I got to meet a totally cute liddle grrrl poocheroo, Irie (EYE-ree) Rivera, who’s a 6-years-old Pug – that’s the Chinese breed that looks like a tidy liddle loaf of bread. (A loaf of bread with very good poss-chur.)
Pugs come in two color choices, black an fawn (which is a real pretty cream color; that’s what Irie is). An they have that udderly sweet an huh-LARRY-us squishy black face, with itsy triangle ears; an bright, dark, round, boogly eyes; anna pup-petual expression of intense interest at rest that can burst instantly into a huge face-consuming smile, often punk-chew-waited by a pink tongue.
Frenly an welcoming, Irie trotted right up for the Wag-an-Sniff, an we exchanged greetings.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bonzo. SUCH a pleasure. This is Mommy Susie, my Sidekick,” Irie said, bumping the hand of a smiling lady standing beside her.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Miss Irie,” I replied. “I understand you’ve only just arrived.”
“That’s true. Let’s go sit in the Florida Room an I’ll tell you my tail.”
Irie led the way; we got settled; my assistant provided Irie with a size-appropriate snack from The Satchel; I opened my notebook.
Nearby was Irie’s favorite 2-feet-by-4-feet soft-sided crate; stuffed partly in it an partly out, trailing across the room, was a HUGE comforter, like for Irie’s mommy’s queen bed. As we were gettin’ situated, Irie grabbed a corner of the comforter and dragged it, with crate trailing behind, to her mommy’s chair. She jumped into her Mommy’s lap, the comforter half-in-half-out of the crate and a large corner of it in her mouth. During the innerview, when not talkin’, Irie contentedly munched on it. I tried not to stare, but it was curious an, well, kinda hilarious.
“I am, of course, a purebred Pug – just mentioning that for the record, I’m no Snobnose (ackshully, I call myself a Smushnose).” She giggled at her joke.
“Cool Kibbles,” I thought to myself, smiling.
“Anyway, I was born in Pencil-VANE-yuh. My famly was great, but super busy, an they just couldn’t give me the attention I needed. An us Pugs are VERY so-shull and need lots of attention from humans and other animals or we get all gloomy. So another family member, Mommy Susie, rescued me an brought me here. Now we’re BFFs. I’ve only been here for a coupla months.”
“Woof, Miss Irie, Florida must be Wa-ay different from Pencil-VANE-yuh. I mean, isn’t it, like, COLD up there a lot?”
“Well, it IS DIFF-rent. Me an Mommy Susie came down in Her CAR. I was in the back inna comfy crate. We stopped every 3-to-4 hours so I could do my duty. It kept gettin’ warmer an warmer. An then, when we got HERE, I was like, ‘Hey, what the woof? Where’d the cold go?’
But down here’s grrreat. There’s all these yards! An GRASS! Grass is Cool Kibbles! I’m already makin’ Frens! There’s Philly, an Daisy, they’re NAY-bers. An, when I go to Miss Sharon’s, I hang out with Cookie. He’s a ranch pooch. Ackshully, Mr. Bonzo, I wish he’d be my boyfren, but he’s a loner. Oh, well.”
“I hear you,” I sympathized. “There was this Sheltie … Anyhow, have you had any advenshurs yet?”
“Woof, YES! Me an Mommy Susie just got back from what she calls CAM-ping, inna big place with water an plants an trees and paths an stuff, called the Suh-VAN-nahs! It was Totally Crispy Biscuits! All the SMELLS! An the BIRDS! I’d never done CAM-ping before. It was GREAT! I totally LOVED it!”
“I’ve heard of that,” I said. “Sounds Cool Kibbles!”
“Also, I get at least three walks every day. An here at home, I like to just sit outside an chill.
There are a LOTTA squirrels cuzza all the trees. Most dogs go a liddle nuts about squirrels but I’m mostly just meh. I mean, you can’t catch ’em. They’re way fast. An if you ever DID, for Lassie’s Sake, what in the Woof would you DO? You’d hafta pee-tooie ’em out right away, an you’d have fluff-mouth an you’d hafta apologize cuzza getting’ um all slobbery.”
“Good point,” I hastily agreed.
“Me an Mommy Susie go for lotsa walks in the Dog Park. An I watch the liddle kids play.
They usually come over to me an give me pats an play with me. I love attention, I must admit.
“When I was younger, I could play fetch/return for hours. An I ALWAYS did the return part.
Now I’m only good for about 15 minutes. But I still get the Zoomies. Do you ever get the Zoomies? I don’t know why. It’s just, alluva sudden I just get this URGE to go roarin’ all over the house as fast as possible For Absolutely No Reason Whatsoever. It’s weird.”
“Well,” I replied, “I haven’t personally experienced The Zoomies, but I think lotsa dogs – cats too – HAVE, and from what I hear, it hass to do with havin’ extra energy an bein’ Really, Really Happy. So, I say, Zoom On! Any favrite foodstuffs?”
“I haff to admit I’m a liddle picky. Mommy Susie makes me chiggen breast an turkey burger an puts punn-kin on it, which I think I like. Oooh, an I also like some veg-tubbles she’s tryin’ out on me. Speshully WADDERmelon. An carrots. The jury’s still out on green beans. I like ’em better when they’re crispy, not smooshy.
“The best thing, Mr. Bonzo, is snugglin’ with Mommy Susie. I get to sleep with her, even though I snore. (Then she gives me a gentle tap.) She even bought me speshull stairs so I could reach the bed. She gives me lots of love an tummy rubs an I always make sure she’s Never Alone.”
Headin’ home, I was thinkin’ about Miss Irie with her adorable smushy face, an the joy an companionship she shares with her sidekick, Mommy Susie. An remindin’ myself to ask my Gramma if we perchance have any WADDERmelon.
Till next time,