He was smart as any dog could be, and I loved watching him observe and think through things before he acted. Whether it was to tease a bigger dog and escape through a specifically designed obstacle course of his design- or pooping in another room and then jumping in his bag and being taken to my mom’s house only to have us find it after he was long gone (and get away with it). He was opportunistic; and proud of it. Getting away with anything was top on his list of favorite things. We people call it living in the moment.

Nacho was a foodie. And by that I just mean he’d eat any food. From the smallest crumb, to a whole slice of crunchy bacon, if you had it- he would eat it. We called him our little Roomba, because if he was home you don’t have to bend down and pick up anything in the kitchen. With his tiny teeth, the vet recommended never giving him “people food” or his teeth would rot. Well, no one listened to that ever. If anything, everyone heard,  “give him only people food”. He was always well fed and could con a bite from anyone.

Nacho was the easiest dog to care for because he had a few unique super powers. First, he listened insanely well. If you made a simple, quiet ::clicking sound:: – he’d be at your side in 30 seconds, from anywhere. Every time. Second power, he never threw up. Not even in the end. He was 0/0. A clean slate. Third, he only ate a small scoop of food twice a day and never had an upset stomach. It was a tootsie roll and a half every day after dinner, for 13 years. I often joked he was the most robust, well-made dog in the universe. Just a straight tube (from mouth to butt).

Above all Nacho loved protecting his home and his family. He would often run off large predators like barn owls and red-tailed hawks that tried to nest in our backyard trees. I mean very large birds that could have easily killed him. I saw a hawk once get so annoyed at him making noise and running in circles under the tree- the hawk screeched! And then purposely destroyed the half-built nest it was working on, and flew off- never to be seen again. Same with many rodents and birds (he hated birds) that would try to make a home anywhere on our grounds. Not on his property. Nope. He guarded Alana and I so well, and we just knew no one would ever be able to sneak up on us with Nacho around. When we had our son Jack, he knew that baby was special. He automatically protected him and made sure to respect and be kind and I was so happy to see they eventually became pals. Especially when we got Frankie (our now 3 year old standard poodle) and they both had a clear, shared interest: hating the new, giant, fluffy puppy.

I’m so grateful Nacho came into my life when he did, he saved me and was able to help me usher in an entirely new chapter of my life. 

I say that Nacho saved my life, and i literally saved his the day I got him. I won’t go into the whole story of “how I got Nacho”, but many people have heard me tell it. First of all, if I hadn’t bought him at the gas station that day, he’d be dead. He was living in a truck and the guy selling him was arrested the next day and his truck sat parked in that July heat for a week before it was opened.

I can honestly say I don’t know if I’d be where I am today if I didn’t save him that day. Because of him, I was able to be of service to something again- and since I couldn’t do it for myself, I am so thankful I had the drive and heart to do it for him. And because of that 8 week old puppy I had purpose again, a reason to do better, to stick to a healthier routine, to save my house, to make a home; and be a dad to a little creature most would never notice or think could ever be significant. Nacho, you were a sweet boy and you meant so much to us…