Hi, pet buddies! This week’s interview was with a dog whose ancestors were Spanish sailors! No woof! I first met Pilar Aliyetti at the Vero Dog Park grand opening, just long enough for a quick wag-and-sniff and to ask her human about an interview.
I noticed her right away, obviously a total puppy still, running up to greet the other dogs, very pretty – wavy black coat, some white touches, and a long flowy tail that ended in a plume.
We decided to meet at the park, but this time it was more relaxed. She’s a crate girl and decided to stay in it while we yapped. “You don’t mind, do you, Mr. Bonzo? I was really nervous. I didn’t know what an interview was. But Dad said not to worry, it was just a lot of yapping. Plus, whenever I’m here at the park, I just can’t sit still. I have to go zooming all over the place, it’s so exciting. So my comfy crate is best. OK, I’m ready.”
“That’s thoughtful, PIlar,” I said. “Thanks. Tell me about your name. It’s very exotic.”
“Ooooh, I know. I just love my name! My Dad and Mom, John and Penny, named me after a lady in a book by a human named Hemingway, something about a bell. I can never remember. But she was Spanish. And dad says Spain is right next to Portugal. Dad was an airline pilot and Mom was a flight attendant before they retired and they had adventures all over the world and know lots of cool stuff.”
“Wow!”
“Dad says I came from a highly recommended breeder in Stuart. Several humans came down to visit me and my brothers and sisters. We hung out with the humans and they even took videos of us to see our personalities when we were just doing puppy stuff. Did you know that our litters get theme names?”
“Say what?”
“Yep. Dad told me! My litter theme was Beer and my litter name was Stella.”
“Are you woofin’ me?” I had never heard of such a thing.
“Nope. For real! But I totally love my new name. Mom and Dad had two other pooches like me and they were champions – lots of pups in their family were. Dad says that in those big, important shows, everything is really serious, no goofin’ around. The boys are called dogs and the girls are called bitches, and he says it’s okay to say that word if you’re yapping about pooches. Dad also told me that we’re Working Dogs and that my ancestors sailed with the Spanish Armada! They could swim like anything, and they’d carry messages back and forth between ships. Isn’t that pawsome?”
“Totally!” I said, very impressed. “So, do you swim?”
“Well, duh!” Pilar said. “Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude but, I AM a water dog. I swim in our pool pretty much every day. Mom and Dad and their friends sort of hang out in it, but I’m the only one who actually swims. I love to jump in and land on Mom’s and Dad’s really nice raft. Well, I did until I sort of accidently trashed it. They’re going to wait until I get some more training before they get another one. Mom and Dad throw my ball into the pool and say ‘Fetch!’ I grab it right away, but then it’s way more fun to play Keep Away. I don’t think they agree, though. When I get a little older, I’m gonna start serious school. I might even get to start jumping off boats, Dad says.
“Meanwhile, I’m in sort of pre-school at home. I know how to sit and how to come when I’m called. But I don’t always actually do it. PLUS, Dad says I absolutely HAVE to learn not to jump on anybody. But that’s really hard, you know? I love humans and other pooches and I just can’t help but jump up on them in a friendly way. But sometimes I knock them over. Dad says I have to learn self-control. I’m also gonna get to sleep in Mom and Dad’s bed as soon as I learn that It’s not cool to eat the blankets.“
“Well, you’re not even 2 yet. Still a pupster,” I pointed out.
“I know. And they’re really understanding. Except, one time I found this really interesting little thingy. And I was just nosing it around. And then I sort of munched it. And it sort of fell apart. Mom and Dad weren’t happy. It was something they called ‘Mom’s hearing aid,’ and it cost $1,500, which I think is a lot.”
“Um, yeah,” I gulped, changing the subject: “So, what do you do when you’re not swimming?”
“I love coming here to the dog park. I have tons of buddies. And I’ve met nine dogs like me, including my Uncle Rocky, and my sister Genny. We race all over until we’re totally pooped. Then I go home for a nice, long nap.”
I thanked Pilar for the fun yap. Heading home, I imagined I was a Spanish sea dog, fearlessly leaping off a tall ship, swimming across the bounding waves, scrambling up the ladder, important message clutched between my teeth, my ears flapping in the salty sea breeze.
For a moment, I was El Bonzo the Brave. Sigh.
