Moshe

Moshe is a Beagle/Chihuahua mix and belongs to my friend and upstairs neighbor. Someone we met at Clearwater Beach dubbed him a Cheagle. We're still trying to figure out which dog was the mother.

At 14 lbs., he has more Beagle traits than Chihuahua. He has a tiny bit of white on his rear paws and when he "hunts" for lizards and cats, he runs from side to side the way a Beagle does. He also has his nose to the ground when he's looking/scenting for anything.

We got Moshe at a shelter in Bradenton, FL. Jim, my friend, picked him over the other dogs because he was the only quiet one. He didn't want to bring a "barker" into our apartment building. It was 4 days before we heard this little dog bark.

The shelter told us that he had been abused by a larger dog in the home and that was why he was left at the shelter. However, a few days with him told us the real story. This poor little dog would cower if anyone tried to touch or pet him. He seemed to trust women at first, and it took a while to get him to let any men near him. So, we assumed that he was abused by the man of the house where he was previously owned.

It's been a few months, and Moshe has made a quick turn-around. He "allows" anyone who lives in our building to pet him and some can even play with him without him cowering or hiding behind Jim or I. He's still a bit leery of strangers, but with a little bit of coaching, he'll come out and give the new stranger a sniff.

He's got some quirky habits that make him more endearing to me and some of the residents in our building. One of them is so funny. I'll pet him and love him up, which he loves, but after a minute he feels the need to reassure Jimmy that he still loves his "Daddy". He'll go up to him and rub on Jimmy as if to say, "I like her petting me, but I still love you more, Daddy." He is just too cute.