When I met Murry, a 13-year-old sheltie, I said: “I know you’re a guy but if you don’t mind my saying, you look like a smaller version of Lassie.”
“I get that all the time, Bonzo,” Murry said. ”A lot of people consider my breed a miniature collie but we shelties are a unique breed of our own.”
Murry – that’s how he spells his name – is new to the island, having moved to The Moorings with his human parents Mary and Chris Ryan, and his canine roomies Diesel, a 6-year-old cattle dog/huskie mix, and Max, a 2-year-old bichon/Maltese.
“So,” I asked, “what brought you and your pack to Vero Beach?”
“Well, Bonzo,” Murry began, “I was clueless about my parents having decided to move to Florida from our comfy home in Pittsburgh. You see, I was preoccupied with my recent promotion to top dog after the passing of my sister, Scooter.
“I realized being top dog wasn’t too bad of a gig, until this big beast named Diesel showed up at the door. Nice enough guy, but he’s huge compared to me, Bonz. Diesel made me feel a bit insecure about my top dog status. At least he’s taken over my responsibility of being the guard dog, and having to answer the front door with a loud bark.”
“Diesel sounds like a cool dude, Murry,” I said.
“Yeah, Diesel’s OK,” Murry agreed. “But just as things became copacetic between Diesel and me, Mom rescued this white fluff ball named Max. Max is nothing but a little troublemaker for all of us and he never stops. He eats out of my bowl and tries to sleep in my bed.”
“Murry, this is all very interesting,” I said. “But I feel we’ve gotten away from the subject of how you got to Vero Beach.”
“Oh, sorry,” Murry said. “Well, the trip to Vero was ruff, Bonz. Like I said before, we had no idea what was going on so we panted a lot. When we finally arrived, I knew I had come to paradise. The sun was warm; we had a big backyard; and we were close to the beach.
“But Max fell in the pool so now he has to wear a life jacket when he is outside,” Murry said, rolling his eyes.
“Here in Vero, Mom’s become involved with The Humane Society,” Murry said. “The other day, I heard her yapping on the phone about some big shindig being held at The Mooring Club called Cause for Paws on March 24th.”
“Yea, I know all about it Murry,” I said. “That’s the annual fundraiser for The Humane Society that’s been happening for three decades.”
“Are dog buddies invited?” Murry asked.
“No, I don’t think so, Murry,” I replied.
“Well I think we should crash the party, Bonzo,” Murry said. “We can meet at my house since it’s in my neighborhood.”
Uh oh. I have a reputation to uphold.
“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” I said. “But otherwise, welcome to Vero Beach, Murry.”
Till next time,
The Bonz
