Numero Unos

Celebrants

You might not know it from the looks of discomfort on their faces during their photo shoot, but Frito and Inky are celebrating their first birthday today! It was a year ago that they were born, and almost a year since they came to live with Paul and myself at the Rancho. And what a year: they’ve been escapees and fugitives; been taken into custody and brought home in an animal control paddy wagon; have ripped and chewed innumerable articles of clothing and shoes (Paul’s, mostly), developed a taste for even the spikiest of succulents, and grown into rangy, wild-colored little varmints with amazing vocal abilities (including alarmingly shrill call-and-response bark-fests, shriller early morning howls at the house alarm and keening whimpering when one is being afforded undue attention over the other). Looking back …

Mari, Inky, Frito, Mika

… on their first days with us they were very close, befitting siblings. To see them sleeping curled atop each other could melt the heart of the most hardened of criminals. Their apple-head chihuahua charms were irresistable to young and old alike. Paul would take them for a walk and traffic would stop; an inquisitive skateboarder even slowed down to ask what they were! Here, they’ve charmed two purty big city gals visiting one weekend (I had to check the gal’s bags when they left, such was their attachment to our pups!). Nowadays …

On high alert!

… they spend their days languishing, or chewing, on the furniture, and starting at sounds outside. Here, Inky actually stands in response to one such sound … not to worry, it was nothing and she soon joined her brother in their regularly scheduled late-afternoon nap. In fact, about the only thing that’s sure to get a rise outta these two is Paul’s arrival on the scene. They actually know the sound of his car and will abandon me, tails wagging like overamped metronomes, as he unlocks the door … to see the look on their faces is to see a cultist’s joy at their Messiah’s overdue arrival.

Uh-hmm ...

They both seem to love Paul way more than myself, not that I’m at all embittered by such inequitable treatment. Here, Paul and Frito pretend to consider my every word while looking carefully just over my shoulder out the window behind me. My sole triumph as far as the dogs are concerned is that Inky will roll over and spread eagle so that I can rub her belly. Good girl, Inky! Of course, even this intimate contact always ends with her return to Paul … **sigh**

Anyways — happy birthday to our Free-Free and Schminkus (pet names, it happens)! Fixtures in our lives now, they sometimes cause us to question our decision to take them in … but, in the end, we always decide we’re glad we did!