A New Addition to Our Family

by Roland Alden
Copyright 2010

A few weeks ago our fifth Kerry arrived; our first boy dog. Meet Cecil B. aka The Bean, aka Five, aka Cinco, aka The Pugilist, and a thousand other aliases to come, as is our tradition.

Cecil’s original name was “Bouvie” because the gent that rescued him (from a near miss with a truck by the freeway) thought he might be a Bouvier. We decided he was a Kerry. Just like we decided Libby (aka The Scamp, aka The Ambassador) was a Kerry. In our house being a Kerry is 95% Learned Attitude. Molly, The Original, had the most important job of teaching Libby the Kerry Style. Heddy was an exception. She was so elegant; so fully loaded with style. She had style to spare. Pinky arrived in 2006 like a cannonball when Heddy was 11 years old. Pinky provided energy and Heddy provided the necessary training (and a sense of Gravitas). Pinky was very lonely when Heddy died and is now so delighted to have a little brother to pick on. Now it is Pinky’s turn to mentor.

But Cecil already has his own personality and maybe it is going to rub off on Pinky as much as it goes the other way. Cecil is incredibly mellow. To start with, he likes cats! He likes all other dogs. Big dogs. Little dogs. Does that drive Pinky crazy. Barking does not rile him at all. He doesn’t join in and bark when Pinky gets going. He doesn’t bark at birds. He is, Mr. Cool.

Like any good Kerry he likes incredible luxury: down blankets, lamb’s wool rugs, pillows; good food. He snuggles like nobody’s business. We know he is a puppy. He chews. Oh yes, another name: Cecil B. The Destroyer of Toys. But then he naps like an old man.

But what sets Cecil apart is his great Pugilistic skills. He’s not a trouble maker like Molly or Heddy. He’s like a great Martial Artist or Boxer. He floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Here is some evidence. Look at these photos. On the left, Cecil is unperturbed as Pinky’s giant boyfriend Copper, all 80 lbs. of him, jumps towards Cecil; all 20 lbs. of him. In the middle photo we see Cecil going for the ear so fast Copper appears to be standing still. As the last photo shows, Copper turns and runs from the fearless Mister B.

Cecil’s got a big chest and tough stance already. He loves to stand up on two legs and work his front paws. After he grows out of his puppy phase he’s going to be a lot like Bruce Lee. Libby was our first professional Kung Fu dog. She had fists as fast as lightening, and they were just a little bit frightening. Cecil carries on that tradition. I’m thinking he might be a big star some day. ENTER THE B., THE WAY OF THE B., FISTS OF FURY & THE SCAMP CONNECTION and maybe PAWS OF FEAR, TOUCH OF HAIR.

We think Cecil may have spent his first months in pet store confinement. He arrived with a bit of a hump back (too much time in too small a crate). However, regular walks that feature significant pulling at the end of the leash are helping to stretch him out. Like all the Gurls before him he loves to go on walks; especially as he makes friends around the neighborhood.

But none of that is what anyone notices about Cecil when they first meet him. What everyone notices is how CUTE he is. He loves to stand up on two feet and visit with anyone he meets. He is so earnest and focused on you, even if he has met you a dozen times before. Cecil is so cute it is hard to express how cute he is; but let me try this. Think back to 1965 and consider what 16 year old girls thought about the Beatles. Now, take that and multiply by 10. That gives you some idea of exactly how cute Cecil is.

Don’t get me wrong. The Pink is still the boss and loves to push Cecil around just so he knows it. Cecil tries to teach Pinky about toys. Pinky tries to see how loud she can bark in Cecil’s ear like she used to do with Heddy. They run around the backyard at high speed and then crash on the floor exhausted; back to back.

Pinky likes to sleep on the cool tile floor but Cecil likes to sleep on the bed stretched out in what we call “long bean” style. Pinky sometimes sleeps on her own personal bed but Cecil likes to sleep right up next to somebody “log style” like the Scamp did. We are pretty sure The Scamp picked Cecil out, and arranged for his delivery, since he is the perfect addition to our family and only The Scamp could have known that. Some days we think Cecil is going to be a mama’s boy and other days he seems to be a daddy’s boy, but every day he is a bundle of joy.

We would like thank Kris who rescued Cecil and, after a long unsuccessful effort at finding his original home, brought him to us. We can’t thank Kris enough.