Hi, pet buddies! This week I met a little lady pooch, Suki Matthews, who gets to go to the Bahamas with her human Mom and Dad, Bob and Sue B, on their big boat, which is also named Sue B. Lucky dog, right? Suki’s a Jack Russell and she was so fun to yap with’ cuz she has this great sense of humor (which she gets from her Mom and Dad).
We sorta met before we got to her house ‘cuz my assistant got lost and was driving around looking, well – lost. Lucky for us, Suki and her Dad were out walking. He was on his scooter and she was trotting alongside. They noticed we were going really slow, and waved us down.
We finally got all settled, inside. “This is my Mom,” said Suki, plopping down in her special corner. “You know, Bonzo, I’m getting up there, 98 in dog years. You should’ve seen me back in The Day. I was a force to be reckoned with. Now I mostly snooze. As you can see, I let Dad sit in my recliner, when I’m not in it. Mom and Dad tell me you want to hear My Story.
“Absolutely!” I responded.
“When I was just a pupster, me and my littermates were living with nice breeders in Jacksonville, where my human sister is a teacher. Mom and Dad were sad ‘cuz their other dog had gone to Dog Heaven. Our breeders were so happy with the way my sis helped their child in school that they picked ME for her to give to my Mom and Dad. Did you follow that, Bonzo?”
“I think so,” I said.
“Mom and Dad wanted to take me to the Bahamas right away but the Bahamas wouldn’t let me in ‘till I was 2, which I felt was really rude. So I stayed with my sister for a while. When I finally got to come home, we got on the boat and took off for the Bahamas. Well, I thought the Bahamas were grumpy humans who didn’t like puppies, and I didn’t understand why we’d even want to visit them. Back then, I didn’t know what a boat was either. Dad said it was a hole in the water that you throw money in, and everybody laughed. ‘Cept me. I didn’t get it. Then I found out it’s just a little bitty house that floats.
“One night we were on the boat at the dock. I was nosing around, lost my balance and fell in. I paddled like mad. I was scared. Mom and Dad were scared, too. The boat next to them had lights underneath, so they turned ‘em on and spotted me. I didn’t like that salty water, but I did get LOTS of snuggles that night.
“When we got back home, Mom and Dad realized they had 400 feet of seawall for me to fall off of, so Dad strung electric wire and got me a special collar that bit me when I got too close to the wire. Not hard, but enough so I stayed away. Finally we got rid of the collar, thank Lassie!”
She cocked her ears. “I don‘t like lawn mowers! Or motor boats! Once, when I was chasing one of those boats away, I got going so fast I couldn’t put on the brakes and, kersplash, into the drink I went!”
“Are you woofin’ me?”
“So Dad jumps in to save me and cuts his foot on the clam shells. Needed stitches. He was my Hero! Another time, some human friends came by in their boat. They waved and I got so excited I took a flying leap. And missed. They saved me that time.”
“Miss Suki, if you were a Cat, you’d be getting your ticket punched a lot!”
“I used to catch rabbits and stuff and bring ‘em to the porch for Mom and Dad. One day I caught a black snake.”
“Oh, dog!” I blurted.
“We Jack Russells are fearless, you know, Bonzo. I carried it carefully so I wouldn’t kill it. I brought it up to the house but Mom and Dad weren’t there. So I gave it to the cleaning lady. I thought she’d be all pleased, but for some reason, she screamed and ran back inside.”
I was laughing into my paw at this point. “With your adventures, you’re lucky to have your Mom and Dad to reel you back in.”
She laughed. “Well, I’m not the crazy young pooch I used to be. I don’t fall into the water anymore. Mom takes care of my Front End, and Dad takes care of my Other End. I mostly snooze and take walks, and sometimes I sneak yummy stuff from Mom and Dad’s plates, just to stay in the game.
“I mostly prefer people to dogs, but I do like my human sister Keri’s German shepherd, Reese. Lisa has a puppy, Bailey, I haven’t met yet.
We went into the kitchen and her Dad got out a treat. Suki wiggled and wagged and twirled, and eventually sat. Soon as she got the Treat, she raced out of the kitchen to her blanket and stuffed toys, piled under a sunny window.
“Mom and Dad’s friends from Australia sent me this special blanket with pictures of kangaroos and platypuses and wallabies and – look! – my very own name stitched on it.”
She plopped down amongst the toys and began munching her snack, and she was still happily munching as we said goodbye.
