Even though this week’s innerview-ee, Lola Gaul, got off to a Dismal Dog Biscuits start in life, she’s managed to keep her Happy Puppy doganality, an I was smilin’ the whole rest of the day, thinkin’ about her in-THUZZY-asm.
Lola Gaul is a very graceful, 2-months-old brindle mixture, middle size, long-leggedy, with delicate FEE-chures and happy eyes. She was barkin’ when a frenly lady opened the door for me an my assistant, but soon as the lady told her we were okey-dokey, Lola came right up for the Wag-an-Sniff.
“Good morning,” I said. “I’m Bonzo an this is my Assistant.”
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! My name’s Lola. It USE to be Ginger Snap but I like Lola WAY better. Come on IN! THIS is my Furever Home. I’ve been here 2 whole weeks! An THIS is my bran new FUREVER Mama. Isn’t that wonderful? Her name’s JEAN, but I get to call her MAMA! We’re gonna go sit in the other room now, OK?”
“Absolutely, Miss Lola! Lead the way!” I replied.
As I opened my notebook, my assistant began pokin’ about in The Satchel for a duhlishus bacon snack. As soon as Lola got a sniff of bacon, she began helpfully helpin’ my assistant open the bag, an then very eagerly but gently accepted an devoured her treat. Both of ’em. Well, all three, ackshully.
“Woof! Those are pawsome,” she exclaimed, plunkin’ herself down buh-tween her Mama an my assistant.
“So,” I began, “can you share whatever you remember about your former experiences an findin’ your Furever Mom?”
“OK, so anyway, Mama love, love, loves dogs, an she had a rescue, Bernie, who was a mixture like me. He was a Sato, which means street dog, from Puerto Rico. But Bernie hadda go to Dog Heaven. Mama was sad an felt alone without a pooch fren. So after a coupla months, she ree-lized she hadda find another pooch, a rescue, of course.
“Meanwhile, I was way far away, my rememberin’ is kinda fuzzy, somewhere called L.A. – inna gloomy place where I kep watchin’ fellow pooches walk down a hallway, then they didn’t ever come back. Then me an some others got scooped up an taken to here, well, to Florida, an then we all got to go to pet stores called Petco, for a speshul event called Clear the Shelters, so nice humans could come an see us an, hopefully, adopt us. I ended up inna Petco in Wellington. When Mama saw my pick-shur On The Line atta site called Second Chance, which shows pick-shurs of cats an dogs who need homes, she duh-sided to go to Wellington to adopt me.”
“Cool Kibbles!”
“Well, when she saw me in the fur, I was bigger than I looked in the pickshur, which was taken when I was almost bran new. I guess I had had a SPURT. But I knew right away she was my Furever Mama, so I rushed up an greeted her with LOTS of in-THUZZY-asm. An here I am. I got a Second Chance.”
“That’s a pawsome tail, Miss Lola!” I said. “A liddle scary at first, tho. So, how are things going so far?”
“Well, I’d never been inna car buh-fore so when Mama was drivin’ me home, I felt Not So Good, so I drooled an threw UP. Me an Mama are gonna do Short Test Drives so I can get USE to car rides.
“Anyhow, I’m so happy to ackhully have my own Furever Home anna Furever Mama. When I first came into the house, I did a Perimeter Snoop just to get my, you know, bearings. I wasn’t nervous or anything.
“Sometimes, I probly get a liddle over-bouncy: Like when Mama’s teachin’ me something called Leash Walkin’, I do bounce up in the air like a jack rabbut, Mama says. I found out I’m Very FAST, too.
“Oh, an guess what, Mr. Bonzo: I have a SIS-ter. Well, a sorta sister. Her name’s Penny. She’s a Cat.”
“Umm, how’s that goin’ so far?” I queried.
“Well, I’m not sure yet. See, the first time we met, I went up an said hello an was gonna innerduce myself, but she ran into the bedroom and hid under the bed for 3 days. Now I just sit on her towel on the kitchen counter an hopefully, one of these days, she’ll come out an we can get to know each other. I mean, us grrrls haff to stick together, right?”
“Totally! I’m sure she’ll love you when she gets to know you,” I said. “Do you have any fave foodfstuffs yet?”
“I get kibbles. An, honestly Mr. Bonzo, I’d like to just TRY cat food someday. But not yet. I don’t want Penny to be mad at me. She might run under the bed an NEVER come out. Anyway, yogurt’s my favrite so far.”
“Ooo, that’s my favorite, too! It’s my Evening Snack!” I exclaimed, then asked, “Made any new frens?”
“Yes! Mama drove me over to her old Pine Creek nay-borhood for a Meet-an-Greet. I met lotsa her human frens: lemme see, Carol, an Pam an Michelle, an John an Patti an Larry an Fran.
Everybody was SO frenly! I got lotsa treats that day.”
“I bet! Have you been to the beach?” I inquired.
“Not yet, but I’ve heard about it. Lotsa sand an lotsa Big Water, right?”
“Right!”
“It sounds super fun. Mama says Bernie really liked it. I DO like RAIN. That’s counts as water, right? I love bein’ out in it, crawlin’ all around in the grass when the rain’s fallin’ down.”
“Are you OK when your Mama hasta go somewhere without you?”
“Ackshully, yes! I totally KNOW she’s gonna be back, so I sleep onna rug right by the front door so I can greet her soon as she walks in. An I sleep with Mama at night. That’s The Best!”
Headin’ home, I was thinkin’ about the scary start Miss Lola had, an how so many kind humans have created ways to ackshully save the lives of Cats an Dogs Less Fortunate, so they can live lives full of love an snacks – just like Miss Lola.
