Woof! did I have fun on this week’s innerview: I yapped with Lucas, Jenny, Owen an Luna Hill, Canadian Snowbirddogs from Ajax, Ontario. They’re Whippets: you know, those pooches that look like mini-greyhounds, super sleek and speedy.
At the door, amidst welcoming wiggles and woofs, they all came up for the Wags-an-Sniffs.
Lucas is Leader of the Pack and Official Spokespooch. “Welcome! Come IN! I’m Lucas, and this is my litter sister, Jenny, we’re 11. An that’s Owen. He was born in Mass-aCHOO-sits, so he has dual citizenship. An over there’s Luna, our liddle sis. She’s only 6 months old. I know she looks like a calico kitten, but we’re pretty sure she’s ackshully a Whippet in a cat suit. An this is our Mom, Jane, our Dad, Dennis, an our favrite human neighbor, ‘Aunt’ Mert.”
I was glad I’d remembered extra pens. “I can’t wait to hear your stories,” I told them enthusiastically.
“Cool kibbles! I’ll start!” Lucas said. “We drive down every November: 1,400 miles in two days with one overnight an, of course, a buncha Potty Stops. Me an Jenny an Owen are Cool Dog Biscuits travelers with our own comfy crates: We basically just snooze an make up doggerels. Luna, on the other paw, not so much. We’d only had her for one week before we drove down. (She was an 8-week-old rescue, still gettin’ use to being away from her litter). Plus, it was her first time inna crate. She meowed for HOURS. We couldn’t buh-lieve all that noise could come outta such a teeny liddle fluffball. We kept tellin’ her she’d love her new, warm Florida home an, when we finally arrived, she DID! Now she’s a member of The Pack and an Honorary Whippet.
“I was first to be adopted,” Lucas continued. “We were only 8 weeks old. Jenny went to another famly, but it didn’t work out cuz the other household pooch was super mean to her. So, when she was 2, she joined our pack. We were so happy to be back together.”
“Woof! I bet you were,” I exclaimed.
“I try to keep the boys in line,” Jenny said. “You’d think they were still puppies. Every morning, these two goofballs play tug-of-war with a soggy, raggedy ol’ toy fox. Honestly, it’s embarrassing. When I can’t stand the ruckus another second, I grab that yukky fox an hide it. Toys are so-o juvenile. I prefer hangin’ out with Mom.”
“Lighten up, Sis,” said Owen, then, turning to me, “When I joined the famly, I was just a puppy. Now I’m 2 anna half. My favrite thing is goin’ somewhere. Anywhere: rides, walks, long, short. I get So Excited. I bark an bark an get turbo-wiggly if I even THINK we’re goin’ somewhere. I just can’t HELP it. Mom an Dad thought maybe they should give me a Chill Pill or somethin.’ Then one day, when I got all barky about goin’ somewhere, Mom took what she calls Ree-mee-dee-ull Ack-shun. She said if I didn’t shush, she’d hafta put me in The Room. By myself. An I couldn’t do fun stuff with Lucas or Jenny or Luna an maybe they’d Go Somewhere Without Me. Just the thought was Totally Soggy Kibbles. Next time I started to get all barky, Mom said, ‘Do you wanna go to The Room?’ So now I just do a liddle soft whining.’”
Luna piped up. “I love playin’ with my brothers an sister. I remember, when I first arrived, watchin’ ’em playin’ Fetch with Mom an Dad. It looked so fun. One time I ran after the ball, grabbed it in my mouth just like Lucas an Owen, an took it back to Mom an Dad. An I kept grabbin’ it an bringin’ it back. For some reason Mom an Dad thought it was a big deal.”
“Really,” I thought, skeptically, “a cat who fetches. Seriously?”
Just then, their Dad tossed the ball. Luna zoomed over, grabbed it daintily, an zoomed back to their Dad.
“Shut the doghouse door,” I blurted. Then, “What’s your typical day like?”
“In Canada, we take long walks on the nearby golf course. The golfers love us. Here, every morning, we go running in a big field,” said Lucas. “’Cept Luna, cuz she’s the perfect snack size for hawks, or ferocious wild beasts, or big dogs with no manners. We also play Frisbee (I’m great at Frisbee) until we’re totally pooped. Then we hang out on the luh-NYE and watch the squirrels an birds.”
“Since I don’t wanna be anybody’s lunch,” said Luna, “I play inside or on the screen porch, or lounge in the third level of my condo. When it’s mealtime (aka ‘The Circus’), I jump onto the counter an watch Mom prepare our food. I sometimes try to sneak a liddle appetizer, but Mom’s usually too quick. Lucas an Jenny have Health Issues an hafta take medicine, which makes ’em Super Hungry, so they’re always Front-an-Center. Owen, on the other paw, grabs his dog bed, drags it to the center of the room and sucks on it till Mom or Dad provide curb service by bringin’ his food to him. It’s kinda weird, doncha think?”
“Well … um … er … what are your sleeping arrangements?”
“Before bed,” Lucas said, “we all six sit together on our Special Bench an watch the sunset. Around 10 we get a liddle bedtime snack, an Mom asks if we wanna go to bed. Me an Jenny an Luna all snuggle under the covers with Mom an Dad, but Owen gives this liddle woof-growl, an Mom and Dad are positive he’s ackshully sayin’ ‘No!’ He always wants to stay up to watch Lassie re-runs, so he sleeps down at the foot. Mom an Dad are usually sorta on the edges. It’s real cozy.
I smiled all the way home, thinkin’ about the joyful Snowbird-dog Whippets – one cleverly disguised as a kitten.
Till next time,
The Bonz
