Introducing the Dogsters: Savanna and Penny, Her Spunky Chihuahua Mix

Hi, I’m Savanna Stanfield, a former science teacher and now a writer and editor at Dogster. I’ll be sharing my life with Penny, a sassy and spunky Chihuahua mix, every week. Penny is my first experience with dog ownership, and my husband, daughter, and I certainly have our hands full with her, but every day is something exciting and new because we truly never know what she’ll do next. I can’t wait to share Penny and my experiences with dog ownership with you!

A Little Background

I’ve never been much of a dog person. Growing up, my family had dogs, and the most memorable being a black Lab named Beauty. But Beauty was my sister’s dog, and while I of course loved her as the family dog, other dogs were just dogs to me.

One day, my niece told me that she had found an abandoned puppy and wanted to know if we’d be interested in taking it. I wasn’t too keen on the idea, because being a mom and having three cats at home already, I didn’t need anything else to take care of, nor did I know hardly anything about caring for a dog. But my husband and daughter seemed excited about it, so I finally caved because the puppy needed someone to take care of her forever.

Even though I was still sure that I wasn’t a dog person, we took in the cutest little puppy I had ever seen.

Meet Penny

My niece cared for the puppy for several weeks before we took her in; she named her Penny and took her to the veterinarian for initial care. The vet said that just going by her physical appearance, Penny was a Chihuahua and that she was a few months old.

But after taking her in, as Penny grew, I noticed that she seemed bigger than most Chihuahuas I had ever seen. She weighs about 10 pounds fully grown. I figured she must be some kind of mixed breed, but I wasn’t sure what she was mixed with.

I used a DNA test kit from DNA My Dog, and when the results came back, they said that Penny was mostly Chihuahua (62%), but also part Miniature Poodle (20%) and part Pekingese (18%). So now it was starting to make sense why she’s a little bigger than most Chihuahuas and why she looks the way she does.

I was thinking to myself, “That’s sort of an odd breed combination. What can I call her when people ask what breed she is?” Sure, “Chihuahua mix” is fine, but I wanted something more fun and unique that combines all of her breeds. I saw a Pikachu from Pokémon, and a lightbulb went off. Now I have my own little Pekachoo, and that’s a lot more fun to tell people than “Chihuahua mix.”

I’m a Dog Person Now

Having owned Penny for a few years, I can safely say that I’m a dog person. When I see a dog out in public, I have to at least wave and say hello to them, but sometimes pet them (with permission from the owner and dog, of course). I definitely see dogs as more than just dogs now. I see them for the companionship and loyalty they provide and how they weasel their way into our hearts before we know it.

After originally saying that I didn’t need anything else to take care of, and now I’m not sure whether Penny needs me more or I need her more. She takes care of me just as I take care of her, and I can’t imagine my life without her. I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know a little bit more about Penny the Pekachoo and her personality each week.