Palisades Pet Profile: Meet Miss Chiff—A Spunky, Loveable Mutt
Miss Chiff in Rustic Park
By Jane Buecker
Canyon News Intern
Miss Chiff. Yes, Miss Chiff. A play on words that pretty much describes this little dog's personality.
Roberta Conroy, who lives on Haldeman, met Miss Chiff outside of the Montana Drybar during COVID. She already had a dog, but when she saw Miss Chiff, she immediately felt a connection.
Just outside the Whole Foods on Montana, a local rescue was holding a dog adoption event, with a little pen full of tiny dogs yipping at a big dog passing by. One small dog with huge eyes and a fuzzy tail caught Roberta's attention. The dog was sitting there quietly, watching. Roberta thought, “Huh, what a cool little dog.”
Miss Chiff
Age: 8
Breed: Shih Tzu and Chihuahua mix
Lives with: Roberta Conroy
Favorite place: Her personal sofa
Miss Chiff on her deck
Roberta left to get her hair done, and, when she came back, she saw a little girl and her mom adopting the quiet dog. Before heading into Whole Foods, Roberta told them, "You're going to be really lucky with that little dog. She is so cool." But after buying her bananas and such, Roberta came back outside and the little dog was still there.
It felt like a sign. Roberta decided to bring her big dog, Wiley, back the next day to see how they got along.
When she brought Wiley down the next day, it was ‘true love,’ as Roberta put it. Just as with the dog that had walked by the day before, Miss Chiff seemed to have no problem with big dogs. During COVID, Miss Chiff became the precious lock-down dog that drew their little family together.
When you meet Miss Chiff (or Chiff for short), you might assume she's one of those little dogs that clings to her mother like a baby, but she doesn’t. She owns that house. Roberta cooks every one of Chiff's meals, and Chiff even has her own personal couch. Her real attachment is to big dogs, like Roberta's new German Shepherd mix Willow, whom she cuddles with every night.
Miss Chiff and Willow
Miss Chiff's name says a lot about her personality. Not mischievous in a trouble-causing way, but in an independent, sassy kind of way. She likes having a big dog as her protector, but she certainly isn't intimidated by their size. For such a tiny dog, Miss Chiff has a big personality.
Miss Chiff on her own personal couch
Jane Buecker, 14, is a Rustic Canyon resident and freshman at Crossroads High School. She will be regularly reporting on the lives and history of neighborhood pets.
Know a Canyon pet with a story to tell? Email Jane for a future Palisades Pet Profile at santamonicacanyonpets@gmail.com.
