Tiny Dog Stories – Fall/Winter 2024/25

Samson the Overcomer 

Samson, the mighty overcomer, is a handsome Boston Terrier. His life is filled with great purpose. Not only has he engaged in dog sports, created his own games with his hyper intelligence, and outsmarted his owner, he has also been a therapy dog and a sidekick to someone who had brain cancer, providing great comfort. He spreads so much love. Samson had to have both eyes removed a year and a half ago and has navigated it with strength, courage, perseverance. He has taught many lessons on how to overcome adversity, which are now being turned into a book.—Brenda Stewart

Morning Surprise

Middle of the night: wee-wee time. We all (me and the dogs) got up. I took them outside, and then we came back inside to the bedroom. I curled around Shaggy on the big cushion on the floor and cuddled him. We were so cozy-comfy that I fell asleep. I woke up as usual in the morning. What was not ‘as usual’ was that there I was on the doggy floor-cushion, and Shaggy was snoring happily up on the bed!—Christine Riley

The Wolf Pack

Hope, Faith, and Charity are three members of a suburban wolf pack. They may not spend their days on the hunt, but they certainly stay busy: going for iced coffee trips, scaring off the rogue chipmunk, and faithfully alerting the entire neighborhood that a terrifying Chihuahua is walking down the street. This little pack never wastes a day.—Nicole Fuechsl

My Furry Little Muse 

Cricket is an older dog who was very withdrawn and had failed his behavioural tests at the city shelter. Fortunately, a senior dog organization came to his rescue! I knew when I first met Cricket that we were meant for each other. As he became more trusting and open to new experiences, I found myself doing the same. Cricket even inspired me to write and publish a children’s book about him, something that I wouldn’t have had the guts to do before we met. If life is all about finding happiness, I accomplished that when I found Cricket.—Michael Angelo Torres

Poppy

Poppy was my life, world, and heart. She was an abused, disabled, deaf, and mentally challenged rescue dog. She was a joy for a little more than three years. She learned how to be a dog. She learned to do things I never thought possible: snuggle in warm blankets and play with toys. She taught me how to communicate without using words and patience when she took longer to navigate stairs. She’d bring a toy to my son to engage in a tug-of-war. Other-able dogs give you so much, asking only to be loved.—Ellen L. Meade

Have Another 

Brewsky, named by college boys, was our adopted heeler mix. At seven, he developed lymphoma. We went from diagnosis to euthanasia in four hours and were devastated. I remembered the “All Creatures Great and Small” vet, James Herriot, said after you lose a pet, get another one soon. Your grief won’t help. What will help is saving another life by adopting—it’s not so much a specific dog, but dogness that you miss. Four days later, we adopted Gracie, another heeler mix. We loved our boy, Brew, and we love our girl, Gracie, who makes our lives so much richer.—Dinah Swan

A Ragamuffin Named Zoey

Ragamuffin. That’s what my grandma called her. It was a fitting description of the shaggy, straw-coloured furball in front of me. She looked like a cross between the dog from Because of Winn-Dixie and a tumbleweed. The hay bale with eyes peered up expectantly, tongue lolling. I gave her a treat—the first of many. She quickly became part of the family and is now the inseparable shadow of my grandma. She is called by her shelter name, Zoey, but keeps her given nickname, Ragamuffin, for times when grooming is long overdue.—Joely Hart

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This article originally appeared in the award-winning Modern Dog magazine. Subscribe today!