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Leading a dog's life
[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford]
When these East Lake dogs get together, expect a whole lotta commotion, at least from two of the party animals! From left are Andrea Farnham, 14, holding Kiley, her flat-coated retriever; Mary Vretas, 11, holding Pablo, her Chihuahua; and Yanni Vretas, 9, with Maisey, his bloodhound. |
By ALLY SIKORA
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 31, 2001
They're good sports. They're loyal. And all they ever want to do is play. What could be better than a dog?
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Paws, a jingly collar and a friendly, sloppy tongue. Dogs are always ready to play and have fun with you. (My dog wants to play with me right now, as I'm writing this story; more on her later.) What is better than an adorable canine?
Mary Vretas, 11, and her brother Yanni, 9, can't think of anything better. The Palm Harbor siblings have two wonderful, funny dogs -- a big one (Maisy the bloodhound) and a little one (Pablo the Chihuahua). They both came from dog breeders.
"We came up with Maisy's name from the book Maisy the Mouse, a book I liked when I was little," says Mary. "I like my dogs a lot because they're loyal, so I give them lots of treats."
Maisy is apparently a good sport, too. One day, she was on the patio when she slipped on spilled bubble soap, falling straight into the pool. She forgave her owners. Pablo got his name because Chihuahuas are Mexican. He has his own black top hat, not to mention a spandex tuxedo and parka. He is afraid of his parka, though, and can't walk in it. He can manage the tuxedo a little better, and it was his Halloween costume. "I like Pablo because he's little and I can do fun things with him," says Mary. "He's so cute!
"Sometimes I play Indiana Jones with Pablo, when I roll a giant beach ball and it chases after him."
Pablo is a real jokester. He once hid in the bathroom and got hold of some toilet paper, Mary said, rolling it down the hall and shredding it as it unraveled.
Andrea Farnham, 13, also from Palm Harbor, is the proud owner of Kiley, a black, part cocker spaniel and part flat-coated retriever from the Humane Society in Safety Harbor. Kiley likes her vegetables, at least ones that make noise.
"Kiley has a carrot toy that squeaks," Andrea says. "We've bought her about 10 of them because she's chewed all of them up."
Kiley likes to play ball and tries to find it when you hide it from her. "I like Kiley best, because she's funny," says Andrea. "I always listen for the jingle sound her collar makes. I think Kiley likes me best because I give her lots attention."
Speaking of attention, my black Labrador still wants some from me. Her name is Hannah but we call her Nana, and she is so funny. All she ever wants to do is play, all day, all the time. Maybe she gets that from me; I put scrunchies on her ears, so she looks like she has pigtails. She doesn't mind and looks at me in her scrunchies like she's saying, "Okay, so now what are we going to do?"
She loves to play dress-up; necklaces are her favorite. If she isn't included in the fun, she steals stuff to make us chase her. Nana likes to sit on our recliner and couch, but Dad isn't too happy when she steals his seat. Nana also loves swimming in the pool; I remember once she did a canon ball. When we all go to the beach, Nana splashes around in the water and makes herself a bed in the sand. I've tried to put sunblock on her nose but she just licks it off. Eeww!
So there you have it. Dogs are just so great. They are the perfect friends and are always there to cheer you up or make you laugh. Best of all, they're waiting for you to take them on a walk, right now.
- Ally Sikora, 11, is in the sixth grade at Coachman Fundamental Middle School in Clearwater and is a former member of the Times X-Team.
Here's the rest of today's Xpress
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