Sunny's answers interpreted by Mindy Byram
Sunny, what do your humans call you? What type of dog are you?
My mom calls me Sunny, but my dad says it's a hippie name, so he calls me Sunny Kombucha to make fun of my mom. When I'm being a dummy, he calls me "Booch" for short. I also answer to "No Don't Eat That!" and "Get Off Of There!". I'm a Siberian Husky, but my mom and dad call me a Velociraptor... When I lived in the scary place with all the other dogs in kennels, people called me Sturgis. My mom says that was my jail name - I think because it's some kind of motorcycle rally.
How old are you?
I'm going to be a whole year old sometime this December, but I hear we're going to celebrate it on New Year's Eve, I guess it’s because I was the best part of 2020, or something like that. I don't know what everyone is complaining about, though - I had humans around to play with me all day, every day, whether they liked it or not.
Who do you live with?
I live with my mom and dad, Mindy and Nick Becerra. Also, my two favorite people to play with - my two-legged sister Zoe and my two-legged brother Ethan. I'm pretty sure he's some kind of wild animal...
Where did they find you?
I have no clue where I'm from, all I know is that when my mom picked me up from the Humane Society in Wenatchee this August, the temperature thing said 112 degrees. I'm so much happier (and cooler) on this side of the mountains!
Do you live with any other pets?
I'm an only child but I looooove playing with my furry neighbor friends when I go out for walks! EVERYTHING IS SO EXCITING!!
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake?
Ball. Ball! BALL! Squirrel! Sorry, what was the question? Oh - I really love to ruuuuun everywhere I can! When my humans take me up to some trails near our house, my favorite thing is to run super fast behind their bike things. I am also happy to meet new people. I have 496 best friends around the lake!
Is there anything you’ve done here for the first time?
I'm still a puppy, so I've had a lot of firsts here this year. I learned how to swim in the lake at the end of the summer, and I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year! I even got to ride on a big board while my family paddled me around. A few times, I jumped in the water and made my humans fall in with me! Whoops!
My mom says soon I'll get to run around in some kind of cold fluffy white stuff in my backyard, I just have to be patient.
Is there anything else you want to say?
I like smiling! Smiling’s my favorite!!
Answers interpreted by Adrienne Beier
Remington and Beretta, what kind of dogs are you?
We’re both Boxers.
How old are you?
(Remington) I’m 11, an old man.
(Beretta) I’m 7.
Who do you live with?
Remington and Beretta: Our humans are Nathan and Adrienne.
Where did they find you?
They adopted us from NW Boxer Rescue. They treat us like brother and sister, but we’re not.
Do you live with any other pets?
Remington and Beretta: No, we're enough.
Where do you live in Ames Lake?
We live somewhere at the end of a street in a place they call the Vista.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake?
Remington and Beretta: We love meeting other dogs when our mom takes us for walks around the lake.
(Remington) Beretta even remembers where some dogs live and will look for them when they're not outside. But we only do short walks because I’m an oldster and Beretta has a bad leg.
Remington and Beretta: Sometimes we go for slow walks with our humans on the trails. walks go with us. But our favorite thing is chasing the bunnies and squirrels. There are so many!
One more thing. What are your favorite treats?
Remington and Beretta: We like chicken treats, carrots, and ice cubes.
Is there anything else you want to say?
We love talking about ourselves, so this was fun. We’ve only been in Ames Lake for a little while, but we’re both happy we get to live here.
Chablis's answers interpreted by Kim Fiske
Chablis, what type of dog are you? How old are you?
I am a poodle (by looks and DNA test) and I am probably around 11 years old.
Who do you live with?
I live with my parents, Kim and Tom Fiske. You may recognize them as the people who wave at you when you drive by (it’s kind of embarrassing).
Where did they find you? Did you grow up in Ames Lake?
I did not grow up here – I was found on the mean streets of Los Angeles when I was around 2 years old. A rescue poodle! Then I spent several years in the Bay area of California before we moved here.
