Maltese

The Maltese dog, a small white lapdog named Popper in Las Vegas and later called Popchik by Boris Pavlikovsky, is a purebred dog won by Xandra Terrell in a raffle. He is described as a long-haired, fluffy dog who would have been white if clean, and he is prone to high-pitched screaming and barking. Though Xandra claims he has a drinking fountain from Petco and a large feeder, the dog is often left alone for long periods, locked up with the television on Animal Planet for company. When Theo first encounters him, the house smells of dog waste, and the dog is frantic and dirty, jumping and clawing at Xandra's knees. Xandra complains about the expense of grooming and the dog's destruction of the house, and she threatens to take him to the pound. Despite this neglect, the Maltese forms a deep bond with Theo, who begins to bring him inside against Xandra's wishes, tired of seeing him straining at his chain and yapping at the glass door. Inside, the dog is surprisingly quiet and starved for attention, sticking close to Theo and Boris, trotting anxiously at their heels and curling up to sleep on the rug while they read and listen to music. Boris, who renames the dog 'Amyl,' 'Nitrate,' 'Snaps,' and 'Popchik,' teaches him to dance on his hind legs for food and feeds him steak from the frying pan. The dog becomes a constant presence in their shared life, sleeping between them in the bed and snoring contentedly. When Theo flees Las Vegas after his father's death, he refuses to leave the dog behind, carrying him in a canvas bag onto a Greyhound bus. The journey is fraught with anxiety; the dog is quiet and well-behaved, but when a driver discovers him, Theo is terrified of being forced to abandon him. The driver, Denese, allows the dog to stay as long as no other passengers complain, and Theo spends the rest of the journey in fear. In New York, the Maltese is initially terrified of the city, jerking and darting at every car horn and empty plastic bag, winding his leash around Theo's legs. He is eventually welcomed into Hobie's house, where Pippa Blackwell immediately takes to him, lifting him up and cuddling him. The dog, now called Popchik, becomes a fixture in the household, sleeping on the foot of Theo's bed and snoring. He is territorial, barking at strangers and once biting Everett, Pippa's boyfriend, on the thumb. As he ages, he grows stiff and creaky, unable to stand with his paws on the edge of the bathtub as he once did, but he remains a loyal and watchful presence, sitting on the bath mat and watching Theo anxiously during his withdrawals. The Maltese is a creature of pure, uncomplicated affection in a world of betrayal and loss, a living link to the past and a source of comfort in the present. His small, fragile body and his desperate need for love mirror Theo's own vulnerability, and his unwavering loyalty provides a counterpoint to the human betrayals that surround them. The dog's journey from neglect in Las Vegas to a loving home in New York mirrors Theo's own search for belonging, and his presence throughout the novel serves as a reminder of the simple, enduring bonds that can survive even the most devastating circumstances.