We are in the throws of a weather phenomenon here in Ontario (and elsewhere) called the polar vortex. It was -22 C (-7.6 F) when I got up this morning, but it felt like -35 C (-31 F) this morning and now the temperature is at a nice balmy -19 C (-2.2 F). I am not at THO and I have to admit this is one of the rare occasions where I am happy that I am not.
For those of you who do not live in a cold climate let me tell you that with this kind of cold it goes right into your bones, it is painful. For the dogs it is torture every time they have to go outside because the cold is so deep that it burns their little feet. Our newest rescue lived his entire 5 years locked up in a cage at a puppy mill and is just being house trained now, but for him this cold is new and dreadful. His little feet are not tough so within 10 -15 seconds his body collapses on the ground because the pain in his feet is so deep. We go out with them and carry their tiny collapsed bodies in and treat their feet again with Blistex.
Thankfully there is a warming trend coming, but not before it reaches -40 C (-40 F) tonight, which is ironically where our thermometers meet.
If I already had my wood stove installed I might have actually driven down to THO to stay for a few days. I would go without the dogs though because I don’t know how easy it will be to make the house warm. Knowing it is coming makes me look forward to next winter already. Finding out how it will work has a lot of fills me with anticipation. That I know my Greyworks Stove is on its way makes me very happy indeed! But… I will not install it until the end of the spring rains because I have some unique plans in mind.
Before I close, I want to introduce you all to Dieter, who has been through a lot.
Tiny House Ontario 
Bless you FOREVER…you, and tiny one, – have my heart! xoxox Stay as warm as you can…it can’t last -forever…I’m sorry for you though!
bless….thank you for taking in this dear animal
Hi Laura:
That is one adorable puppy! My dog can’t take the cold on her feet either – if it is -10 C she lies down and holds up her paws, and she is a Golden Retriever! The only solution is dog boots. There are some ridiculously inexpensive ones at Dollarama that are very easy to put on. They don’t last very long on city streets, but are great on snow. We are in Toronto, and are not enjoying the Polar Vortex either. Another big issue for dogs here is all the salt on the sidewalks. Good luck!
My daughter and I want to help someone exactly like your Dieter, but don’t know where to start. Our humane society has mostly large dogs and we only have room for a small friend. Where did you meet Dieter? Would love some tips on where to find someone who needs us.
While I hate to even discuss it, it was -50 here in The ‘Peg on New Years’ Eve! Yowch!
Hi Heather, I belong on Facebook to about 30 animal advocate sites. I participate in a lot of activities around helping animals. Due to this I met Dieter about ten minutes after he and several other dogs were pulled from the hell that they were in. All were covered in fleas, filled with tapeworm, living in their own waste and lacking any vetting, dental care or adequate food and water. So they were not pretty. They went to Lisa’s small dog rescue in Innisville, Ontario and were vetted, treated for fleas, fixed, microchipped and got dental work done. She then adopts them out for a very reasonable fee of $275.
This is a very good price because if I would have vetted him on my own the cost would be around $800-$1200 as I do not get a rescue discount on my vetting.
This said, you are a long way from Ontario, but I am sure that if you look up your city’s animal pages on facebook and on kijiji and follow it closely, you would also find dogs that are looking for homes. Small ones come up less frequently than big ones but right now in Hamilton there are at least 3 pugs listed.
If however you are financially able arranging for a chihuahua to be brought up from California where thousands of these little guys are being put to death annually is really needed. Apparently they are being adopted by idiots that want a fashion accessory and dumped when the said idiot no longer likes said accessory.
I don’t know if there are agencies out there pulling them up but I imagine there is!
Let me know Heather what you decide and if you find one. I will warn you though, these tiny guys are addictive. They are not too much trouble once they are trained, vetting is cheap and you can pretty much take them with you everywhere you go…
Stay warm and compassionate!
xo L
hE IS SWEET WEE DOGGIE. i’M GLAD YOU RESCUED HIM
Dieter says “woofity woofity woof woof woof!” I think this means “thanks Shirley I like it here” but I can’t be sure.
xo L
You are a good person!
You too my friend, you too! xo L
Oooooh. Beautiful picture of exhausted contentment. Bless you both
You are such a good mama. I, too, have a few rescue critters. My latest was used as a breeder dog and had similar issues as your baby. Congratulations on gaining a fur ever friend.