WHEN I FIRST MET BOOGS

when i first met boogs: i was in the middle of a string of interviews at casa del mar hotel in santa monica. it was 2005. japanese interviewers had flown in from japan for the day, and i had 6 interviews in the morning, and 6 in the afternoon. the day before, i had visited the lange foundation on sepulveda…i was at a point in my life where i was ready to care for a furry companion whom i could bond with, nurture and protect. it wasn’t the best timing…i was about to go on a promo tour, which would have me, on certain days doing radio interviews and shows in three cities in one day. not the ideal circumstances under which to rescue a puppy.

but timing is not something i have ever felt wildly in control of across the board, and yearnings are yearnings, readiness is readiness. i knew from having toured for a little over two decades that i could create predictability, and comfort, routine and certainty for a puppy..something i knew he/she might need…as much as i myself needed it. a friend of mine had shown me a photo of a sweet sweet white little puppy who was available at the lange foundation on the day before my japanese interviews, and i had gone in to meet him. when i walked in, i met so many adorable pups. (i am allergic to cats, so that was out of the question). some had just been dropped off. some had just been born. some had been abandoned. some had eyesight challenges, some had broken legs. i was reduced to an empathic puddle…and wanted to bring them all home with me.

i spent time with about 12 dogs that day. boogs, the white little puppy, whose name was different before i met him, was in his crate. he was being fawned over by two volunteers. “this puppy will be rescued. and well-loved” i thought to myself. “he is precious.” i went over to meet him, and the friends i had come with somehow knew to leave me alone with him.(thoughtful of them).i opened boogs’ door with the permission of the sweet women who were helping me, and he immediately wanted to run past and me and out the door. “sweet freedom, sweet one” i thought to myself. he was like a tiny white stallion…looked like he had some italian greyhound in him.chihuahua.maybe terrier? couldn’t tell with the terrier. but he had a sense about him… a sensitivity. a telepathy. just after he was gently ushered back into his crate there was a loud bang from the front door: the wind had blown it shut with a start. all the dogs in the room started barking furiously. i turned to boogs and he was jumping up and down…catching a lot of air..and…not making a sound. “what an unusual way to respond to a room full of barking dogs” i thought to myself. he was literally bouncing into the air. i left that day. gave him a little wink on the way out.

the following day, on my lunch break after the 6th interview at the hotel…i turned to my team that was comprised of 5 women and i said “want to come with me to rescue a puppy?”. i am not sure where these words came from. this was no light decision to be making. this was a commitment for the entirety of this sweet angel pup’s life. i neglected to mention i am also allergic to dogs, just not as violently as i am to cats. our posse jumped into a big car and drove, while eating crackers, to the foundation. i walked in, they remembered me from the day before, and asked to see boogs. they brought him out to the grass and all 6 of us sat in a circle. this was the first taste i had of how communal boogs is. he went up to each and every one of us, and had a moment with us each. i was melting. when he had visited with us each. he sat right in front of me and leaned his head into my head. i was done.

he came with me back to the interviews (i was already sneezing but couldn’t have cared less) and sat on my lap for the remaining 6 interviews like we had done this for years. my manager yelled at me for adopting a dog the day before a promo tour. i told him “all due respect, but this is a personal choice, and your opinion doesn’t matter to me right now.” but i knew there was some sanity in the fear he had on my behalf. my instant love for boogs trumped all of it. his name was meant to be temporary until i found a name for him. but it stuck, because my term of endearment that i use for those whom i adore…was and IS who he is: the perfect warrant-er of adoration. ours is a soul connection, me and boogs. a wordlessly communicative and energetic connection. the kind that has him running across the house when he senses i am sad, to come lick my tears away kind of bond. and yes, i got a cold from the stress of some sleepless nights, and yes i was exhausted while i toured, yet beyond worth it.  i bonded hard with boogs…he came into every interview and every hotel room and on every flight with me. and by the time we got home a month later his furry little self was indelibly imprinted into my heart, but only forever. xoxoxox