Pet Spotlight: Cano the Volpino Italiano

It wasn’t hard to miss Cano while he was out for an afternoon walk though Fort Greene Park: When we met him, the little three-and-a-half-year-old Volpino Italiano was barking up a storm. His owner, Armando Nunez, 73, had to chide his companion every time someone happened to walk past.

Nunez and Cano have been together since Nunez’s daughter bought the pup when he was just 10 weeks old. But Cano is not his first pooch, as Nunez said he has had dogs all of his life.

“In my country, I had about eight,” he said. “Before Cano, I got a Labrador that lasted me for 17 years and a half. I had to put him to sleep because he couldn’t go out no more.”

Cano’s favorite thing, like most dogs, is food, according to Nunez. But he also enjoys walks through Fort Greene Park every day. Nunez and Cano come to the park about ten times each week – in the morning, the noon and the early evening. But why did he name him “Cano?” If you thought it was in honor of New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, you might be surprised.

“In Spanish, it means white hair,” Nunez said. “When you have white hair like me, it’s ‘cano.’”

Meanwhile, Cano sat in a pile of leaves beside Nunez, keeping one eye on everyone who passed by and the other on a pair of squirrels in the trees near us. Cano mostly just seemed excited to be outside, romping in the leaves and wanting to play. Before Nunez and Cano continued their walk, we asked what his favorite thing about the dog was.

“Love,” Nunez said. “They’re very loyal. He’s like my son.”

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