Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says – “He rescued us!” That’s how we felt. Tony & I had just put Latte’ down (17 year old Lhasa Apso) and the void was really real! Next to losing Momzi – the hardest thing I have ever done! The world (and us) were mourning the loss of The artist – Prince that month/year, while we were mourning our dog named Latte’. The hunt for a new love in our life began sooner than we expected. We thought – give us some time to heal. Dog lovers as we both are, we just knew that we would be getting another dog. We just didn’t know exactly when. I love what Tony said to me, when I chatted with him about getting another dog. He said – having lost dogs before -“I have done both – I’ve waited and other times I didn’t wait. And both times were right. So whatever you decide to do, I’m down with you!”
Because of our love for Latte’, I wanted nothing but another Lhasa Apso. I not only fell in love with Latte’, but also his girlfriend Zsa Zsa, also a Lhasa. These dogs are so not for every family. It is said that when they look in the mirror, they see a lion. I have never met one who is exactly the same. They are a very smart breed. They are very clever and will try to get away with whatever they can. It takes a strong leader, or they will take over your household. Their history is that they used to guard the Dalai Lama in Tibet. They are naturally cautious and on guard, as they were bred to be guard dogs and boy, are they! Purposely I didn’t choose one who resembled Latte’ as a puppy since I didn’t want to feel like I was trying to replace ‘Te. The neat thing about Lhasas’ is that they really are surprises as to how they will look as adults. As their hair is growing out, they lose their tips (end of their colors as a puppy), they can look drastically different than they do as a puppy. So, I intentionally chose this chocolate looking one. Not sure how he would grow up to be, but expected he wouldn’t be a white colored one as Te’ ended up being.
When it came to names, our first choice was in honor of Prince! It just seemed appropriate and we love Prince, The Artist so much! Believe it or not . . Prince, you are now 3 years old, my Cutie Patootie! Momzi nicknamed you Lickey Lickey because you are SO affectionate! Surely not a replacement – but surely a new love affair for sure!. . Happy Birthday our Prince Royal Chocolate Thunder Kai!
Poem in Rear View Reflections about Prince is called Cutie Patootie
