Author: Flurry

I notice that Mom and Dad still have not put away my bed. “Maybe one day we get a doggy visitor that will need the bed,” Mom said. Then they looked at some old pictures of me. I was wearing a blue and white striped sweater because it was a cold day. I look distinguished in the picture!

Uncle Zorro peeped over my shoulder and giggled. “I wish I had lived with you because I like to have walked on the Boulevard all dressed up and elegant! I would have used my Scottish accent and wear tartan!”

It is true that many of the dogs on the Boulevard have some sort of clothes. Aunt Loba says it is not natural, but as everything is comfortable in Doggy Heaven, she could consider a pink tutu, or maybe a cute bow on the collar. She has never had any clothes. Uncle Zorro suggested a red rose behind her naughty ear. (I wonder if he means the ear that is up, or the ear that is down?) “But most important of all,” Zorro says, “is to walk with your tail high.” Then he made us practice walking in a circle with a high tail. It is tough for me because my tail is short. Loba calls it cute, but Zorro just looks pained, although he tries to hide it. “Very good,” he says, “tail up and you get respect.” I heard him mutter that he is glad that chopping off poodles tails is banned.

Dear Dairy, I start to understand why most dogs disrespected me on Earth, my tail is too short.

We had chicken for dinner, (pollo according to Zorro). Mom and Dad had salad; their diet is falling to pieces.

Dear Diry, today Uncle Zorro has explained his genealogy to me. It is something like this: he is of Royal Scottish ancestry, but not in a direct lineage. He does not know how his lineage came to South America, but he thinks it was with the confiscadors (whatever that is). The evidence of Scottish blood is, according to Zorro, a tartan patterned collar that Master put around his neck. (Zorro calls Dad Master and Mom Mistress.) Uncle Zorro claims he has served in the British Royal Guard’s regiment because he came from the subdivision guard house in South America. (I am not really following his reasoning here; his ancestry is extremely complicated, but it appears to be important.) His real name could be MacZorro, or Sir Zorro, but I can call him Uncle Zorro.

I am not aware of any of my own ancestry, but I think I am related to somebody called Pedigree.

“We are related through Master and Mistress,” says Uncle Zorro. Aunt Loba does not mention her genealogy. Uncle Zorro says it is best not to talk about that. He whispered to me that she was picked up from the side of the road where she was abandoned and that her mother was a loose bitch.

Aunt Loba whispered to me that Zorro was picked up from the subdivision guard house where someone had dumped him. Zorro refutes the word dumped and says he was allocated to guard the subdivision due to his superior breeding and military experience.

It is unclear to me how Zorro is royal, if it is on the mothers or fathers side.

Lamb chops for dinner, a first for me. I got very tired listening to all this genealogy stuff; I think I will take a nap. Good night Dary.

Uncle Zorro and I are walking around the Heavenly neighborhood. I am very safe with Zorro; he protects me. When I lived on Earth, I often met big and nasty dogs that used to lunge at me. Therefore, I did not like meeting dogs, except for small dogs like Iggy the Chihuahua, Potato the Pug and a few more.

I am not sure I am a real dog. I may be a sort of human dog? Like a pet? Is that a real thing? I have questions.

With Zorro it is different. He is strong and has a shiny coat, he is a real dog and proud of it. “It is the Omega -3 in the sardines,” says Zorro. He polishes his fur every morning and flexes his muscles in front of the mirror. He chides me for not looking after my fur enough. “Your fur is your armor,” he says. My fur is rather tangled… Zorro also has powerful jaws. He smiles and shows his teeth in front of the mirror.

Walking with Uncle Zorro makes me powerful. “Keep your chest out and tail up,” says Zorro. “Nobody messes with us.” When I think about it, I have not seen any dog fights at all in Doggy Heaven. Still, I am glad I am with Uncle Zorro.

In Doggy Heaven, we have free entry to the pantry and can choose anything we like to eat. Just saying.

Today, Aunt Loba and Uncle Zorro had sardines from a tin. I had the same because I did not know what to select. Sardines are really yummy, lovely fish smell.

Afterwards, Loba and Zorro took me to the grooming parlor, also called the spa. I was a bit hesitant, but Aunt and Uncle explained that the grooming parlor here is not like the Earth ones where they clip your nails and hair and comb out knots and other tortures. This one is how dogs like it.

Aunt Loba and I spent the afternoon being tummy rubbed while Uncle Zorro had his fur infused with oil. “You have to keep a shiny coat,” he says. Suitably groomed, we all went to sleep. This place is like heaven! Oh, I forgot – it is Doggy Heaven.

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad took a lonely walk in the rain. They seem miserable, I am getting worried about them.

Dear Dairy, this is my second day in Doggy Heaven. Aunt Loba and Uncle Zorro are at my side all the time. All the dogs walk around in small packs and are wagging their tails. Everyone is polite, so different from Earth where I often got snapped at.

Aunt Loba repeats that I am her long-lost son, but Uncle Zorro disagrees. “How would that work, she is fixed,” he whispered to me. “By the way, I am intact”. I do not know what that means, and Uncle Zorro does not want to explain. I asked if I am intact, but he changed the subject. In any case, I don’t know if Loba is my doggy Mom, but we have the same fur color and she loves me!

I noticed that Mom and Dad were eating fish today. They lamented that I was not there, how much I would have liked the scraps. Oh dear, they don’t know that Zorro, Loba and I went to a pile of dried fish and each grabbed a big cod which took us hours to finish off.  (I could not finish mine, but Zorro helped). Then we slept a long time.

Everything is still very new, but I think I like this place. Mom, Dad, do not worry I am fine.

I landed on my four paws in a garden. All the pain was gone, I felt strong and ageless. There were dogs sleeping in the sun, dogs playing tag, dogs sipping from the water fountain and dogs gnawing on bones. They wagged their tails vigorously to indicate my welcome. I knew right away this was Doggy Heaven.

Loba and Zorro are my aunt and uncle and they were waiting for me. Loba gave me flowers and we hugged. They had followed my life from a distance while in Doggy Heaven. I had heard a lot about Loba and Zorro when I was on Earth. They lived with my family in South America before I was born. I understand that Loba and Zorro came from the street. (I was bought from a breeder for top dollars).

Zorro means fox in Spanish and Uncle Zorro has a reddish-brown coat much like a fox and he is strong and manly, a bit like a German shepherd. Zorro explained that he will show me all about life in Doggy Heaven and he is my protector. He is staying at my side most of the time.

I am not sure who my doggy Mom really was, but Aunt Loba calls me her long-lost son and puppy. She gives me lots of licks. Loba’s coat is short, and almost white. She has an unusual look, one blue eye, one brown eye, one ear up and one ear down. Loba means wolf in Spanish and Zorro says she has Husky in her blood which explains her wild and roaming instincts. Mom used to say that Loba had the crazy character to match her looks!

I also met old Aunt Kara. She is an Airedale terrier and Moms first dog, when she was a child. Aunt Kara gave me a soft blue bed to sleep in. Then she took a nap in the bed.

I am a miniature Poodle. The paperwork said apricot color but that washed off when we came home. My real color is yellowish white, just like Loba’s, and my family loved me in any color. I was bought for Elise who was sad that we moved from South America to North America. She was 10 years old and gave me the name Flurry because on TV and radio they always talked about another flurry of snow.

Elise is now big and have moved away to University while I stayed behind and kept Mom and Dad company. (Until this morning.)