Bentley Burklew is a good-looking, super-cordial almost-10-year-old Golden Retriever. His sister Kiki is a high-energy, adventurous, fun-loving 1-year-old Mostly Siamese Cat, with some very pretty extra spot patterns.
I’ve observed, in blended families with a dog anna cat, sometimes they peacefully co-exist an go their own way; or they studiously avoid each other; or they compete for their humans’ attention; an sometimes they totally love each other, like Bentley an Kiki clearly do. They are each other’s BFFs.
This joyful pair live with their human, Diana (whom they call Mommy). All three were at the door to warmly welcome me an my assistant.
After the Wag-an-Sniff (Bentley), the Nose Bump-an-Sniff (Kiki), an intros, we settled in. Bentley exited for a moment and returned with a two-squirrels-inna-log stuffy, which he brought to my assistant, who laughed an friffled his ears.
“Thiff ib by FAY-brut!” Bentley said.
“I like ALL of mine,” piped up Kiki, who I observed had a very regal way of walking, with her long tail straight up. Their Mom had gathered a buncha Kiki’s toys an placed them on several levels of the most Cool Kibbles cat tree I’ve ever seen. Totally covered in leopard looking fabric, the tree took up a whole corner. It had six levels, including ramps, platforms, an two cozy liddle rooms. Kiki waited till all the toys were on the tree, then gracefully leapt onto it an climbed smoothly to the top, right up by the ceiling. As she ascended, she snatched up one toy after another an flung them off the tree until they were all back down on the floor where they started.
“I NEVER get tired of this,” she called down. “Isn’t it great? I’m Queen of the Tree!”
“Woof!” I exclaimed, “that is Way Cool Kibbles, Miss Kiki! So, who wants to start telling your stories?”
Bentley petooied his stuffy. “ME! I’m oldest. I’ve been with Mommy since I was a pupster back in 2011. Mommy was on The Line when she came across my litter, all 11 of us. We were born in South Care-uh-LINE-uh, an came here right after. Mommy definitely wanted a boy pooch. I was the smallest an was hangin’ out, all mellow an adorable. Plus, I was the only not-dopted boy. So I found my Forever Home.
“When I was a pupster, Mommy pushed me everywhere in my own stroller. I LOVED it. But, when my caboose got too big to fit, Mommy said I hadda walk. I didn’t WANNA, but Mommy said I was a Big Boy, so she retired my stroller. Our neighbors call me ‘Mayor of Sebastian’ cuz I’m so gruh-GARY-is, an they cheered when I ‘Graduated’ out of my stroller.
“After that, Me an Mommy had lots of ud-VEN-chures. I LOVE trav-lin’! I’ve been to Charleston an Su-VANA an Other Places. I’m pretty out-doorsy, too, bein’ a re-TREE-ver, an all. We go kayakin’ a lot. WAY fun.
“But I also have important work: I’m a fully trained Uh-MO-shunull Support Dog. When I put my special vest on, I’m All BIZZ-ness. I have IN-stinks that help me know when humans are feeling gloomy or scared, an I know how to comfort ’em. I visit humans at the hoss-piddle. An I visited my Gramma when she was in a place called HOSS-pice. I know she was very happy I was there. An I was, too.
“It was just me an Mommy till one day, last September …”
“ME! ME! I’m tellin’ this part,” Kiki stated loudly, leaping over Bentley. Bentley turned his attention to my Assistant’s satchel, an the duh-licious snacks therein, then munched happily while his liddle sister told her story.
“Mommy was randomly scrolling through FaceBook when my pickshur caught her eye. I’d been brought to Good Karma Rescue in South Florida. Apparently, I looked just like another cat Mommy had who had gone to Cat Heaven. With the SAME NAME even. Isn’t that Cool Catnip? It was Meant to Be, doncha think?”
“Totally!” I agreed.
“I was delivered right to the door in a lovely crate. I wasn’t scared one bit. Mommy says I was BRAVE an POISED, sittin’ in my crate like a princess, surveying my new home. An Bentley.”
“Mommy told me I was gettin’ a liddle sister,” Bentley added. “At first I was a tad, well, DOO-bee-us. But I’m a frenly sort. I went right up to the crate an said hello. I mean, there she was, after all.”
“An I loved Bentley right away!” Kiki enthused. “He’s The Best Big Brother EVER! When he comes home from work or a walk,
“I always run up an jump on him an give him kisses an we play. I bat his tennis balls an he bats ’em back.”
“I LIVE for tennis balls!” Bentley confessed, an they proceeded to demonstrate. At one point, Kiki leaped straight up. I mean, really high. An sailed right over Bentley. Wa-ay Cool Kibbles.
“Any pooch pals?”
“We leash walk with Zoey an Bud, next door, they’re Labs,” said Bentley.
“Mommy’s tryin’ to teach me to leash walk,” Kiki interjected. “But I’m not so sure it’s my Thing. Every time she puts my harness on, I topple over.”
“Yes, she does. It’s huh-LRRY-us,” said Bentley, with a big grin.
“Poo!” retorted Kiki.
“What’s your day like?”
“In the morning,” said Kiki, “we sit on the screen porch an watch the birds. An the lizards. On occasion, I get a liddle over-enthusiastic about the lizards. So Mommy hasta call a screen repair person to patch the holes. He’s gettin’ real good at it with all that practice.
“We mostly play with each other. Our neighborhood Besties are Zoey an Bud.”
Heading home, I was thinkin’ about Beckley and Kiki zoomin’ all over the house, havin’ the Best Time together. They couldn’t have been closer if they had both been cats, or dogs.
Thinkin’ that thought made me very happy.
Till next time,
