Hello My Name Is… Milo

Name, age, sex, breed: Milo, 1 years old , male, Reaglehuahua (rat terrier, beagle, chihuahua)

Owners/city: Sonia + Bruce/ Santa Cruz, CA

How I got my name: Sonia’s been a fan of the name Milo ever since she watched Milo & Otis when she was a kid (yes, she now realizes many, many animals were harmed in the making of that feature film). She thinks it’s the perfect name for a charming young man like myself. My nickname is Mig Mog.

How we met: My parents went to the Monterey SPCA looking for a two-year-old dog. They left with a three-month-old me! When Bruce walked by my cage, I stood up on the door and pleaded with him with my sad brown eyes to get me away from my cagemate — a crazed chihuahua who, at the time, was destroying the bed we were supposed to share. When Bruce and Sonia took me into the the get acquainted room, I plopped myself onto Sonia’s lap and took in the pets until Bruce threw a ball. I chased after it and brought it back as if playing fetch was something I was born to do. I’m pretty sure that’s what sold them on me. I haven’t brought a ball back since.

Personality type: Center of attention. If you’re checking out something other than me, you can be sure that I will squeeze myself between you and whatever you’re doing.

Siblings: I have three cat-mates, but we’re hardly mates. After they beat me up on my arrival, I’m a wee bit scared of them so I keep my distance though I do like to chase them around the house in the hopes that we’ll all start playing one day.

Pet peeves: Not being in the same room as my humans. They often play with their little human downstairs and keep me upstairs where I can’t partake in all the toy playing. I also hate when the cats purr. It obviously means they’re getting more attention from our humans than I am.

Favorite place to lounge: Anywhere the cats are. Not that I want to be near them, but I surely don’t want them enjoying a sunny spot that I should be monopolizing. I also like stretching out under the covers between my people. My mom calls me a natural chastity belt.

Favorite foods: I love string cheese, which is given to me as a training treat. I also enjoy the few pieces of kibble the cats drop off the counter for me. Thanks guys!

Forbidden indulgences: Litter box brownies. They’re so forbidden in fact that my mom has built little walls around the kitty potty areas that the cats can get around, but I sadly cannot. I also really get into licking the little human.

Strangest habits: I like to perform psychological experiments on the cats. When my humans give me a treat, such as a bully stick, I like to place it in the middle of the floor or on the couch (but not near me) and wait for any of the cats to come into the room. I then panic, charge towards the treat and grab it. I’m trying to prove to my humans that the cats totally want to steal my stuff. High value treats are automatically taken to the bed and hidden under pillows. I like to use my nose to bury the treat with invisible dirt so my invisible friends won’t find it. I also love finding paper towels and tearing them up into teeny tiny pieces.

Stand-out physical feature: When I’m curled up for a nap I look like a little deer.

Things you might not know if I didn’t tell or show you: I have a heart-shaped bald patch on the top of my nose and a tattoo by wing wang.

Images: Sonia Zjawinski

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