Her pedigree traces back to the first (and only!) Yorkshire Terrier to earn a Westminster “Best In Show” prize back in 1978. Her mother, Pilaf, was the furry face of a number of designer dog fashion brands; and her father, Fabio, was a working dog model appearing on the cover of several magazines and mainstream commercials. From her first breath, Saki didn’t have the universal appeal of her parents and siblings — tiny, mangy and weak, she didn’t stand a chance. Just a few days after she was born, the owners decided they had no choice but to humanely “put her out of her misery.” When my neighbor, whom was part of a national dog rescue network at the time, told me the story over lunch, I jotted down the address, jumped in my car and drove right up. When I first saw her fast asleep, curled up in a dark, damp corner of an empty barn on top of a little pile of hay, I reached down and pet her lightly on her head, she looked up at me, blinked her eyes twice, put her little head back down and went right back to sleep. She was in bad shape. I gently picked her up, wrapped her in a towel and brought her home to start our new life together. Nearly 20 years later, I can’t imagine life without my sweet Saki by my side.
