Remember Prancer the “demonic” Chihuahua? Well, he’s still the “neurotic, man-hating, animal hating, children hating” dog that looks like a “gremlin.” But his owner, Ariel Davis, has no regrets about adopting him.
Despite what Tyfanee Fortuna, Prancer’s foster owner, wrote about the pup in his adoption ad, Ariel of New Haven, Connecticut, immediately took an interest in him.
When Ariel adopted the 2-year-old Chihuahua in April, she prepared herself for some devilish behavior. After all, that’s how he was described in his adoption ad. But when she took him home, Prancer was surprisingly calm while getting used to his new environment during the first couple of weeks.
But as it turns out, it was just a phase.
“At the end of the second week, he was like, ‘All right, it’s cool, I think I can start coming out of my shell now,’” the 36-year-old told TODAY. “I definitely started to see a lot of the behaviors that had been advertised in the ad by the lovely Tyfanee. She was very accurate. We had a couple of run-ins with men that were embarrassing.”
Ariel sought the help of trainers to make Prancer feel safe and make him understand that he doesn’t need to protect her—it should be the other way around.
Whenever Ariel takes him to work at a rehabilitation center for women, she asks her colleagues to simply ignore him.
“If nobody’s looking at him or trying to pet him or drawing attention to him, he’ll just walk around, shaking his little butt, sniffing the floor and minding his own business,” she said. “But it’s when you make eye contact or draw attention to him that he feels threatened. So it’s really just getting him get used to being around people that aren’t threatening him or he perceives to be threatening him.”
Although Prancer can be neurotic, Ariel loves having him in her life, and she feels “not a single regret” about adopting him. He is loyal, smart, affectionate, and is always happy to see her.
Prancer shows no interest in running away from home and likes getting just the right amount of attention—not too overbearing or demanding.
The tiny dog has also helped Ariel handle her depression about the pandemic. She just loves seeing his face scrunch into a cute smile when he’s happy. It’s a sight that never fails to lift her mood.
“I feel like he’s everything that I expected him to be and so much more,” she said. “I have an amazing dog that I love very much.”
Having Prancer as a pet comes with another challenge—fame. Yes, this dog is a celebrity pet. When Ariel adopted him, she only wanted a companion; she had no idea he would become a famous dog!
To date, Prancer has over 97.5K Instagram followers. Ariel admits that fan response can be overwhelming at times, but it looks like she might need to get used to it because people just couldn’t get enough of her pup.
Even “Friends” star Matthew Perry noticed Prancer and asked him to model a bandana that says, “Could I Be Any More Of A Dog?” from his merchandise store.
While Ariel loves talking about Prancer, the publicity they have been getting has been a shock. Ariel has been approached about books and movies, and they’ve also gone on many media interviews.
Luckily, being famous comes with perks. Petco has sent Prancer a care package that included a blue monster, which is now his favorite toy.
“He carries it around. He’ll sit with it and likes to leave it in my bed,” Ariel said. “That’s painfully endearing.”
And for the upcoming Halloween, Ariel is planning something exciting for Prancer’s fans. Clue: It involves a Chucky costume.
We’re happy to know that Prancer and his mom are living a happy life together! You can learn more about Prancer’s adoption story in the video below.
Follow Prancer the Chihuahua on Instagram.
Always put your hand palm up; if the dog has been abused in the past and you have palm facing down, dog thinks you will hit him. Learned that from a trainer.