Dave & Maureen Quinn

Dave and I are devoted dog lovers. When we first moved to Tioga 5 years ago, we brought our two elderly dogs, Butch and Joey. We were devastated when they both passed away within 6 months. We decided not to get another dog so we could travel, but Covid ended that!  After a year in quarantine and missing our companions, we started looking for another dog. We finally found Rusty in a litter of Yorkie-Poos.

We've always liked human names for our dogs, so with Rusty’s red fur, we couldn’t think of a better name!

Rusty is very smart and, of course, understands English. He has a set of multi-colored balls; when told, he will retrieve a ball according to its color. Unfortunately, this also works to his advantage when he hears the words "bath" or "medicine" because he suddenly disappears! He loves to go for car rides but is incredulous when he isn't allowed to go into restaurants and stores! The person going into the store is always more important than whoever waits in the car with him, and he keeps constant surveillance until they return.

We were looking for a small dog that would be easy to pick up. Rusty's mother weighed 8 lbs, and his father weighed 10 lbs, so we expected Rusty to be around the same size. Much to everyone's surprise, he is now 20 lbs! I like to say that he's not fat; he's fluffy!

Rusty is very social. His friends are Opal, Bacchus, Shadeaux, Penelope, and his best friend, Finn! He often has play dates with each during the week, but the best days are when they all visit at the same time! Rusty has become an important part of our family. We can't imagine our life without him.

 

Rusty sleeps where he wants, only eats if we are in the same room with him, and often interrupts a TV show to play ball. His toy basket is overflowing. He thinks every package delivered is from Chewy's and every visitor is here to see him. Is that spoiled?