him. He's a great little man now, but I still can't break him of soiling his den. Who knows why he does it. It kills me that I'll never know what kind of environment he came from, but the fact that he practically army crawls to us, with his head down, when called, tells me a lot. When he does this, I give him tons of praise, I gently put my finger under his chin, raise his little head, and I say to him,
"Hold your head up high little man, mama loves you, and you are safe here..."

So, that's pretty much Nicky's story. Sorry it was so long! lol

~Mahealani~

[Mahealani770]

Thanks Prin! But the pics come out so huge that I feel like I should only do that for one pic at a time..lol

[Prin]

lol never! We don't mind big pics of little doggies.

[chico2]

Mahealani,thank's for reminding us,now I remember little Suki and that terrible fire:sad:
I am glad Nicky is doing better and that you stuck with him,never gave up

[Mahealani770]

Thanks Chico, I really appreciate you remembering. That means a lot to me.
*tear* :sad: I also appreciate your encouragement with Nicky. He is a handfull, but he's worth it.

[Prin]

Sorry, I hadn't read that post earlier- just passing through..
I remember that too (I never forget a pug). That was so sad.

I'm glad Nicky has somebody to teach him how to play.

[Mahealani770]

Thanks Prin, Suki, Nicky, and I appreciate it!

[Mahealani770]

Ok, so I guess it's settled? Nicky is a non-standard purebred Pomeranian crossed with cuteness? lol

[angeldogs]

He is very cute.I like the bath tub pic.Lucky little man.

[Mahealani770]

Awe, thanks Angeldogs. That is my favorite pic too. I have it up on my wall in my office and everytime I see it, it makes me laugh. I think it's because of the way he has his little head cocked to the side..lol..it kills me!

[vel]

Just had to say, what a sweet little guy...The story of how you and he got together made me cry.......especially the part where you said "he'd army crawl to you with his head down and you raise his little head, praise him and tell him he was your boy now" ......man......I'm a sucker for a sad story :sad: I'll never understand as long as I live how humans can throw away these little lives.........I'm so happy you've taken him in....God works in mysterious ways.

[Cinnabear]

Very gorgeous dog. My sis had one but more red color, he lived until he was 17. I'd say a cross with some Papillon in him.

[Mahealani770]

Awwww Vel! You're so cute...lol I'm sorry I made you cry, that was not my intention, but thanks for the sentiment..lol Nicky is a special little boy and he continues to be a mystery to us each and every day. We belive that Nicky got put out of his home because he cannot stop pottying in the house. It's a guess, but I bet that's why. Nothing we have tried works and you know as well as I do that most people don't have ANY tolerance for a dog that is not housebroken, especially at 5 years old. Anyway, all we can do is try to raise his self-esteem and give him lots of love and keep correcting him in positive ways. Thanks for your comment. I'll give Nicky a good tummy rub for you!

~M~

[Mahealani770]

I was thinking Papillon as well. I think it's because of the way his fur hangs from his ears maybe? Who knows! Yes, 17 years is a long time and I hope that Nicky lives at least that long. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
~M~