Some frequently asked questions that I get regarding Chauncey and Rover-Time

Q. “What’s his name?”
A. Chauncey. His full name is Chauncey Billups Vanderhoff. 

Q. “Why did you name him that?” 
A. I already wrote about that. 

Q. “How old is he?” 
A. It depends on which paperwork you believe. We have documents from the shelter organization saying he’s 2 years old and another saying he’s three. I like to think that’s he’s as young as possible, but it seems more likely that the document 2 year figure was just never updated. 

Q. “Oh wow, he looks so old…” / “Oh wow, I thought he was a puppy.” 
A. That’s not a question.

Q. “What kind of dog is he?”
A. Here we have to refer to the paperwork that he came with again, which simply says “chihuahua/terrier.” The chihuahua part is easy to see, but the terrier designation couldn’t be much more vague, considering it could mean anything from pit bull to Jack Russell terrier. But his ridiculously long legs and wiry coat had to come from somewhere, so I guess “terrier” is as good a guess as any. 

Q. Where do you keep the dogs that stay with you? 
A. We have a pretty good-sized apartment with a yard in back. They stay with us in our home, there isn’t an off-site facility or anything. 

Q. “What do you do with the dogs when neither of you are home?” 
A. We have a lot of baby gates that keep them out of certain upholstery-rich environments, and the dogs who like their crates sometimes go in there. 

Q. “Do the dogs sleep with you?” 
A. There are some dogs who will cry unless they’re in the room with us, so we’ll usually move their beds to the floor in our room so we can sleep. The only dog allowed to sleep in our bed is Chauncey. 

Q. “Who gave Chauncey that lovely haircut?” 
A. I did. 

Q. “Wow, you are very talented. Will you cut my dog’s hair?” 
A. No. 

Q. “Are all those dogs (you’re walking) yours?”
A. Nope, just the leggy blonde. 

Q. “What do your neighbors think of all this?”
A. Our building only has two units, and I’m looking into having the people who live downstairs from us sainted. They are extremely understanding about the occasional barking and pitter pat of (sometimes rather large) feet across our floor. Sometime they actually wait for us to take the dogs into the backyard so they can come out and meet them. We’re really lucky. 

Q. “How many dogs do you have at your house right now?”
A. Pretty much always between one and four (including Chauncey). At the moment, four. 

Q. “Were you always a dog person? What do you think of Julia’s job?”
A. I grew up with dogs (Josh- miniature schnauzer, Tammy- miniature schnauzer, Buster- wire-haired fox terrier), but when I moved to Chicago some years ago I didn’t get to be around them very much. Having them around more reminded me of how much fun they are, to the point where I wanted to get one of our own! 

Q. “Do all the dogs get along with each other?” 
A. Pretty much. We’ve been really lucky with how well-behaved our guests have been. A lot of that is because of the meet & greet the Julia conducts before a dog is left with us – it gives everyone a chance to make sure they’re comfortable and it’s a good fit. 

Q. “Does Chauncey get along with the other dogs that stay with you?”
A. Yes. He’s indifferent a lot of the time, but the longer we have him, the more he plays with the guests. Sometimes he gets a little annoyed but for the most part he seems to enjoy the company. He also has a girlfriend named Lila who stays with us for a few days most weeks, so he really likes that. 

Chauncey + Lila sittin’ in a tree….

Q. “Does Chauncey like to be held? Can I pick him up?”
A. Being held is literally his favorite thing in the world. Well, being held by Julia is his favorite thing in the world, but yes, he would really like it if you picked him up. 

Q. “He’s so cute!”
A. That’s also not a question