This week I innerviewed another good-size poocheroo, about one anna haff, 75 pounds.
Skeeter Mastropietro has a character-ISS-tick I see in so many of you rescue pooches who, even though you’ve gone through some really Soggy Dog Biscuits stuff, are happy an loving an eager for What’s Next. That’s what humans call Ree- ZILLY-unce.
Skeeter is a neat an shiny black-an-white terrier mixture, with a big white bib, extra-large white paws, an black ears that stick up then flop over at the top. A hansome pupper, for sure. Me an my assistant met Skeeter at his workplace, South Paw Canine Country Club, where he is the Live-In Caretaker Assistant. It’s out in the country with lotsa trees, suites for the guests, cage-free with speshull inside-outside doors, and Skeeter makes sure everything is ship shape.
We got settled on the nice porch, an Skeeter joined us soon as he finished his rounds. He came right up for the Wag-an-Sniff, a big ball of excitement with a very smiley face.
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! It’s me, Skeeter, an this is my Mom, Nicole. She’s the Head Caretaker.
My Dad’s Nicholas. An this is my Great Aunt Stacey, she’s The Boss. I saw your column with pickshurs an stuff. Is My pickshur gonna be in it, too? See, I’m wearin’ my speshull silky pink an black scarf which looks good with my fur, doncha think? Just in case.”
He did look exceedingly spruce and I told him so.
“I can’t wait to hear how you found your Furever Famly and got such a Cool Kibbles job,” I said.
Skeeter jumped onto the chair next to my assistant, then said “Oops!” an popped back down, sat and looked up at his Mom. She said “OK,” he popped back onto the chair and she gave him a treat.
“I’m still learnin’ what comes first,” he said. “I always try to watch Mom cuz I ALWAYS wanna be oh-BEE-DEE-unt. Mom says I’m Food Motivated. Like, when she says, ‘Give Paw’ and I do, I get a salmon treat. Sometimes, when I think it’s time for a treat and she doesn’t say ‘Give Paw,’ I bop her hand to remind her.
“Anyway, near as I can remember, I think it was last Feb-you-wary, I was livin’ inna big ol’ metal sorta box in Vero Beach, it’s called a DUMM-ster. The Animal Control humans scooped me up an brought me to the Humane Society. I was a skinny, hungry mess but, when they got me all tidied up an ready for adop-shun, I was pretty cute, I guess. An I did get adopted. Two times. An both times I got returned.”
“Woof! Why, Skeeter?” I asked.
“I think it was cuz I was just Too Much Dog. I chewed pretty much Everything! An I bounced a lot. I was so happy to have food an water anna safe place to sleep an stuff. I just couldn’t HELP myself. But, I didn’t get along with fellow pooches back then, probly cuzza livin’ on the streets an havin’ to defend my space an whatever I found to eat.”
“Oh, Skeeter. That sounds awful,” I sympathized.
“It was. I was wonderin’ If I’d end up back inna DUMM-ster. But then, guess what? Mom had always hadda dog but she didn’t just then. An when she got the job of being Caretaker here she decided she really needed a pooch pal and the Humane Society had Just The Dog For Her. We met each other there in Feb-you-wary an That Was That. I was still A Lotta Dog but Mom knew what to do. Now I’m Way Better. I love learnin’ stuff an I found out I’m ackshilly pretty smart. Who Knew? The only thing I still have trubble with sometimes is diggin’ in trash cans. But I’m getting’ Much Better. I’m learnin’ what’s mine and what’s not. Now I only (mostly) chew my antler an my bully stick.
“An now, workin’ here, I get along great with the guests. I get tons of exercise runnin’ with the big dogs. Mom says I must have some Cat in me, or maybe a bunny, or a guh-zelle, cuz I bounce when I run. I don’t even know what the Woof a guh-zelle IS.
“Anyway,” Skeeter lowered his voice, “just between us, Mr. Bonzo, I guess I’m what you’d call a Ladies’ Dog. There’s Miss Lucy, she’s a Boxer. Oh, an yesterday I met this Totally Cool Kibbles liddle terrier mix: She looked So Much Like Me, see!” (He showed me a pickshur of the two of them an they totally did look alike.)
“Her name’s Harlee. She was here for spa day. She was Soo-oo cute. I sure do hope she comes back.”
I resisted the urge, as a dedicated bachelor, to pass along some words of wisdom, an instead asked, “Whaddya like to do when you’re off work?”
“Well, I really enjoy Nappin’. Bein’ safe an secure an just plain ol’ Nappin’. Yep.
“Also, Me an Mom an Dad love trail hikin’ and kayakin’. We explore cool kibbles woodsy trails an jungle-y rivers. I DON’T, however, SWIM. I do NOT like ackshully goin’ IN the water. (I’m not a bath fan, either.) I just sit in the kayak an observe NAY-chur with Mom an Dad. An admire the birds. Never chase ’em. It’s so peaceful.
“At night, that’s the time for snugglin’. I sleep with Mom, of course. An I hafta be UNDER the covers. I mean, I can’t go to sleep unless I am. An I usually slurp for a while on the edges of my blanket before I fall asleep, probly cuz I didn’t get to stay with my pooch mama long enough. When Dad’s home, I am a Total Daddy’s Boy. I’m so lucky to have my own Furever Famly, Mr. Bonzo!”
Headin’ home, I was picturin’ charmin’ Skeeter all spruce in his pink scarf, an so happy to have a Mom anna Dad, a fluffy, snuggly blanket, an salmon treats. I smiled at the thought.
Till next time,
