This week I had a very interesting yap with a Pure Bred Lhasa Apso, Daisy Cookie Lim, who’s descended from royalty in Tibet, an has Papers. As we knocked, I was wondrin’ if she’d be snooty cuzza being descended from royalty an all. But she wasn’t. She was the opposite of snooty.
She was right there at the door all waggy and frenly, with her Mom and a little terrier-lookin’ pooch.
“Sà-wàt-dee kâ, Mr. Bonzo. I am Daisy Cookie Lim. This is my Mom Pam and my friend Chi. We’re havin’ a play date. My Dad’s Albert. He’s workin’.”
Her hair was real silky, brown and black, long an wavy on her head, ears an tail, cropped short everywhere else. She had a ponytail on top of her head, so she could see out. “It’s a pleasure, Miss Lim,” I told her. “I didn’t quite get what you said at first, though.”
She laughed and tossed her wavy ears. “Oh, I just said ‘Hello’ in Thai. My Mom taught me Thai, cuz she’s from Thailand. You can call me Daisy. My human sister Amanda named me after Daisy Buchanan in that book, ‘The Great Gatsby.’”
I nodded and tried to look like I hadda clue. Already, I was intrigued. “I’m eager to hear your story, Daisy,” I told her, opening my notebook.
She jumped onto the couch, stretched out, and crossed her paws gracefully. “I was born in Seattle. That’s way up in the other corner. My Mom had had a Lhasa Apso in college whose name was Cookie, so my middle name’s for her. My human sisters, Amanda and Jordan (mostly Amanda), had been wanting an wanting a dog. Finally, Mom decided The Time Was Right. So she got ME. I was 8 weeks old. When Amanda got home from high school that day, there I was, in all my fluffy adorable-ness! It was a total surprise! Cuz of my royal background, I knew right away how to be polite an behave. It’s my responsibility to uphold the family’s reputation. We moved to Florida when I was 8. Now I’m 10. Mom usta comb my hair out every day. It went all the way to the floor. You couldn’t even see my feet. I looked like a fluffy hovercraft. But it’s way too hot for that here, so I get a nice short clip, ’cept for my tail and ears.
Daisy’s Mom showed us Daisy’s folder of Important Papers. There was this serious-looking chart with a buncha lines that shows her family tree from wa-ay back. “Lhasa is the capital of Tibet, and Apso means ‘bearded.’ My Mom was Kashi of Kathmandu and my Dad was Makulu of Everest. Our ancestors served the Buddhist monks. They were called Lion Dogs and they guarded the palace and the temple of the Dalai Llama, a Very Important Job.”
“Woof! Cool Dog Biscuits!” I exclaimed. “So, got any pooch pals? Favorite toys?”
“Oh, yes. All us neighborhood pooches know each other from our morning walks. There’s Chi, of course (who was snoozing under the table). Milo lives down the street, he’s a Yorkie; Jake’s a Labradoodle; Fin’s a Labrador; Cinnamon’s a Labrador, too; an Tessie, she’s a Golden Retriever, lives right next door. I go over and scratch on her door so she can come play. She hides her toys in her big bed, and I always find ’em and drag ’em out. My own favorite toy is Lambchop. I’ve had a few over the years. I’ll show you.”
She raced off and came back with a big Lambchop. “I sleep with Lambchop,” she said. “I snooze on it for a road trip, like when we drove here from Seattle. I love road trips. Dad made me a special platform so I can see out. One time we drove to Clearwater cuz we hadda eVACuate, on account of somebody called Matthew. I never found out who that was, but I had a blast in the hotel. I’m pretty brave and laid back, but lightning an fireworks scare the Woof outta me. In Seattle, Dad’d put me an my Lambchop in the car, in the garage, with music playin’ when there was a scary storm. Now I hide in the closet.”
“Me, too,” I nodded. “Do you have any special outfits or bandanas or anything?”
“Just one. For Halloween I have a cool costume. It’s an Iwok, from ‘Star Wars.’”
“Oh, yeah, I remember them. They look sorta like bear cubs.”
Daisy’s Mom went out again, and came back with the Iwok costume. She put it on Daisy, and I burst out laughing. “Oh, for Lassie’s Sake, it’s Perfect! You totally look like an Iwok!”
“I KNOW!” Daisy said. “Isn’t it Pawsome?”
It was. “I see you have a nice pool.”
“Yes, but I don’t like to swim in it. I’m not a fan of baths, either, but I do like splashin’ in the ocean, right by the shore. But after, Dad says I gotta have a shower, cuz of the sand. I get all droopy, but I feel better when I’m sand-free.”
Daisy’s Mom had gone to the kitchen, and returned with A Bag of Treats. She shook it and said to Daisy, “Ma dong nee.”
Daisy cocked her head and didn’t move. “I’m just not feelin’ it, you know?” she said to me.
Her Mom repeated, “Ma dong nee.” Daisy just sat there. Then Chi popped off the mat, trotted over to Daisy’s Mom and sat hopefully, ears up. In a flash, Daisy was right there next to him. Her Mom held up a treat and said, “Why gon.”
Daisy sat right up on her caboose with front paws waving. She and Chi both got a treat. “I gezz I jus neebud uh libble mo-duh-BAY-shud,” she said, as she munched.
Heading home, I was thinkin’ about all the intresting stuff Daisy knows. I made a note to Google Tibet an that llama named dolly, oh, an also that Gatsby book. It’s fun learnin’ new stuff, doncha think?
Till next time,
The Bonz
