Background to this blog entry:
A little over two years ago [July 20, 2009] my mother, husband and I went to pick out a Chihuahua puppy that was to be an early birthday present from my mother, which my father asked if he could go in on. We had been looking for awhile, but it’s no easy feat to find the perfect puppy! On that day, we found Chuey who was no bigger than a minute; with the sweetest disposition and the saddest, dark, chocolate-brown eyes. They make you just want to eat him up with a spoon! From the moment he was put into my arms, we all knew he was coming home with us!
As we settled into life with this little guy, we soon realized that we needed to find him a companion because he literally went into mourning when we left the house! He’d curl up on the sofa with a sad look of betrayal in his eyes at the very idea that we would even consider leaving him behind, not to mention alone. [He didn’t count Boo as company - a story for another day] It tore at my heart so much that I told Tom we needed to get Chuey a puppy.
In speaking with my sister-in-law, Kathy, who is an expert in ALL things dogs, she agreed that it would be a very good idea to get a companion puppy for Chuey, and the sooner the better. [More easily accepted & less jealousy issues down the pike]. I toss my head back in hearty laughter at the thought of that now because Chuey looked at us, the day we picked up Elmer, as if a dagger had gone straight into his heart and a "Et tu Brute" seemed to dangle on the tip of his tongue, as he looked at Tom holding the newer, littler guy in the air, while we all laughed over his extreme cuteness. Chuey saw NOTHING cute about him! But, I’m getting ahead of myself....
Kathy called us the second week in September of 2009 and told us that she’d found the perfect puppy for Chuey. "He’s SOOOOO cute!" She giggled. I can still hear the excitement in her voice. After much back and forth communication and picture swaps, we decided to bite the bullet and bring another puppy into our fold. We agreed to meet in Baltimore for the pick-up.
It was a beautiful pre-fall day when Tom, Boo, Chuey and I drove to Baltimore to pick-up our new addition. Chuey had no idea what was happening. He had merely gone along for the ride, happy to do so, because he loves car rides. Boo [our Amazon parrot] loves them too, but he was having nothing to do with us and merely eyed us in typical, Garfield put-upon fashion. He’d already branded us as traitors for bringing Chuey into the fold. [Boo– story for another day] I’ll never forget seeing Kathy walk toward us with this tiny little black and white puppy, no bigger than a half-minute, or the look in Chuey’s eyes as if Tom and I had suddenly become the abovementioned, Brutus’!
I remember reaching down and picking him up from his carrier, giving a faux, sorrowful frown as I gave him a motherly hug and said, "Oh, Baby! Don’t be sad! This is YOUR puppy!" Boo shot a curt look in Chuey’s direction that said, "Ha! Ha! Now you know how it feels, Pal!" I tried to sound cajolingly- comforting the way my mother had done for me, when I was told my best friend was moving to Pensacola. Come to think of it, Chuey turned away from the scene that was unfolding and buried his head in my shoulder, needing a minute - much the way I had at the mention of Pensacola way back when. I recall a faint whimper as he expressed his displeasure over the party crasher who was approaching.
I imagine if Chuey could have spoken, he would have shouted, "NO!" before he started wailing. "Send him back! I don’t want a puppy!"
It was in that moment that I finally understood the phrases: Mom and Dad know best! And You’ll thank us for this later! [Yeah, we know best alright! Now, we have two puppies who go into mourning whenever we leave the house, coupled with double disbelief that we would even consider leaving the house without either one of them! BUT, at least they aren’t alone in those thoughts and can commiserate with each other.]
So, we brought our new baby home, [Chuey pouted the entire trip, which I think Boo delighted in] then we got to the business of trying to potty train all over again. One would think that the elder puppy, who had already become potty trained, would help teach the new, little one what to do. You would think that. Our luck, [NOT] Chuey decided [yes, we suspect it was his way of punishment & payback] that he would regress and start having mishaps on the oriental rug again too. Why not? He’d not asked for this headache–this intruder–this interloper! He adopted the, "if you can’t beat him, join him" philosophy with regard to potty issues. So, back to square one we went, but with two puppies in tow. You are now up-to-date regarding the back story to this blog.
Now, the most important thing one can do, when getting a puppy, –even over potty training– is picking out the perfect name. Kathy had told us that the previous owner had called our little cowboy "Trouble". While that name isn’t far off the mark, because our little guy truly is a rascally one, I wasn’t about to call him something that seemed to put a questionable "karma" out into the universe.
