Athens — What was I thinking? I recently got a new dog. A little Chihuahua. I already own a dachshund.  Having two dogs is too much for me, especially when you work a full-time job. It's like having children.

My little Chihuahua is so cute, but he is also so hyper.  He's not a barker. He just wants to play all the time. My poor dachshund is worn out from playing with the pup. The little doggy picks on Little Girl, my dachshund, all the time.

Little Girl is such a good dog. She is very friendly, never meets a stranger, and hardly ever barks. She’s not a good watch dog. She would let you steal everything in my house, as long as you leave the couch. That's where you can find her most of the time. Okay, she is a lazy dog.

Back to the Chihuahua. I had always wanted a Chihuahua, but Jackie was never enthused about Chihuahuas. He just didn't think they were much of a dog. Like a dachshund is?

Plus he always said they were just barkers. They barked at anything. Not this dog.

The little dog was going to be taken to the Humane Society. A friend thought he was just too cute to be placed in a shelter. That's where I came in. I had  been talking about wanting a Chihuahua, and so out of the kindness of her heart, she gave me the dog. I should be thankful.

It was time to name my new little pal.  Everyone I know who has Chihuahuas name them Chico or Taco or something like that. A number of friends all had suggestions.

Someone wanted me to name it Laptop, because he likes to sit on your lap. Cute name, but no. It didn't fit his personality. The girl who gave me the dog wanted me to name it after her boyfriend, Tony. That kind of did work, but the dog doesn't look like a Tony.

I thought about naming him after Jackie. Something like Jackson. That is what I always called Jackie. He didn't look like a Jackson, either.  Just didn't sound right when I called him Jackson. 

I was stuck. I didn't know what to call the puppy. A girl at the Athens Review suggested I call him Romeo. Oh, how cute. Romeo it is.

I have now had Romeo for three  weeks. As cute as the name is, his personality is more like Rambo. Some days he is Romeo, and some days Rambo.  That all depends on how he is acting at the moment. 

Rambo is the name  I use when I want him to settle down. Romeo is who he is when he is sleeping. The only time he doesn't run around the house is when he is sleeping. 

I'm thinking this dog could need therapy in the future. With two names, it might cause him to have a split personality.

Good and evil.   Just what I need. Let's hope he doesn't turn into Cujo.

The two names work fine for Little Girl. When we got Little Girl, we named her Pepper. I guess Jackie was not fond of that name, so he called her Little Girl.

We had a male dachshund at the time named Sam. He was bigger than Little Girl. Jackie would tell Sam, “She's just a Little Girl.” The name kind of stuck. 

My sister said the “Dog Whisper” man on television said Chihuahuas were the worst dogs you could own. What a mean thing to say.  What does he know? If you want a guard dog, get some big mean dog.

No, Romeo is not a pit-bull. Even though at times I think he could hurt Little Girl who is eight times heavier than he is. He jumps on her back, and bites her ears. And tries to take her food away from her. Little Girl takes it all in stride.

I like the older dogs because they are out of the biting and chewing stage. Romeo has already chewed one pair of shoes.

She destroyed my telephone charger. Spanking her is out of the question, she is just too small.  If you tried to spank her, she would fly across the room. But when I call him Rambo, he knows I am mad, and runs for cover.

In time I will get use to having  little Romeo, and hopefully so will Little Girl. In the mean time, maybe Little Girl and I should go for counseling.

Kathi Nailling is a Staff Writer for the Athens Daily Review.