Neighbor Dogs

My Mom has been raving about her neighbor’s little dog. Me: “What kind of dog is it Mom? Mom: “I don’t know … small and fluffy.” Me: “What color is it? White? Black and tan?” Mom: “I don’t remember.” My Mom rarely raves about dogs, so I was determined to meet this adorable mystery dog for myself. What kind of pup could motivate my Mom to gush? (Aside from her granddogs, of course.) Well, she was right to go on about neighbor-dog. Little Isabella, the seven-year-old long hair Chihuahua, is super-cute: Her person is a former NYC costumer so you can imagine the getups Isabella wears … hair bows, top hats, a Dorothy costume (in a poetic turn, her person dressed as Toto). She opted for nakedness on the day I visited. She was perfectly social until I started snapping pictures. I wasn’t surprised that my big, whining flash frightened her. She decided to hang out near an escape route for most of my visit. Isabella has a lovely big brother named Jesse. He’s a rescued 10 – 12 year Old English Sheepdog. Jesse has a charming habit of leaning into people, not so much to demand petting but more as a friendly way of saying, “Hullo there. I like you and I’d like to be as close to you as possible.” Jesse doesn’t get the costume treatment like his little sis, but he enjoys the spectacle from the sidelines.