Hey, frendz! It’s your tail-wagging JournoDog.
As it’s Shark Week, I am bringing you a fun tale of a fellow furry frend who happens to love the water so very much.
Please meet Joey, a dog by many names (including JoJo) who could very well be part shark for how much she loves the water. And sources say she may even have shark fin DNA to prove it! 🦈 🐕
This will actually be a two-part interview, as Joey is quite the pet personality with many sides – including those water-logged with doggy love.
Interview with Joey (Part 1)
Q.) Joey, can you start by sharing your origin story?
A.) My official birthday is September 14, 2022. I am a Virgo like my mom. I turn 4 years old this year (which we know is 21 in puppy years).
I was one of 7 puppies that were rescued from Detroit. Rumor has it my German Shepherd mom was an escape artist and was known to jump her fence and get out.
Through A ReJoycful Rescue, I was fostered by a nice woman along with 3 of my other siblings. My original name was Jasmine and my favorite brother’s name was Joey.
My hooman mom found our adorable pictures on PetFinder about six months after she lost her best friend, Kayla, a beautiful black lab-shepherd mix. She actually applied for my brother Joey thinking it would be a little easier to have a boy dog this time around, since she was still heartbroken over losing Kayla.
The foster mom reached out to let my hooman mom know that there was another family interested in me, but they already had a female dog at home, and she was overly concerned that that wouldn’t work out.
As luck would have it, my parents met me on November 13, 2022, and immediately fell in love! My brother went to the other wonderful family and now goes by the name Brody. After my vaccinations and health were cleared, I came home to my new home on November 19, 2022.
My mom really likes the comedian, Mike Birbigia. My parents had just seen him live right before they found me. Birbiglia has a funny bit regarding his brother Joey, or Joey Bag-A-Donuts. My mom thought it would be cute to keep the name Joey for me, and boy was it a perfect choice because I play rougher than any boy out there and can kick you across the room like a kangaroo.
My name is Joey but I am also known as JoJo, Crazy Pants, Joey Bologna, Captain Insano, Pillow Thief, Bubba, Bubs, Goomba, and I am sure there are more.
Wow, that’s a lotta names! Do you ever get confused or not know who you are?
No, I love all my names. Oh, I also just remembered even more names my mom gave me: Meatball, Honeycakes, and Babycakes! There are more, but we’ll exclude those for the sake of sensitive ears.
I’m told you’re a ‘swimming machine’… do you have shark DNA?
They say a picture is worth 1,000 tail-wagging words, so… see for yourself:
Officially, my mom had a DNA test done on me through Embark for funsies. Results showed:
- 46.5% American Pit Bull Terrier
- 21% German Shepherd
- 15.6% Akita
- 8.7% American Bulldog
- 8.2% Doberman Pinscher
As a partial shark-dog confirmed by photos and DNA-sharing, do you have a poolside or water strategy? Are you a ‘dip your paws in and lounge elegantly on a floatie’ type of girl, or do you go for full canine cannonballs into the water?
Swimming is my luxury sport. There is nothing dainty about me. I go flying into the pool, especially after my margarita. I swim so hard it looks like I am punching the water the entire time.
My favorite thing to do is to play “search and rescue” with my toys. My parents throw all of them in the pool (probably 10 toys). Jump in to save them and bring them out into the yard until each one has been saved. Then I yell at my parents to throw them all back into the water.
Over.and.over.and.over again.
Once I am pretty tired and need a break, I will walk in circles with a toy in my mouth until they let me back into the house.
My new thing I like to do is hide my pool toys around the house so that they can’t take them from me and put them back outside. They keep finding them though…
Is it the same for big water bowls with waves?
My parents took me to Mr. Chuck’s cabin in the Up North Thumb last year.
That was the best vacation I have ever been on. I LOVED swimming and jumping through the waves. I would love to go back. It was the biggest pool I have ever seen in my life.
Ok, since you mentioned so many toys, let’s do a quick toy audit of your toy box…
Squeaky toys are LIFE. My parents are extra careful to make sure that they don’t come out of the toys and become a choking hazard. Many of my toys don’t squeak anymore.
Kong has the BEST toys ever. I have countless Wubbas, bears, and frisbees. My red Kong frisbee is my absolute outdoor toy. My parents love it when I catch it in the air. What, like it’s hard? LOL.
Pool toys are a WHOLE different classification.
The dog my mom had before me had this plush toy that she calls a Margarita. It says Detox Juice on the front. This was Kayla’s FAVORITE pool toy and now it’s my absolute favorite pool toy.
I will fly into the pool with no hesitation when that toy is thrown in. Of all of my MANY toys, I will always pick that one first. My mom guards it with her life because you can’t buy it again. She has sewn that one up MANY times.
JournoDog out, for now
Wow, Joey! So much water funsies, for sure.
I’m glad we had the chance to talk water shop during Shark Week. But I feel like this is only part of your full story to share… so let’s catch our breath and dry off, before circling back for Part 2.
In the meantime, always remember: Love your pets. Support local journalism. And remember to find done smiles and happz for your heart everyday.
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