Meet the newest Family Member - Hoagie

Well, this is Hoagie - at least that is what his name tag said. He came into my life last Saturday.

He is about 12 inches tall at the shoulder and he has a black nose and is pretty muscular. That is why I think he is most likely a cross between a Bicon Friese and either a poodle or a miniature Schnauzer.

His coat is very fine and downy soft. The reason why I think he may have some Schnauzer in him is because his personality does have a bit of an independent attitude and he is pretty active.

Thus far, he doesn't seem to have any bad habits other than his restlessness and established history of being a wanderer. I'm not worried about that however because he now has Poe and my property which was originally a horse facility is entirely fenced in and is secure enough to contain him.

I think this guy is used to taking mug shots...

Apparently, he likes to follow people home. He is a friendly little guy and, according to the lady who gave him to me, he has a problem with wanderlust. Her daughter picked him up in a Las Cruces animal shelter back in January of this year. As the story was related to me, Hogie was very ill. He was quite dehydrated and under weight, suffering from Distemper. His previous family spent a small fortune getting him back to health.

I got all this information about him the day his owner came to pick him up. While it was love at first sight for me, I did the right thing and called the owner listed on the name tag but I also mentioned to the lady that I would love to keep him if she ever felt like she wanted to part with him.

I got to spend some time with him for about an hour before Olivia came to pick him up. Sitting in my back yard at my table and typing away on my computer, Hogie sat on my lap. It was great having him - I could easily envision how he could be my muse. That is why I offered to take him off her hands.

She graciously declined but told me that she would relay my offer to her daughter who recently purchased a home in Belen and did not have her property fenced in order to keep Hogie safely.

Today, Olivia called me and, after Hogie's latest escape, she told me that her daughter was willing to yield ownership of this fine specimen to me. How could I refuse?

He is lovable and just happens to come from a home where the family owns pygmy goats. That is a huge plus because, I have three pet goats and a sheep. I think the stars were lined up for Hoagie and the goats and the sheep and Po, my black Lab and of course, me. I have no intention of changing his name and must admit, after finding out what his name means, I love the name.

For those of you who know me, please tell me, how could I ever change that name?


Welcome home Hogie.