I was interested to see that the latest APPA stats show
ownership of small dogs is on the rise.  I found this particularly
relevant as I have become, for the first time in my life, the guardian of a
small dog. Thinking that I’m still a  "big dog" person at heart I realize
I’m quickly morphing into a "small dog" proponent as I discover just
how much easier it is for me to live my somewhat hectic life with a petite,
rather than large, pooch and these APPA statistics certainly prove that others
feel the same way. I’m sure that today’s busy lifestyle, combined with
increasingly smaller living spaces has a lot to do with this growing trend.  Take Penny, my Wirehaired Dachshund, for
instance. Weighing in at twelve irresistibly cute pounds she is small enough to
fit in a doggie travel bag so she can join me in-cabin should I need to fly to
a destination (see my May
31st blog), vs. bigger dogs who are treated as cargo and required to fly in
the hold of the plane (an alternative I could never put my dog through).  My recent weekend trip to historic and
picturesque Victoria (BC’s capital), on beautiful Vancouver Island, is case in
point. I wasn’t planning to bring Penny with me but when my kids told me they
had weekend plans of their own and couldn’t look after her, I decided to bring her along … an easy
decision considering Penny’s convenient size and low maintenance
personality.  The trip actually turned out to be more fun as a result of
having her along… check out our fun and scenic trip in my subsequent blog.