THE COMING OF BUSBY
by Kate Gilpin
I brought home my first dog when I was sixty. I had fallen in love with Bouviers, and got a baby male, Steinway; Aristes Fred Stein- way, in fact. He grew to be enormous, and I did many things with him, including show- ing him in obedience, doing therapy visits with him, and getting him a much younger playmate to inspire him in his old age. That second Bouvier, a female I named Poppy, died in 2019. And I—a withered, shrunken little crone living on a fixed income—discov- ered that, without a huge dog, I actually had enough money to live on. I took from this [realization] the lesson that I needed to get a Toy dog. I searched and studied, and finally arrived at the Affenpin- scher—especially funny since I later found out that quite a lot of veteran Bouvier own- ers downsize to Affens when the time comes. (They have some common traits; they’re of- ten dark, they have hair that grows, they’re smart, and they’re extremely confident.) But Affens are a tenth the size of Bouviers. Quick example: A Bouvier eats something around a quart of food every day, while the Affen man- ages on a half cup. “That’s not food,” I said, “That’s medicine.” I was immensely lucky to find a nine-month- old Affen boy from reputable breeders, one of whom took the last plane, pretty much, before the pandemic lockdown to bring him to me. Coachlight & High Noon’s Busby Berkeley arrived at my house onMarch 11, 2020. Since then, I have found him an ideal companion. He’s whip-smart, darling to look at, high- spirited, and cooperative. The breed is fre- quently described as “famously funny,” with a gait of “comic seriousness.” The French call Affenpinschers “mustachioed little devils.”
36 • T op N otch T oys , J une 2021
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