Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Mr. Mess - before and after.
Sometimes the best stories are those that can't be told.
Such is the case with Mr. Mess.
He's a (mostly) Pomeranian pup found just after dark during Thursday's wind storm.
He appeared at the door of the 3 Beautiful Messes bath shop on Norris Street - kind of ironic since he was a mess.
I saw him peer in through the glass door, then dart into traffic, then return. He was approachable, with an engaging grin and a sunny disposition. I checked him for a collar and found none.
At first I thought I could maybe shame the lady in the 3 Beautiful Messes store to keep him overnight; she could haul him to the pound the next morning. But before I could embark on this sinister plan, Mr. Mess gave me his friendliest look, and began to dance on his hind legs.
Next thing I knew, he was in the car.
Mr. Mess cannot convey a lot of information, but this is what he's told me so far:
n He's around 2 years old, neutered, housebroken (mostly) and generally better behaved than me. He doesn't try to snitch people food, he doesn't jump on the furniture. He's happy to sleep the night away in a kennel.
n He wasn't hungry or thirsty when we found him, but his matted hair suggested he'd been roaming the wilds for a month or more. A professional groomer needed five hours to get him looking like a dog instead of a mop.
n He's a charmer around people, but he doesn't get along that well with our two Boston terriers. Shadow and Berlin are rambunctious. Mr. Mess is more laid back than our lawn chairs. They have exchanged dog words more than once and, despite his general gentle nature, Shadow and Berlin have learned not to mess with Mr. Mess.
What we don't know about him could fill another newspaper column.
n Where did he come from? He has no microchip. More than 100 Facebook shares and lost-pet sites produced no information about his history. He's not on any of the missing dog posters in the neighborhood where he was found, or at Clovis' dog park.
n He knew what to do at the groomer, he helped put a collar on, he responds correctly to "come here" and "go get in your kennel." And yet, the matted fur and grass and twigs he'd collected - to the point he struggled to pee and poop - suggest he'd been neglected for weeks, maybe months.
So what's your story, Mr. Mess?
Your owner died and now you're orphaned? You hopped a train in Belen and got off when it stopped? The American Kennel Club revoked your credentials after an incident with a poodle?
If only dogs could talk ...
David Stevens is publisher for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:
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