I love this contest by the way =)

Here is my sweet, wonderful baby girl Chiara in our Paris apartment during winter 2007, with my mom. She was a pedigree shih tzu. While "Chiara" is an Italian name meaning "light", our Angel was Brasilian & already had been given her name when she became part of our family in São Paulo, Brasil. She was so little & didn't really know her name yet, so we could have changed it, but decided that it suited her so perfectly already. We simply added, "da Lua" to her full name, so in Italian & Portuguese together her name meant "Light of the Moon".

She was completely charming & adorable with ever-growing soft fur. She would often prance when walking, just on instinct. She was incredibly quiet, not barking at all until she was already a year or 2 old, & then she'd only bark at something a handful of times across her entire life. But she would love to growl loudly & "ferociously" while playing with us! Her favorite toys to guard & declare, "that's MINE!" over were her baby blankets XD She would love to be bounced & massaged, followed my dad the pack leader like she was his shadow, & completely on her own instinct, would always guard my parents (especially my mom) by facing away from them in the doorway of whichever room they'd be in; if we were outdoors she'd do the same, facing away about 6 feet in front of wherever we were sitting so she could be the first to assess anyone coming toward us. She loved making people friends much more than doggy friends, of which she just had a few, because she was so dainty & would be turned off by hyper-energy dogs wanting to meet her. She wanted to keep things as chill & sweet as she was^^

Our Angel passed away just this past December 5th. In 2 more days, she would've been exactly 15 years & 1 one month old. I miss her greatly every day like my other past pets, of which she was the youngest. Our kitty Omrey (animal soulmate of my life), & 2 of our originally 5 guinea pig siblings (Sweetheart & Patch), along with Chiara, moved from country to country with my family & me, remaining completely loving to us despite the stress they endured on each move. We gave them as much love & cuddles as we could always, especially during these moves where we felt guilt over causing them airplane stress. We were so blessed to have had the piggies for 6 years (both passed away in 2005), Omrey for 19 years (passed away August 2015), & Chiara for 15 years. It feels very strange now that for the first time in 21 years, my family & I no longer have a pet. Animals are the light of my life & I'm so happy many people feel the same way. When I am ready again & have more of my life together, I very much look forward to adopting another angel<3^^

Rest in Peace Chiara, you are now my Angel in 2 ways =')