
I wanted to tell you about our best barkner buddy, Gus. Almost twenty years ago before me and before Gus, two humans moved into a freshman dorm at the University of New Hampshire. They lived next door to eachother and mom could hear Gussy’s mom’s TV and heard that she was watching the coverage of Princess Diana’s death. Our moms have been friends EVER SINCE.
Over the years they drifted apart and became close again. When my human got me, they weren’t that close. She had a kitty named Reily and had been bitten by a dog as a child, so she wasn’t a big fan of dogs. Gussy’s mom finished college, and wanted to move from Boston from New Hampshire to start her career (mom always says she was on the “ten year plan,” mom had graduated 6 years earlier). Mom had an open room in her condo in South Boston and Mama A needed place to live, so they reluctantly moved in together. So Reily and Mama A joined our household around 2005.
Mama A didn’t really care for me because I am a dog and she was clearly a speciesist. I like to think I did my duty to act as an ambassador for dog kind.
When she first moved in, she said “Peter is not allowed in my room, this is Reily’s space.” Mom agreed and did her best to keep me out of Mama A’s room. This lasted for like a week, maybe. Mama A said:
“Ok, so he can come in my room, but he’s not allowed on the bed.” Clearly she didn’t know I’m allowed everywhere. I tried to respect her, but as before I wormed my way onto her bed. And mom came home to find this new development and found this amusing, but unsurprising.
“OK,” Gussy’s mama said, “but he’s not allowed under the covers.”
I think you can guess what happened after that. During the time they lived with us. mom got very sick and Mama A had to take care of me alone and she did that for many months. Mom is forever grateful that she was able to do that because I was completely instrumental in mom’s recovery.
We all moved together and we moved to a nice condo with a big fenced in yard. Mama A decided she wanted a puppy too. And she wanted a schnauz as well. So she did her research and found a litter of puppies in the western part of the state that was described as an “accidental” litter between two family schnauzers, Deisel and Coco. Mom, Mom’s sister (many of you know her as Moe or Pawblo) and Mama A went to visit these puppies and Gusaroo fell asleep in Moe’s lap. That what was made the decision for Mama A, but she insisted that I meet Gus before making the final decision.
So we drove out a few weeks later to see if I approved of this addition to the household. I didn’t. But they clearly ignored my wishes. But now I am so glad they did, cause Gus really is my best good buddy. Even when he tries to eat my sister. Gussy and his momma moved out a year and a half ago because Mama A bought her own place, but she travels a lot for work so we still get Gussy sometimes. Sometimes she brings him to Moe’s though. I am so glad I was able to show Mama A how awesome dogs can be and we are so lucky to have Gussy in our lives, even if he is not full schnuaz. Apparently Coco was a bit of a hussy.