Enzo was a rescue and had been badly abused as a puppy. It was a long road to build trust. It took 10 years before he stopped barking at my dad and other men in my life out of fear. I couldn’t raise my voice or use a stern tone around him, so we had to develop an interesting relationship. I had to talk to him like a person. I had to reason with him. There was a phase when I had to say “please” before he’d listen lol. He was a smart and independent boy, a very “Chow” Chow. He always knew exactly what I was saying or wanted him to do, but he often did what he wanted anyways. You could see the wheels spinning in his brain when he was trying to figure out how to outsmart me, and I could always predict what he was about to try to do to outsmart him. Our dynamic was often like an old slapstick comedy version of a game of chess.
Enzo also, to my dismay, loved to chase the rabbits that would come into the back yard. He was quite the guardian of his backyard space (and his mama). Even when he could barely walk, he’d amble along as fast as he could go to try to catch the bunnies. I’m convinced those rabbits kept him alive for an extra few years.
In this photo, Enzo had recently discovered that rabbit nests were a thing that existed. He could barely walk but managed to shove past the tables I’d used to protect this nest, and as he was going to town, mama bunny came running up to him, got right in his face, and punched him in the nose! He was so shocked and confused that he didn’t know what to do. It was pretty funny to see his frustration as she guarded the nest- it’s like he forgot that he could probably catch her with little effort since she was right there.
Enzo was the sweetest, smartest, funniest, STUBBORN little boy. He was a good boy… if by “good” you mean he didn’t listen at all and made his own decisions 90% of the time lol, but he had such a big personality and such a big heart. He was my everything. And I was so lucky to have him for as long as I did. I never imagined that he would live to be 15 1/2 years old. I will never get over his loss, but I’m so thankful we had so many good years together and that he knew what it was like to feel safe and loved unconditionally.