If ever a pup was Ready for his Close-Up it’s Cosmo Vincent, a perfickly perfick Cock-a-poo with tight liddle coppery-gold curls nose-to-caboose, big fluffy tail, ear-ree-ZISS-tubble brown puppy eyes anna per-PET-chew-ell expression that says, “Oh, BOY! Oh BOY! What’s NEXT? I’m READY!”
Only 18 months old, Cosmo is still a liddle jumpy-uppy, overflowing with joy, eagerness an zwah-duh-VEE. I wasn’t surprised cuz I remembered him from the Sea Oaks Parade of Champions where he was named Most Congenial.
In addition, he’s already learning manners: After obtaining permission, my assistant produced a treat from The Satchel and said Sit (as instructed). Cosmo promptly Sat. An he didn’t Grab! I was impressed.
He bounded right up for the Wag-an-Sniff, an did a nice job introducing his Mom, Linda, an Dad, Alan. We got comf-tubble in a sunny room with lotsa windows an fluffy chairs, an Cosmo jumped onto the back of one an plopped down, where he hadda great view of trees, a sidewalk an human an pooch passers-by. As he told his story, he’d occasionally paws to bark a neighborly hellooo.
“This is my favrite view. Isn’t it PAWSOME?”
“It’s GRAND!” I agreed, opening my notebook. “I can’t wait to hear your story.”
“My pooch pal Tess Potato told me what to do, so I’m all ready: Mom an Dad had a pooch pre-me, a BEE-jon something-I-can’t-pruh-nounce named Bo, for a Really Long Time, 13 people years, then he hadda go to Dog Heaven. Mom-an-Dad were ruh-ferred to a breeder way up someplace cold called MISH-again, who hadda new litter (mine). They studied all our pickshurs an vid-E-O’s On The Line an picked ME. I hadda red collar. Maybe that was why. I dunno. Anyway. A lady from there got me all ready soon as I was 8 weeks old, an put me inna box (it was just my size, I was only 4 pounds) an we were gonna fly from MISH-again to MELL-burn an meet my new Mom-an-Dad. But, there was this Very Big Storm so the big loud bird thingy, um, PLANE, hadda go to at-LAN-ta, an then to MOUSE town an that’s where Mom-an-Dad finally picked me up. It was a verrry looong day. I sat in the lady’s lap most of the time we were flyin’ an waitin,’ an I was VERY GOOD, but really sleepy an pooped by the time I met Mom an Dad in Baggage Claim. The lady handed me to them, an I’m preddy sure I napped all the way here. I’ve been good on car rides ever since.”
“Woof, Cosmo, that’s quite an unusual start to your Furever Famly Life!”
“I KNOW! Mom an Dad probly thought I was gonna be a calm, quiet pupper. Ackshully that was the last time I ever WAS that quiet, soon as I got used to my new home. An they’re fine with that. Mom fixed me a Cool Kibbles play pen for my first few months. Then I started jumpin’ outta it an that was the end of that. I don’t know if you noticed, but I have LOTS of energy.”
“I DID notice that, Cosmo,” I smiled.
“I really love jumpin,’” he said, jumpin’ down to woof at something unseen in the front yard, then jumpin’ back to his sofa perch, “so I don’t always remember when it’s OK an when it’s NOT OK to jump,jump,jump. I never chewed furniture or shoes. I did like to munch dryer sheets for a while. I’ve never been to the beach, but I’ve been on car rides to upstate New York. An I still need a training collar cuz I get all eager an PULL, which is Not Appropriate.
“Every day Mom takes me for a run. She has a bike thingy an I run beside her On Leash. We also do lotsa regular walks. Plus, I really love playin’ CATCH, which I’m Super Good at. Watch!”
Cosmo jumped down an his Mom produced a sturdy chartreuse ball with on-purpose holes in it an tossed it up an Cosmo jumped and caught it. He did so as long as she threw it.
Then he brought the soggy green orb to my assistant who threw it, but not quite as skillfully as Cosmo’s Mom, but Cosmo caught those, too. After Sitting for a couple more snacks, he jumped back onto his lookout spot.
“I know you have lotsa pooch pals,” I said.
“Oh, woof, yes! Lots! There’s Lucie. She’s a Dachshund. If you remember, she won the Shortest Legs Award in the Parade of Champions. When we first met I was her size. Now I’m wa-ay bigger: 22 pounds! Then there’s Lady, she’s a Golden Re-TREE-ver. We call her The Queen. I’m just a whipper-snapper to her. And Gia, she’s a Cock-a-poo like me, an so is Tigger. Since lotsa our humans love playin’ that game where they bop a fuzzy ball back an forth – an we’re Absolutely Not S’pose To Fetch It Under Any Circumstances when they’re doin’ it (even tho it’s the perfect size) – there is a designated place they named The Dog Pound up in those funny piled-up long seat thingys called BLEE-churs where us pooches can sit an watch. Sometimes we laugh. I don’t think they notice. Don’t tell, OK?”
“Never!” I replied. “So, what’s you day like?”
“I usta sleep with Mom an Dad. But now I sleep inna comfy bed Mom made for me. In the morning, Mom gets my breakfast. Then she has her coffee, then we go for a walk or a bike ride/run.
“Then it’s play time. By myself or with my pooch pals. Or I watch the lizards an squirrels runnin’ around outside my window. Those squirrels make me a liddle nuts. I sometimes think it’s their JOB!”
Heading home, I was thinkin’ about energetic, charming Cosmo, an rememberin’ my own Puppy days fondly, but also feeling glad I had my conf-tubble easy chair an duhlishus evening dish of yoghurt an my gramma an grampa to come home to after a long day at the office.
Till next time,
