Paisano became an angel on October 11, 2022 following a ten month battle with Cushing’s Disease, he was 11.5 years old. This blog is preserved from his final birthday.
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Paisano is now 11 years old. I vividly remember meeting him at the breeder for the first time and being told "No one wants this dog, he's so beautiful but too headstrong and will require an even stronger owner". Shortly thereafter meeting me the breeder confidently stated this was my dog.
I am astonished how life changed since his first dog park in our beloved home community in the Newport section of Jersey City, NJ. There my Indian neighbors constantly inquired "Is he a pet dog or a wild dog?" (he's both, and I like him that way). He became a local celebrity for his dog park athleticism and being "The little white dog who shivers" while tied to the post outside the neighborhood coffee shop (the cold winter wind off the Hudson River, he prefers warmer weather). Our New Jersey friends and neighbors cried as we moved out of our home and away from them. Most all of them continue to check in with us and comment "It is rare you meet a friend like Paisano, my dog has never played with another dog the same way". He was born at the onset of the baseball season, and the sound of the crack of a bat still perks his expressive ears...ears whose direction to the right or left communicates when he is interested in an outing, a walk, or anything new and stimulating.
This New Jersey dog shocked many once we moved to Pennsylvania. There he learned to howl like a country dog, hike mountains with ease and received compliments such as "We've never seen a dog run like that before, wow!" (it was impossible for other dogs to catch up to him). He experienced ethnic discrimination there as his name was mispronounced, laughed at, "more American names" were suggested and people referred to him as "P" (how very disrespectful).
We moved to the Washington D.C. area in 2019, where he lived a life of quiet solitude with focused and planned dog park visits and continued to have fun, enjoyed sharing a roasted chicken with me, watched documentaries and snuggled in multiple blankets oftentimes only poking out his nose ensuring he can breathe. He refused to address the rumors regarding play dates with Vice President Pence’s dog though it was well known people spotted him in public playing with Australian Shepherds - as it is one of the few breeds able to keep up with a Rat Terrier.
Paisano is well settled in Maryland, he is very happy and content. We explored every nature spot and have had every adventure possible in the state and anticipate enjoying more we have not yet discovered. He continues to enjoy his private dog park and fully acclimated to being there, it is the equivalent to finding the right school for a child. He loved living on a nature reserve, with many other animals…there was always an animal friend nearby and something to watch or “sniff”. COVID placed a strain on our relationship, reason being he was previously trained days when I am at home were weekend days. My working from home caused him think every day is the weekend and possess daily “weekend adventure fun” expectations. He found a job - he guarded the balcony outside my office as I worked and was paid in kisses and bully sticks. Being a workaholic, we received a letter from the county police for his “barking” during weekends while off the job. Following a few years residing in known Muslim neighborhood we moved to a new home. Some Muslims find dogs to be dirty hence when we moved in I told them all he was a baby camel and after 25 months the neighbors started to ask why his humps were not developing.
We recently moved to the Fort Meade area. It is beyond quiet and safe here. Paisano has not had to bark once. It is taking him some time to adapt to the drones and satellites above as this is the top global surveillance site in the United States; he often hides under my desk or under my bed. The complex is very walkable and he is constantly giving me the “Can we go for a walk” look with his still puppy eyes. The only time I hear him in the new home is when he flaps his ears “elephant style” and it echos throughout the entire place, typically because he wants to take a walk. He continues to be a superb athlete and recently played with a 7 month old poodle. Everyone assumes he is 2, but I can see how he slowed down since then which means he now has the energy level of a normal dog.
It is astouding we spent 11 years together thus far, and I find myself doing the fast math as to how much time we have left together often enough. He has changed me in indescribable ways and his love is invaluable. I cannot imagine experiencing the past 11 years without him. He now has two small fatty tumors, this is normal for “a dog his age” and he will have surgery this summer to remove both. Rat Terriers typically live 18 years and we are gingerly approaching his senior dog years as he is now “middle aged”. His breeder told me to expect 16-18 years with him and the last Guinness World Records holder for “oldest dog living” was a 21 year old Rat Terrier.
I am astonished everyday at his zest for life, adventures, meeting new friends, resiliency and adaptability. He has never let being world famous or his canine mother's Westminster title go to his head, and interacts with almost any dog (while trusting his instincts). Those who know us from dog parks can attest I introduce myself as "Paisano's mother" because at the dog park that's who I am and time there is all about him.
The bond and companionship with an animal, a soul with fur, can never be underestimated - he is my little soulmate. My grandfather passed in 2010 and Paisano is his replacement, he also selected the name: “Paisano” is Italian for “friend or compatriot” and was also the Carlo Rossi jug wine he kept in the garage for when he escaped my grandmother. The Rat Terrier was his childhood dog breed and he glowed with happiness while bestowing boyhood stories. He consistently bragged it was both the best breed and owned by a President.
And of course we have a “SONG”.