Hi, Pet Buddies! It’s been my observation that some kinds of dogs act like puppies no matter how old they are, being all wiggly, and bouncy, and always ready to run around and play, play, play. Labs, for example. I gotta say, I never met a Lab I didn’t like. But sometimes, they make me feel, kind of, well – old.
I was walking up the driveway to this week’s interview, when across the yard zoomed this black flash, clutching a squishy blue and white ball, which she dropped right in front of my assistant. I could see it was all slimy and drooly, but my assistant, who had been briefed, picked it up and tossed it across the yard, and the black flash was on it before it could even bounce once. A human appeared at the house and the pupster flew over to her, wagging everything. It was going to be a fun yap.
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! My name is Ever Koekkoek (she pronounced it kook–kook). This is my Human Mom, Denise. We can yap inside.” Sitting around the kitchen table, I could see Ever was in the season’s trendy go-to coat color, shiny black, with just that subtle touch of white. She had a lot of Lab in her, with maybe a touch of Dobie.
“Wow,” I said. “You have a ton of energy. May I ask your age?” “Sure, Mr. Bonzo. I’m 8 months old in people time. “
“Tell me about yourself. How you got such a cool first name – and how you got your forever family.”
“Mom got my name from a favorite book she had, and my last name is Dutch (Dad’s Dutch). And, omigosh, Mr. Bonzo, you’re not gonna beLIEVE how I got here. It’s a really cool story.”
“I’m all ears,” I said.
“Well, Mom and Dad had a white Lab, Sadie, for 12 people years. (She was 84 in dog.) She went to Dog Heaven and they were so sad. Sometimes Mom still cries. Well, Dad (his name’s David) wanted an older dog. They went to lots of shelters and saw me and an older Golden Lab in a pen. Man, it was a close one, Mr. Bonz.”
“Why? What happened?” I asked.
“At first they wanted the other dog because he was all grown up and I was still a pupster. But another family already had temporary dibs on him if the kids liked him. Well, I knew I had to do SOMEthing. The other dog didn’t pay any attention to Mom and Dad. What a dummy, right? So I was as friendly and snuggly as I could possibly be, cuz I knew right away they’d be a great Forever Family. Dogs can tell.“
I nodded. We can.
The other family picked the other dog and MY family picked ME. BUT – they told Mom and Dad they’d have to wait a couple of days so they could do all the paperwork and stuff. WELL, Mom just burst into tears. She didn’t want to leave without me. So a nice lady at the shelter figured out how to speed things up. After the shelter vet signed off on me, Mom and Dad got me my own leash and collar at the shelter shop and we went HOME!”
“I’d never seen an actual house and everything was amazing. The vacuum cleaner! The toilet! Do you have a toilet? Isn’t it aMAZing? And the TV. Wow! I just stared and stared.
“Anyway, Mr. Bonzo, listen to THIS. Mom took me to their regular vet for a check-up and the lady in the office took one look at me and said ‘That’s MY dog!’ She showed my Mom a picture of her dog, and sure enough, we looked exactly alike. Mom investigated and found out the lady got her dog at the same shelter around the same time as me, and we were the same age. So listen to THIS. Turns out we’re sisters; our names were Abby and Anna – I was Anna – and we were rescued from a backyard, tied to a tree. I still have a mark on my back where the rope rubbed my fur off. We were so little, I don’t even remember.“
“That’s amazing! Have you got together again yet?” I asked.
“Not yet. Abby was sicker than me so she’s got to get better first. But we’re planning a play date soon. I can’t wait, Mr. Bonzo! Just think – a SISter!”
“That’s so exciting!” I agreed. “Tell me about your new home.”
“Oh, man, it’s super. Dad sits on the floor and plays with me every day when he gets home from work. I have two big sheepskin sleep pads, and sometimes I sleep with Mom and Dad, but I’m getting too big for that, Mom says. There’s a lovely, soggy swale I can slosh around in and then Mom hoses me off with special shampoo. I have tons of toys. I sometimes eat bugs. And I love beef stroganoff. But mostly I eat dry dog food, mushed-up potatoes and carrots and green beans. Plus treats – Pupperoni and Milk Bones, which I get when I remember my potty lessons. Mom says I’m doing real good. Only a few oopses. Mom’s and Dad’s friends say they want to come back as a Koekkoek dog because we have such a great life!“
“With your personality, I bet you have lots of friends.”
“Oh, yes! My besties are Swazey, he’s an American Staffordshire Terrier, and Marty, a huskey. And I run around with all the neighborhood dogs. We have a blast. This is a very dog-friendly place. “
“Thanks for sharing your story, Ever.“
“It was fun, Mr. Bonz. Come back and play sometime!”
“Love to, Ever!”
