You know an I know – all of us dogs just KNOW – that we have a PUR-pose. Sometimes our humans unnerstand it, sometimes they don’t. But WE always do. Am I right?
Anyway, I mention it cuz this week’s innerview-ee, Lulu Sandzen, says she knew what her purpose was when she was only a teensy pupper.
Lulu is a bee-ooty-ful Havanese, 8 anna haff pounds, with white an silvery black wavy hair, kuh-waffed Just So. I was astonished to learn she was 10, cuzz she was SO wiggly an energetic an totally loves to give Slurpy Puppy Kisses, which co-in-ci-DENTAL-ee are one of my assistant’s Favrite Things.
A nice lady welcomed us an Lulu wiggled right up for the Wag-an-Sniff, then wiggled over to my assistant. “I’m Lulu an this is my Mom, Pam. I know you’re Mr. Bonzo cuz my Mom an my fren Oliver’s Mom are frens an Oliver was in your coll-um an he thought I could maybe be too, so he woofmailed you an WAH-LAA! Isn’t it SO Cool Kibbles?”
“Totally!” I agreed. “Oliver sent your phodo, too. It’s great meetin’ you in the fur. I know you have a wonderful tail about how you an your Forever Mom got together, an I’m eager to hear it.”
Lulu curled up next to my assistant, dispensed a couple more kisses, an began.
“Mom an her buh-loved hus-bun were together for a long time, then he hadda go to Heaven an she was Sad. Altho the house was the same, it seemed Empty. A fren told Mom she needed a dog to love, so Mom started lookin’ around and found a person in Sebastian who hadda litter of Havaneses (which happened to be the one I was in). Even tho I was bran new an didn’t know fluff about anything, I hadda feelin’ I had some sorta of Speshull Purpose. But I was 6 weeks old and not even 1 pound. It was kinda weird.”
As Lulu told her tail, I smiled, because I completely understood what she was saying.
“Well,” she continued, “Mom arrived, an all us puppies were bouncin’ an squeakin’ and bein’ adorable, an ex-ooding that New Puppy Smell. She was pickin’ us up one by one, an when she picked me up (I was just a tiny lump in her hand), we just stared into each other’s faces for the longest time. I wasn’t bein’ rude or anythin’. It had just dawned on me that She was my Purpose.
I knew it. She knew it. The lady who owned us knew it, too. She said to Mom, ‘Wow. That’s amazin’. I never saw anything like that, before. That’s your puppy!’”
“Oh, for Lassie’s Sake,” I managed. “That’s a wonderful story, Lulu! So, what’s your life been like?”
“It’s just us grrrls, me an Mom. It’s perfect! I love travelin’ with Mom. We go inna car or in one of those big birds called a plane. I’m a Free-quent Flyer. One time I schooched outta my under-the-seat carrier an sneaked up to the seat in front. The man who was sittin’ there put me on his lap an patted me for a while. Then he finally handed me back to Mom. She didn’t even know I had wiggled away.
“I love car ridin’, too! Me an Mom have driven to, lemme think, umm, Tennis-SEE; TEX-us; South Cara-LINE-uh; Lou-weezie-ANNA; West Ver-GIN-ya; GEORGE-uh.
“Me an Mom go to the Citron Grill for lunch. We sit outside an I am TRAY well-buh-haved. I sit quietly an just gaze around lookin’ adorable. Everyone wants to pat me. No offense, but generally speaking, I prefer humans to pooches. When I overhear ’em on the phone tellin’ Mom they’re comin’ over, I rush to the door to wait.
“I do not enjoy walkin’ in the grass or gettin’ my paws wet so Mom has an umbrella just in case.
I’m also not fond of baths, however, I very, VERY much enjoy Spa Day.”
“Do you have any other family members? Any pooch frens?” I inquired.
“Oh, YES! My brother Burnett lives in Austin; an my sister Carolyn lives in Chattanooga. My pooch BFF is Madison, she’s a Bichon Frise. We met when she was just a pupper, about 3 months old.
“It was something like 6 years ago an there was this hurry-cane and Madison an her Mom Miss Audry didn’t have any electricidy so they stayed with me an Mom for a liddle while. Altho she was just a pupper, Madison was Very Well buh-HAVED in un-fuh-MILL-yer SIR-come-stances, an always used the P-pad! Now we stay at each other’s houses when our Moms hafta go someplace without us.”
“Where do you sleep? An, do you have any favritre toys?” I inquired.
“Bedtime’s my favrite time of all!” Lulu said. “When I’m sleepy, me an Mom get cozy an I drift off while she studies lotsa intrestin’ stuff for her job at the museum. She’s what’s called a DOE-sent.”
“A what?”
“It’s a human who guides other humans around a museum or art gallery or a zoo even, an explains everything that’s there!”
“Woof! That’s way Crispy Biscuits! So they hafta to know a lotta stuff!”
“Troo! My Mom’s a-MAZE-zing! Oliver’s Mom’s a DOE-sent, too!”
“Any favrite toys?” I wondered.
“Well,” she smiled, “I do have quite a number of toys but, to tell the truth, I mostly play with my fluffy dog bed, which I don’t sleep in cuz I sleep with Mom, of course.”
With that, she ran behind a chair an emerged dragging (an practically hidden behind) a fluffy dog bed about the same size as her. She flung it about. It landed on top of her. She landed on top of it.
She was in it. She was half in, haff out. She was rollin’ around in it. She was draggin’ it. It was hilarious. At last she extricated herself from the fluff and trotted back.
Headin’ home, I was thinkin’ about charmin’, energetic Miss Lulu, filled with joy and wiggles and totally committed to fulfilling her Purpose as a Dog: showering her Mom with unconditional love and unending slurpy kisses.
Till next time,