How did you get your name?
My name is Chablis (like the French wine) – the name given to me by the rescue group. My name fit with my family particularly well because I had a poodle sister named Gewurztraminer (Wurze for short).
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake?
I like to walk and walk, around the lake is fine, but I love the trails. I will admit I don’t like other dogs, so my parents cover my eyes if we come across one, then I forget that they’re there. I like to wade in the water, but I don’t choose to go swimming. These days, however, due to an exuberant jump after a ball, I broke my foot so I am not supposed to go walking, which makes me sad.
The vet’s office said I was the toughest poodle they had seen. I think I am too tough for the jacket my parents put on me when it rains, but they complain that the forest sticks to my hair – I collect leaves, pine needles, mud, water, dirt, rocks…whatever will stick.
Did you like answering all these questions? Was there something I forgot?
I would like to do an interview about the smells of Ames Lake, someday – my parents don’t seem to appreciate all the smells I find.
Daisy's answers interpreted by Cherri Gruver
Daisy, what type of dog are you?
I’m a Chocolate Lab.
How old are you?
I’m 7 ½ years old (but I act like I’m 2).
Who do you live with?
I live with my human Mom (Cherri), my Dad (Tom), and my human brother (Sam).
Where did they find you?
I came from a Chocolate Lab breeder in Tacoma. My dad, Copper, was a show dog. My mom, Elsie, was a bird hunting dog.
Do you live with any other pets?
No, I’m the only furry member in the house and I prefer it that way. I’m an attention hog!
Did you grow up in Ames Lake?
No, I was 6 when my family moved here in 2019. But it sure feels like home.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake?
I LOVE having a dock I can launch off to fetch a stick (the bigger the stick, the better). I also love to hike around the tree farm with my mom. I’ve rolled in a lot of mud puddles around here and also chased a few rabbits!
Is there anything you’ve done here for the first time?
My mom is working with me to sit nicely on her paddleboard when she goes around the lake in the summer. I’d much rather be IN the water than ON TOP of the water!
Is there anything else you want to say?
I’m a people dog at heart, and while I’m getting a little older and crankier (and I bark a lot), my family loves me. I’m a very lucky girl!
Answers interpreted by Jennifer Trapp-Langendoerfer
What are your names?
Our names are Maui and Lilo. (In our photo, Lilo is the one who’s all black.)
How old are you?
(Lilo) We’re both about 2 years old, but Maui is 4 months older.
(Maui) I was here first, but they decided I needed a friend, so they got Lilo. It was love at first sight and we’ve been like peas and carrots ever since!
What kind of dogs are you?
(Maui) I’m a smorgasbord of ingredients. The DNA test said I was slightly more Dobie, but also part Rottie, Australian Sheepdog, Chow, and a bit of Dingo. I might look and sound tough but it’s all an act. My superpower is my tongue. I love kissing people, once I know they aren’t going to kill us. I’m a giver!
(Lilo) To look at me, you’d think I’m a black lab, but the DNA test said I’m a first-generation cross breed of Boxer and Golden Retriever. My parents were both purebreds. Between me and Maui, I’m the quiet one. Maui likes to talk so I let him do most of the talking, but I will give him an earful when he has a toy I want or when I want him to chase me. My tail can dent drywall, put an eye out, or leave a bruise. I love having something in my mouth! Sock, undies, shirts, pieces of plants, or tree branches. Don’t judge me!
Do you live on the lake?
(Maui and Lilo) We live across the street from the lake. In the off season we like going to the community beach and go racing around along the water’s edge. We recently discovered that we could skirt around the fence at the beach too. Oops!
Did you grow up here?
(Maui and Lilo): We don’t really remember where we lived before here.
(Maui) I’ve tried to block it out. When I was just a puppy, I lived with a lot of other dogs, including my siblings. We were being sold from the back of a truck, but luckily the guy decided to give us all to the Seattle Humane Society. My family had been searching for a dog, so when they heard of Maui’s litter there, they were first in line to meet me.
