Memories of Pinto

It seems a Chinese Crested named Gus recently won the World's Ugliest Dog contest

I'd say it was fairly awarded.

My paternal grandmother loved animals, and I suppose that had to be a prerequisite for owning the last dog she had before she died. Basically, he was another Gus.

His name was Pinto, and he was a Chinese Hairless, which I guess is related to the Crested breed. Pinto looked exactly like the picture I'm including with this post, right down to the bad eye. In fact, also like Gus, Pinto had leg issues; while Gus is missing one leg altogether, Pinto had a leg that remained bent and close to his body at all times. Also, his long, pink, evacuation-slide-ish tongue was forever hanging out one side of his mouth.

For little boys, all dogs are fascinating, so I would play with Pinto and pet him. His hairless skin, which was one huge liver spot, would pucker and ripple the way a balloon does when it's rubbed. The dog felt as if he'd been constructed from some sort of rubber, and smelled almost as pleasant. Although my grandmother kept Pinto clean, he gave off a smell. No, not "that dog smell," either. My hand would absolutely reek after touching him. The closest scent I can think to describe is buttocks and overly handled modeling clay.

Grandma took Pinto everywhere with her: planes, theaters, restaurants, and of course, our house. Pinto was small and fit neatly into my grandmother's purse, which was usually more like a knitting bag. She trained him to keep his head down when necessary, and he wouldn't make a peep.

One day, while my grandmother was visiting us in the high rise where we lived, Pinto suddenly popped his head out from the handbag while in the elevator with several passengers.

A woman standing across from my grandmother gasped. "Oh my god! You should have that thing put to sleep!"

My grandmother signaled Pinto back into her bag, looked the woman in the eye and said, calmly, "Madam, you should be put to sleep."

It's one of the fondest memories I have of that grandmother, and since the news has been covering Gus all day, I've had grandma -- and Pinto -- on my mind.