Paquito

When my sister and I left for the air force and college respectively, my parents found themselves with an empty nest situation. The result? This little 17 lb Havanese which my parents affectionately call Paquito. I wanted them to call him Winston or Watson...something English and austere sounding to match his ridiculous little mustache. But they insisted on naming him something Spanish to match his Cuban heritage (did you know that all of the Havanese in the U.S. are descended from the same 11 dogs?). As it turns out, it fits him and his bravado perfectly. I have never met a dog so confident. Even though they outweigh him by 20-40 pounds, he never backs down from a confrontation with either of my dogs. Instead he attempts to win their hearts by performing tricks for them and barking insistently when they refuse to acknowledge the pillar of masculinity that he is.