(Lilo) I was adopted from Northwest Boxer Rescue as a support companion for Maui. My parents told me he was lonely and had so much energy he needed a playmate. I think the Latin term they used for him was “spaz”. Maui scared off a couple other pup possibilities, and I might have been half Lilo’s size, but was wrestling with him from the moment we met.
Who do you live with?
(Maui and Lilo) Our hoomans are Mark, Jennifer, and Reese.
Do you live with any other pets?
(Maui and Lilo) We have three strange looking sisters that our hoomans call cats. There’s Edwin (Eddie), Pumpkin, and Domino. They act like they don’t want to play, but we KNOW they are just pretending.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake? Do you like going for walks around the lake or hikes on the trails? Do you like playing in the water?
(Maui and Lilo) Sometimes when our gate is left askew or a branch falls on our fence, we get out before our hoomans notice. We duck and weave through as many yards both on the lake and behind in the Vista before our family comes chasing after us with the car or our leashes. Walking with our family around the lake is just too exhausting for us. They only want to walk in a straight line. We are so much more advanced than that, and we prefer the duck and weave method, so we don’t bother to go for walks with them that often.
How did you like answering these questions?
(Maui and Lilo) This was great. Can we do it again soon? How about next Tuesday
at 3:00?
MEET MELODI AND CEILI
Answers interpreted by Ellen Huls
How did you get your names?
(Melodi) I was named after the sci fi character Dr. Melody Pond on Dr Who. The character is very smart, adventurous, a little naughty, but very loyal and loving – like me!
(Ceili) My name is from the Gaelic word ‘ceilidh’, meaning party. I am a party on four paws!
What type of dogs are you?
(Melodi and Ceili) We are Cairn terrier/poodle mixes. We have the same mom and dad, but we’re from different litters.
(Melodi) I’m black and Ceili is gold.
(Melodi and Ceili) Our mom says we've inherited the intelligence and the stubbornness of both terriers and poodles. We think that makes us perfect. So do both our parents!
How old are you?
(Melodi) I’m 9.
(Ceili) I’m 5.
(Melodi and Ceili) We like to think we look younger than we are.
Who do you live with?
(Melodi and Ceili) We live with our mom and dad, Ellen and Bill Huls. They tell us we’re the most spoiled dogs in the world.
We also live with two betta fish. They’re fun to look at.
Our doggy cousins live next door, and sometimes our other doggy cousins come and stay with us. But we rule over all of them. We are the girls in charge! At least in our minds…
Did you grow up in Ames Lake?
(Melodi and Ceili) We were both born in Spokane, but we have lived here since we were very young.
With all the dogs and other animals in this neighborhood, we can't think of a better place to grow up.
What are your favorite things to do in Ames Lake? Have you learned anything new here?
(Melodi and Ceili) Our mom and dad fenced in our front patio for us this year, so now our favorite thing is to run around there, through the house, and then around the fenced backyard. We love to “talk” to people when they pass by our house.
We also like to go for walks with our parents around the lake
(Melodi) I learned that bunnies are very, very fast. I wish they would slow down!
(Ceili) The snow got really deep here two times. I’m only 20 pounds so I didn’t like it at first, but the cold felt so good on my tummy!
Is there anything else you want to say?
(Melodi) I bark a lot because I have strong opinions and a lot to say. Sometimes at night I bark at the bunnies and squirrels in our backyard. My mom tells me to hush, but I want them to know who’s boss!
(Ceili) I am cute, wiggly, and sassy, and I really like to play with humans. I'm a little shy at first, but if you come up to me when my mom and dad are around - especially my dad - I like to socialize with people and other dogs. Usually, I follow everything Melodi does because she's my big sister and she’s really smart!
Answers interpreted by Eileen Brady
What type of dogs are you? How old are you?
Chenoa: I’m a 15-year-old American Standard Terrier and Chow mix, the lighter one in the photo. Marley is 11 and a Greater Swiss mix.
