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Tissot at 8 weeks, and a self-portrait by his namesake (it was the eyes!)

 

After experiencing some health issues this past spring I decided it was time for us to consider getting a new dog. Our rat terrier mix, Puddums (or Pudsie), died a few years ago at the happy age of 17. We still think of her affectionately and have missed canine company after moving back South in retirement.

Our oldest son with Pudsie

As Spring began to warm up south Louisiana, we thought it might be nice to have a similar addition to our household if we could find another puppy like Pudsie had been. A local shelter had a litter of rat terrier-mix puppies ready for adoption and the little guy in the photo at the top seemed just right.

His name is Tissot (pronounced ‘Tea-so’), named after a favorite Franco-British painter whose work I have often featured here. Now about 5 months old, he has lived mostly during the daytime on our screened porch. It has proved to be a good place for him to figure out that ‘elimination’ best occurs outside rather than on the floor. With the wave of Southern summer heat we have been experiencing recently, he enjoys cooler afternoons and nights in my study.

He still possesses some of his very sharp ‘baby teeth’ and is a tenacious chewer, even at the expense of some stucco on the porch! Various versions of a well-known brand of hard rubber toys have proved the most resilient to the onslaught of his teeth. We joke about him being perhaps a cross between a fox and a whippet, given his long back and tail, as well as his alertness to anything that moves and his remarkable speed relative to his small size. One thing not so small are his ears, which may have a correspondingly high sensitivity. To my surprise, my playing a small scale of three or four notes on a new recorder prompted him to respond with a mournful howl!

His uncertain lineage may include a retriever of some kind. For he never seems to tire of fetching a thrown ball, and he loves to walk with a stick in his mouth. His high energy level has proved good for me in that we take a brisk two and a quarter mile walk five to six mornings a week through the woods and by a wide creek. As a result, I am in better shape. But our walks leave me hot and tired, and him ready for more. I like to think of him as my ‘therapy dog,’ except that I sometimes wonder if he is not the one who might need therapy! Especially when he is turning in fast, tight circles in his often successful attempt to grab the white tip of his long tail. Yet, he will not be a puppy for ever.

A wise friend who is a retired neurosurgeon said something recently that has stayed with me. We were visiting together while his dog was seeking our company and attention. He said that dogs may be the only animal made by our Creator whose primary aim in life is to please us. No matter how independently-minded some dogs can be (Tissot may have some Jack Russell terrier in him), my friend’s comment rings true in my experience. Caring well for a dog, even a smaller one, is not inexpensive and may involve a considerable time commitment. But it is hard to put a price on all-around better health and the pleasure of canine companionship.

A painting (The Hammock) by Tissot’s namesake from the artist’s society painting days