Pinky Bryce - Inspector General

by Judith Bruno

I know Pinky Bryce Action Figure is probably just your typical Kerry puppy, but she is a constant source of amusement and amazement.

Pinky thinks it’s her job to be the inspector general of the house and its inhabitants – and it seems someone forgot to tell her
#1 that she is a dog, and
#2 she is the number two dog.

What strikes me about her, different than any of the 3 other kerries I’ve owned, is her need for almost constant physical touch and closeness – a Velcro pup for sure.

If you are sitting, she starts by jumping her front paws onto your lap, mind you she’s very dainty and light as a feather. She then crawls up you, inch by inch, and wraps her paws around your neck, and likes to hang on you like a baby chimp, licking your ears and face, or putting her head on your shoulder.

I know many people comment that with a Kerry they have no longer bathroom privacy. Pinky takes that to a new level and does her chimp hanging around your neck while you are sitting on the toilet, or while I am sitting at my computer.

Her Inspector General skills were well honed when the flu went through our house during the holidays.

Let me start by saying the only place that Pinky can and will sleep is at the foot of our bed, and usually on my feet - unless I’m away, then reluctantly on Roland’s feet. I I do mean “ON” - maybe she just wants to be sure we don’t try to sneak away from her.

While we were sick, if we shifted position on the bed, Pinky felt she needed to do a full body inspection. She would climb up to the head of the bed, over you and the comforters and pillows – like a mountain goat, sometimes head butting pillows out of her way. Then she would start her methodical full body sniffing to make sure everything was in order, or that she fully understood what necessitated the shift and where things stood minute to minute.

She performs the same kind of head to toe inspection of Heddy, several times a day. She sniffs every inch of her from head to toe, and cleans her ears and eyes.

I wonder if she might be trained to put this interest to work, like learning to detect diseases like cancer by sniffing.

Sometimes at night I pick Heddy up off one of the dog beds on the floor and put her in the howdah to sleep – especially since it has been so cold – at 12+ years of age I prefer her to be up and off the cold tile. Miss Inspector General, asleep at the foot of our bed is suddenly up on her feet at the foot of our bed, sometimes barking and always straining to direct the action.

After nearly a year, Heddy still seems to have an incredible tolerance for Pinky and her bossiness.

The only thing we have to monitor is when food is around (and of course we still put Pinky in her puppy pen when we go out).

Pinky has no interest in food and Heddy is obsessed with it.

When she eats, Pinky eats her meal just to keep it away from Heddy. Or she leaves her bowl with food in it, and hides, just out of sight, behind the refrigerator, or by the entrance to the dinning room. As soon as she hears Heddy move in on “her” food - she charges, growling. Heddy knows she’s being bad by approaching Pinky’s bowl and sheepishly slinks off - so this has never escalated. Plus I’m always right there and correct both of them, Heddy for scavenging and Pinky for being a brat.

The last little Pink-ism I’ll share is to describe her puppy rodeo. Like many dogs when Pinky is all charged up (for whatever reason) she likes to run hysterical laps either around the yard or through the house at break neck speed. Pink often does puppy rodeo around the yard, by herself for no particular reason. But what is different about Pinky’s rodeo is that she growls the entire time! She is not mad or aggressive and if you interrupt her, she is her normal affectionate self. However it seems the growling puffs her up, and seems to make her feel bigger and meaner than she is, somewhat like the wizard behind the curtain.

In just 10 days we celebrate our first anniversary of Pinky’s arrival. It has been an experience having a pup, especially a pup like Pinky Bryce, Action Figure.