Suspect: One (1) stuffed Rottweiler.
Heartbeat: Confirmed.
Threat level: Reassessed to zero.
Status: CLOSED ✅
A new object appeared in the home. Large. Black and brown. Shaped like a dog. Positioned in Luna’s bed. Staring at nothing with embroidered eyes.
Stuffed Carlos in a box that’s obviously for me 😸
I noted its existence immediately. I approached with caution. I sniffed it thoroughly.
It had a heartbeat. 👀
Investigation commenced. 🔍🐾
The Investigation 📋
I circled the suspect. I sniffed again. I attempted to determine its origin, its purpose, and why it was pulsing.
My humans explained that the stuffed dog contains a heartbeat device – a small battery-operated unit that mimics a living heartbeat. It also has a heat pack. It is, in practical terms, a warm, pulsing stuffed Rottweiler.
I had more questions. 😤
Why Is It Named Carlos? 🐶
Further intelligence gathering revealed the following:
There was an original Carlos. A real Rottweiler. He resembled a small bear:
Sleeping Carlos looking like the cute bear-dog he was 😻
This large, patient, very good-natured dog somehow befriended a clingy little Yorkie, and never seemed to mind. He became one of her closest companions.
Luna and Carlos hanging out on a dock overlooking the Hillsborough River in Florida 😻
Luna loved him. Genuinely. She would run up to other large dogs that looked like him – tail going, no hesitation, completely convinced that any big black and brown dog might be Carlos. She was not subtle about this. She was never subtle about anything. 💕
Luna following Carlos on a walk through the park 💕
She also became close friends with Rocket, a cool cat who thought he was a dog. Here they are cuddling butt-to-butt, just like we do (again – after getting a new, big fluffy round bed):
Rocket passed away in May of 2020 – just four months before I entered her life (If you're new here — here's how I found my neighborhood 🐾) and almost four years into their friendship. She let it be known how much she missed him 😿
Luna cuddling next to Rocket’s ashes on the bed he slept in for his final days 💔
Then, we moved away from Florida in November 2021. She left Carlos behind. Then, he passed away before she got to see him again. Her little heart was broken again. 💔
Sometime after that, Luna started losing her vision. This was not helpful for her separation anxiety. Not to meowntion, we lost our butt-to-butt and side-by-side cuddles along with it 😿
She started sleeping in a little round bed that appeared to keep her mostly contained – and busy making it for several minutes before every dog nap, as seen in my surveillance footage below:
She often wakes up scared and cries if she doesn’t sense a human presence. So when one of her humans found a stuffed Rottweiler with a heartbeat that could provide comfort for an anxious, elderly, and now blind little dog who missed her friend – the name was not difficult. He is Carlos. He has always been Carlos. 💕🐾
Current Status of the Suspect 🐶
Carlos currently resides in Luna’s bed. He is frequently found near her head.
Stuffed Carlos cuddling Luna’s head 😸
He’s also found with his head lying on her back:
Stuffed Carlos poking his head in the playpen and lying it on Luna’s back 😸
Or in what appeared to be a deliberate cuddle formation – lying across her whole body (leaving nothing but her head and orange tongue sticking out):
Stuffed Carlos lying across Luna’s whole tiny body 😻
Luna sleeps more soundly with him present. She is less anxious. She whines less when humans are not immediately visible. The heartbeat, I am told, helps.
I have observed this. I have drawn no official conclusions. 🙊🐾
Sammy’s Verdict 🐈
The stuffed dog is not a threat. Its heartbeat is mechanical. Its eyes are embroidered. It poses no challenge to my jurisdiction.
It also keeps Luna company when I am on patrol. When she wakes up disoriented in the dark, it is there. When she needs something warm and present, it is there.
It is named after someone she loved. I understand why she keeps him close. And I don’t mind sharing the playpen with both of them.
I would never say any of this out loud. 💕🐾
Me (Sammy) sharing the playpen with Luna and stuffed Carlos 🐾
Official Verdict 🐾
Stuffed dog: cleared of all suspicion.
Heartbeat: confirmed and purposeful.
Named after a real friend: yes.
Currently on Luna’s head: yes.
Threat to neighborhood patrol: none. Sammy’s feelings: classified.
Case status: CLOSED. Carlos stays. 💕🐶🐾
👉 Want to get a Carlos for your pet? Read the full Pawsitive Review: Pawsitive Review: The Snuggle Puppy (aka Carlos)
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🐕 New to the Luna Files? Start here: The Luna Files: She Showed Up Twice 🐾