Who do you live with?
My buddy Marley and I live with our mom and dad, along with our 13-year-old human sister. Marley and I had to work out our differences at first, but now we’re the best of buddies and don’t like to be separated.
Where did they find you? Did you grow up in Ames Lake?
I was born in Louisiana. After hurricane Katrina, my mom was taking me to a shelter when she decided to adopt me! I was just a puppy then, so my mom flew back to Vermont with me under her seat. Then we moved and I have lived in Ames Lake for the past 3 years. I really like it here, especially hanging out with Marley.
Marley was adopted from a family in Skagit Valley when she was just a year old. She has lived in Ames Lake ever since.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake?
We both love our walks around the lake and getting our paws wet in the water. Marley used to love to run around the tree farm but can’t go that far now.
Is there anything else you want to say?
Woof Woof!
Answers interpreted by Sandy Page
What kind of dogs are you?
We’re German Shorthair Pointers.
How old are you?
We’re a little over a year old.
Who do you live with?
Our humans are Sandy and David Page. We also live with an 18-year-old cat named Cheddar avon Shredder (he has 7 toes). Plus, glow fish, cherry shrimp, and aquatic frogs.
Did you grow up in Ames Lake?
Yes. The humans have lived on the same street in 4 different houses for 28 years. Good thing we are only a year old or we wouldn’t know which house was ours!
What are some of your favorite things to do in Ames Lake?
We love to walk and hike. Mom takes us for runs around the lake. Our favorite thing is to walk around the tree farm and bark at birds during our trail run. In some places the brush is so thick we have to walk in a single file.
Have you learned anything new here?
We love the water and are learning how to swim. We also learned that our barks can be heard for miles (although Mom doesn’t allow this very often).
What can you say about your breed?
We are high-energy Velcro dogs. We are bird dogs. We will find them, point them out, and bring them back to you. However, we aren’t hunters.
What did you get for your first birthday?
We got an automatic ball thrower. We learned to drop the ball in by ourselves. But sometimes we like to put everything and anything in there.
Did you like answering all these questions?
Thank you for the wooftastic interview. Now throw me that ball!
Ellie's answers interpreted by Siobhán Daly
What type of dog are you?
I’m what you would call a super mutt! I'm a little bit of many amazing dogs, but mostly I am a Pitbull terrier, chow chow, husky mix. My human brothers call me turkey, I'm not sure why. I think they are making fun of the way I lie down while I chew my bones.
How old are you?
I’m 7.5 months old.
Who do you live with?
I live with my mom and dad as well as two brothers and one feline sister. My sister is one of those grouchy felines. She’s a little older than I am. She is not much fun to play with, but I try every day to play with her. I’m hoping she warms up to me soon!
Where did they find you?
My family found me through an adoption agency that brings good pups like me (and my sister) to wonderful dog-loving states like Washington from overcrowded shelters in Texas. The adoption people in Texas sent me here with a fleece jacket just in case I didn't like the cold or the rain. What's not to like? The rain makes mud puddles, my favorite!
Did you grow up in Ames Lake?
I am currently growing up here and so far, I love it! I am excited to spend years here exploring the forest and swimming in the lake.
What are some of your favorite things to do here?
I LOVE going for long walks through the tree farm, especially right now when there are lots of mud puddles for me to play in. I also really like going to the dog park to play with my sister who lives just up the street. My mommy tells me this is quite the coincidence we live so close. I think it was fate!
Have you learned anything new here?
I am in the process of learning many new things, one of them is how to control myself when I see other doggy friends on walks. I love making new friends and playing with every doggo I meet. I am excited for the weather to get warmer so I can learn to play in the lake with my human brothers. I think I will really like swimming.
What is your favorite snack?
CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE. I will do anything my mommy asks me to for a good piece of string cheese!
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I look forward to my many years of long walks and making friends here in Ames Lake.
-Ellie Dog