Dogue - Edition 3

"Look. I haven't got a ton of time to talk, lady. In fact, you've already interrupted a big chunk of my napping and/or bone chewing time." Salty was far more interested in the different smells on the ground and his human than he was in a photo shoot, but this sprightly 13 year old puppy was an intriguing interview. Trying to get his attention was quite the challenge but as soon as I asked him to describe his perfect day, his ears perked and he was happy to tell me all about it.

"I sleep with one of my humans. I always sleep with one of my humans, usually the youngest one. They are warm and have the best beds." He sprinted to his human for a couple pats and a treat, then laid in her lap. "She always wakes up before me but if she isn't planning on walking me right that second I wont get out of bed. I mean, why would I leave the cozy sheets if she is going to do her own thing? I'll wait there until she grabs my leash and then we are on!" It seemed he forgot I was asking about his hypothetical perfect day and just started telling me about a normal one instead, but I couldn't interrupt him. "It's so cold these days, I've got to wear my jacket. If my mom doesn't put it on for our walk I shiver like crazy so she knows just how cold I am. Then when we get home I sit in front of this hole in the ground that shoots out hot air. It is the BEST thing. I'd sit there all day if I could, but it shuts off after a while and I have to find a new place to lay down and nap."

"My days are mainly spent napping and groggily chewing on my bone or raw hide. Those things are so good. So yummy. When I start chewing on one of them I forget everything. I get lost in the tastiness and before I know it...the sun has gone down. My human will have these big books out and she pays way too much attention to them. So I jump up on her and let her know I want to play. Who wants to look at a big book and write things when you could be playing with me?! She says its "homework" or she is "studying" or something, but I know that she'd rather be playing with me. So I make sure she gets up and we go do something fun." Salty's human laughs quietly to herself, she knows he is right. Their bond is irrefutable. Its heartwarming to see such a great pair. 

The air filled with the smell of bacon and eggs and in an instant, Salty was gone. I wasn't able to hear much more from him, but after spending a morning together, I'll never forget how much he adored his human. I watched them play together, Salty running as fast as possible, making sure everyone saw how fast he was. I couldn't help but smile; his name suits him perfectly. It was a morning well spent. We said our goodbyes, Salty's in the form of a quick head nod before immediately returning to his bone. I felt it was the most fitting "goodbye" he could have given me.  

A big thanks to Cheryl for letting me interview
her Salty and Anthony C. for editing the article.
If you'd like your pup to be on the next cover of DOGUE
please email me! I'd love to hear from all of you!