Questions + Answers

From Kenny P.

Allison:

you mentioned that you were out of questions. So I thought "we can't have that" so I am here to contribute to the cause. I noticed when you did your "Library" presentations during covid that Willie could be seen going in circles around and around where you were sitting so my question is: did or does the little fella ever get tuckered out? Or is he a perpetual motion machine? Thank you for this opportunity to serve the cause❤️

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Dear Kenny,

I love this question. Y’all know I like nothing more than to talk about my loved ones, and One-Eyed Willie is way up close to the top on that list.

For those of you unfamiliar with William, he is a chihuahua/Jack Russell mix — heavy on the chihuahua, lighter on the Jack, but just enough little crazy terrier to significantly contribute to making him a head case. I adopted him upon finally landing back in Nashville in June 2019, which was about 9 months after I lost my first chihuahua, Petey, who lived to be 12 (young for a chihuahua to pass, but Petey had a lot of rock and roll miles on him as I traveled with him A LOT. He spent years as a bus dog, and as a result tore both of his ACL’s over a period of years from jumping off of and onto the bench seat of many a front lounge. He was the Charlie Watts of dogs. I still miss him. And I digress).

The first night Willie spent with us, I knew I was in for it. I took him out to the back patio to tinkle in the middle of the night and that’s when I noticed the circles. Willie will circle anything he can find. It’s odd behavior because to my knowledge, neither of his breeds are herders, yet he seems to need to corral anything and everything at 9 pounds and about 10 inches tall. It’s just a neurotic thing that he does. A lot of us run around in circles trying to control things when we’re trauma survivors, don’t we? He’s no different.

Willie and I have plenty of photo shoots.

I don’t know much about Willie’s life before he came to live with us when he was either 1 or 2 years old — the vet couldn’t tell exactly. But what I do know is that he was found by the Tennessee Chihuahua Rescue in a rural, open air shelter in the Georgia woods with probably a lot of big, loud dogs and several kinds of foul weather. Four years later, Willie will not only approach people but will allow himself to be touched by other people besides me, Hayes, my sister, or one of his two beloved sitters. But he still jumps at any noise, he still hates black boots and most men, and will still snap at you if you approach him on his blind side (we don’t know why he lost his eye, either). I have often said Willie is the dog me, and that’s far from the cool of Charlie Watts.

As we often say here in this community, the teacher shows up when we’re ready to learn the lesson. Petey taught me I could successfully care for another being and he led me to motherhood. Willie shows me I need to care for myself and what I look like when I try to control things by running around in an unproductive, circular fashion.

As far as being tuckered out, I have one thing to say: My sister and I often joke about how we ask our animals on the regular, “Y’all getting enough rest?” Trust me – all our creatures are pampered beyond what could even be considered correct. And that feels right. I’d estimate Willie sleeps twenty hours a day. He also wakes up around five for his breakfast biscuits, which I keep at my bedside. He is toted from room to room in a fuzzy bed and has his own blanket. He used to sleep beside me, but now prefers his own bed be placed at the foot of the bed. Anything he requests, he gets. He’s on a special homemade diet due to his incurable bladder stones (he can’t eat regular dog food) for which he had surgery, he had also beat heart-worms, and is generally the toughest little shit I know. He has my heart.

Thanks, Kenny.

I hope y’all have a fantastic weekend.

PEACE. LOVE.

Allison

Send me a question at allisonmoorercontact@gmail.com

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