After 11 years, we said farewell to our dear little Fredo on Sept 27th 2022. We never knew much about his past, in fact, we are not even certain about his age. What we did know was that he came from California, had a few physical scars including a tail that had been broken at one time, and really bad teeth (like British bad). Despite all this "baggage" he had a gentle old soul, and an irresistible mug (thanks to a tongue that could not be contained in his mouth) which made just about anyone smile. He was little - just under 10 lbs - but that was never a handicap for him. He was a fearless hiker, and could ford streams and clear logs that flummoxed dogs twice his size. He was the original founding member of the "Chihuahua Hiking Club" and went on many backpacking trips throughout the Pacific NW, including many trails on the PCT. His size also made him quite portable and I rarely went anywhere (besides work) without him by my side. He was my faithful companion to all my trips to CA, and was a seasoned air traveler. He knew PDX like the back of his hand and got excited anytime the travel bag came out.
11 years is not nearly long enough to spend with my doggy soulmate, but we are grateful that we got to spend them with him. We miss him dearly.