Me with Titi and Kiki

When I was 7 years old, my family decided to get a Miniature Poodle. Saving the money to buy a puppy from a breeder became a family project. My sister and I decorated paper with Poodle-themed drawings and glued it to a coffee can. We cut a slit in the lip to create our “puppy piggy bank.”

It took a few months, but soon we had enough money to get our new puppy. Our puppy was born on April 10. About eight weeks later, we took her home. My parents registered the puppy and named her Tiesan of Willow Glen, but we called her Titi.

Titi was a black bundle of fur when we first got her. She was full of energy but very smart and sweet. She got along wonderfully with our two Siamese cats. We all fought to have Titi sleep with us each night. Since I was the youngest, Titi would start out with me, then move to my sister’s bed, and eventually end up in my parents’ king-size bed.

As she got older, Titi turned into a beautiful silver Miniature. She was well behaved and went lots of places with our family. She had a few tricks that were really special. Titi could play patty cake while standing on her hind legs. All you had to do was say “patty cake” and up she went, bringing her paws together over and over.

Titi also liked to sing along with our family. My mom, sister, and I often sang together, and Titi would pipe in, howling along with us. I always wondered if our singing hurt her ears.

We lost Titi when she was 12, but we did have many wonderful years with her. She brought our family together in many ways, starting with the puppy piggy bank. It’s been almost 50 years since we got Titi, and every April 10th, I think of her and what a wonderful dog she was.

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