Finding inspiration in a small dog named Pelé
My shih tzu, Pelé, will no longer submit to grooming, requires a lot of extra attention and is beginning to look mighty gnarly! I get it. He is old and absolutely over being cute, cuddly and, heaven forbid... inspirational.
It was 2004 and Pelé was just 3 years old. He came to my family unceremoniously via my mother who had encountered one of those life altering moments and needed to move into an assisted living residence. As expected, losing her precious companion to just anyone would have proven a health setback for her - so my family relented. We were now a household of four.
Pelé adjusted to his new situation quickly and loved the daily walks around his neighborhood, as well as the regular play sessions with his adored stuffed snowman. All was good.
But, lest I forget...
It was 2004 and Pelé was just 3 years old. He came to my family unceremoniously via my mother who had encountered one of those life altering moments and needed to move into an assisted living residence. As expected, losing her precious companion to just anyone would have proven a health setback for her - so my family relented. We were now a household of four.
Pelé adjusted to his new situation quickly and loved the daily walks around his neighborhood, as well as the regular play sessions with his adored stuffed snowman. All was good.
- Pelé suffered from separation anxiety, and
- our daughter's youth soccer league created a frenetic and (by Pelé's standards) neglectful home life.
In our defense, taking Pelé with us was not an option since he didn't care much for small children and even less for other small dogs - both in abundance at youth soccer matches. Then, one day it dawned on me that the folding chair, which was basically indispensable during these matches, offered a large amount of unclaimed real estate beneath its seat. That day, Wrapsit slipcover crate (a.k.a. Pelé's safe-haven) was born!
Mother has long since passed, and now, Pelé is in declining health and so my business partner, Carla, and I are preparing for closure on the life of Pelé - the inspiration for Wrapsit. Wish us luck.
Pelé in his prime at the ballpark.
