Even though this week’s innerview-ee is a PURE-bread, he’s the farthest thing from a Snobnose. Wait till you hear his story.
He’s a jaunty lookin’ Mini-Schnauzer with this Cool Kibbles name – Coupe DeVille Luongo (Cooper for short). He greeted me an my assistant with some welcoming barks, then pranced up for the Wag-an-Sniff. (Cooper is an extremely adept prancer). With Cooper was a very small gray-an-white fluffball, bouncin’ all over the place; anna much bigger white pooch, who held back sorta shyly. Wag-n-Sniffs concluded, Cooper introduced his family.
“Meet my Mom an Dad, Linda an Steve; this liddle whirlwind (the gray-an-white fluffball) is my older brother Frankie, a Shih Tzu; an this big drink of water is my younger brother CJ, he’s an English Cream Golden Re-TREE-ver. My human sister an brother, Paige an Colby, are Elsewhere. They’re TEENagers.”
“Pleased to meet you all,” I said, as Frankie continued to bounce. CJ ambled over to my assistant, a floppy reindeer toy clutched in his mouth, apparently hopeful for a liddle game of Tug. My assistant obliged, then friffled CJ’s ears.
We settled in around a table, an I suggested Cooper begin with his own backstory, then maybe share a bit about his obviously happy life with his big, loving Forever Famly. I opened my notebook.
“I’m 8 now,” Cooper began, a sorta faraway look in his eyes. “I was born in Georgia, an remained with my Very Kind Breeder. Soon as I stopped being a puppy, I became a Stud Dog. I learned from a fellow pooch who had been one before he retired that it’s sorta like bein’ a puppydaddy, except you don’t see your puppies or get to know the puppymommy.”
“I’ve heard of that,” I commented.
“Yeah, I usta wonder what it’d be like, havin’ a famly. Anyway, when I was through bein’ a Stud Dog, about 2-anna-haff years ago, I needed a Forever Famly. Meanwhile, a nice lady here in Vero was lookin’ for a dog companion.
She an her huz-bun were Older, like me, an didn’t want a ram-BUNK-shus pupper, so, when they saw my pickshur an bio On The Line, she decided I was The Pooch for Them. I called her Mama Sue. She’s the one who gave me my cool name: Coupe DeVille. (I honestly don’t recall my other name.) I had a lovely, quiet life, keeping them compny. We lived on the island an traveled a lot till Mama Sue’s hus-bun couldn’t do stuff. Then he hadda go to Heaven. So Mama Sue decided to find a Responsible Pet Sitter for me, in case she got sick or something, an that’s how she found my future Forever Mom.”
“How?” I asked.
“My Forever Mom LOVES animals so much she has a pet-sitting business called Happy Paws, which Mama Sue called. I ackshully came here to this very house to meet everyone, for about 4 hours, to see if we were come-PATubble, just in case. I got along great with Frankie, CJ an the cats …”
“Cats?” I interrupted.
“Oh, yeah, Kalisi an Koah. They’re around here somewhere. I admit, I was a tad stand-offish an aloof with Mom an Dad, but still puh-lite. I remained with Mama Sue until one day, about nine months ago, my Forever Mom got a call that Mama Sue wouldn’t be able to take care of me anymore an asked whether I could return here permanently. I was sad cuz I loved Mama Sue, an my Forever Mom wasn’t thrilled either. But she said OK. So I came back here, a liddle nervous, I don’t mind sayin’.
“Honestly, Bonz, I was really lookin’ forward to being with Frankie an CJ an the cats. Mom an Dad, I wasn’t quite so sure. But I knew it’d been a Big Decision for Mom, an I ree-lized I was One Lucky Dog to be getting a Loving Forever Home. So, then an there, I decided I was gonna be the Best Pooch I Could Possibly BE – for Mama Sue AN my new Forever Famly.”
I wiped my eyes with my paw. “How’s it been?” I managed.
“Wonderful! I’ve become a Total Mama’s Boy. I was a liddle shy with Dad at first but now we’re Buds. We cuddle an play an I love it when he friffles my face. Watch!”
He ran over to his Dad on the couch, an, as stated, received lots of friffles an snuggles. I did note that, from time to time during our conversation, Cooper’d zip over to his Mom, position himself smack in front of her, almost nose to nose, an gaze into her eyes. Then he’d zip back an continue his narrative.
Yep. A Total Mama’s Boy. “Your homelife seems lotsa fun,” I observed.
“Totally. We run around an play, mostly with each other. We hit the Dog Park every week. Way fun! I go in the Big Dog side. I tried the Little Dog side once an this Little Mop Dog (no offense to other liddle dogs) ackshully chased me cuz I was tryin’ to be frenly with his Mom. I mean, seriously?
“A couple of my most favrite things are my Recliner. I LOVE it So Much. It’s got three big, fluffy blankets. I don’t mind sharin’ some stuff, but NOT My Recliner!”
“We are ALL Totally Aware of that,” CJ grinned.
“Ab-so-LOOT-ly,” chimed in Frankie.
“And what’s your other favrite thing?” I quickly asked.
“LETTUCE!”
Before I could respond, Frankie said, “MY favrite things are my sloth an my alligator.”
“Mine’s MOM!” CJ proclaimed.
Heading home, I was ponderin’ the various ways us pooches find our Forever Famlies, an it’s not always a straight route: Like, Cooper was a single Stud Dog; then a low key Island Dog companion, until he found his way to his big, joyful, multiple pet Forever Famly. Don’t you just love that? I was also thinkin’ about lettuce. LETTUCE?
Till next time,