One year after losing his beloved dog, Sox, Fr. Richard Rinn, CSV, is smiling again with his new puppy, Nellie. Like her predecessor, Nellie is a white Westie and already she has charmed the entire parish.
Fr. Richard Rinn with Nellie
She arrived in January at St. Viator Catholic Community in Las Vegas and Fr. Rinn introduced her as the “newest parish member.”
He writes updates about Nellie once a month in the parish bulletin. His first message explained how he named her: “In my youth — when dinosaurs roamed the earth — my favorite White Sox player was Nellie Fox, thus Nellie.”
In March, Fr. Rinn explained that Nellie had quickly adapted to her new home. 
“She recognizes her name when it suits her, and she has learned the command, ‘sit,’ ” he wrote. “She enjoys digging in the backyard and will be tunneling into church any day now.”
In his latest update, Fr. Rinn talked about Nellie and her distinctive ears: “Westies are born with floppy ears. Although no exact amount of time is given, it is generally thought the ears will stand up between six weeks and seven months. Nellie’s right ear stood up around the six-week mark, her left ear was recently, just in time for Easter.
“I guess we could say,” he adds, “Nellie’s ears have risen.”