I watched the foster lists for months for a small dog that could stay with us for a while. I wanted a small dog to keep our senior citizen chihuahua Pedro company during my long work days, and by fostering, I’d spare a dog from a kill shelter…and if the new dog wasn’t a fit for our household, he could be placed on the adoption list, life spared. Win win.
Finally, I saw the one. Another chihuahua, one of his eyes stitched shut after being attacked by larger dogs. He was in a kill shelter, having been given up after the dog attack. Poor little guy, he looked so small and helpless with the stitches. I said I’d take him if no one else would, and no one else did…so Cheeto was carted from the kill shelter to the local rescue, stitches removed and I took him home, all within the same 24 hours.
Cheeto’s left eye is permanently damaged, pointing in the wrong direction, just a little sight left in it, but not much. Someone dear to my heart once told me that if you added all my broken pets together, you could almost make one whole pet. Sad, but true, since I am such a soft touch for the weak and the injured.
It only took a few days before Pedro and Cheeto were snuggled up on the blanket at the top of the couch, both poised to wake up and bark at danger and the garbage truck. Cheeto is much younger than Pedro, so Pedro gets worn out playing long before Cheeto, but it’s good to see Pedro play again, even in short bursts. Despite his visual impairment, Cheeto is a little fireball of energy; he figured out how to use the cat door immediately, which is great because I wouldn’t have the patience to let him out and in for his usual 800 trips. Cheeto is a little bit of a thug, barking and growling at my guests, sometimes just a little too relentlessly, but then he soon forgets he was supposed to dislike them and climbs up for belly rubs.
The foster coordinator checked on him by email…”we don’t have photos of him for the adoption site, so let’s schedule something soon, unless of course you’re going to adopt him.”
Looking over at the two sleeping chihuahuas wearing matching winter sweaters, I replied back, “Yes, I think he can stay.” After I hit “send,” I wondered if it was the right choice. Pedro stirred in his sleep, mumbled a little doggy bark bark bark…then Cheeto stirred, snuggled up closer to Pedro and made a little bark bark bark in his sleep too. Yeah. Right choice.