Zoe and her cheeky dog Tahj. Picture: Stewart Chambers
By Sally Zou
KICKED out of puppy school and a constant bundle of energy, he’s one of those dogs that’s either loved or hated.
But owner Zoe Nielson loves her pet, Tahj, to death.
Zoe, 23, received Tahj, a Miniature Pinscher cross, for her 21st birthday when the four-week-old Tahj had been abandoned by his mother.
“He would sit in the palm of your hand and my Dad would sometimes take him to work in his pocket,” she said.
“He looked like a hairless rat and he was very placid.”
How times have changed because now top of Tahj’s list of favourite things to do includes making plenty of noise and hiding things in the garden.
“Tahj likes to torment. He was given a teddy bear when he was born and when I come home he will pick it up and run around the house going crazy,” Zoe said.
“When we have tomatoes in the garden and nobody’s home, he will knock them off and hide them so that he can go back and eat them later.”
Zoe said she tried to take Tahj to puppy school but he was too boisterous and couldn’t be trusted off his lead.
“When he was 15 months old, Tahj jumped out of the window of the car and was just hanging by his lead,” Zoe said.
Zoe has recently invested in a hand-held panic alarm which she uses with Tahj when he’s constantly barking at the neighbour’s dog.
Tahj’s hyperactivity could very well be a testament to the love and attention that he receives from Zoe.
“At the time I got him, I was just praying that he would survive,” Zoe said.
“I named him after the Taj Mahal. Architecturally it’s one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen and he was also one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen,” Zoe said.
The little Pinscher cross has a strange dislike for males – people and dogs – but he is also known to have a compassionate side.
He’s not a biter so he’s great around children and when there’s a stranger at the door Tahj will be found standing guard.
“Recently I had tonsillitis and I wasn’t 100 per cent so I didn’t want to be around anybody except for Tahj,” Zoe said.
“When he knows that I’m sick, he won’t move from my side. He will also sit outside the shower waiting for me.”
Tahj is the envy of the two other dogs in the house, Jack and Brandy, who belong to Zoe’s mum.
“He’s not a normal dog. He gets away with sleeping in my bed sometimes which is a massive no-no in this house,” Zoe said.
“If he gets too out of control I put him on his lead but he definitely gets away with most things. He’s a mummy’s boy.”
Tahj will be celebrating his third birthday on Monday at the park with Jack and Brandy.
