Living With The Family Fun Pack
Chapter 1: Mr. MoJo
I live with three, large, male dogs. Not a scenario I’d recommend to the faint of heart or those with an aversion to dog hair. My Family Fun Pack consists of two mongrels of indistinct heritage and the third, a German Shepherd with unquestionable, albeit unremarkable ancestry. All are rescues. Their given names are Mr. MoJo, Jude and Bob (Barker) any one of which will also answer to No, Stop It and Get Out Of The Way.
Mr. MoJo is a Border Collie mix. My best guess is that his family tree includes a Great Pyrenees, which makes him look pretty much like a Border Collie on steroids. He has an enormous plume of a tail which, I believe, was full-size from birth. A tail so large, I considered naming him Flag. He eventually grew into the appendage, which now serves as a fine, voice-activated fan for me during hot summer days and my own personal summers, also known as hot flashes. The fantail has several speeds; the faster I talk, the faster it fans.
Border Collies are highly intelligent. MoJo is no exception to that rule; in fact, he does my taxes every year. So far, the paw print signature on Form 1040 has not been a red flag to the Internal Revenue Service.
Mr. MoJo is the most nomadic of the Family Fun Pack. He would, at the drop of a leash, embark on solo, unauthorized trips through the neighborhood. Mr. MoJo is also the most inventive of my three amigos. Like a child who plays with the box instead of the toy, MoJo prefers to devise his own form of amusement. He much prefers the trash can lid to any store-bought plaything and occupies his time by pretending to be a lumberjack, stripping all unwary shrubbery of its leaves and branches.
In his youth, Mr. MoJo aspired to be an interior designer. Left unsupervised, he would liberate furniture from its upholstery and alter any available window treatments.
Living with a Border Collie is an experience mixed with equal parts of joy, frustration, and amazement. Here in Dog City, where I hold the office of mayor, we concentrate on the joy and amazement.