An occasional writer's journal

It’s with sadness that I report the passing of one of the more senior residents of the Buenos Aires barrio of San Telmo.

Cabezón the one-eyed Pekenese was a marvel of natural science, beloved by all who knew him as a permanent fixture of one of that most distinctive of porteño bars, La Coruña.

Cabezón

It is said that Cabezón was the product of a romantic entanglement between a Pekenese and a Chow. He was thought to have lived to around 20 years, which is equivalent to nearly a century for humans.

In the eyes of his owner, Carmen Margarita Moreira López, Cabezón was always a puppy. Indeed, his remaining eye had an adolescent glint, even if in later years he suffered a lack of mobility.

La Coruña was named after the Galician city and province by Carmen’s family who emigrated from northern Spain in the middle of the last century to find a new life in Argentina. Their constant companion for much of that time was Cabezón, whose name means “stubborn” or pigheaded and has also been applied in the past to more than one Argentine footballer.

My apologies to the pooch for having earlier addressed him as Cabellón, which translates as “worn out horse”. . . but you can understand my confusion.

If you have any doubts about Cabezón’s seniority, or are curious about your own dog’s longevity, check out the dog/human age converter at http://www.onlineconversion.com/dogyears