Conversations with Critters
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And a new Furever Friend joins us…
Today, Critters, we welcome a new friend, Archie, who has a Tale to Tell about his incredible journey to Furever. To help us get started, Panda has returned from the path unwinding in the Park and is ready to take one more step into the highly coveted role of Esteemed Special Guest Host. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover because Archie comes from a really big place. So, without further fanfare, please join us in excellent canine critter conversation. Take it away, Panda and Archie!
Panda: Hello, Critters! Hello, Friends! Welcome welcome! We are so happy to welcome our New Friend, Archie! Welcome, Archie!
Archie: Hello, hello! I’m so excited to be here! I even woke up from my nap!
Chris: Archie, I sympathize.
Panda: Thank you for that backup support, Chris. I’ve got this and you can go back to your regularly scheduled programming and take your nap on the couch.
Chris: What.
Jasper: Roger that. Chris, the dogs are going to take it away!
Panda: Now! Archie, thank you again and so very much for being with us here at Critters.
Archie: I’m very excited.
Panda: So, let’s begin with a few biographical and breed specific questions.
Archie: O’kay, that sounds good. I’m all ears.
Panda: I’m all ears, too. Afterall, I’m part Chihuahua! Thank you. Thank you very much. I’m also part Cocker and that explains everything about my ears! So, let’s turn our attention to Archie, fully and completely. Archie, please share with us what kind of breed you are.
Archie: I am a Bichon Frise.
Panda: Archie, Bichon Frises are a French Breed and are known for their curls and gentle temperament and something else, but I forgot, so…hmmm…please just answer the part about being French and curly and I’ll get back to you with the other part. Is that fair to say?
Archie: Yes, that’s fair. Thank you, Panda.
Panda: Of course. Oh! Here it is in my notes. Bichon Frises make excellent companions because of their size and gentle temperament. In other words, you could possibly and theoretically be considered a lap dog.
Archie: Gosh. That sounds good, too. Thank you, Panda. That’s very nice of you. Wow, a lap dog. You’re right about that plus I usually sit on a chair at the dining table.
Panda: Of course. Now. Do you speak French?
Archie: No, not that I’m aware of.
Panda: O’kay. Please, let me take a deep deep dive with this language issue.
Archie: O’kay, that sounds nice.
Panda: Have you seen a croissant?
Archie: Yes, absolutely.
Panda: O’kay, good to know. Thank you for such a well thought out response to my question about languages. I will now escalate my questions to a higher level of complexity as an interviewer.
Archie: O’kay wow. That’s incredible.
Panda: Have you seen France?
Archie: No, not that I’m aware of. Can you please give me a hint about what France looks like?
Panda: Sure. No problem. France is real big. So big, in fact, that you can see it.
Archie: Like Texas? I live in Texas. Texas is big. I can see Texas.
Panda: Correct. France, however and according to my Research Notes and Google Maps, is big and it’s on the European Continent. Texas is big and it’s a part of the North American Continent.
Archie: O’kay, that really helps to work out the geography. Thank you, Panda.
Panda: Of course. Of course. Now! Let’s continue to live in the moment. How did you find your Furever Home?
Archie: First, I was born nine years ago, in a litter of nine pups, to my proud dog parents, Rocky and Bella. Then there was a problem. Because. My Birth Mamadog got sick with an infection. I was not able to nurse.
Panda: That is so harrowing. What an incredible start in life.
Archie: Yes. It was a little rough. I was very small. Even my curls were small. I was that small.
Panda: Archie, thank you for opening up about this with us. I understand from my biographical notes that you became what is known in the vernacular as a Bottle Baby.
Archie: Correct. My littermates and I were fed by a Very Special Hooman named Mrs. F who used a doll bottle to feed us around the clock for weeks. I thrived under her care.
Panda: What an incredible journey. In terms of Hooman Family Trees, we understand that the amazing Mrs F is related to Rocky and Bella’s very own Hooman.
Archie: Yes, she would be considered my Hooman Grandmother.
Panda: Thank you for that clarification in genealogy. Once you were strong, then what happened?
Archie: The amazing Mrs F lived next door to an Old English Sheepdog, Nana, and her Hoomans. And they adopted me! Furever! But even with Furever, the time goes by fast, and I am sad to say that Nana has recently crossed The Rainbow Bridge at the age of thirteen after having a spinal problem for a long time. She required a lot of assistance from our Hoomans. I miss Nana and think of her everyday.
Panda: We feel deep deep sympathy and luvluvluv for you and your family, Archie. I have also had a spinal problem and have to be careful with my back. Would you like to share more about Nana’s life with us? I understand she was incredible.
Archie: Oh, thank you, Panda. Thank you very much. Nana had her own social and professional calendar, she was that gigantic and fluffy. She was a narrator of a children’s book, Naughty Nana, she was on stage and in parades, she made school visits and library visits. She served as a Diplomat and was the Tourism Ambassador of our city.
Panda: Archie, would you say, in one word, that Nana was your Lonestar?
Archie: Yes, that is a perfect description of her because she lights my way in every way. She is that shiny.
Panda: Let’s share a photo of Nana, the Author of the smash hit and runaway bestseller Naughty Nana, for the edification and enjoyment of our readers.
Panda: Archie, you’ve achieved a kind of literary stature on your own.
Archie: Yes, I feel quite humble about it. I learned how from Nana who was my role model in literature and in life.
Panda: We are truly humbled, too, and we would luvluvluv to read all about it. Please, share your story with our readers here at Critters.
Archie: O’kay, that’s so nice of you. I am a Character in one of my Hooman’s mystery novels, A Murder of Principal.
Panda: This is a high…and I do mean high… achievement in Critter Literature. We won’t offer any spoilers, but we’ll share the link below.
Archie: Thank you. Thank you very much.
Panda: Critters, thank you for being here with us to learn the fascinating tale of how Archie found his way to Furever with his Incredible Friend, Nana. As E.B. White said in Charlotte’s Web, “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” Archie, I feel that we can say the same for Nana.
Archie: Yes, thank you, Panda. Nana was both.
Panda: Archie, would you like to have the honors of concluding Conversations with Critters?
Archie: Yes, please. So, Critters, stay safe and have fun out there! We’ll see you next time! The. End.
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Poetry with Pets
Reflected glory
A heart as big as the sky
My star and my guide
By Panda for Archie and Nana
Notes:
Photos of Archie and Nana courtesy of
Thank you to
for introducing us to her beloved dogs, Archie and Nana. You can find her writings on Substack and her website, including essays, novels, Naughty Nana and more:
Archie is adorable. I like his cutie-pie face.
Absolutely delightful!