Ten Memorable [Fictional] Pups and a Tribute to My Own
When I made the joke in this tweet I had no clue that I would lose my dog two weeks, to the day, later. We got Vincent Preston Davis Battani III the summer before I started high school in 2008. And on February 19, 2021, we had to put him down. He came into my life before I even knew algebra let alone Tableau. Before I got my driver’s license, went to prom, graduated from high school, moved to California, went to college, got my first job, got my Bachelor’s, and started my career. That little buddy has seen us through a lot. Especially with the pandemic, it’s hard to lose a furry friend that you spend all day every day with. Before I list the most memorable pups that have entered my life in other ways, I want to tell you ten memorable things about mine.
Ten Memorable Things About My Pup
He snored so loudly. So loudly that Shanny (mom) and I would schedule who took their meetings in which room around his sleeping.
He loved carrots. We just discovered this actually. I had a LOT of extra carrots from a soup recipe and we cooked them and gave them to him and he was obsessed from then on.
He hated when we opened trash bags. I feel like all dogs have that one thing they’re wary of. For a lot it’s vacuums and slick surfaces. Vinny was fine with both of those but would immediately leave the room when plastic bags were around.
Despite the fact that he had three dog beds around the house and all were big enough to fit his whole body and then some, his butt would always be hanging off the edge. He just never climbed fully in the bed before laying down.
He was a blanket HOGGER. He would actually take the blanket off of you and lay down on it. It contributed to one of his many nicknames: PIB. Which stands for, pig in a blanket. Because he was always with a blanket and as he got older he got a little pot belly.
He loved to sit in the sun. In the summer we’d always wonder where he was and look outside and he’d be in the same spot right in the sun.
He barked if someone knocked but never at the doorbell. Which I found kind of peculiar because when he was younger there was a popular commercial that included a doorbell and he did bark at that.
He was fine with new people. But if someone he didn’t know was in the house and near my mom you could bet he would be right on their heels the entire time (cable people and plumbers thought it was cute).
He KNEW the sound of the cheese/lunch meat drawer. To be honest, sometimes we’d open it just to wake him up.
He was the bestest buddy in the whole wide world.
The hardest part about writing this was that I wrote it all in present tense and then had to go back and change ‘he loves carrots’ to ‘he loved carrots’. Ugh.
Ten of the Most Memorable Fictional Dogs
After I made that tweet I really did have the intention of writing this blog someday. It went into my backlog of blog ideas. But there will be no better time than now. A tribute to my Vinny, ten of the most memorable fictional dogs (in the order that I thought of them).
Max - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
If you’re one of the Flerlage twins skip to the next one because there will be no Jim Carrey’s Grinch slander on this post. Max is the GOAT. He worked hard and never complained and PRACTICALLY saved the day. Fun fact, this dog’s actual name is Kelley.
Dug - UP
You KNEW when you opened this that Dug would be on here. Name someone more loyal. You can’t. And he’s fun and fearless. All the best qualities in a dog. 10/10 would adopt him.
Beast - Sandlot
First off I love this movie but even though we didn’t see him much, he was central to the story’s plot. And I’m not gonna lie, he looks like a cuddler.
Bruiser - Legally Blonde
I don’t care that this dog did not say a single word. You can’t tell me that he didn’t have a whole personality. He has a better wardrobe than I do! An icon.
Toto - The Wizard of Oz
Toto has to be the dog that gets brought up the most. I don’t know about you guys but I REGULARLY work The Wizard of Oz quotes into conversations. And no, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.
Jock - Lady and the Tramp
The thing I remember the most about this dog is his bad attitude and honestly, I love it. We love a little sass, especially from such a cutie. And that little accent?
Slinky - Toy Story franchise
Ernest goes to Andy’s. Toy Story is the America’s sweetheart of Pixar movies so Slinky already wins. But he’s such a good friend to Woody.
Blue - Blue’s Clues
I almost had a small existential crisis trying to figure out whether Blue or Clifford had a bigger impact on my childhood and Blue won out. I still, at the age of 26, sing the song from this show whenever I get my mail.
Scooby-Doo - Scooby-Doo franchise
Favorite things include: solving crime, hanging with his friends, and eating. We have 66% of that in common. All the kids my age in the family were boys and this was one show we could all agree to watch when we were little.
We tried Saved By The Bell and then they made fun of me for saying Mario Lopez was cute.
Goofy - The Goofy Movie
Me and this guy go way back. I could write a whole separate post about the two Goofy movies and how good they are. But in general, I always loved seeing Goofy during my many park visits.
That’s all folks. Would love to see pics of your furry friends or favorite four-legged fictional characters.
RIP Vinny
