Little Earl had come to live with us a few months before, but things were not going well between him, Zeus & Odin, so I decided Earl needed a friend of his own. Tammy posted on Chins-n-Quills about the chins she rescued, looking for new homes for them. The oldest chin in the family was 8 years old already and she was afraid she may have trouble placing him since most people want younger chins. I thought he sounded perfect.
Earl and I packed up and headed out to Burger King on Route 80 to meet Tammy and Gandalf (the name Aimee gave him later). We put the two chins in a carrier together to see how they got along, but Tammy didn't think Gandalf was tolerating Earl's bouncy personality too well. She suggested we try Gandalf's grandson, who was closer to Earl's age. Earl and the younger chin seemed to like each other fine. I was a bit reluctant as I didn't feel I was helping much by taking a chin that would surely find a home quickly, but as it turned out, Aimee had talked to Tammy as well and told her if I didn't take Gandalf then she would, so we brought them both home.
Gandalf went to live with Aimee & Jim, while Edwyn and Earl settled in together here in the new chinnie mansion I bought for them. They've been best friends ever since, even if Earl grooms Eddie a little too hard sometimes. Eddie gets him back by pulling up clumps of loose fur so Earl looks like he has spikes, then I get out the brush and Earl doesn't like that too much.
Eddie is definitely the most vocal of our chins, always erping and barking about something Earl did. I think he must be Italian. :) If you try to catch him in the cage and he doesn't want to be caught you'll definitely hear about it, and god forbid you ever wake him up. He will read you the riot act! (I can really relate to that though so I don't wake him up often!)
It took me a little while to warm up to Edwyn... I didn't feel connected with him immediately like I did my other chins, but eventually the cuteness stole into my heart (as they always do) and now I can't imagine life without him. He's the most well-behaved of all our chinnies, and he got his excellent manners from his grandfather. Habits in chins must be passed down just like human habits. For instance, Gandalf was always very good about staying on the couch when Jim & Aimee let him out to run, and Eddie is the same way.
Earl taught Eddie some of his treat-begging techniques and I daresay Eddie is even better at it than Earl now. He's very persistant and so adorable... when he takes the treat from you he scoots back about 5-6 steps and sits all the way back on his haunches with his big long feet sticking out to enjoy it. He's the slowest eater we have, but if Earl finishes first and tries to bum some off Eddie, he simply stands up and holds his treat out of Earl's reach while he gobbles up the last bit.
Eddie is a plain old standard grey, but he has the cutest dark marks at the corners of his mouth (just like his grandfather) that makes him look like he's smiling, or perhaps he got into some chocolate and didn't wipe his face. He has the biggest feet of all our chins, and the skinniest tail. He also has big ears which Earl says is to make up for his lack of one. :)
I'm really glad we got Eddie now. Earl is very happy to have a friend, and Eddie is happy living in style. Unfortunately Gandalf, Eddie's grandfather, died of unknown causes several months after he went to Jim & Aimee's. :( We do stay in touch with the lady that took his two aunts in though, so he has relatives just a couple hours away in Connecticut which is always nice. :) He's a very Northeastern chinnie boy.