Peanut Millie Webb is the sorta poocheroo who makes you feel energized an happy just bein’ around her, whether you’re a fellow pooch or a human (as my assistant will attest).
Millie’s a Welsh Terrier, with a super cute underbite an LOTS of curls: gold on her head an legs, an black around her middle. PLUS, her breed has HAIR, not fur, so she doesn’t shed.
She came to the door sportin’ an orange-an-white bandana, her curly hair mostly short, then longer and fluffier around paws and face. TRAY stylish!
Millie greeted my assistant with enthusiastic bounces and slurps, then bounced over to me for the Wag-an-Sniff.
“HI, Mr. Bonzo! I’m Millie Webb! I’m 6! Well, I’m GONNA be 6 in no-VEM-ber! Are you gonna take my PIC-shur? I’m all brushed an spiffed UP! THIS is my MOM, Brianna! An THIS is my Dad, Egis!”
“It’s a great pleasure to meet you all, Miss Millie! An YES, our pho-dog-grapher will definitely take your PIC-shur!”
“YAY!” Millie replied. “Let’s go sit out on the pool padio!”
She snuggled right nex to my assistant, upon whom she buh-stowed additional kisses an slurps, an also helpfully aided in retrieving duhlishus bacon snacks from The Satchel.
“I’m all ready to hear your tail,” I said, opening my notebook.
“JUBB-suh MIN-ub!” Millie said as she swallowed the final morsal, then began her tail.
“OK, so, buh-for me, Mom was livin’ in Pencil-vain-ya an hadda Welsh Terrier named Scotch.
Then, when Mom had to be away, Scotch went to live with Mom’s Mom an Dad: Sheshe an CaPaw.
“Then, later, when Mom was livin’ in Cin-Cin-natty, o-HI-o, she realized she missed havin’ a pupper. She really wanted a Welsh Terrier like Scotch, so she started lookin’ On Line, an found ME. Me an my litter were in Muh-ZOO-ree, an soon as Mom saw my puppy pickshur (I was 8 weeks old an irresistible) no surprise, she was like ‘That’s MY dog!’ So Sheshe drove down to pick me up am bring me to Mom.
“I loved Mom right away, an my cozy new home, too. Mom decided to name me Millie. She said it was just cuz I looked like a Millie. Anyway, I had got my Furever Mom in JAN-you-wary, Twenny-Twenny, right buh-fore that Bad Duh-ZEES, COVID, started an the humans hadda stay home an wear masks and not go to work. Remember that?”
“Sure do.”
“Anyway,” Millie continued, “Altho it was a BUMMER for the humans, for us pooches, it was pretty Cool Kibbles: Mom hadda group of 7 NAY-ber-hood frens, who called themselves ‘The Dog Crew’ cuz they all had puppies during COVID. We’d all get together, an we had So Much FUN, puppers AN humans.
“When Mom finally got back to work (she’s a DEN-ist an she helps humans keep their teeth all tidy an healthy) anyway, when she was workin’, I got to go to Doggy Day Care, or have Dog Walkers. Pretty fun, ackshully.
“Then, in Twenny-Twenny-One, Mom got a new job, an we moved to here. An THAT’S when we met DAD. He’s the BEST. He WAS a Cat Guy, but he’s adjusted. I haffta admit I might have been a tiny bit of a challenge cuz I was kinda, well, HY-per back then. Now I think of myself as Very Athletic.
“An, woof do we have ad-VEN-churs! Dad’s what’s called a naval ARK-uh-teck, so now, goin’ out in the boat is one of my favrite things: the wind in my ears, all the cool smells. I sometimes pretend I’m a PIE-rat Queen!”
“You must like to swim, then,” I said.
“Ackshully, altho I AM a good swimmer, I’m kinda meh about it. The sprinkler, well, that’s a different thing. THAT is FUN! Then I do Laps to dry off. Whenever I get VERY, VERY WET, Dad says he almost has to use a leaf blower to dry me off cuzza my Very Thick coat. I’m pretty sure he’s kiddin’, tho.
“I am also very en-thuzzy-astic about Car Rides. I rode all the way from o-HI-o to here an didn’t Toss my Kibbles once! I speshully like that New Car Smell. Or just any car smell, ackshully. I sometimes visit the nay-bers an puh-lightly walk circles around their cars an sniff ’em. I also look forward to Trash Collec-shun Day: LOTS of Cool Smells outside then.”
I nodded. “I can see where there would be.”
“I like most all fellow dogs,” she continued. “My BFF is Izzy, a Tray Cool Kibbles French Bulldog anna Snowbirddog. HIS Mom an MY Mom are Besties, too. My other pooch pals are Scotch and Rudy, up in Indy-anna with Sheshe an Capaw.
“When Mom an Dad hafta go somewhere without me, it’s Crispy Biscuits with me cuz then I get to stay with Mrs. Kathy an Mr. Greg. I totally love them! It’s like my second home. Plus,” (She lowered her voice) “their dog Sterling’s my Boy Fren.”
“Cool Kibbles, Miss Millie,” I said. “So, lemme see, how ’bout favrite foodstuffs, toys? Where do you sleep?”
“Since I’m what Mom an Dad call Food Driven, I get my kibbles in a speshul Puzzle Dish, so I can’t slurp it up in, like, 5 seconds. I also like Wader Cookies.
“My totally favrite toy WAS my (recently deceased) Stuffy Taco. But I still have THIS.” Millie poked around under a chair an emerged with an obviously much-loved-but-still-intact Stuffy Soda Can.
“Probly my Very Favrite is my Skip Ball Disc.” She zipped off.
“Your what?” I asked.
Returning with a small, flat, squishy looking fabric disc, Millie explained. “Its s’pose to be for skippin’ on water like humans do rocks, but I don’t do that. Me an Dad play In-The-House-Catch with it, an I always make sure I know where it is so I can carry it around with me – I’m not sure why. Just cuz.
“I have beds all over the house. And I make sure Mom an Dad get up an get my breakfast at 7 a.m. Sharp! If they don’t I make noises till they do.
“I’ve also learned important Dog Stuff like SIT, STAY, ROLL OVER, stuff like that. An I NEVER get up on the couch until I’m in-VITED!
I couldn’t buh-leeve an hour was up. I cudda listened to Miss Millie’s tails all afternoon. Headin’ home, I was feeling glad I didn’t haff to enjoy my evening yoghurt in one of those puzzle dishes.
