Hi, pet buddies! This week I yapped with a pooch who looked like he should be king of something. He’s really tall (close to 3 feet at the shoulders) and he has this big impressive head (almost as big as his humans’), excellent posture, and a great face, too. Kinda regal. Gator Luke is a (Very) Great Dane, and just turned 8 last Sunday.
He lives in this big house and he’s got his Own Room. His human Mom, Michelle, let us in. Gator and his Dad, Rick, were sitting on the couch and Gator was barking. Even though I knew he wasn’t mad or anything, that it was his job to bark at anybody he didn’t recognize, his voice was really Deep and Serious. I paused.
“Hello, Mr. Luke. I’m Bonzo Benjamin. May I call you Gator?”
He stopped barking and stepped off the couch. “Of course. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I like your stuff.”
As he approached for the Wag-and-Sniff, I realized I could almost walk under his tummy without ducking. He was one impressive poocheroo: long, slender legs, and his coloring, woof! It’s called Blue Marl, which is several shades of bluish gray with charcoal spots. Very stylish! I mean, he could go to the opera and fit right in.
“You’re very tall,” I said like a doof.
He laughed. “I’m actually on the small side for my breed. Only about 100 pounds.”
“So, tell me your story. How’d you meet your Mom and Dad?”
“They got me from my other family, who couldn’t keep me anymore. I was just 1, and I guess I was a handful. It didn’t really take me long to adjust. Mom and Dad are great. But there was one little problem at first.”
“Oh? What?”
“They had this cat, Chewy. Being still puppyish, I wanted to play with her, y’know? But, man, I don’t wanna speak ill of the Passed On, but she puffed up like a dandelion: She hissed, she spit, she did this thing with her claws. I never saw anything like it. Scared the dog biscuits out of me. So I just ignored her from then on.”
Gator’d been standing next to my assistant, getting his head scratched. His dad called him over. “Up!” he said, patting the couch. When Gator put his paws on his Dad’s shoulders, I thought his head would hit the ceiling. He totally towered over his Dad. They shared a few head bumps and friffles. It was sweet, actually.
Back by me, Gator continued. “I can tell when Mom and Dad are going someplace. When Dad puts on his regular shoes, he’s going to work. But when he puts on his sandals, that means we’re going to play, or hang out or go for a ride in his truck. And when Mom is brushing her teeth in the morning, and getting her purse and keys, I know she’s going to work. Then, I get to go in my room. Come on, take a look.”
It was super nice, lots of room to play, food and water bowls up on a stand so he wouldn’t have to lean way over, a big basket of toys and a very comfy-looking bed for snoozes.
“While Mom’s getting ready, I just come in here, and she shuts the door before she leaves. It’s great! I wouldn’t mind having a TV, though, so I could watch Animal Planet. Have you even seen “Your Cat from Hell”? Hilarious! Reminds me of ol’ Chewy.”
“Wow, Gator, you’ve got it made in the Shade, Man!”
“Better believe it! The meals around here are aces, too. Plus, see those two big glass jars?” He pointed to the kitchen counter. “The one on the left’s for Dad’s treats, the one on the right’s for mine. When I hear Mom drive up, I go get one of my toys to greet her with. I give her the toy, and she gives me a treat.”
“Sweet!”
“When I was a puppy, I got so excited when Mom came home, I jumped all the way up on the counter. When I realized where I was, I freaked. Never did THAT again. Oh, and, this is funny: At first, I had one of those retractable leashes. We were in the driveway and Mom was holding my leash. She asked if I wanted to run, which I did, so I took off, really fast. When I got to the end of the leash I was still blasting along and WHAMMO! Down she went, right on her kazoo, holding onto my leash for dear life. I was afraid she was hurt, but she said the only thing that was hurt was her pride. I was glad her kazoo was OK. Anyway, that was the end of that leash. Now they have a really strong one, not retractable, with a stretchy collar.”
I was laughing behind my paw.
“One time, I ate a tub of butter. And I sometimes hide packs of crackers under the furniture. I don’t unwrap them or eat them though. But mostly I’m very well behaved, Mom and Dad say. Occasionally, I just get this Wild Hair and start Zooming all over the house. It’s a Canine Phenomenon you might be familiar with. Cats do it, too. I Zoom from the living room, down the hall, to the bedroom, onto the bed, off the bed, back down and around – three laps and I’m done. When I have to Do My Business, I get up real close and look Mom or Dad right in the face and give them the Boogly Eyes, and they KNOW. And Dad rigged this long cable so I can go out the garage into the yard. See, I figured out how to open the garage door so, this way, I can go out but not – stray. I like to stand in the doorway and Survey My Domain.”
“Well, you have a terrific domain, for sure,” I told him.
Heading home, I was planning my own Zooming route. Sounded like fun!