You might know Anna Dorfman from her blog Door Sixteen, which chronicles just about everything she is passionate about from restoring her beautiful home in Newburgh to makeup to Michael Jackson. She and her husband, Evan, are also very passionate about their furry “kids” and I asked her to share more about them in this month’s Scoop!
Names? Bruno and Fritz.
Nicknames? Bruno: Puppy, Luppy, Puppycakes, Lumpkin, Furpot, Pupkin, Animal, Chief Pooping Littleskull, Mister Mustache, Pigpen, Crunch ‘n Munch, Cap’n Crunch, Turkey Lurkey, Snoopy, Houndstooth, Stinkpot, Stink Lines, Brunosaurus, Peek Frean, Muttso, Teddy Ruxpin, Snuggle Bear, Mister Monster, Chompers, Hollow Chocolate Easter Bunny, Captain Caveman, Bearskin, Tempura Toes.
Fritz: Doodle, Doodlebug, Buggy, Mister Peanut, Fritzy Doodle Dandy, Die Fledermaus, Spookytooth, Mister Smoothie, Team Eyebrow Captain, Goat Lips, Monkey Boy, Tiny, Crybaby, My Favorite Martian, Jaws, Captain Sads.
Ages? Bruno: 8 years old; Fritz: 3 years old
Breeds? Bruno: Bichon Frise/long-coat Chihuahua mix; Fritz: long-coat Chihuahua
What?s ?The Scoop?? Bruno is a Brooklyn dog! We had no plans to get a dog, and then?there was Bruno. I can’t imagine what our lives would be like without him. Fritz, on the other hand?well, we totally adore him and love him like crazy, but we’re pretty sure he comes from Mars. I think some DNA testing is in order, actually, because I’m not 100% sure he’s even a dog. Maybe he’s a Martian mosquito sent to Earth to cuddle humans to death.
Favorite toys? Bruno is all about string bones and this squeaky lamb/camel-looking thing (its name is Limahl), and Fritz is obsessed with those really long raccoons and squirrels (all named Randy) that don’t have any stuffing. He treats them like they’re his babies and then he eats their brains. Also this rubber treat holder that’s named Blue Thing.
Favorite food? EVERYTHING. Seriously, these dogs are total gluttons. They’ll even pretend to like lettuce if we drop it on the floor. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we just put a pizza on the floor and let them go at it.
Favorite places to sleep? In bed with us with their legs all stretched out and their toe-knuckles jammed into our kidneys.
Weirdest quirks? Fritz cleans himself like a cat. He sticks his back foot in his mouth, gets it all wet, then uses it to swab out his ears and under his eyes. It’s pretty wild to watch his daily baths, but I’ve gotta hand it to him?he’s a very clean dog.
Bruno has an aversion to any kind of electronic equipment. If you hold a phone up to him, he gets deeply offended and spends the rest of the day under the sofa. He also does a wicked post-poop dance.
Pet peeves? Bruno’s biggest pet peeve is Fritz, even though he loves him. He also hates being brushed or having his nails cut, so he’s kind of a mess. Bruno would also like to request that you don’t blow in his face. Fritz does NOT want to go outside?anything that requires him to leave the house is a pet peeve. Also, the vacuum cleaner. And neither dog is too fond of thunder or fireworks!
Best tricks? Oh, our dogs are pathetic in that area. They can kind of sit and lie down, and Bruno will do a nice pirouette if you say, “CIRCUS PUPPY!” and he’s feeling in the mood. Fortunately they both know (and obey) “DROP IT”.
Gear? Both of our guys wear Buddy Belt harnesses and leashes. They’re the only ones we’ve found that don’t put strain on their armpits or necks!
If your dogs were another animal what animal would that be? Bruno would definitely be a polar bear or a manatee, and Fritz would be a goat. Or a peanut.
How do your dogs fare through house/apt renovations? Bruno really caught the brunt of it since most of the demo work and heavy construction was done before Fritz came along. It was hard on him, for sure. On days when we knew we’d be making an especially big mess or a lot of noise, he went to stay at my mother’s house. It’s still hard on him when we have a contractor come in the house because he worries so much about protecting us, but fortunately that doesn’t happen often.
The work we’ve done with Fritz in the house has been much less dramatic, and I think he and Bruno actually have a calming effect on each other that makes it easier for us to just leave them in another room and not worry. We’re always very careful to make sure there are no construction materials, dust or debris that they can get into, either.
Do they have any specific taste in music or television? Bruno really liked Lou Dobbs on CNN for some reason, but he’s not on anymore. His favorite songs are “Baby Elephant Walk” and “Alley Cat.” He’s also a huge Justin Bieber fan, but we’re hoping he grows out of that soon.
Fritz is kind of a snob. He listens to public radio all day?he’s loves Leonard Lopate on WNYC. His favorite song of all time is “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” by Morrissey. It’s pretty much his life story put to music.
Anything else you want to share?! Bruno and Fritz have a Blue Öyster Cult cover band together called the Poop Nuggets. Bruno plays drums, and Fritz plays triangle.
Also, Bruno and Fritz are the sweetest, kindest, cuddliest and most special dogs on the planet as far as we’re concerned. They have great personalities and fill our lives with a lot of comfort and happiness. I hope we do the same thing for them, too.
Thanks Anna, Evan, Bruno and Fritz!
