Pet of the Week: Kirby

This is a sponsored post from Becky’s Pet Care, a professional pet care service in Northern Virginia.

This week’s Reston Pet of the Week is Kirby, a 12-year-old purebred Papillon who is a longtime Restonian.

Here is what Kirby’s owner, April, had to say about her:

Kirby is a purebred Papillon who will turn 13 on Dec. 14, but often gets mistaken for a puppy, partly due to her small size (she weighs anywhere between 7 and 8 pounds depending on what she just finished eating) and also because she’s still every bit as energetic as her younger counterparts.

She was born in Toledo, Ohio, but has been a Reston resident for nearly 10 years. She was named after the famous Kirby who won Best in Show at Westminster in 1999 (the only Papillon in history to accomplish this so far) and she has even befriended one of famous Kirby’s descendants via the Northern Virginia Papillon Owners Meetup group. (Shoutout to Chancois Nolley!)

True to her breed’s name (“Papillon” is French for “butterfly”), Kirby is a social butterfly who can often be seen walking around Reston Town Center and Lake Anne, where she enjoys patronizing the local businesses and chatting up fellow Restonians. She also enjoys accompanying her human and friends to nearby Northern Virginia wineries in her pooch purse, although she is not a wine drinker herself.

She has quite a social media presence, including nearly 100 Instagram followers. Her Instagram handle is “yappy_pappy” due to how talkative she can be. Kirby is almost never at a loss for words, especially when there’s food nearby.

Although she is very friendly and energetic, she’s also extremely protective of her home and her human and will voice displeasure if you come too close to either without her permission. Once you’re in Kirby’s Circle of Trust, though, you’re pretty much in there for life.

Kirby loves living in Reston because of how dog-friendly it is — namely its paved pathways, caring residents and high concentration of squirrels.

Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.

Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.