While Josh and I were on our date tonight, we got a call from my mom.  She called Josh's phone and as Josh was talking to her, I sensed something bad happened.  She called to tell us that my dog, Tyson died.  :-[

About 6 years ago, we found Tyson in a grocery store parking lot and he ran to us; my mom continued going back to the store throughout the week to see if anyone claimed him missing.  Story has it that the old owners no longer wanted him so they left him stranded; they were glad that someone else did.  We took him in because a few weeks prior, we put our dog Sebastian down and we wanted a new little buddy . . . to fill a void, I guess.  That day, we took him to a local vet to get him a check-up and make sure everything was okay.  They said he was between 4-6 months old.  My family let me decide on a name since I wanted him the most.  I thought it would be humorous to name him Tyson Michael (Mike Tyson backwards) since he was a small, timid chihuahua.  I made his new "comfort area" my bedroom.  For the first few nights I wanted to keep him in a cage since I didn't know anything about this dog; he barked and yelped because he didn't want to be caged up, so I let him sleep in my bed.  He was the best behaved dog!  He cuddled with me and acted as if he lived with us for months.  He became my new little buddy.

He was always a very timid, stiff dog; when you picked him up, he wouldn't bend or move.  He just stayed stiff.  He yelped if you didn't pick him up properly.  He yelped if you pet him or scratched him the wrong way.  He was very picky as to who he would let pick him up or put clothes on him (yes, he wore clothes!).  About a year ago when I brought him to the vet, they told me that we needed to start brushing his teeth regularly or else he would start to get plaque build-up in his throat and it could eventually cause a heart attack.  I guess that is exactly what happened today.  I am glad that I wasn't home and see it happen because I wouldn't have been able to handle it. 

I am going to miss my "puppy."  Stiffness, yelps, and all.  I love ya, Tyson.