This week I had a nice innerview with two Labradors anna Jack Russell – Nash, Nellie an Punkin Pie Koppelman. Punkin Pie’s the Jack Russell. She’s the oldest, 15 anna half, and she’s kinda blind an doesn’t hear so good either. But she gets around fine an she’s the boss. Next is Nellie, a 4-year-old Yellow Lab; and Nash is a Champagne Red Fox Lab, just 2. Good lookin’ bunch.
The whole crew answered the bell, for welcomes an Wag-an-Sniffs. Well, Nellie sorta stood back an sized me up.
“Welcome to our home,” Punkin Pie said. “Call me Pie. I’ll be the Spokespooch. This is our Mom Rene.”
“Are we gonna get our PICK-shur in the PAY-per?” Nash asked, wagging and drooling a liddle. “Our Dad Kevin’s at work. He’s in SIT-truss. Our human brother an sister are Stephen an Lindsay. They’re Totally Crispy Dog Biscuits. My kennel papers name is Takota’s Notorious Nash, but just call me Nash. Let’s go sit down, OK? Hey, Grumpy,” he addressed Nellie, who was still staring at me. “Bonzo’s fine. He’s our guest.”
“Well, you just can’t be too sure these days,” she said, daintily trotting over for a Wag-an-Sniff. “You can call me Nellie.”
“Miss Nellie, Miss Pie, Nash, it’s my pleasure to meet you. So, as Official Spokespooch Miss Pie, why don’t you tell me how you found your wonderful forever famly.”
“Well,” Pie began. “Mom an Dad had just moved here, an they hadda Yellow Lab named Abby, who was gettin’ up there. Mom loved Abby, but she’d always wanted a Jack Russell. (Of course, who wouldn’t?)”
“Who wouldn’t?” I quickly agreed.
“So anyway, Dad hadda fren who hadda Jack Russell who was gonna have puppies. An he said Dad could have the Pick of the Litter.”
“I think I see where this is going,” I ventured.
“But of course. But when he called Mom she was like, ‘weeelll, I don ‘t KNOW. I mean, I’m reeeel busy with the kids an all, maybe we should …’ Finally Dad just said, ‘She’s already in the truck.’ And that was that. Of course, Mom was super excited when she saw me. I fit in the palm of her hand and I was, well, irresist-tubble. Me an Abby got along right away, too. She put up with the new silly puppy, even let me lick her face, which I did a lot, cuzza bein’ a puppy. An she watched over me. Stephen an Lindsay were also kinda puppies back, then, so we grew up together. Then one day, about eight years ago, it was time for Abby to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I was very sad, even though I knew she was in The Best Place Ever.”
“It’s always hard losing someone you love,” I said.
“It was. About 4 or 5 years went by an Mom was lookin’ for a Lab again.”
“I’ll tell this part,” Nellie spoke up. “She called around an finally found some puppies, picked me right out of an all-female litter of 11, if you can believe it.”
“Woof!”
“I KNOW. Well, as you probly noticed, I’m not the Cuddly, Wuddly type. I guess I can be a teeny bit grumpy on occasion. So it took me liddle while to get used to Pie.”
“But I won her over,” Pie interjected.
“That’s true. But I am ackshully a Total Daddy’ Girl. I go EVERYwhere with him, like the camp. That’s the BEST. I practice my Pawsome Retrieving Skills, an ride in Dad’s buggy.”
“She’s a total tomboy,” said Pie. “Plus, guess what? She ackshully Moos when she lies down. We call her Moo sometimes.”
“Thanks for sharing, Pieface,” Nellie retorted.
“I’m gonna tell about ME,” said Nash, all excited. “Mom an Dad weren’t looking for another dog. But one day Dad was talking to a biz-nuss man who had this real beautiful dog, a Labrador, who came from a champion line. Dad said, ‘THAT’S THE BEST DOG I EVER SAW!!’ The man said Dad could have POTL soon as she had puppies. Well, when my litter came along, Dad called Mom. An Mom said, ‘NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! WE HAVE ENOUGH!’ Dad went back a few weeks later when me an my sibs were old enough for our own homes, picked me right away and brought me home. Bing. Bang. Boom. Now, ironically, I’m pretty much Mom’s Dog. I usta go to school with her when I was liddle. She’s a TEE-chur.”
“Things always seem to work out,” I observed. “So, what’s your daily life like?”
“We get long walks. Well, mostly Me an Nellie. Pie doesn’t go that far anymore. An every day, when Mom an Dad are workin,’ Grammy Judy comes over and lets us out to Do Our Duty. She also gives us treats, but don’t tell Mom an Dad, OK? Grammy Judy’s Cool Kibbles. Me an Nellie play in the yard together. Nellie hunts lizards. Pie basks. An I play Frisbee. Watch!”
Their Mom hurled the Frisbee and Nash leapt up an snatched that Frisbee right outta the air before his paws even touched the ground. PAW-some!!
“I bet you two love to swim, right?” They were Labs, so, duh.
“Ackshully, I’m the swimmer, Nash not so much,” said Nellie.
“He even had swimmin’ lessons at the Canine Country Club. But NO. Me an Pie tell him, ‘Just jump in, for Lassie’s Sakes.’ You swim, right Bonz? You tell him.”
“I sure do,” I said, turning to Nash. “Dude, you’re a Re-TREE-ver. Re-tree-vers LOVE the water.”
“Not this one,” he said firmly.
I saw it was time to change the subject. “Any favorite foodstuffs?”
“Me an Nash love those big ’ol EARS,” said Nellie. “Phooey,” said Pie. “But we all love the scrambled eggs Dads makes on Sunday morning.”
Headin’ home, I was thinking, “That is one happy family.” For some reason, I couldn’t wait to stash my notebook an take a liddle dip in the pool.
Till next time,
The Bonz