Patricio

Many know him as ‘Patricio’ but we call him ‘Ivan’. It all began with a determination to learn how to pronounce the word ‘Xoloitzcuintli.’ After many internet searches I fell in love with the idea of owning a hairless dog but couldn’t find one while my husband and I lived in Arizona. In 2015 we moved back to our hometown in Michigan. I hadn’t given up on the idea of finding a hairless dog when I came across Patricio on the Naked K-9 website. His caretaker, Suzanne, informed me that he is not a Xolo but a Peruvian Inca Orchid (less fun to say but STILL very cool). I went to meet him in Lansing and while I don’t know how much he cared for me—I liked him a lot. Over the next couple of months, my husband and I bought a house with a lovely backyard and when things got settled he came to live with me, my husband and our three other rescued ‘children’. I’ve met many dogs but never one with as many quirks as Ivan. He is such a character and keeps us laughing. His intelligence is astounding and he frequently uses it against us. We grow closer to Ivan every day as he learns to trust us. I’m not sure what his life was like in Peru but we do all we can to give him a beautiful life now. My husband and I have forgotten what life was like before a 50 lb naked dog slept between us every night and we wouldn’t have it any other way.