So, Tom and I began looking at the meaning of Hispanic names, then we’d try them on for size. Nothing fit. We were going to name him Javiar Lugar which translates into "Bright Spot" because he’s got a perfect, black spot on the top of his white head. He’s got lots of black spots on his white body. He truly does look like a little cow puppy. We thought, naming him that, that we’d call him "Louie" for short. But, I soon came to realize that Chuey and Louie might be too confusing for them. Tom agreed. We didn’t want both of them to come running when we called one of them specifically. [Silly us!] Little did we know that it didn’t matter what we named, Chuey’s brother. They both come running no matter who you call! When they both come flying toward us after we call one of them, Tom and I chuckle. Thoughts of the characer, Mamie, in Holiday Inn pop into our minds. She was Bing Crosby’s character’s [Jim] housekeeper/cook. In one scene, she said, "Come on, Miz Linda! I’ll take you upstairs to your room!" Then, both of her children follow along, close on their heels, and Mamie turns and says to them with furrowed brow, "Is YOUR name Miz Linda?" We do that with our puppies. When we call one and the other comes, we say in a Mamie-like voice, "Is YOUR name..." But, I digress...
We called him "Baby Boy" while we were deciding on his name. Now, I know that can be a dangerous thing to do too, because we had a cat once who we called "Baby" because none of us could agree on a name, and finally, she just started answering to it. Still, we didn’t think a day of calling our littlest one "Baby Boy" would lock us in. Did I mention that our littlest guy looks like a baby cow? He’s white with funny black moo spots over various places on his coat, his tummy – even inside his mouth on its roof are little black circles. So, imagine my surprise, when I went to glue something after a day of having our new puppy, and I looked at the glue bottle and there was its mascot staring at me.
Jokingly, I called to Tom, "Hey, maybe we should call him ‘Elmer’ since he looks like a baby cow!"
And, do you know that little rascal came running to me when I called out that name? I kid you not! He ran right to me.
I looked at Tom and groaned, "Oh, my God!" Naming our newest puppy Elmer had been the furthest thing from my mind!
Tom said it was a just fluke so he called, "Elmer". Lo and behold, he went scampering in Tom’s direction – this bundle of hyperactive, cow-puppy energy.
We started to laugh. What else was there to do? He wiggled excitedly each time that name was called. It seemed that an off-the-cuff, joking comment had determined the name of our little cowboy. Tom even tried "Elmo" to see if that would work for him, but he looked up at both of us with a "huh" confusion in his little charcoal-colored eyes. So, I tossed "Elmer" back out there, and his entire little body began again to wiggle and worm in excitement. With resignation, I looked at Tom and said, I guess we’ve found his name.
He didn’t disagree. He’d seen the proof right before his eyes. Continuing to test it out to make certain Elmer was what his name truly should be, we’d say other names to him. He wouldn’t give us a second glance, but when we called "Elmer", he was all life and energy again. It was amazing when you really stop to consider it.
"Well, we have to give him his Hispanic name!" I lamented. He’s a Chihuahua after all.
I believe Tom just looked at me with a humored "if that’s what you want to do look".
I liked Javiar. When I said, "Elmer Javiar", it fit - not sounding bad together - actually having a nice little ring to it. Tom tried it out and agreed. It worked in some weirdly funny way, which is an appropriate description of this little cowboy puppy who brings us both so much joy.
I’m sure some people who know us think we purposely gave each of these puppies a name that started with one of our initials: Chuey Tulio and Elmer Javiar. I assure you, it just kind of worked out that way. It was not a purposeful intention. However, I’ve told you I’m a sign person, and I jokingly mentioned to Tom once that we should call our house TJ’s Lounge! There’s something j’nais ces quoi i.e. I don’t know, in naming one’s house like the really rich folks do, in both real life and literature. Romantic? Charming? Fitting? At least I think so. Think about it. There’s Tara, The Breakers, Biltmore, Sandhurst Castle. So, why not TJ’s Lounge? It fits us quite nicely-aptly. I won’t tell you what Tom said about that suggestion. Needless to say, the hanging sign over our front door that says TJ’s Lounge, exists only in my mind! But, we are happily content in our "lounge" with these two fur balls of devotion and love.
Do you have a puppy/dog? If you don’t, you are truly missing out on one of life’s greatest joys! We have such fun with these guys! Who knew? They give such pure, unadulterated joy and love. They don’t care if you’re in a bad mood, if you’re holding onto a few extra pounds on any given day. It doesn’t matter if you’re grumpy, they’re right there with you. If you don’t feel good, they stay silently close, keeping watch over you. They bark and growl if something seems awry to them - just to let you know to stay alert and be on the lookout. But, the most basic, simplest yet purest joy we receive from them is that they just love us. It’s all they want to do and all they want in return. They allow us to start and end our days in complete and utter love with sloppy kisses and snuggle cuddles. I start my day with a giggle when these two munchy faces pop up in the bed, after I stir. If something new is going on or a change of scenery is imminent, they’re up and ready to go. I drift off with a smile on my face, after they lick our faces and hands like there’s no tomorrow, before we all settle down for the night. They are a blessing – a pure and joyful blessing!
