The year my beloved Grandmother passed away, my mother got a puppy to keep her mind occupied.
This puppy, Fawn, turned out to be the best dog I’ve ever known. Now mind you, I’ve had many wonderful dogs over the years and can tell so many stories about them. Taffy, the toy poodle who, as a child, I always “accidentally on purpose” let outside because I knew when she came back, a few months later she’d give birth to a litter of puppies. Misty, the beautiful German Shepherd who was so good with children that she let me touch her eyeballs when I was a little girl. (Her eyes were so beautiful, big auburn marbles that I couldn’t help but touch). And then there was Cher, my pocket-sized poodle who jumped high in the air whenever my great grandmother said, “Bye-Byes!” which meant she’d get to go outside.
And just like all the other pets, Fawn was super amazing. She was a little lover. She was always happy to see people, jumping up and down. She loved to play with my cat, Derick (Derick was bigger than Fawn who was a mere six pounds). Fawn hated walking on a tiled floor and preferred rugs, so whenever she went into the kitchen to eat, she’d do this cute little back-step as she returned to the dining room rug — as if that would get her off the cold floor faster.
But the cutest thing of all was one day when she was over, my husband had Bruce Springsteen playing. Fawn was on the couch and “Old Dan Tucker” came on. Fawn jumped off the couch and started moving her front paws, tapping left to right — in perfect time with the music!
She was a little doll, just absolutely precious. Knowing Fawn made me a Chihuahua fan, whereas before, I never really thought much about them — just that they made a lot of noise. But Fawn wasn’t yappy like that. She was just this perfect little thing. People who weren’t necessary dog lovers or Chihuahua lovers always took a liking to Fawn.
I will miss Fawn dearly. May she rest in peace in animal heaven and continue to bring joy to all souls she comes in contact with.
My heart is breaking inside. Even though she wasn’t my dog, she was a big part of the family.
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta 