Paquito did not understand rain or pending cleaning.
In Sinaloa, Mexico, Evlyn Castro’s family took out some stored boxes to dry and organize them. Inside were clothes that no one had touched in six years: those of her uncle, Paquito’s original owner before he died. As soon as the Chihuahua caught that scent among the garments, something in him broke. He lay down on top of them, buried his snout in a red shirt, and no longer wanted to move from there.
Evlyn recorded the moment without imagining that it would go viral throughout the Spanish-speaking world. There was no need to explain anything else: a dog’s memory holds on to what time tries to erase, and six years later Paquito was still hoping to find that scent among the clothes.