This week I innerviewed a pooch with the coolest name EVER: Papillon Stribley! It’s not cuz she’s a Papillon breed, though. She’s a Golden Doodle. It’s cuz her French cousin said, when she runs, her long, wavy ears fly out from her head like a beautiful budderfly.
A Big, Serious Bark answered our knock. If I hadn’t known there was a Golden Doodle on the other side of the door, I wudda thought it was a Big, Serious Doberman. Actually, Papillon’s bark is her only Serious characteristic. In the fur, Papillon Stribley is frenly, gentle, an real pretty: snowy white with golden glimmers on her back, ears, elbows, tail an around her snoot an mouth.
“Come IN, Mr. Bonzo! I’m Papillon Stribley. Call me Papi. This is my Mom Margie. My Dad, Strib (I call him Pup), is wa-ay over there.” She pointed toward another room. A man waved. “He has Health Issues, so he hasta be Extra Careful.”
Me an my assistant waved back. We got settled, an Papi gently accepted a duh-li-shus turkey-an-sweet puh-tay-do treat from my assistant.
“I understand that neighborhood weight restrictions caused you to loose your first home,” I began.
“Yes,” Papi replied. “It was in Sarasota. My family had me anna Toy Poodle. When we moved, our new neighborhood had a 40-pounds-per-pooch limit, which I was over. So they kept the Poo, an surrendered me to a shelter. I was 2.”
“Woof! Soggy Dog Biscuits!”
“Totally. I was bummed,” Papi replied. “But Miss Lisa an her shelter, Tender Heart Charity Rescue, were SO KIND. I didn’t feel as if I was cast aside like an ol’ sock.”
“Thank Lassie! Then what happened?”
“Mom calls it ‘Duh-vine Inner-VEN-shun.’ I call it Doggone Good Luck. See, cuz Pup is sick, he doesn’t usually feel like doin’ anything. So his doctor said they should get a DOG to bond with Pup an ‘encourage his ack-TIV-iddy.’ Mom wanted a Golden Doodle cuz we’re Smart, Gentle an Com-PAH-shunnit. She searched On The Line for months an finally found an ad from Miss Lisa. Before she even got my pick-shur, Mom hadda fill out this 3-page-long form so Miss Lisa could be sure Mom an Pup’d be excellent pet parents. There was a CON-track an everything. Miss Lisa was Very Suh-LECK-tive. Mom an Pup hadda promise they wouldn’t give me to anybuddy else, an that they wouldn’t dye my eyelashes, anna bunch of other stuff.”
“Dye your … are you Woofin’ me?”
“Nope! It’s true. Anyway, Last October, I was scheduled for a Meet-an-Greet with another famly, who had Dibs on me. Miss Lisa said if they didn’t adopt me, Mom an Pup could. ‘I’ll let you know tomorrow,’ she told them.”
“Thank Lassie it worked out,” I exclaimed.
“The moment we met, I wanted to crawl into Pup’s lap. I KNEW they were my Forever Famly. Now, when Pup gets a liddle, well, lazy, I get a toy and drop it smack in his lap for a game of catch. He knows I won’t give up til’ he starts playin’ with me.
“I love takin’ care of Pup an Mom an our human neighbors: There’s a neighbor lady I like to visit, just to cheer her up. (Lotsa humans are gloomy and stressed these days cuzza that Soggy Dog Biscuits VIE-russ. Maybe you’ve noticed.)”
“For sure!”
“Anyway, the other day, she fell over an was layin’ there, nose down. So I lay down right next to her an put my chin on her back to protect her an help her feel Not Scared till she could get back up. She’s better now, Thank Lassie.
“I also have several pooch pals. On our morning leash walks, Mom an me usually meet up with frens. When Mom and her frens yak for a Really Long Time (’specially if you figure it in Dog Time), I just sit down in a cool spot an chill. When my neighbor’s daughter and her Lab, Buddy, visit from Oregon (which is way far That Way), we have The Best Time. I also hang out with my neighbor, Stecker, a Golden Retriever. An I meet up with my BFF, Piper, on our morning walks. She’s a mini Schnauzer and, to tell you the truth, the only time I ever pull on my leash is when I see Piper. Or a Ra-butt. I know it’s not puh-lite, but I just can’t help it.”
“I totally understand.”
“I usta catch Geckos in my paws, I didn’t hurt ’em. I was just playin,’ but I don’t think they saw it that way. One time, I peeked to see if the Gecko was still there, an he shot outta my paw so fast he ackshully left his tail behind. I guess it was buttoned on or something. Now, outta respect for a fellow creature, I don’t do that anymore.”
“A wise decision.”
“When I ride around with Pup, in my golf cart, I Totally Own the World! Every morning, I wake Mom up, then I go nudge Pup. If he’s not up by 9:15, I stand nose-to-nose with my chin on the bed an Stare Him Down. Works real well, too. When I’m not playin’, I’m usually nappin’ on Mom’s foot. I’m real protective of Mom.”
“I like your short haircut,” I observed. “It’s Super Sheek.”
“Thanks, Mr. Bonzo. Ackshully, I got into a Big Buncha of Bugs an hadda have it shaved. It freaked me out cuz its naturally much longer an wavier. Usually I prance outta the Groomer’s, but this time I slunk. It was embarrassing.”
“Not to worry, Miss Papi. It’s suh-FISTA-caded! Plus, it makes your gold places and extra-long eyelashes really Pop!”
“That is so sweet, Mr. Bonzo,” she smiled.
Headin’ home, I was thinking about the Series of Events that led to Papi and her Forever Famly finding each other. I’ve long believed that every dog, sooner or later, finds his or her Purpose. I know I did.
Till next time,
The Bonz
