Meet The Boss
Chalky oversees breaks, bedtime, and the bone budget.
Every business needs someone in charge. Around here, that someone is Chalky.
Chalky is our American Staffordshire Terrier and Shar-Pei mix. He is a big dog with firm opinions about how I spend my time. If I sit at my desk too long, he nudges me with his nose until I agree to sit outside or take him for a walk (actually, we have to spell out W-A-L-K when talking about it in our house. Say it aloud, and he considers it a binding agreement).
If you receive a follow-up email from me, you can picture Chalky supervising. Someone has to keep the bone budget funded.
How Chalky joined the family
We adopted Chalky from Purina Farms, where I do much of my entertainment work. He was sponsored there by Open Door Animal Sanctuary, one of the organizations we support most through Circus Kaput.
When we adopted him, we were told he had a condition called double merle and would be deaf and blind in one eye. He is blind in one eye. His hearing is excellent, particularly when someone mentions a walk.
His name comes from Chalky White, the character played by Michael K. Williams in Boardwalk Empire. Our Chalky brings his own considerable presence to the household.
Before him, we mostly rescued small dogs, including Yorkies and Chihuahuas. Chalky represented a substantial increase in dog.
A softer side of management
For all his size, Chalky loves being tucked in every night. When I travel for work, I bring home stuffed animals for him to cuddle. Coming home means seeing my family, greeting the dogs, and delivering something soft to the boss.
He also loves his brother Biscuit, a “potcake” street dog from Tortola in the Caribbean who came from a feral background. They play and wrestle all day long. Our Beagle mix Cleo, adopted through a senior dog rescue, rounds out the household.
We are a rescue family
Over the years, we have shared our home with dogs whose care required a little extra attention. We have loved a blind dog, a dog with only three working legs, a dog with bad hips who needed physical therapy, and a dog missing most of their teeth.
One of our dogs had megaesophagus. Every day, we hand-fed them and held them upright like a baby for ten minutes after each meal. Those routines became part of our family life.
Our love for rescue dogs extends to Circus Kaput. We donate our time and resources to help shelters, with Open Door Animal Sanctuary especially close to our hearts.
If you are considering adding a dog to your family, Petfinder is a place to start looking for adoptable animals and rescue organizations.
Chalky would approve. He would also like me to finish this page so we can go outside.
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