Hold on to your hearts ladies – this dapper gentleman is Papa John, aka Papi - after the romantic lead in Beverly Hills Chihuahua. 

Papa is approximately 2 years old and weighs just over 5 lbs.  He is small, but he carries the fighting spirit of the bravest warrior.  Papa was found locked in a kennel in an abandoned building slated for demolition.  Alone, without food and water. He was found & rescued by the construction crew performing a walk-through of the premises before they prepared to blow up the building. 

Once released from the cage, he was still haunted by his trauma.  When he first arrived at his foster mom’s house in Buffalo, NY he would only pee on the cement pavement – and then turn quickly around to try to lick it up.  It was painfully and heart-breakingly obvious that this is how he was managing to stay alive when caged.  It was going to take him a little time to get used to a loving, family environment where there is food and fresh water in a bowl for him all day, every day.

Papa is a huge personality packed into this tiny body.  He is the only male dog in his foster home – and he takes full advantage of the “Crowned Prince” status here.  There is always some loving female dog trying to wash his ears, share her dinner with him, bring him a toy from the bin, or share his dog bed.  The oldest one wants to mother him, the youngest one wants to marry him.  He steals the heart of everyone he meets – guys and gals alike.  He wants to be held & carried.  He wants to be snuggled.  He wants to sit in your lap & be with you – he will sit through football games, cooking shows, DIY, even those crappy reality shows that nobody would ever admit to watching.  He is right there, by your side.

He is a great watchdog, with a bark bigger than his body.  If something happens outside – you will know immediately.  He is not a nuisance barker, once he has your attention and has made his point, it is back to cuddling.  He does great in the bath, and is small enough to wash in the kitchen sink!  He will sleep through the night, burrowed under the blankets, with just the tip of his paint-brush tail poking out. 

He knows to go potty outside and seems to be enjoying the WNY weather.  He has a fenced-in yard in his foster home and loves to run free in it…to the point where coming back inside can be a game and it will take you a few minutes to get him to understand outside playtime is over.  He is not leash trained, but he will wear the harness and drag the leash with just some mild annoyance on his part.  It is one small step toward leash training.  His foster mom works, so there are potty pads down.  He has started to use them, copying the other dogs in the home.  Being abandoned in that cage was traumatic for him, but he has begun to return to normal dog potty habits.  There may be accidents in a new home as he adjusts to a new place with new rules.  Please be patient with him, he is well worth it.

For all that he has gone through, the pain, the fear, the abandonment – and escaping being blown to bits due to the diligence of a construction crew – he is still full of love.  Somehow he has not given up on the kindness of humans and realizes that all humans are not cruel.  You can see the love shine from his bright button eyes and you can feel it coming from his heart when you hold him close.  He is a keeper.

Papa John is neutered, up to date with vaccines, microchipped, flea/worm treated and tested neg. for heartworm.  He also had a dental to get some baby teeth removed!  His adoption fee is $450