My Bestfriend, My Papillon, Chevy

by Casey
(FL)

When I was young, I wanted a puppy more than anything else in the world. I spent years trying to convince my mother I was ready to have a dog. Finally, after years and years of denying my wish, my mom said yes. Little did I know, the experience of raising a puppy would be one that would not only shape the puppy, but me as well.

My dog Chevy was born in late October of 2001. He was a scrawny, small, floppy eared puppy. I had meticulously picked out which breed I had wanted to buy and settled on the t breed. Papillons were intelligent, small, and (from everything I read) looked like the perfect family dog.

The first day I saw my puppy, I questioned if he could really live up to all the expectations I had of the breed. After all, this tiny floppy eared puppy looked nothing like the glorious butterfly eared dogs I had seen on TV dog shows. He grew fast and slowly but surely his ears perked up.

His attitude also seemed to change drastically as he grew. Instead of being a rambunctious little puppy he was becoming a cunning and quick witted teen. My mother often said we were the perfect match: both of us were very intelligent, stubborn, and persistent.

Chevy did not take well to group dog training, and we resulted to training him at home. For a dog so intelligent, I often wondered why he could choose to act completely the opposite on a whim.

One of my fondest memories of Chevy is when he first saw snow. We lived in an area where it normally rained, so snow was completely new to him. He hesitated to get off of the back door steps in fear that the strange cold substance would swallow up his delicate paws. In an effort to get him to understand that snow was fun, I rushed outside and ran around our small yard.

This prompted Chevy to look confused for a second before bolting after me and then eventually running circles and making tracks in the snow. Ah, but snow was not just for running! Chevy liked snow so much that he promptly stuck his face in some and began to eat away at it.

I began to understand why people say raising a puppy is like raising a small child; Chevy's excitement with the world began to make me realize what small things I was taking for granted. It wasn't just snow that Chevy taught me to appreciate more. Chevy found beauty in all of the little things in the world (except for cats and puddles).

After having a nice, pampering bath he would immediately scamper outside to go digging in the dirt. I couldn't be upset with him even when he tracked paw prints all over our carpet. He was himself, he was a free spirit who appreciated everything and took nothing for granted. Every second to him was precious, and still is.

Was he all I had expected him to be? Yes, and then some. Was he what I imagined the regal Papillons to be like? I think so. Chevys prance, his intelligence, quick wits, and unconditional love are all things I admired about not just papillons, but dogs themselves. Chevy brought me out of my shell and showed me the little things in life.

Today, he isn't as active as he used to be. He doesn't run circles around the yard with excitement. No, he just smiles up at me with the eyes of a good friend, and we can walk out onto the back porch and sit in the sun together, just to enjoy the little things. And what great things we have shared!