Cleo and Cassie's Christmas Story

This is Cleo, an eight-year-old maltese that has been a key member of our family since 2005.  She is generally quiet, shy and docile.  She derives great pleasure from eating, she is a bit overweight, and having her backside scratched.  

Cleo is a warrior.  This past September doctors discovered a "stage three" mast cell tumor on her back, near her tail.  The news shook our household, and an operation was quickly scheduled.  Two doctors worked for three hours to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue.  Cleo has been on chemotherapy since, and all of her subsequent check ups have shown no recurrence of the cancer.

So mild mannered Cleo was excited when we decided to take her to Colorado for her annual Christmas vacation.  The second she sees her white travel case her heartbeat quickens as she crawls into it with great enthusiasm.  

The airport routine was the same as it has been for eight years.  Just before we board the plane, I take Cleo into the men's room and drop a wee-wee pad on the floor of a stall.  Cleo gets out of her case and relieves herself.  She then hops back into the bag.

On the airplane, Cleo rests on the floor in her case for the five-hour flight.  She doesn't make a sound.  Occasionally, she repositions herself in the bag, allowing her head to pop out of the opening.  When we arrive in Denver, I carry her to the nearest men's room, place a pad on the floor of a stall, and watch her relieve herself.  She then jumps back into the case.  

We always stay at the same hotel in Ft. Collins.  Cleo knows it so well that she frequently leads our family through the automatic doors, up the hall and onto the elevator.  Many of the staff members have come to know Cleo and welcome her with scratches on her back.  Cleo feels at home.  Neither snow nor cold bothers her, although she does not like walking on the salt.  

Because her white hair blends in with the snow, we wrap her in a dark coat so we don't lose sight of her.  It also keeps her warm.  But she often sits inside my brother's house, and tends to hang out near the Christmas tree.  When the family gathers to open gifts, Cleo watches with great interest.  

Cleo is a wonderful traveler, which is more than can be said for her younger sister Cassie.  Cassie is an eighteen-month-old pomeranian.  She is endlessly curious, totally self-assured, and a whirling dervish of energy, therefore, not able to travel on an airplane.   At first, the two dogs were like fire and water: two totally opposite temperaments.  It appeared that they would never get along with each other.  But, over time, they have become very close.

Cassie stayed with a friend while we were away.  But when we returned to our New York City home, she was excited to see us.  But she was even more excited to be with her sister, Cleo, and, no doubt, the two spent time exchanging stories of their Christmas adventures!  

Cleo and Cassie

A dog may be man's best friend, but two can sure raise a ruckus!  That is the lesson we have learned when we expanded our family by one dog. 

Cleo is a sweet and docile Maltese who has lived with us for more than seven years.  From the very beginning she was a wonderful and loving pet.  While she was feisty and playful as a young puppy, she settled down into a quiet and loving routine as she grew older.  Of course, being a lap dog, she craves human companionship.  Since our family members have very busy schedules, she relies on the care of our live in nanny on weekdays.  We call our nanny the "danny", or dog nanny.

Cleo only barks when the doorbell rings.  Then she offers each visitor an opportunity to scratch her back.  It is always funny watching her back up into a stranger's leg.  Most shopkeepers and neighbors know Cleo, and say hello. Meanwhile, Cleo has cultivated friendships with other neighborhood dogs, made during her daily walks.

Cleo also loves to travel.  She is quiet and calm on airplanes for hours at a time.  She is an annual guest at the Hilton Hotel in Ft. Collins, where she enters confidently, walking in and out of automatic doors with purpose.  It is an amusing site to see.  She navigates the snow and frigid temperatures of Vail, Colorado, although it can be hard to detect her whereabouts in the white snow. 

Cleo was the queen empress of our household.  But that changed this past September.

Cassie and Cleo on Valentine's Day

Enter Cassie, a purebred Pomeranian puppy.  Cassie is brash, endlessly curious, overly energetic and tireless.  This dog thinks she is the center of the universe.  At seven months, she is already a bit taller than Cleo, although much of her mass is hair.  She is a puffball.

