Mr.
February 2007 - MR. BIG
If you’ve visited Oriental Sailmakers in the past year or so, you’ve likely met Mr. Big, prancing across the floor. If he’s resting on the sail bags, though, you might miss him.
But don't call him "little guy." He's Mr. Big to you.
Mr. Big at the loft
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Mr. Big weighs in at a grand total of 3 lbs, 3 ounces. That makes him the lightest winner in Pet of the Month history.
The long-haired blue teacup Chihuahua belongs to Carey Chapin whose father Wally, owns the sail loft.
The dog’s name and Carey’s name are linked, Wally says, by the TV show, “Sex and the City.” On the program, the main character Carrie calls her boyfriend, Mr. Big. As Wally delicately alludes, he is given that name, “for reasons.”
Mr. Big looking tough
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While Carey is in school at Carteret Community College, she leaves the dog behind at the sail loft. It’s not the kind of dog Wally expected to spend a lot of time around. His dogs have tended to be in the 45-90 pound range.
“I thought he was a kitten, at first,” Wally says. "The dog weighed only 10 ounces when Carey (Wally's daughter) got him a year ago."
He’s become part of the terrain at the sail loft. There are customers who come by just to say hi to Mr. Big, even if they don’t have a spinnaker that needs repairing.
Wally & Mr. Big
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Sally Belangia gets to be Mr. Big's date in the 2006 PAWS parade
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“It’s amazing,” Wally says. “These big rough sailing guys have Mr. Big sit in their lap as they talk about sailing.”
Maybe they recognize another sailor. Wally says that Mr. Big is, “the best boat dog you could have.” (Mr. Big always wears a PFD while on deck, given his proclivity to be a tiny morsel of “shark bait”.)
But as much as the dog likes the boat, Wally says, “the biggest thing he hates in the world is water.”
Cold weather is another dislike. “He shivers all the time,” says Wally.
To counter this, Mr. Big has clothing to wear. While other dogs in Oriental may feel dressed up with a brightly colored bandana around their necks, Mr. Big has full body coverings. Sweaters. Suits. Hoodies, even. He has amassed quite the wardrobe of more than half a dozen outfits.
Then there is the mink coat.
In addition to making a fashion statement, the coat has also been the object of some of Mr. Big’s more amorous desires. When that was taken away, he turned his attention to a stuffed toy near the steps of up to the loft’s wooden floor. As Wally puts it, “He makes love to the pig on a regular basis.”
Mr. Big and the pig (plus mystery foot).
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Wally is hoping to mate Mr. Big once, but he says it can’t be with another Tea Cup Chihuahua. “His equipment,” Wally says, “is too big for his body.”
Mr. Big has another distinction. If he is not the only dog in Oriental to have a piñata in his image, he is the only one to have a piñata that is bigger than he is.
The Mr. Big pinata
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Last September when Carey turned 21, Laura Turgeon, who works at Oriental Sailmakers (and who is an artist away from work) made a piñata to look like Mr. Big. She filled it with candy. But when she brought it to the party, Carey couldn’t bear to have people take whacks at it. So, the candy was more lovingly removed, and Mr. Big, the Pinata, was brought back to the Sail Loft where he is floats in suspended animation over the work area, and the real Mr. Big.
Congratulations
Mr. Big - Mr. February 2007
Mr Big's Bio
Celebrity Pet Most Resembles: Chris North (Sex In The City's "Mr. Big")
Likes: Currently, the stuffed toy pig, but that could change.
Dislikes: Cold Weather
Favorite Drink: Cosmopolitan
Favorite Snack: MilkBones from Mary at the Tiki-Bar, custom cut to size.
Know a pet
that is a standout? Send in some details & photo to pet@towndock.net.
Tell us why that pet deserves the coveted Pet of the Month Prize
Package --- accolades, a pat on the head (snakes excluded) and
a box of Milk Bones ( or snack suitable
for the species).
Animals
caught near the HarborCam attempting to suck up to the judges
will be disqualified.
