I know you poocheroos are drinkin’ LOTS of WAH-der, so you don’t fall over inna pile when you’re outside. Also be sure to only walk in the grass or get some kinda sox if you hafta to walk on HOT SIDEwalks, cuz they can totally BURN your PADS. I know those footie thingys can be a Pain in the Caboose, but Pad Burns are worse.
This week I hadda super fun Innerview with Henry Lunn, a Cool Kibbles mixture of Yorkie an Maltese. He’s all white, with short wavy hair an that “Oh Boy! Oh Boy! What’s Next” expression which, I’ve noticed, makes humans (like my assistant) wanna give him LOTS of snacks.
Following our ring, Henry an two frenly ladies came to the door. Henry immediately zipped up, Barkedy Barkin’ like it was his Job, an also smiling a nice big smile.
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! I KNEW it was YOU, but I always Bark at the door to keep the Flow Goin,’ ya know. Anyway, this is my Mom, Jessica, an my Nana, Mary. My Grampa Andrew (I call him Dad) is out gettin’ sup-PLIES.”
“It’s great meeting you ALL an, by the way, Henry, that’s a Pawsome Bark you got there!”
“Thanks Mr. Bonzo! Not to brag, but I also have a pretty Pawsome Howl.”
My assistant immediately asked per-MISH-un, then produced a snack from The Satchel, breakin’ it into smaller pieces cuz we’d run outta small-dog-size treats. But Henry was totally up for it.
Henry led us to a Seriously Crispy Biscuits room with a big window, an we got all settled. I opened my notebook.
“So, Henry, tell me how you an your Furever Family found each other.”
“Well, I’m 7 now, but I was still a liddle pupper, 16 weeks old. My name was Skeeter back then but, Thank Lassie, Mom changed it to Henry.
“Anyway, for years, Mom hadda service dog, Daisy. They were Best Frens! But when Daisy was Way Up There, 16 in human, she hadda go to Dog Heaven. Mom was Devastated.
“Finally, she ree-lized it was Time. She searched On The Line for a small rescue pooch, until, alluva sudden, my pickshur popped up. See, I had been ’dopted from a kennel by a lady (who was also Up There, sorta like Daisy). But I was a typical bouncy pupper an just too much to handle. So I was returned.”
“Oh, woof, Henry,” I sympathized, “an you were still such a liddle pupper.”
“Yep, but I was a LUCKY Pupper. The kennel didn’t want to take me to the shelter cuzza me bein’ so young. That’s why I was On The Line. Thank Lassie! Mom right away knew I Was The Dog, so instantly put Dibs on me an rushed back. When she got there, I was runnin’ all over the house, just puppy-in’ around, mindin’ my own bizness.
“When I saw Mom, I’m like, ‘Oh, THERE you are.’ Cuz Dogs Know.”
“Yes they do,” I agreed.
“So we cuddled, an Mom said to the kennel person, ‘I want him NOW.’ Then she called HER Mom (my Nana). We live with Nana an Grampa. So that’s how I got my Furever Home. In my o-pin-yun, me an Mon saved each other. She’s my Best Fren through Thick an Thin (that’s what humans say). Mom says I changed her life.
“When Mom was at work (she was an ER nurse), Nana took care of me. Now, sometimes, Mom takes me to her office. Everybody there loves me an I help people who come in, cuz I found out I’m a NATCH-rull Comfort Dog, an I can raise humans’ SPEAR-rutts.”
“Woof! Henry! That is SO IMPORTANT!” I exclaimed with admiration.
Suddenly, Henry popped up. “OOPS, ’scuse me for a minute, Mr. Bonzo. I feel The Zoomies comin’ on!”
Henry flew across the room an began twirling Around inna circle CHASIN’ HIS TAIL, anna coupla times he ackshully caught it for, like, a nano-second, so fast he was just a fluffy white blurr.
I was still laffin’ my ears off when he zipped back and sat down calmly. “Sometimes a dog’s gotta do what a dog’s gotta do!” he said matter-of-fackly.
“I hear ya! So, Whaddya do for fun? Any fave toys? Pooch pals?” Havin’ spotted a big, beautiful pool in the back, I wondered, “Do you swim?”
“NO, I don’t swim. Don’t plan to either. I do like ridin’ in our boat, tho. You know: wind-in-the-face an all those water smells. Pawsome! I’d hafta say my turtle and duck are my favrite stuffies. I’m mostly pretty careful, but they are a liddle, well, flatter than at first. I played a lot with Charlie, Nana an Dad’s pooch, till he hadda go to Dog Heaven. I missed him for awhile, still do, but I got use to it.
“When I go for walks with Mom, I feel it’s my duty to stop at each-an-every mailbox to smell the smells. I don’t really mind the heat. I like sittin’ in the sun CON-tem-platin’. Me an Dad play catch in the morning, an sometimes watch TV, usually what he calls SIGH-FI. It’s kinda weird.
“My human besties are Gramma Janice, she loves All Dogs; an Miss Sherry. I stay with her when everybody else is Elsewhere an I can’t go.
“My pooch pals: umm, there’s Miles, he’s BIG; Abby, she’s liddle; Sam (my neighbor Bestie); my great-gramma Janice’s dog, Lily; an Aunt Emily’s pooch, Ranger, a Herder. We’re Fren-uh-mies. He tries to herd ME, but THAT’S not gonna happen.”
“I sleep with Mom, of course. When it’s my bedtime, if Mom’s not ready (just cuz it’s sometimes 5 p.m., which humans think is too early), I HOWL. I’m good at it, too. So Mom plumps the pillows, turns back the covers, tucks me in, brings me a toy an gets me all snuggly. Then I lie there politely waitin’ for HER bedtime.”
Headin’ home, I was still pickshurin’ Henry chasin’ his tail, an all snuggly in bed, waitin’ for his Mom.
Till next time,
