This week I had fun yapping with a playful pupster, Kingston Dixon. He’s a Portuguese Water Dog, and he lives in the perfect place for a pooch like him, right on the Lagoon.
Soon as his Mom opened the door, there he was, all bouncy and smiling. He was bigger than me, curly black hair head to toe, ‘cept for a little white bib and white toes.
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! It’s me, Kingston. this is my Mom, Cindi, (Dad’s Karl, he’s at work) and this is my big brother, Maximus. You can call him Max.” Right next to Kingston was a little, curly-haired white fluffball.
“I know!” the little fluffball said. “I don’t look like a big brother. But I’m 4 and he’s just 10 months. A total puppy still. I’m a Bichon Frise. We’re small but mighty.”
“Come on, let’s go out on the deck,” Kingston said, and they dashed across the living room and out the sliders. The deck was up high, with a railing, a yard below, and a dock sticking out on the water.
“Wow! You must have so much fun here!”
“Living on the Lagoon is The Best!” Kingston said. “Watch this!”
He picked up a floppy munched-on sock toy (I think it was s’pose to be an alligator) and brought it to his Mom. She flung it over the rail, onto the grass, and Kingston raced down the spiral staircase, grabbed the alligator and flew back up the stairs. Took maybe 10 seconds.
“He’s like that all day long,” said Max, curled up next to their Mom. “Up and down, back and forth. Gotta have something in his mouth every single minute! When we play tug-of-war, Kingston’s really strong, and he sorta drags me around. I usually retreat, under a chair or behind the couch, outta his reach. The only time I’m The Boss is when he tries to get my Sweet Potato chew stick. Then I growl my Serious Growl and he leaves me alone.”
Kingston was chewing on the alligator. He petooied it out and said, “Mom says I shouldn’t be rude and chew stuff during the interview, so I promised I’d just chew my alligator while you’re talking, then petooey it out when it’s my turn. OK?”
“Sure!” I replied. “So, how’d you all get together?”
“Well, Mom and Dad had Max since he was the size of a softball. He was a Valentine present. He had a brother, a rescue Lab, who went to dog heaven. They wanted to get another brother for Max: Dad said it had to be a Real Dog (which means not Little Bitty) and Mom said it had to not shed and not make her sneeze. They did a bunch of research and decided my breed was Perfect. They got me on Mother’s Day. I have a Champion Bloodline and Papers. I don’t akshully know what that means, but it must be good ‘cuz here I am. Mom and Dad named me Kingston ‘cuz they love Jamaica.”
“I bet you like to swim.”
“Oh, Woof, yes! I learned how in my Grandma’s pool. Me and Max ride our paddle board and kayak with Mom and Dad. I just love bein’ wet. Baths, pools, the Lagoon, rain. My ancestors used to work for Portuguese sailors. They’d jump into the ocean and swim back and forth between boats carrying important messages and stuff.”
“Cool Dog Biscuits!” I exclaimed.
“‘Cept for the haircut,” he said.
“Huh?”
“Well, see, so they could swim faster, they had their hair shaved off from the waist down. No Pants!”
“Wha-at? No Pants?”
“Yep. Plus, their tails were shaved off too, ‘cept for a fluffy piece at the end, sorta like a rudder.”
“Are you woofin’ me?”
“It’s true. Mom and Dad said so. They even cut my hair like that once, to see what it’d be like. I looked like a total doof, plus it was really chilly. Thank Lassie they didn’t like it either. That would have been Majorly Soggy Kibbles!”
“Fer Sure!”
“We have fun every day! We chase squirrels, and bark at the pelicans and herons, just to be neighborly. Well, Max is really the hunter. He chases crabs, but Mom’s afraid they’ll bite his nose. He’s little, but he’s fearless. Me, I love to jump. I can jump way high, straight up. Dad holds a toy over his head and I jump up and grab it. I go to Mom for snuggles, but I go to Dad for play!
“I play and play. Then I’m all pooped, so I go to bed at 8 p.m. I get in my comfy crate with my toys and go right to sleep. Max gets to stay up later than me. Then, next morning, it’s time for another fun day. We’re so lucky to live right by the Lagoon. I know I’m still a puppy, but I already know how special it is. Mom and Dad say we have to protect it ‘cuz it’s Delicate and In Danger. I tell all my pooch pals. The lagoon is important to all of us, doncha think? A bunch of animals and birds and fish and even those goofy crabs live there. You should tell all your pooch pals, Mr. Bonzo.”
“You’re absolutely right, Kingston. I will!”
Heading home, I was remembering what Kingston had said. He’s a pretty smart pup, and I know all you pooches feel the same way about the Lagoon. I sure do. Let’s hope all our humans do, too.
Till next time,
The Bonz