I hit it off with Greta Dietrich right away, like she was my liddle sister or somethin’.
When me an my assistant arrived at her house, Greta was already in The Back with my phu-TAH-graffur. SHE was bouncin’ an playin’ an HE was tryin’ to get some Shots, which he finely did. Greta is a beau-di-ful Yellow Lab, goin’ on 9.
“Good afternoon, Miss Greta,” I said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in The Fur. I enjoyed your beach twirling video.”
She approached with a small laugh, “Oh, yes, well, I do love the beach so much, specially playin’ ball ON the beach, I just get all twirly.”
Following the Wag-an-Sniff, she said, “This is my Dad Karl. My Mom Barb is elsewhere. Let’s go inside where it’s cooler.”
When we got settled in, Greta began nose bumpin’ my assistant inna frenly way, an pokin’ about in The Satchel, having discerned the duh-lish-shus yoghurt-an-apple snacks therein. With permission, she enjoyed one.
“That was yum,” she said. “So now what? I never did an innerview.”
“Simple! Just tell me how you found your Furever famly; what your daily life’s like; pooch pals; fave things, stuff like that, an I’ll write it down right here in my notebook.”
“That sounds fun. OK. Here I go. It was back when the famly’s other Lab Maui went to Dog Heaven: My human brother an sister Karson and Courtney wanted another pooch but Mom an Dad sorta didn’t. I think it was mostly cuzza that human thing where the liddle humans say they’re Absolutely Gonna Take Care of the Pooch, but the mom an dad end up ackshully doin’ it. Anyway, none of ’em really wanted to be dog-less. They came across my Irresistubble Puppy Portrait on line, an drove to Palm Beach to get me. I was a shy, scared, 8-week-old fluffball, but I uh-MEDIATELY got so much love an snuggles that, by the time I got to my Furever Home, we all realized how lucky we were to have each other.
“Dad says that the next Sunday in church, the PASS-ter (that’s the human who stands in front an talks about Very Important Human Things) talked about GRATI-tude (which means being GREAT-ful for something) so they decide to name me Greta. Isn’t that So Cool Kibbles?”
“Totally!” I agreed.
“I don’t wanna brag, but onetime, a few years ago, I think I helped a fellow creature. I hope I did. Cuzza my instinks, I was over atta neighbor’s house by the beach barkin’ an barkin’ an wouldn’t quit, wouldn’t move, which was totally not like me. My Dad came over an discovered there was a big turtle who had got stuck under the house packing the sand up against the sides and couldn’t get out. Dad an my brother anna fren dug an dug the sand, real careful to not touch the turtle an I didn’t either cuz you’re totally not s’pose to. Finally there was enuf room for it to move an it wiggled out an went back into the ocean. That made me feel happy.”
“Thank you for sharin,’ Miss Greta,” I said.
“In our pooch frenly neighborhood, Mom an Dad ride their bikes an I run with ’em. Walkin’s too slow. We live right by the beach, so me an Dad go for a morning, well, it’s called a WALK, but like I said. Anyway, we go every morning at 6, rain or shine. (But NOT thunder. THEN I’m under the bed.) I LOVE when it’s SHINE, cuz I meet my pooch pals: Tuny, Oscar, Kiwi, Bennie, Chloe, Magic an Midnight, an Bella.
“My FAVE beach activity is ROCK SKIPPIN’! I find a nice, flat rock an Dad skips it out into the wadder. THEN I splash out an feel around with my paw under the wadder, FIND it, an dive down an re-TREEVE it. THEN I bring it back, dig a big hole an bury it.
Then I find another nice flat rock. Keep doin’ it till I fall over in a heap. Then I go home for a lovely nap. Dad always fills the holes back in for me. After I rest up an Dad does some work in his office, we go for an afternoon walk.
“My just-around-the-corner Bestie is Briar, a Lab like me, only black. Her Grampa Buzz an my Dad work in the same office. She’s the office mascot an I’m the backup.
“Another Cool Kibbles human is Joey the UPS Guy: He has treets (an occasionally I climb into his Crispy Biscuits truck). Sometimes Bella an her humans come over for dinner or we go over there. The humans sit around an laugh a lot. I like goin’ over to Bella’s cuz her Dad has treets in his pocket an her Mom always gives us a duh-LISH-us frozen Frosty Paw.
“I also enjoy WADDERmelon. An (she leaned in, lowering her voice) don’t tell anyone, but my most favrite treet is – TOAST. It’s just buh-tween me an Dad. When he’s havin’ his breck-fust he makes me a liddle piece of toast. With (she whispered even softer) just a teeny liddle plop of jelly. SCRUMP-shus!
“Also,” she smoothly segued, “we have lotsa bunnies in the hood. I usta chase ’em but they’re SO fast, faster than ME, if you can buh-leeve it. ’Cept my bunny stuffy. It’s my fave.
“Oh, Mr. Bonzo, I am so fortunate. Each night, I sleep in one of my many beds, I have one in each room, an a splendid crate in Dad’s office. Or, if it’s a warm night, I chose the nice, cool tile. I must say, you’re a very good LISS-ner. I haven’t been at all nervous yappin’ with you. Like I’d pick-shur a big brother, you know?”
“Thank you, Miss Greta,” I replied, smilin’ to myself, “I believe I do.”
Headin’ home, I was still smilin’, thinkin’ about happily unexpected connections between fellow creatures. An also about the possibility of persuading my Gramma to buy a Frosty Paw for me to try.
Till next time,
