Remembering Rinaldo
I did not, I repeat, want another dog. We’ve already had two dogs and a cat — and a pony. I knew one day we’d get another dog because Gigi was old and I knew poor little Basil would need company. Since I’m not a person who seeks out breeders and had vowed to never again patronize a pet shop, I made it a New Year’s resolution to only rescue or adopt from a shelter.
I repeat, I was not actively looking for a new dog. I was only doing my usual third-party Facebook rescue thing of posting likely candidates. Unwanted animals, be they dogs or horses will always need new homes and I like helping. But there he was on the SPCA Westchester site, a black and white Chihuahua described as “an older gentleman looking for a lap.” Mr. Sax had been bugging me about a Chihuahua for years, even though I know the only things he knows about the breed he’s picked up from “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” or the Taco Bell talking pup.
The dog came with the name Poppi. But since he didn’t seem to know this name, and certainly wouldn’t answer to it, we swapped it for Rinaldo, which has a nice ring to it. Rinaldo is a name you can say dozens of times a day. Immediately one friend thought we named him for Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, the celebrity Brazilian soccer player. Someone else said Rinaldo is the name of the George Raft character in the original “Scarface,” and the name of the dwarf in “The Bride,” the adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, starring Jennifer Beals and Sting. There is also Chief Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi in the 2001 film, “Hannibal,” played by Giancarlo Giannini.
Rinaldo turned out to be quite the character. All we knew about him was is he was surrendered to Animal Control and Care on E. 110th Street in Manhattan and a kindly vet tech took him off death row to foster him. A few weeks later she brought him to the Briarcliff SPCA. He came in to the facility a day or so before Christmas and we adopted him a few days later.
Get Eve Marx’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
It was amusing to try and guess Rinaldo’s back story. Since he wasn’t a talking dog, we could only make up stories. In my version he was living with a large Hispanic family who loved and cared for him, but had to move to a new place that didn’t allow pets. One of our friends opined he might have been the macho “No mas” pup of a drug dealer. My husband thought he belonged to a young woman who was forced to choose between the dog and her boyfriend.
Rinaldo was tiny, but he was tough and confident. A friend who rescues pitbulls said “Chi’s are just tiny Pitties.” He was bold as brass, and when we got him, very hungry, always trying to break into the garbage. He wasn’t finicky about his food and was, unfortunately, food aggressive, so we fed him last and separately to avoid situations.. His primary vocal communication was growling. Just because he looked and sounded like a toy, I reminded Mr. Sax not to underestimate him.
Chi’s are believed to be descended from an early breed known as the Techchichi, popular during the Toltec period in Mexico during the 7th century. Legend has it Chi’s were part of the Aztec religious worship, and that the breed was presumed to have mastered the scariest portions of the underworld and had the power to lead the dead.
Within a day of our adopting him, Rinaldo thoroughly explored our underworld, figuring out the softest places to take a nap. Like a cat, he followed the sun. Very prideful, he never lowered himself to beg, but knew immediately where we kept the dog treats. He was fabulous greeter, wriggling with joy upon our every return, and proved himself to be a true party animal who enjoyed company. At night, he snuggled under the covers, shimmying his little body deep down into the bed.
I am a major fan of adoption and particularly of adult dogs. Every one loves a puppy, but puppies require training. Older dogs are often calmer. They’ve been around the block. They already know how to get along with people and be part of a household, and they often get along well with other dogs. Adopted dogs are grateful. You hear that all the time. Any dog who has spent any time in a shelter knows how harsh that is. The SPCA shelter in Westchester is probably one of the nicest, kindest, most humane shelters in the world. Rinaldo was very lucky that vet tech got him out of Animal Control in Manhattan which due to necessity they have to euthanize unwanted animals. I don’t blame them. I understand there is a never ending tsunami of abandoned, sick, and abused animals entering the facility all the time. It’s also incredibly noisy. The din of barking, scared, and angry dogs alone is soul shattering.
When we met Rinaldo at the Briarcliff shelter, he was well cared for but depressed. He was wearing a clean little toy dog t-shirt and curled up on a towel nest. His demeanor telegraphed to me he was close to giving up. But look how his fortune changed. He became our little prince, our coddled darling. There. Look at him burrowed inside my mother in law’s ancient mink jacket. Isn’t he just the cutest thing ?