She loves to play fetch.  She yips and whines to get attention.  She barks shrilly when someone rings the doorbell, competing with Cleo's more traditional bark.  Together, their dissonance can be grating.

Getting these two polar opposites to come together can be quite challenging.  Cassie pokes Cleo with her nose, prodding her for a play date.  Cleo, already jealous about having to share her family with this intruder, responds by diving under a nearby sofa or bed.  If Cleo is trapped, she growls and lunges at Cassie with great ferocity.  Of course, Cassie thinks it's a game.  So human intervention is constantly required.

The dogs now pretty much live separate lives in the same house on different floors.  At least twice a day the dogs are placed in the same room together.  While there has been some progress, we have a long way to go.  Cassie is an early riser; she sounds the alarm by 6am.  Cleo is content to sleep late.  Cassie will chew on anything in reach, pens, paper cups, and even shoes.  Cleo has no interest in such trivialities.

I have taken the dogs on walks together on several occasions.  Cassie walks with swagger, her nose held high in the air, as she pulls me forward.  A nearby shopkeeper calls her sassy.  Cleo walks with caution, her nose to the ground, as she lags way behind me.  Cassie bounces and darts from one point to the next.  Cleo is methodical and predictable.  At times they crisscross and tangle up their leashes.  One thing for sure, these ladies just don't ever agree on anything.

Cleo will celebrate her eighth birthday this summer, while Cassie celebrates her first.  A joint birthday party is planned--although it may be held on separate floors.  

So it goes with our perky Pomeranian and mellow Maltese.

Christmas with Cleo

Cleo is quite special. She is our five-year-old Maltese, and, even though she is but seven pounds, she is a large presence in our family life.

We must factor Cleo's feelings into all our decisions. For instance, take our recent Christmas vacation to Colorado. It turns out Cleo likes to travel. As we began packing our suitcases Cleo ran around them sniffing and wagging her tail. You can almost hear her saying, "Oh boy, road trip!"

When we bring out her little white travel bag she frequently crawls in and out of it apparently in an effort to make sure things are just right for her. We place a couple of her toys in the bag, as well as water and dry food in the side pockets.

She sits patiently in the bag while waiting to board the plane at the airport, that is as long as she is on someone's lap. Her little nose poked out, and on occasion she stuck her head out to see what's happening. Before we leave one of us takes her to the bathroom where we placed a "wee-wee" pad on the floor. Cleo then immediately relieved herself before her journey (TMI?).

Cleo is a phenomenal passenger. She sat quietly in her bag, which must be resting on a lap. She doesn't like to be stuffed under the seat in front. She must be in her rightful place; after all, she is a lap dog.

This was her fifth trip to the Ft. Collins Hilton, located on the edge of the Colorado State University campus and in full view of the Rockies. She didn't spend too much time looking at the mountains; rather she liked to take walks, even in the cold and snow.

Upon returning from each of her walks, little Cleo runs to the automatic entrance doors, often alone with her leash trailing behind her. She then he zooms with little hesitation into the hotel even before the doors have fully opened. She then runs toward the lobby and around a corner. There she enters whichever elevator is open and waits for one of us to join her. Thankfully an elevator has never taken off with her as the solo occupant. Upon reaching our floor, Cleo dashes to the room we are occupying and waits for the door to be opened.

Now Vail had more than three feet of snow when we arrived. For sure, perfect skiing conditions. This should discourage any animal that is only ten inches tall. But Cleo loves to romp and sniff in the snow. While it is difficult to keep track of a small white dog in heavy white snow, Cleo's constant movement makes the task much easier.

Cleo likes receiving Christmas gifts. In fact, she likes everyone's Christmas gifts. She gets excited when packages are unwrapped, often jumping into the fray. She loves to tear, or chew, the wrapping paper off her own gifts. She then grabs each of her new toys in her teeth and runs around the room playing "keep away." She never asks that a present be returned or re-gifted.

I don't think Cleo believes in Santa Claus. But I do know she loves the Christmas spirit of giving. Everyday with Cleo is Christmas because she brings so much joy to our family and friends!