Il libro di Jaylos

Your dog is practically a matchmaker.

taken from: jaylosjune2018 on tumblr
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Dude is a good boy. But he's not a Good Boy, at least not according to Pongo.

In fact, if you were to ask for the dalmatian's opinion - which no one ever does! - he would say Dude has a long way to go before achieving Good Boy status.

That's not a bad thing. Dude is hardly any older than his own pet and he does an adequate job of caring for the human. Pongo knows that Dude walks Carlos every night and wakes him up in time for class. The young dog takes the responsibility of physical care very well and Pongo is happy for that.

But Dude will not be a Good Boy until he can read Carlos' mental needs as well.

Pongo has had pets for a long time. He's had Roger for as long as he can remember and Perdita brought along her own pet, Anita, and since the two humans got along almost as well as Pongo and his wife, Pongo had two pets for most of his life.

Carlos, just like Pongo and Roger, is in need of a mate.

There is a small chance that Pongo is overstepping his boundaries by attempting to court a pet that is not his own, but Dude is not fulfilling the duties of a Good Boy. Pongo must step in.

Besides, Carlos really should be Pongo's pet. The human boy just happened to meet Dude first, that was hardly fair!

Roger and Anita have all but adopted the boy into their little family. Pongo didn't quite know how to feel at first. He remembers black and white hair, jagged nails and billowing smoke of a woman he'd like to forget and Carlos reeked of Cruella.

But the boy is younger than Pongo's own children. He's all but a puppy himself. And he thinks that he is a big dog. Er, human. Carlos thinks he is an adult.

He came to Anita and Roger at 14, small and thin and taking the responsibility of everything onto his sagging shoulders. He cooked and cleaned and fetched Pongo's leash without being asked. He scrubbed floors until his hands ached and stayed up late to perfect the house, despite being told not to sacrifice his sleep for something as trivial as carpet cleaning.

That was not how puppies were supposed to act.

Pongo saw it on Roger's face and heard it in Anita's tone. Carlos was too scared to run and jump and have fun. He was a puppy who didn't quite know how to be one.

But that was many years ago, back before his shoulders broadened and his hair lengthened and he became almost as tall as Roger.

Carlos is full grown pet! And according to Anita, he is not allowed to grow any more, but Pongo isn't sure if that's a human rule or just an Anita rule.

And full grown pets need mates. It's just the way of life.

But Dude has not reached Good Boy status yet, so Pongo must come to the rescue.

He's not crazy either, despite the fact that no one else in Carlos' life seems to be concerned. Not Dude, not Roger and Anita, not even Perdita, though she's busy with her own pet, Jay.

Which isn't fair because Roger and Anita don't actually have Jay like they do Carlos and Jay didn't have a chance encounter with another dog who claimed him before Perdita could even meet him like Dude did with Carlos!

Nonetheless, Perdita had taken to Jay after a slow while. He didn't have spots like Carlos and he wasn't as small, but he was very similar. A large puppy who didn't quite know how to play, always standing stiff and tall and holding the weight of the world on his shoulders.

But, also like Carlos, that was years ago. Jay has grown into an impressive human male. He is strong and bright and finally seems to understand that monsters only hide on the Isle, not under around every corner.