I can’t wait to share this Pawsome Christmas tail with you. I had a totally, majorly amazing innerview with Gandolf Clarke (aka Dandy Gandy), who has very recently moved up to Roseland from his previous, longtime home at H.A.L.O. in Sebastian.
A nice lady met me an my assistant in the front yard an welcomed us in. Soon as we entered, this medium tall, hansome pooch approached. He had silver fur with white trim, long legs, anna large head with white muzzle an white bib, big frenly, wide-set eyes, an stand-uppy triangle ears that flopped over at the top. Anna Very Large Smile.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Bonzo! I totally can’t WAIT to tell you my Tail! I’m Gandolf Clarke an THIS is my Bran New MOM, Jennifer. She’s my favrite human in the Entire World!”
I introduced my assistant who, of course, had already begun rootin’ around in The Satchel for a Duhlishus Snack, which Gandolf very gently accepted an happily munched.
“It is SUCH a pleasure to meet you, Gandolf,” I said. “I am SO eager to hear your tail!” I flipped my notebook to a new page.
Gandolf settled next to his Mom onna fluffy round bed an began. “A long time ago, when I first got dropped off, the H.A.L.O. humans found out my birthday was Christmas DAY. An now, I just turned 13. H.A.L.O. gave me a party and I got a speshull CROWN. An NOW, my annual Christmas an birthday wishes finally came true, Just In Time for Christmas.
“By THIS Christmas, if you can buh-leeve it, Mr. Bonzo, I had been livin’ at H.A.L.O. for 1,392 whole days!”
“WHAT?” I exclaimed. “Did you say one THOW-zun days?”
“Yep. All the humans here are SO kind an took Really Good Care of me. An never stopped tryin’ to find a Furever Home for me. But, no luck. I’m not sure why, maybe cuz I’m older; or not all that cute, I guess; or cuz I hafta take a lotta meds; or maybe cuz I’m mostly Pit Bull, Even tho I’m VERY puhlite an wouldn’t EVER do ANYthing Scary.”
I was still tryin’ to wrap my head around Gandolf bein’ inna shelter that long. An tryin’ NOT to think about what wudda happened if it’d NOT been what humans call a No-Kill shelter. It gives me the Willies just thinkin’ about that.
“Anyway,” Gandolf continued, “the H.A.L.O. humans gave me a lovely birthday/Christmas party every year. They were so nice, but my birthday and Christmas wish was the same every year: to find my Furever Home. I haff to admit, I had pretty much given up hope. But then, Just buh-for THIS Christmas, my wish came TROO!”
I hadda wipe my eyes with my paw. I sniffed, then asked how it all came about.
So,” Gandolf continued, “my Future Bran New Furever Mom had lost her PREE-vee-us pit bull, Zoe.
“Then one day she was, just for no speshell reason, lookin’ around on Instagram (a strange thing called so-shell MEE-dee-uh, where humans stare at their cellular phones for lengthy periods of time, push lotsa buttons, share stuff with each other). Mom says she hardly EVER does it, but for some reason she did on that one day. An happened to come across my pickchur an story on H.A..LO.’s, what’s it called? ummm, WEBsite, an There Was My Pickshur.
“WELL, Mom says The Stars UH-lined! She says she just KNEW she hadda adopt me. See, HER birthday is also Christmas Day. Plus, she had also been abandoned when she was a young pup, er, human. So she, right that very minute, filled out the speshul form on H.A.L.O.’s WEBsite, an the Very Nex Morning, she went to H.A.L.O. so we could meet in The Fur. Since I’d pretty much given up hope, I was just sorta meh. Not grumpy. I just didn’t wanna get my hopes up, ya know?”
All I could do was nod, an wipe my nose again, an remind myself to keep takin’ notes.
Gandolf continued, “At H.A.L.O., inna speshull room with windows an no diss-TRACK-shuns, Me an Mom slowly got to know each other. I wasn’t all Bouncy Puppy or anything. I didn’t want to get disappointed AGAIN. But there was something about her that made me feel hopeful.
“For a looong time, the H.A.L.O. people kept watchin’ from the outside. Then they had a Meeting.
An finally, after Mom’d been there for 5 hours, they decided she was The One for me. An I was The One for her. They told her to come back at 4:30 to pick me up. I totally couldn’t buh-leeve, after all that time, my Birthday an Christmas wishes had finally come troo.
“It wasn’t till Mom ackshully DID come back at 4:30, an I was gettin’ in the car, that it began to dawn on me it was Really Happening! I was goin’ to my Own Furever Home with my Own Furever Mom.”
“Woof! What was THAT like? Walkin’ into your Very Own Home?”
“Ackshully, Bonzo, I felt curious, but COMF-tubble, right away. An I was, of course, already potty trained. I went straight to the room Zoe had had, which was full of toys. Now I like to make a soft bed of stuffies, an nap on ’em. An Mom has comfy beds all over the house, just for me.
“An already, I’ve been onna Leash Walk an met two of my pooch neighbors, River, a Cavalier King Charles, an Archie, a Whippet.
“Ooo, an I also was personally invited to a Christmas dinner at Aunt Ellen’s. Mom brought my bed an I puhlitely snoozed by the TV fireplace an listened to Christmas music.”
“What about foodstuff?” I asked.
“Well, I do have issues, an I’m kinda picky. But Mom keeps up with my meds an makes me duh-lishus ground beef meatballs.”
The time had zoomed by.
Heading home, I was thinkin’ about all the Firsts Gandolf is enjoyin’ in his Furever Home, how fortunate to have had so many kind humans helpin’ him and rootin’ for him along the way. An never giving UP. An I join them all in saying, “Congratulations, Gandolf. Your new life has at last begun.”
Till next time,
Don’t Be Shy
We are always looking for pets with interesting stories. To set up an interview, email [email protected].
