Our Dog is Special

It's My Blog, So I Can Write What I Want

Onix has a special relationship with Caitlin Owens the editor of Axios: Vitals, one of the four Axios newsletters I read each day. Actually, Onix doesn’t really know Caitlin … but Caitlin certainly knows her.

I dare you to tell me you don’t love those eyes.

Dog of the Week

Ms. Owens decided last year to add a lighter segment to her daily newsletter on the coronavirus. She added a dog of the week segment on Friday. When I told Onix about this she begged me to enter her photo; which I did that day. When she did not appear the next week, Onix and I prepared a Talking Pet video for Caitlin. When that didn’t do the trick, we sent a second. Finally, Onix got the recognition she deserved with the following note:

Meet Onix, who is a VERY persistent pup. She has sent me not one, but TWO videos explaining why she should be dog of the week!

• "Onix is a 4-year-old mixed breed. She was living on the streets when we adopted her at 9 months from a local rescue," writes her mom, Nancy.

• "She knows she was rescued and shows us that with undying love and obedience every day. We had her DNA done and found: 40% unidentifiable and the remaining 60% equally divided into Pomeranian, Pekingese, Lhasa Apso, Chihuahua and Poodle."

Great Little Traveler

Not only was Onix made famous by Ms. Owens’ newsletter, but she is an exceptional little traveler. I will admit that the first weekend we took Onix on an RV trip, I was concerned. She refused to eat, pee, or poop for 2.5 days. But every trip after that, whether it was for a few nights or a few months she was a pro.

And while we should have given her more time to get accustomed to her crate before we forced her to stay in it as we crossed the Atlantic…she is incredible. First, she forgot about the 12-hour ordeal as soon as we opened the crate. Then, she was a perfect lady while the airport vet droned on endlessly.

She accepted our D7 accommodations as “home” immediately…allowing us to enjoy a New Year’s Eve drink out the first night. She moved, without complaint, to our current digs and will do a third move next Monday. Each time she quickly finds her spot and curls up on a comfy spot on the bed pillows. She moved from the California desert to chilly wooded suburbs in Estoril, to downtown Cascais without complaint or anxiety. Never a shake or a whimper.

When we leave her she gets a few treats in her kong. When we return, it doesn’t matter if it is 10 minutes or 6 hours later, she welcomes us with nothing but love and affection.

I will admit when we decided to seek our D7 visa, we wondered if adopting Onix a few years earlier was the wisest decision. But now I have no doubt. I am so glad our family is here in Portugal…all three of us.