Bolt Marckwordt may be on the smaller side (11 pouns), but he has a Big, Happy Doganality.
Bolt’s a white rescue mixture (probly chu-WAA-WAA/pom-uh-RAINY-un, he thinks). He does have a chu-WAA-WAA-ish body, with pointy ears, anna fluffy pom-uh-RAINY-un tail that curls over his back sometimes. He also has just one eye. I ackshully thought it made him look kinda like a PIE-rat. Way Cool Kibbles, in my opinion.
After the Wag-an-Sniff, I innerduced my assistant, an Bolt innerduced his Mom, Marlen, an his liddle sister, Felicia, a tuxedo cat wearin’ a pretty pink collar. Bolt an Felicia are about the same size, an, No Woof, they didn’t seem to even ree-lize they’re not the same SPEE-chees.
After we got all comf-tubble, an Bolt an Felicia had nibbled their size-appropriate snacks from The Satchel, Bolt explained that his liddle sister, a rescue like him, follows him around pretty much everywhere.
“I’m 16, gettin’ UP there, an she’s a lot younger, so I get pooped sooner. Sometimes I hafta give her a small grrr to remind her,” he added.
“That’s troo, Mr. Bonzo,” Felicia said softly. “I do get a liddle over-bouncy, I guess. An I do give him lotsa hugs an snuggles. Bolt’s the Best Big Brother EVER.”
“Well, it’s my pleasure to meet both of you!” I said. “I’m eager to hear about how you came to find your Furever Mom an create your Blended Furever Famly.”
Bolt began his tail: “It was almos Christmas in twenny-fourteen inna place called Philly-DELL-fee-uh. My future Mom was Very, Very Sad an Gloomy about Recent Events, speshully cuz it was close to Christmas (which for some reason seems to make humans Extra Happy or Extra Sad. Like Mom was).
“My future human brothers Esteban, he was 12; Julian, 14; an Sebastian, 15, were excited for Christmas but Mom didn’t Even want to HAVE Christmas.
“Then she hadda THOUGHT. She knew her boys had ALWAYS wanted a dog, but they were never allowed to have one. She’d wanted one, too. So she decided to get a dog for them for Christmas. A nice LIDDLE dog. However, by the time she decided that, it was Dec. 23.
“She went to PetSmart, you know how they sometimes have rescue pets available.”
I nodded.
“Unfortunately, they told her, ‘We only have cats. Anna few BIG dogs.’ Mom was about to leave when the PetSmart person said, ‘WAIT! We DO have one liddle dog in the back!’ It was me, of course.
“‘I’LL TAKE HIM!!’ Mom said right away, an explained it was for her sons’ Christmas present. But the PetSmart person said she couldn’t take me right then. ‘Dogs are NOT presents!’ she said firmly. ‘They’re FAM-ly. We hafta be sure it’s the right Furever Famly for the dog.’ An she told Mom the boys would hafta meet me first.
“So Mom went home, an came up with a PLAN. On Christmas Eve morning, she told Esteban, Julian an Sebastian she hadda Christmas surprise for them at the shopping center. They were excited on the ride over an, when they ree-lized where they were headed, they were EXTREMELY EXCITED!!! They went into the PetSmart meet-an-greet area, an when the PetSmart trainer brought liddle me over to Mom an the boys, I ran straight to ’em an zipped right into Mom’s lap. I hadda Furever Famly! WE all knew it, an so did Petsmart!”
“Oh, Woof, Bolt,” I exclaimed, wiping my eyes with my paw. “What a wonderful Christmas story. So, how’d things go at first?”
“Well, I loved my new family, but I hadn’t really been trained an I was a liddle aggressive. I’d chase cars, an also MEN. I think it was cuzza something in my past. Now I’m better onna leash, for my 2-walks-a-day with Mom. I know Sit, Stay, Wait, stuff like that. I shop with Mom, speshully the Farmers Market. An I LOVE the Dog Park. I have So Many Pooch Pals there.
“Also, me an Felicia are both great at car rides. We rode all the way from Philly to here in twenny-twenny-three an we mostly just dozed.
“Up in Philly it was snowy an I had a jacket an boots. Here, I LOVE the beach! Warm sand is way better than cold snow in my opinion.
“Then, 3 years ago, I was havin’ trouble with my right eye, an hadda go to the clinic. The doctor said I had something called, umm, glock-coma. I had com-pluh-CAY-shuns, an now, you probly noticed, I only have one eye. I’m mostly use to it now.”
“Well,” I said, “I think it makes you look like a PIE-rat! Very Cool Kibbles!”
“OOOoo, a PIE-rat!” he exclaimed with a smile. “I LIKE that! Thanks, Bonz!”
At that point, Felicia, who’d been snoozin’, lifted her head. “Umm, Bolt, can I PLEEZE tell my story now?”
“Go for it, Liddle Sis!” Bolt urged.
“It was twenny-sixteen, back in Philly. Me an my siblings, 1-month-old kittens, were inna vet clinic an I had what’s called Ring Worm, so they were gonna put me AWAY (whatever that means), so my siblings wouldn’t also get it. But Mom’s fren was there an rescued me, an asked Mom if she’d maybe adopt me. Thank Garfield, she did. An I got all better. PLUS, I got a Furever Famly, a Mom, anna Pawsome Big Brother. Bolt sorta raised me, ackshully. We play together, an sleep together (with Mom). I always wanna be wherever he is.”
“She’s a Goofball,” Bolt said fondly. “One time, in the middle of the night, I discovered Felicia battin’ something around. It was a Mouse. I woke Mom up right away. So Mom rescued the mouse, put it inna paper towel, took it outside, an set it free. That happened a coupla times. Mom made it clear we were NOT to catch mice.”
Heading home, my mind was still full of Bolt an Felicia’s fascinatin’ tails. The way they had made it through scary times and found their Furever Home, an Mom – an Each Other – was inspirational.
Till next time,
