Danny Boy

The dog of many lives

Danny was a survivor. We joked that he was actually a cat. He licked his paws like a cat, slept like a cat in the sun, and seemed to have 9 lives like a cat. The shelter thought he was a Chihuahua and Rat Terrier mix. He was the most chill Chihuahua and Rat Terrier mix ever born.

We adopted our little dog in May of 2015. We do not know exactly how old he was when got him. He died nearly 10 years later on January 30, 2025. We think his age was between 15-19 years old. By the time of his passing, he was blind, couldn’t walk very well, and it was hard for him to hold it to make it outside to do his business.

I loved that dog. He latched on to me pretty quickly. He would let me make him dance, he let me put on him cute sweaters and shirts. I would carry him tucked up under my arm, like a football.

He hated thunderstorms. He loved cheese. He loved to cuddle. He tolerated his dog sister Jewel. I think they had an agreement early on that if she didn’t mess with him too much, he would let her stay. He would give her a warning bark whenever she got too out of line. He hardly ever barked until Jewel came into our lives. I think the only thing she did that really annoyed him was when they were in the backyard together and she would run by him really fast, like a doggie fly by. But that was early on, once he became more fragile, she stopped doing it. I would catch them sleeping close together sometimes, never snuggling, but close enough you knew they did it on purpose.

I took him that Thursday in the morning to the vet. They were kind and understanding. I was able to say goodbye in my own time. Letting him go was very difficult, but I knew necessary. I still feel I let our little dog down.

How do we let these little pets into our hearts so readily? They for sure love us without conditions. Even the most independent minded dog still need us for everything. We can talk to them about anything, how do we know that they don’t understand what we say? Dogs keep us company, comfort us when we feel down. They may demand pets, but how can we say no? Treats? Don’t mind if I do.

Enjoy these photos of my sweet little dog, may his trip across the rainbow bridge to doggie heaven was filled with the sound of good boy Danny, welcome.