Enzo and Luigi Sharp’s tail was very moving, an also funny in places, an, all in all, as is often the case, just made me feel proud to be a Fellow Dog.
Enzo’s a black cockapoo, gonna be 5 on Halloween; an Luigi’s gonna be 2-ish in November.
He’s a grayish/black mini-Golden Doodle/Poo mixture (but there’s nothin’ mini or golden about him). Both have stylish liddle white go-TEES. Luigi’s larger, an his hair is REALLY thick an fluffy, speshully around his head, like a pickshur frame, so he sorta resembles a teddy bear. A BIG teddy bear.
They were at the door with welcoming Wag-an-Sniffs.
“It’s great to meet you, Mr. Bonzo!” the smaller pooch said. “I’m Enzo an this is my liddle (well, younger) brother Luigi. An these are our humans: our Mom Sherry an her Bestie, Gramma Barbara.”
Luigi had quickly attached himself to my assistant and was poking about in The Satchel, having discerned that therein were sequestered TREATS. We got settled in the living room, treats were enjoyed, and I opened my notebook. “I know you have quite a story,” I said.
“I’m spokespooch,” Enzo declared, taking a seat between his Mom an my assistant, “an Luigi’ll tell his part, OK?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said.
“I’m ready!” said Luigi with enthusiasm.
Enzo began. “It was about 5 years ago in Ella-NOY when our future Mom’s husbun, Jacob, got very, very sick, an him an Mom knew he wasn’t going to get better. It was a very sad time. Jacob didn’t want Mom to be all alone when he hadda go to Heaven, so he came up with A Plan: He talked to Mom’s Very Good Fren Kathy, who raised puppers at Kathy’s Kountry Kennels. He knew Mom wouldn’t feel like dealin’ with a bran new untrained pupper by herself right away, so him an Kathy decided to pick the Best Pupper Ever and train him so he’d be all ready to be Mom’s com-PAN-yun. I got picked.”
“Oh, Woof!” I managed, blinking a liddle.
“Soon as I was off Mommy-milk, I started training,” Enzo continued. “I trained for 5 months! Turns out I’m a natch-rull support pupper, so, when the time came, an Miss Kathy brought me to Mom, I jumped into her lap and put my head on her shoulder. She was so afraid I’d go all Whiny Puppy; she stayed up all night waiting for me to Freak Out. I didn’t, of course and, long story short, now Mom says we’re Soulmates. Mom’s No. 1 for me. I continued my Therapy Dog training, including one whole year at Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy. Not to brag, but many trainees don’t even get through. Me an Mom have visited patients at the Chicago cancer center and, down here, the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. I even have a special parking spot. I also visit school, an liddle kids read to me. An sometimes they practice doing bandages and listenin’ to my heart with one of those funny ear thingys doctors have.”
“That is all SO Crispy Biscuits!”
“OK, lemme tell this next part,” Lorenzo innerjected.
“Go for it, kiddo,” said Enzo, an curled up by the glass sliders, maintaining a view of his Mom an the back yard (an any passing birds or squirrels).
“Well, a couple years ago (Mom an Enzo were down here by then. Miss Kathy was still raising pooches in Ella-NOY), Mom was a liddle gloomy, I guess, so Gramma Barbara an Kathy told her, ‘You need a puppy!’
“Mom said, ‘NO!!! I don’t THINK so!! Absolutely, positively NOT!’
“But Mom an Kathy really, really, really thought Mom needed a puppy an Enzo needed a liddle brother or sister. An they already had one picked out. ME!! I was a si-un-TI-FICK ex-PARA-mutt: Miss Kathy ar-duh-FISH-shully assembled me via contributions from an itsy liddle teacup poo dad, anna large Golden ree-TREE-ver mom. Pretty Cool Kibbles, doncha think?”
I nodded, an made a mental note to Google.
“Anyhow, Gramma Barbara an Miss Kathy were duh-TERMINED! So they came up with a PLOT. Gramma Barbara’d have Mom come over to her house to spend the night, an Miss Kathy an me’d drive from Illinois an suh-PRISE Mom, an Gramma Barbara would be there for the Big Reveal, also.
“So, Miss Kathy an me got all packed up an headed to Florida, an Gramma Barbara invited Mom to spend the night at her house. But Mom said ‘NO.’ Barbara said ‘PUL-EEZE!!’ Mom said ‘NO!! Why should I?’ So Barbara made up a story that made Mom feel sorry for her till she finally said ‘OK, FINE!!’ So she grabbed her PJ’s an toothbrush an Enzo an headed to Gramma Barbara’s. An all this time Miss Kathy an me were driving from Ella-NOY.
“We arrived about midnight an I woke Mom up by jumpin’ on the bed. After she got over the shock, she fell in love with me right away cuz I was an adorable pupper. But Enzo, not so much. Miss Kathy stayed about a month, to help Enzo get used to havin’ a liddle Furever Brother.”
“Well, you seem to get along great now!” I observed.
“We DO,” said Enzo. “He does have this HA-butt: Whenever I have a toy (an we’ve got, like, a zillion) HE wants it. Soon as I pick up a toy, sure ’nuff, here he comes, stands smack in front of me an just STARES till I go, ‘Oh, what the Woof,’ an drop it an he grabs it. Sheesh.”
“But the ones you choose always look SO IN-trestin,’” said Luigi.
“You’re such a doof,” said Enzo, looking at Luigi fondly.
“We also love chewin’ ANT-lurrs,” added Luigi, “AN, we always wait by the door after Doin’ our Duty, so Mom can tidy us up buh-fore we come in, because Personal HIGH-jean is Very Important!”
Enzo nodded. “Troo!”
Headin’ home, I was marvelin’ over all the ways pooches find their way into the lives of humans an really enrich them so much: makin’ ’em laugh, protectin’ ’em, helpin’ ’em not feel sad an alone, or just snugglin’.
Till next time,
