In the new Key & Peele movie ‘Keanu’, a couple of cat owners go to extraordinary lengths to rescue their beloved feline when it’s taken away from them. That’s a theme I’m sure most pet owners can relate to. When we invite them into our homes, our animals become members of our families. Our Roundtable this week takes a personal turn as we tell stories about our favorite pets.
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I’ve had a lot of pets over the years. There was Waggles, a terry\/poodle mix who had been hit by a car when we adopted him from the pound in New Mexico. Gizmo was a fat little orange and white cat who would have given Garfield a run for his money (though he preferred cantaloupe over lasagna). Mocha and Winter were our last two ferrets. A lot of these guys were buddies (Gizmo used to ride on Waggles’ back) but none of them were ever closer than Bueller and Mimi, two ferrets we rescued separately over the course of three years and were some of the most affectionate creatures I’ve ever seen. We used to leave old sweatshirts and blankets tucked into corners around the apartment, so they could curl up and take naps if they got tired while they were out of their cages. Eventually, when they got older and pretty much had the run of the place 24 hours a day, we’d always find them curled up tightly together at the end of their playtime, one little furry ball of ferret cuteness.<\/p>\n
My American Pit Bull Terrier died one year ago this month at the age of 14, only a couple months shy of turning 15. I named her after punk rock legend Nina Hagen, and she was one of the best dogs I’ve ever owned, an awesome companion to my daughter and a much-loved family member. Not only was she a loyal friend but also a well-trained and well-behaved indoor dog who was good at letting others know when she needed to go outside. On her own, she learned a really funny but also equally adorable behavior when coming back inside after doing her business. Like some spoiled princess, she waited to have her paws wiped with a towel before entering the house, almost as though she feared to accidentally track in dirt and mud. I only wiped her paws on rainy days, but she continued the practice all year round. In the last couple months, I’ve started considering perhaps adopting another dog, but for as long as I live, I’ll always remember my Nina’s funny habit of wanting her paws wiped. <\/p>\n
Our current dog just turned 6-years-old. We’ve had her longer than both of our children. She’s a Shih Tzu. When we got her, we wanted to find a unique name for her, a name that no one else calls their dog. Thankfully, our movie obsession came in handy. We named her Ponyo. I admit to feeling a little embarrassment when I’m yelling “PONYO!” at the top of my lungs after she’s escaped the yard, but I have no regrets when it comes to her name. However, it’s quite funny whenever we go to the vet’s office and they pronounce her name “Pony-o.” She’s the kind of dog who seemingly apologizes to you after you accidentally step on her tail. She’s the kind of dog who will snuggle right up in your lap while you watch a movie. She’s the kind of dog who doesn’t even flinch when our 10-month-old son pulls on her ears as hard as he can. Ponyo is a good dog.<\/p>\n
This week, I stumbled into a kind of online celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Michael Mann movie ‘Heat’. This led me to do all kinds of ‘Heat’ related things, like watch the earlier TV movie\/pilot version ‘L.A. Takedown’. I became concerned that my wife wasn’t familiar enough with ‘Heat’ to get any jokes about the movie, so we watched the Blu-ray version. As it turns out, this particular film’s excellent audio track was cause for our cat, Dido, to get extremely excited during certain scenes in the movie. In particular, the bank shoot-out and the chopper, fire alarm, and hotel scenes completely mesmerized this 9-year-old cat. If memory serves, I recall some 15 years back that certain movies that utilized the same sounds in different channels would somewhat bother my pets when played on DVD. It just goes to show that pets are endlessly entertaining. I sure hope that ‘Keanu’ captures this affable quality.<\/p>\n