Can you introduce us to your pet? Tell us their name, breed, and age.
This is Kippur, and first and foremost, he wants you to know that he’s a very good boy. We adopted Kip from the Humane Rescue Alliance five years ago (it was Yom Kippur, hence his name). They said he was found walking in DC and was probably two at the time. They didn’t know what breed he was, but we sent him away for a test, and he’s mostly a border collie and a pomeranian.
What is your pet’s most endearing or amusing trait?
Kippur has too many endearing traits to list, but since we got him, he’s always been a hip-checker. One way he shows affection is by walking up to you and slamming his back hip into your leg. If you’re sitting with your feet up, he’ll walk under them and rub against you.
How would you describe your pet’s personality in three words?
Run, Retrieve, Repeat… The border collie in Kippur makes him pretty obsessive, and he loves to play with almost anything; balls and frisbees are his favorites, but he’ll make a toy of nearly anything.
What is a typical day like for your pet?
Depending on who’s around and the season. If I’m home, he wants to be in on whatever’s happening; he has terrible FOMO. But when no one’s home, he has an ottoman by the window, and he surveys the street, ensuring that things are as they should be. We have a cement front patio and in the winter, that’s his spot from after dinner until we go to bed, lying on the cold slab, waiting for his nemesis, the fox. He then darts up and chases him out of the yard. Once the fox is gone, he’ll return to his post.
How does your pet react when you leave for work or return home?
He’s a little bummed out when my wife and I are both gone. There’s a bench by the garage door, and sometimes he hangs out there. But when we come home, he’s thrilled. There’s hip-checking, running, and general mayhem for a few minutes until he remembers we can throw the ball, and he dashes around looking for one and always appears with one in his mouth.
What activities or games does your pet enjoy the most?
I love to cook, and living with Kippur is a little like having a potbelly pig in the house. He eats all the scraps, tops of tomatoes, and peppers like treats, and apple season is perfect because he gets all the cores.
Have you ever taught your pet any tricks or commands related to your work?
He’s super smart, and if he had a better family, he’d have been a terror on the agility competition circuit. And, while he can do all the standards like sit, stay, paw, and roll over, the best command he’s learned is “Game Over.” When we tell him that, he lies down with whatever toy he’s been playing with. It only lasts a few minutes, though. After that, he returns, drops the ball in your lap or at your feet, and looks at you as if to say, “Hey, I have an idea; what if you throw the ball, and I’ll bring it back?” I’ve usually forgotten it was game over, and I throw it, and the cycle goes on.
