This week’s innerview-ee, Sawyer Dapelo, is a hansome Cocker Spaniel/Golden Retreever mixture who’s gonna be 12 in September. He’s his Own Dog, a true gentledog, with thick golden fur, soft brown eyes, anna gentle yet fun doganality.
Upon our arrival, Sawyer anna nice lady were there to greet us.
“Good afternoon,” I said, introducing myself an my assistant.
“Good afternoon, Bonzo!” Sawyer said, waggin’ his entire body as he bounded up for the Wag-An-Sniff. “I’m Sawyer Dapelo an this is my Mommy Nichole. My Daddy Brian’s workin’, an my liddle brother Gabriel, he’s 8-anna-haff, an my liddle sister, Coco, she’s 6, are inside. Wanna go PLAY???”
“I wish! But we can’t right now, cuz we gotta do the INNER-view. I know you have a Cool Kibbles tail to tell.”
“Oh, right, I momentarily forgot,” Sawyer said. “So let’s go in an get comf-tubble!”
We followed Sawyer an his Mommy, exchanged greetings with Gabriel an Coco, then, as Sawyer suggested, got comf-tubble.
“So, tell me how you an your Furever Family found each other,” I said.
“Ackshully, Bonzo, I had a NOTHER Mommy buh-for I got here.”
“How so?” I inquired.
“My first Mommy was Charlene. She was a very speshel human – a Native American – from the Pascua Yaki tribe (a tribe’s sorta like a big famly). We lived way far over THAT way. (He pointed) A place called Cally-FORN-yuh. It takes like 4 or 5 sleeps to drive there. Mommy Charlene was SO loving an kind. She had another pooch also, Kaya (which I think means wise older sister). We were ackshully cousins, an we had the best time together! Mommy even let us sleep with her. It was wonderful!
“But then, in 2021, Kaya hadda go to Dog Heaven. An then Mommy got very sick. I stayed right nex to her an did my best to protect her an make her feel happy an safe an comf-tubble. But then she hadda go to Heaven. I felt very sad. An lost.”
“Oh, Sawyer, I’m so sorry,” I said, then shared, “I went through that also.”
We sat quietly for a liddle bit, then Sawyer continued.
“Thank Lassie, Mommy’s son an daughter-in-law decided to adopt me. They drove all the way to Cally-FORN-yuh and picked me up an drove all the way back here. That’s when I ree-lized I don’t like ridin’ in the car that much. Plus, I had just lost my Mommy an didn’t know where I was goin’.
I was so nervous I chewed my tail pretty much the whole trip. I was really glad to put my paws on the ground again, even tho I didn’t know where I was.”
“That’s a lot for you to handle all at once,” I observed. “How was your trans-zish-un to here?”
“It was mostly OK, after that car ride. An THEN, it dawned on me, my first Mommy was also my Gramma: my Furever Daddy’s Momma! Plus, I have another gramma an grampa: Papa Dave an Gramma Tutu! They live very close by an we have a play date every Sunday!
“Also, because my new Furever Famly had been comin’ out to Cally-FORN-yuh every CHRIST-mas, I already knew ’em. (’Cept for Coco, she wasn’t born yet.) When she first arrived an started crawlin’ around, she’d plop down on me an put her head on my tummy, an snuggle, an give me big kisses. At first it made me sorta nervous cuz I’d never seen such a liddle, bitty, wiggly human buh-for. I think she thought I was a big, fluffy blanket.”
I laughed. “Well, you ARE big an fluffy! So, whaddya like to do for fun? Any fave foodstuffs? Do you like to swim? I’ll bet you have lotsa pooch pals.”
“True. Well, I Iove FETCH. I’m still pretty speedy, too! I do know HOW to swim but I don’t like it that much. I fell into the pool one night, which was NOT a good ex-SPEERY-unce. I do sometimes walk on the beach with Mommy an Daddy, but I don’t go IN the akshull O-shun.
When I see Gabrial an Coco goin’ in it or the pool, I get con-CERNED an bark an cry.
“I sometimes like to watch TV: Stuff like ‘Frozen.’ Elsa is Totally Cool Kibbles but, when I see that reindeer, or any other sorta animal on TV, I bark! Even at Pooh an Piglet! I also love watchin’ ‘Harry Potter,’ ’cept I don’t like that scary human, Snape. He gives me the Total Creeps.
“One time,” Sawyer segued, “Mommy took me to the Groomer. But just that once. It was WAY TOO LOUD an I guess I sorta Freaked Out. So Mommy read up, an now I get Home Groomed.”
“Well, you look terrific, Sawyer,” I commented.
“Thanks, Bonzo,” he replied.
“Every morning, I go wake up Gabriel an Coco an then go find Mommy and Daddy, who are already up. I love the First Greeting Of The Day! Otherwise, I guess you could say I’m my own dog. I don’t do tricks. Never did. I just mostly do my own thing, which, now that I’m Getting’ Up There, often involves chillin’. My hearing’s goin’ I think. I find myself just sittin’ out in the grass, in the sunshine, enjoyin’ nature. An, you know, Bonzo, I’m ree-lizin’ how much comfort and joy us pooches can bring to our humans, speshully when they’re tired, or sad, or what they call stressed.”
“That’s always a good thing,” I mused.
“My favrite foodstuffs,” Sawyer continued with en-thuzzy-azzum, “are SAMMUN, STAKE, YO-gurt, EGGS, an P-nut budder, always served inna speshull Peter Rabbit Wedgewood bowl, which I feel makes everything even yummier.
“I DO have lotsa pooch pals, large an small. We meet up at the Nayberhood Dog Park. Also, not to brag, I am Very Well-buh-haved. When we go on walks, I stay right buh-side Mommy. She always holds a ball-onna-stick (the kind humans can throw Really Far). So I remain right buh-side her No Matter What! Until she throws the ball. THEN off I go! I also love chasin’ RAH-butts! An Squirrels! I mean, I’m FAST, but those liddle fluffmuffins are WAY faster. Anyway, I wouldn’t wanna ackshully CATCH ’em, even if I could. It’s not puh-lite. An I’d probly have Fluffmouth for weeks.”
Headin’ home, I was thinkin’ about hansome, loving Sawyer, being the Best Dog he can be, a true gentleman, bringing unconditional love to three generations of his Furever
Till next time,
Don’t Be Shy
We are always looking for pets with interesting stories. To set up an interview, email
[email protected].
