I was always a cat person. I liked their quiet aloofness, their independence, their purring. Dogs? Boisterous, noisy, energetic – too much.
This all started to change when I met a friend’s dog, a longhaired chihuahua named Ben. He was affectionate, friendly and cat-sized, but oh so different from a cat.
After my cat Baubles died, I started thinking that maybe I could adopt a chihuahua too.
To cut a long story short, we now have two chihuahuas – Paco and Peppi. In my humble opinion, the two best dogs in the world. (I’m sure every dog lover says that about their dog.)
Paco, on the left, has a wry mouth and is way too big to be a show dog. He actually seems to think he really is a big dog and is no lap dog – he often looks startled when you pick him up. Paco’s friendly and loves socialising with other dogs. He doesn’t bark much, and when someone comes to the house the first thing he does is run off to get a toy so the visitor can play with him. Paco is “my” dog. He chooses to hang out with me and pines if I’m away.
Peppi, on the right, is M’s dog and a real princess. A quintessential lapdog who likes nothing better than to be held all day. Peppi is suspicious of other dogs and isn’t all that fond of strange humans, either. She’s a good guard dog. Unusually, however, she doesn’t mind children – perhaps because they are closer to her size. (Peppi doesn’t look very cheerful in the picture – not her normal expression, she is a bit sad because she knows I am about to leave to go to work.)
The two dogs are good friends.
While I remember Baubles fondly, I can’t say I miss the scratches and bites she used to give me on a regular basis. Whereas a dog does not ever hurt you – in fact they apologise to you if you accidentally hurt them! They’re such good company, and so good to be with. I can’t say I miss having a cat at all. I’m a convert – a dog person convert.