In October 2009 a tiny Papillon puppy joined our neighborhood. He was eight weeks old when our friend's next door brought him to his new home.Finding a suitable name that fit his quickly forming personality did take his owner's a few days. When they tried the name Stanley, we all knew there couldn't be a more perfect name.
Since Stanley often spends the day with us while his owner's are at work and sleepovers if they are out of town, we have gotten to know the little guy extremely well.
Stanley is a genuinely happy dog. Add to that a bit of A.D.D. issues and you have a non-stop little fur ball of energy. He is like a wind up toy that doesn't stop until he's totally exhausted. Even then, all he needs is a 10 minute snooze to be fully recharged.
He has a strong independent side to him that was obvious from the beginning. The first time I dog sat him, with sleepovers involved, he was about 12 weeks old. Our yard was not yet fenced in at that time, so I obviously wanted him on a leash at potty time.
He wanted no part of having something placed around his neck. Not having a collar that was small enough for his tiny neck, I rigged up a leather bracelet as a collar. Along with him being so small, he's extremely fast; so catching him to put this collar on proved to be a difficult challenge.
Eventually I was able to catch him, put the collar on, attach the leash, and bring him outside to do his business.
Next challenge: get him to move while on the leash. As soon as we stepped outside he would set his butt down and give me stubborn look that said, "Uh-uh, I'm not moving!"
As I gave his leash a firm, but gentle tug, he quickly figured out that if he twisted his head and pulled, he could snap open the makeshift collar. The first time that happened I don't know which of us was more surprised.
Once he realized he was free, he was off and running and the chase was on again.
There is so much more to the Stanley tale, so stay tuned for next time.
So long, I'll see you soon!
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