Chihuahua vs Chihuahua

I have, as mentioned at the top, two Chihuahuas - Gracie and Zoe for whom the blog was named. As we took our last walk this afternoon before a week of rain, I was struck by their differences.

Gracie is like a big mack truck of a Chihuahua. She's 9 lbs which is big for a Chi (they are supposed to be between 2 and 6) and is solidly built. She is also extremely friendly. So, aside from the usual checklist of things to do for dogs out walking, she's interested in meeting people and, if she's really lucky, finding something to eat. As we walked Gracie was all business. Charging ahead towards the sound of my neighbor working in his garage and when that didn't pan out in quality social time, marching intently towards the next patch of grass. We didn't see any of our friends and neighbors along the way today so Gracie didn't stop as we walked, except when she found a very interesting hunk of baguette that apparently fell out of a garbage can when it was picked up this morning. Of course I pulled her off, but she had a moment of hopes and dreams.

Zoe on the other hand is a bit of a hedonist intent on enjoying all the sensual pleasures nature has to offer. She wants to stop all along the way. Not just to do a handstand to put imaginary pee on the endless spots she needs to mark as her territory, but to stop and smell the roses. And I mean that literally. Zoe loves to smell flowers. She closes her eyes, sticks her snout into the center and breathes deeply, inhaling their intoxicating scent. Today we encountered some daisy-like flowers that have bloomed at the base of a tree after our last bout of week-long rain that Zoe lovingly investigated. Zoe also slowly and deliberately sniffed the little caterpillar-like bits of pollen fallen from another tree. And, of course, she wiggled her body through pristine patches of freshly cut lawn along the way.

So there you have it - no Chihuahua as yappy ankle biter stereotypes these two. Both dreamers in each their own way.