By Judi McLeod
Saturday, September 16, 2006
My little half-breed Kiko is a changed dog since moving with me to the beautiful shores of Georgian Bay.
When we lived downtown, he was hyped by the "window monsters", the crew, who for months on end, were cleaning and repairing the windows in the downtown Toronto high-rise where we lived.
Kiko, half Yorkie and half Bichon frise, never got used to the "window monsters" even though they passed by our 15th floor windows every day. No matter how I tried to calm him, he was convinced we were under attack.
These days, Kiko only sees the "Big Smoke" twice a week when we commute to Canada Free Press' Elm Street office.
In our new neighbourhood, he's been badly bitten by the love bug. Her name is Kiley and proving Kiko's good taste, she's a Coton de Tulear, a breed that originated in the Island of Madagascar in the early 20th century.
according to www.nextdaypets.com, the Coton is still considered to be a rare breed in the United States, where there are only perhaps 5,000 in total.
"Coton is French for cotton. Hence, this breeds' coat is fluffy and cottony, not silky. The Coton de Tulear is extremely intelligent and loves all of the attention they can get.
None of Kiley's charms are lost on Kiko, who up to now has much preferred humans to other dogs.
No slouch in the looks department himself, Kiko is your average guy, though people have stopped me in the park to say he looks a lot like the Benjii of Walt Disney fame.
With or without her exotic pedigree, Kiley is as cute as the proverbial button. But to Kiko, Kiley is the superlative beauty, albeit`doggified'. according to Kiko, Kiley's the Catherine Zeta-Jones of the dog world.
at the moment the parents of her human companion, Judy, who is touring Italy, are babysitting Kiley.
The love affair began one day when Kiley called out, a la Juliet fashion to Romeo Kiko as we were passing by her front yard.
Kiko bounded over. The two cavorted in the grass and kissed each other, and I soon forgot about it.
But the next time Kiko was out on his morning walk, he stopped, looked forlornly into Kiley's yard, and kept looking over his shoulder as I tried to pull him along our constitutional.
The next day, Kylie out in her yard, started a strange barking.
Kiko happened to be inside the house lounging on my bed, as I worked on my computer, on a desk set up in front of my window. all of a sudden Kiko's silky ears perked up. He came sailing off my bed, jumping into my lap and had to be restrained from jumping at the windowpane.
When I set the little swain down from my lap, he stood up on his hind legs, trying desperately to see out the window.
"Let's go," I said, calling for Brian to get his leash.
I watched the two of them going down the boardwalk toward Kiley's house, Kiko tugging at the leash, acting more like a sled-pulling Husky than a 12-lb., lovesick lapdog.
When Brian arrived at Kylie's place, Kiko raced across the grass to the patio doors where he lay down, nose pressed against the glass. Kylie, who just knew lover boy would answer her siren call, lay on the floor inside the patio.The two of them were nose to nose.
Kylie's human grandfather, laughingly understood Brian's request made on Kiko's behalf, "Can Kylie come out to play?"
The two canine lovebirds cavorted on the grass until they tuckered each other out.
When Kiko returned home, he indulged in a lovesick puppy nap even though he's seven and a half years old.
The same little doggie who was satisfied to sniff his way all along the boardwalk in any weather, now makes straight for the home of his beloved any time we go out.
Kiko's passion for Kylie knows no bounds, and next he'll be writing her poetry.
If there were pet magazines specializing in romance, Kylie and Kiko would surely go down in history as the Romeo and Juliet of the doggie world.
Too bad, more human male swains weren't as faithful as the tail-wagging lovestruck Kiko.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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