This week I had a Very Cool Kibbles time innerviewin’ West Highland White Terriers Piper an Ava, who live way north on the EYE-lin. They walk on Wabasso beach every morning an, woof, do they have some Tails to Tell.
Both pups were frenly and CORE-jull, and came right up for Wag-an-Sniffs soon as a nice lady answered our ring. I innerduced myself an my Assistant, an the larger of the two said, “We’re very egg-cited to meet you Mr. Bonzo. I’m Piper. I’m 2. This is my liddle sister Ava, she’s just 8 months. An this is our Mommy, Judy, an (Piper peeped into a room where a man was workin’ at a DESK) this is our Daddy, Marcus.”
The man looked up, smiled, said Hello an went back to workin’.
After intros, we got comf-tubble on a sofa with some of the fluffiest blankets I EVER saw.
When Piper an Ava settled in, they almost disappeared into the fluff.
Piper was Totally Pruh-pared for the innerview: Soon as I opened my notebook she began:
“Bein’ oldest, I’ll be Spokespooch an Ava’ll add stuff, too. Mommy was born in a Westie Household (that’s what we’re called – Westies). She’s ALWAYS had Westies. So, when the two she had in 2021 went to Dog Heaven, Mommy an Daddy found out it was hard to find the kinda Westie they wanted cuz humans were, like, stockpilin’ pooches during that DUH-zeese thing. So they hadda go all the way to Sweden to find the right Westie. Which was ME.
My breeder was right near where Daddy’s from, a place called Kristianstad. Isn’t that WAY Crispy Biscuits?”
“The Crispiest!” I agreed.
“So, when I was 16 weeks old, me an Daddy flew inna PLANE an Mommy met us at The Mouse airport in what’s called BAG-gudge Claim. She brought home-made dogfood for me an I ran straight to her an we gave each other kisses an then we sat by that big thing that goes around with all your stuff on it and I gobbled it All Up. Mommy still makes our dinner and we still gobble it All Up.
“An, Mr. Bonzo, guess what we did soon as we got to my new Furever Home? Daddy took me for a walk on the BEACH. It was uh-MAZE-ing. We’ve beach-walked Every Morning Ever Since. Ava, too. It’s our FAV-rite Thing To Do! Rain or Sun. Mommy says we look like Swamp Rats. But we always look pretty again when we get all Cleaned Up. Oh, an Mommy decided to name me for something about this town, so she picked Piper. I like it, don’t you?
But, cuz we’re purebreds (but not Snobnoses), we also have those looong papers names.
You’ll NEVER guess mine: It’s Lady Tuffington of Way West Piper.”
“Woof! That’s Seriously Fancy!” I observed.
“I KNOW! Right? But I never use it. It’s a liddle silly, if you ask me.”
Then Ava, almost invisible in the fluffy couch throw, piped up. “I’ll tell about me now, OK, Pie?”
“Go, Grrrl!” encouraged Piper.
“Um, well, since I’m just a pupper still, my tail’s short. I was a Valentine’s Day present for Mommy an Piper. My fancy name’s, lemme see, Ava Angel Alborada, cuz my pooch parents are Spanish, but I was born in Texas. Mommy named me Ava after a real pretty human lady named Ava GARD-ner. Pie was the Best Big Sis EVER, right away. We never like to be apart!”
“I hear you both made some intrestin’ discoveries on your beach walks a while back,” I commented.
“Oh, Woof, yes,” replied Piper. “It was just buh-fore we got Ava. We were on our usual early mornin’ walk on the beach, when I came upon this Mysterious Package in with all the seaweed. I sniffed an sniffed. Didn’t recognize the smell. WELL, Mommy really, really, really didn’t want me poking around, tearing it open, an she called the puh-LEECE. An they came an there were lots of Serious, Important-lookin’ humans on the beach with us for a while.
Then they went away and took the package. I found out later it was stuffed with what humans call COKE. That’s Very Bad Stuff that some humans sell to other humans an then they can all get put in jail. When Bad Guys try to sneak it in onna boat but it gets washed up then pooches like us sometimes find it. Ava found another package a couple weeks ago with a big number on it.”
“Yeah. It was weird,” Ava said. “Why do humans do that?”
We all just looked at each other. Who knew?
“So,” I said, movin’ on, “Tell me about your pooch pals? Favorite foodstuffs? Whaddya do for fun?”
“Well,” said Piper, “there’s Gramma Kitty and Grampa, they’re humans. Our pooch Besties are Gracie an Buzzy; food faves are sammon-with-the-skin-on an Fresh Market prime beef paddies. For fun: the beach, of course, an Jungle Trail.”
“Oooo, an I LOVE chewin’ Mommy’s shoes,” Ava chimed in. “She puts ’em high up on the counter just to see how high I can jump. My record’s 3 pairs in 8 weeks. Mommy called me Ava Mis-bee-hav-uh.”
“I don’t think Mommy considers that a game, kiddo,” Piper said, with a smile. Then to me, “I guess I should disclose that us Westies can be, well, stubborn.”
“Yep,” added Ava. “Mommy sometimes calls us donkeys.”
“You see,” continued Piper, “while most pooches live to please their humans, Westies came from the Highlands of Scotland, where our job was to get rid of VER-min. We roamed the land, made our own decisions.”
“I guess I don’t need to ask whether you wear clothes?”
“For sure, that’d be NO,” said Piper. “When we get all groomed an look beautiful, truth be told, our first instink is to go find some nice mud (or maybe something deceased) and ROLL in it. We Westies are rugged.”
Heading home, I was marveling at the full, rich, fun lives beach-lovin’ Piper an Ava were living. An makin’ a note to check with gramma about maybe getting’ some yummy sammon.
Till next time,