The Dawn of Calicocoa's Diva Days

Following up on the Chupahuahua Solution, we have added a “real” dog, as my boyfriend calls her, to our menagerie. Calicocoa is a seven year old, Blue Heeler-Border Collie mix with a bad hip. Her original name was Callie, but we thought that she would need a sweet name if she’s ever going to be a diva dog.

She has a long way to go to become a diva dog. Can you say “Ruff”? She’s bossy with other dogs and aggressive with strange people. No real diva should have to resort to such brutishness, but brutality is what she knew before being rescued. We believe she deserves a transcendent life, so adoration is what she will know from now on.

You are correct in recalling that the whole point of getting Calicocoa was to have a farm dog. However, given her bad hips and the abuse she suffered in the past, we’ve decided that she’ll be the most pampered farm dog in the county. She can still range the property boundary and bark when cars pull in the driveway, but she’ll learn social graces, get regular massages, and sleep on a queen size mattress.

For now we are working on establishing trust, getting her into a routine, and setting consistent expectations. With some encouragement she has overcome her initial trepidation and made herself quite comfortable on the bed, and may soon eschew her pillow on the floor as any good diva would do. She has also discovered that having one’s belly rubbed is a risk free indulgence and having one’s stiff muscles massaged is heavenly. Etiquette and deportment are going to be a little more difficult to teach. She is obedient, but growling is poor manners.

To her credit, Calicocoa instinctively knows to walk the other way when she sees our cat, Richard Parker. The dogs and the cat won’t let the others near while awake, but they all insist on piling in the bed together at night if a little warily. This is new behavior for Richard, and we think this is her way of asserting her place in the new order – yes, Richard Parker is a female cat.

It’s hard to say what Calicocoa makes of the changes in her life, but she is certainly bringing change to everyone in the house. My boyfriend and I can’t sit down without pets in our laps. Griffin is more observant. Richard Parker is more social. The bed is more crowded. At least we're all in it together.