Puppy Love

 Boyd & Ava chillin’ in a chair

I didn’t know if it would work.

We had inherited two long-haired Chihuahuas. Due to no fault of their own, we were their fourth home. They are siblings, brother and sister. While they are off-the-charts cute, they are also needy, attention hogs, who need their bellies rubbed…a lot.

After being doggie foster parents for three months, my wife had a great idea. I knew we needed to thin out our herd of pets, since we also have an aged beagle, and an illusive cat. Just one problem. I had become attached to one of these tiny, feisty, but needy doggies.

I named the duo, Boyd and Ava, after likable convicts on the television show, Justified. I call them miniature collectible dogs. Boyd weighs five pounds and looks like a tiny fox. He sports a mostly golden coat, with big, fine-tuned ears, and a fluffy, curled tail. He prances like a show dog, and runs like an antelope.

A few months ago, Boyd encountered a much larger dog. I think he learned a valuable lesson. That being, he should not attempt to hump a dog over ten times his size. As a result, he got to see the big dog’s mouth from the inside. Yes, Boyd’s head was in the dog’s mouth. He needed a few stitches on his head which has healed nicely, but he did not recover sight in his injured eye. My son refers to him as Cyclops. His visual impairment does not seem to affect him in the least. Perhaps, one day he will have a miniature eye patch.

He likes to walk on the top edge of the couch and put his front paws on my left shoulder, then lean in, giving me a face hug. Instead of a parrot, I have a dog on my shoulder.

I am a big dog person, and yet we have one medium size and two tiny sized dogs.

Boyd has some things going for him. He plays with Lulu the beagle and helps her behave more youthfully, and he is cute and loveable. He won me over. I like him. You can’t choose who you love.

Boyd’s sister, Ava has her own personality. She is also adorable, mostly white, with some blond splotches, a little bigger, about eight pounds, and she is a chow hound. She will get into it with Lulu on occasion who is also a devout chow hound.

Anyway, Patty had the idea of Ava becoming my mom’s dog. She is eighty-seven, lives in senior housing, and is alone for the first time in her life, since dad needed to go to the nursing home.

When I suggested the idea to mom, she didn’t even need to think about it. So, Ava went to the doggie doctor to get her shots, and doggie hairdresser to get groomed. Patty bought all manner of supplies for the dog, and we headed off to Missouri, with doggie condo, doggie carrier, doggie supplies, and a much smaller amount of luggage for ourselves.

We presented Ava to Mom, and after one night with a little doggie crying, they became new best friends. She rides on the seat of her walker when they get on the elevator to go for a walk. or downstairs for meals. Miss Ava became quickly known and loved by all of the residents, staff, and home health workers.

Ava is now in her fifth home, having systematically worked her way through four generations in my family.

I have to say my heart melted, when I saw what this small dog meant to my mom. Patty had a really good idea.

Now when I call Mom, I hear more about Ava than anyone else.