They do a complete shimmy-shake when we return from anywhere, and they get so excited by something brilliant they think we’ve said, that they take off running throughout the entire house, as if they’ve personally got to spread the word about how smart their parents are! I’ve never giggled so much in my life, since we’ve had them. Even when I’m down, they make me smile. When I don’t feel good, they bring me comfort. When I’m upset, they stay close by until it passes. When I’m afraid, they monitor the situation until they are confident that no threat is present. On nights I can’t sleep, they hold vigil with me, occasionally nodding off, but never failing to get up, come over and lick my foot or jump up on my leg to check on me and let me know they’re in it with me for the long haul. The following day, all three of us collapse in a heap of exhaustion – me on the bottom with two puppies as my comfy, cozy blankets. The warmth they provide is better than any down comforter I’ve ever invested in!
And, always, always, always, they give us the purest, most genuine love. Our lives are the better for having them, and it truly is an understatement! I don’t know what we did before we had these two little fireballs of energy and fun? They manage to get their noses into business they have no business getting into nor do they care! It is a daily comedy in 24 parts. The ironic thing is that you can’t get angry with them either! If you do, it lasts for about 15 seconds. Sometimes, they can drive you to distraction, but when you call sternly to them, the Scooby Doo "Rer?" they give coupled with the nervous shake, rattle and roll moves added for good measure, melt your firm stance, and you wind up shaking your head in surrender and laughing. Once they hear that laughter, they join in by having one of many daily moments of frenzied shimmy-shake. And, once they realize that all is well, they go back to whatever it was you didn’t want them to do, but now they think you’ve given them a pass on it. Truly, they are not our puppies. WE are THEIR humans, and they indulge mightily in that sentiment.
Chuey and Elmer are a "don’t take yourself too seriously" type companion. They are a "love yourself just as you are" animal because that’s how they love us!" We don’t need to lose one pound for these guys, for them to think we’re the best things since Duck Tenders or Yam Goods. They accept unconditionally, only motivated by their love for us and getting our love in return. [It’s an even exchange and from our end, SUCH a bargain!]
Our lives changed two years ago for several reasons.....but I must tell you that on Christmas in July Day, my husband and I were so blessed that our little Elmer was born so that he’d be ready to come and join me, his Daddy and Chuey at just the right moment on that September day. And, it was the right moment on that particular September day, but that too is a story for another day!
We are so in love with our puppies! You may think from the sound of things that they’re spoiled. Perhaps, but why not? They make us laugh from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed and all the moments in-between. You can’t put a price tag on that. EXCEPT to say that these little guys are priceless. We feel very, very blessed to have them as part of our family. [If it tells you anything about how The Princes of Virginia are treated, our sister, Kathy, has expressed a desire to come back in the next life as one of our puppies! ;-) ]
As we celebrate Chuey’s 2nd Anniversary in joining our family [7/20/2009] & Elmer’s second birthday [7/25/2009] we realize how much happy-joy, and how many peaceful, easy feelings have come into our house. It’s true, some things do come in small packages. We’ve got not one but two bundles of love, that neither of us would trade for anything in the world! There’s not enough money, you see that would be a worthy price for two such precious, baby boys.....and that’s what they are to us. If you don’t believe me, try this exercise sometime. Hand a million dollar check to a puppy/dog owner. [It doesn’t matter if you have a million dollars in your bank account, it won’t get that far...] I guarantee you, they’ll tear it up as their brows furrow and they say in disbelief, "You must be mad, i.e. crazy!"
Let me go play now......The Princes of Virginia start to get antsy if night play is delayed. Besides, we’ve got a party to start. Elmer Javiar turns two today! There’s a love-fest waiting to commence. Enjoy your evening! We’ll be busy shaking, rattling and rolling in the Bosher-Perran household, a.k.a. TJ’s Lounge, as we have puppy cookies and ice-cream drops. Then, we’ll all bust a move over our great, good-fortune that life and a little finagling up above, allowed us all to find one another. I don’t have a problem dancing in front of our puppies. I rather enjoy it. You see, they think I’m Ginger Rodgers! I tell you, NEVER was there such a creature made that was so easily pleased and amused by another, as a puppy for their human!
One piece of advice before I go join the party, when life gets you down or you have things that ail you, get a puppy. It’s the BEST medicine money can buy, and the BEST money you’ll ever spend. Invest in your future! Buy yourself some pure puppy love. We at TJ’s Lounge highly recommend it...
Written by Jhill Perran
June 25, 2011:
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