home

Crooning companion

Y

ou might have seen him in one of the parades – a black dog with white on his chest, feet, and muzzle, sporting a Grateful Dead collar. If you didn’t, it’s understandable; he’s with the hula-hooping fire dancer, Zoey Zaleta. A dog can get overshadowed by a hula-hooping fire dancer. Boo’s talents need a little more coaxing and a quieter venue than an Oriental parade route affords.

Zoey hooping at the 2017 Spirit of Christmas parade. Boo looks on from the dinghy.

He doesn’t spin a fire hoop and has no interest in dancing. Rather, Boo likes to sing. He does so, mostly on key, and most often with Bob Dylan.

For his discriminating taste, impressive pipes, and all-around good nature, Boo is Mr. July – Pet of the Month.

Zoey and Boo at Lou Mac Park.

Zoey doesn’t know if Boo has always been a singer; she found him at the Craven County Shelter by accident. A friend asked her to stop in to look for someone else. She found Boo, recently admitted, looking sad. Really sad. He’d been wandering the highway between Kinston and New Bern, abandoned.

Zoey says she went home to consult with Fish, her Beagle-Border Collie rescue. In fine parental fashion, Zoey told Fish she would soon have a younger brother. Five days later, Boo arrived.

Boo’s singing ability became apparent on the way back from a doggie play date.

Getting ready for his Lou Mac Park debut.

“I heard this noise and I thought it was a fire engine siren coming behind me. And I look in the rearview and I’m getting ready to pull to the right and I see my kid’s (Boo) big, fat moose-head and he’s singing away,” she said. “And I figure, well let me try this again with a different song. But he loves Bob, and I’m proud of that.”

Zoey and her dad are huge Dylan fans. Boo’s choice of singer/songwriter couldn’t make Zoey more proud. He’ll listen to the Grateful Dead, but “he’s a little more relaxed when singing along with Jerry.” Boo perks up, wags his tail, but doesn’t sing along the same way.

He’ll sing with Zoey’s favorite Dylan song, ‘Visions of Johanna’, but he has his own: ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’.

Boo helps Zoey in her shop (Offshore Rafting inflatable repair) by sleeping under the carts while she works. He and Fish are close companions. At dinner time, Boo finishes his meal quickly, then waits by the door for Fish to finish hers before they go out for the evening. Zoey says they take care of each other.

When not singing or providing cart stability, Boo likes to hike, camp, and sail with Zoey. He’s a good dog, she says, and doesn’t get into too much trouble. That is, if you don’t count sunning himself in the northbound lane of Highway 306 as trouble. Or that time he helped himself to a buffet while Zoey and friends were outside her house watching a 50th Anniversary special of the Grateful Dead.

An unrepentant Boo.

He even tolerates Halloween, always a festive occasion in the Zaleta home. Last year, he was dressed as a watermelon. At the end of the night, he crashed on the porch by the pool, still in costume. Zoey says he had a look on his face that said, “I’ve had enough Halloween, mom.”

Boo is content to be where Zoey and Fish are, happy to have good music and loving companions.

Fire Hooper Zoey at the 2017 Spirit of Christmas Parade. Boo is in the second photo, looking on from an inflatable dinghy.

Boo’s Bio

Celebrity most resembles: Bob Dylan

Likes: Harmonicas, hula hoopers, dogs called Fish
Dislikes: Cars in his sleeping lane, restrictions on the buffet
Not So Secret Talent: Keeping tune with Dylan’s harmonica
Where you’ll find him: On a boat, in the parade or on the water

Know a pet that is a standout? Send in some details and a photo to pet@towndock.net. Tell why that pet deserves the coveted TownDock.net Pet of the Month Prize Package --- accolades, a pat on the head (snakes excluded) and a box of Milk Bones ( or snack suitable for the species). We regret that we cannot offer a college scholarship to Pet Of The Month winners. Animals caught near the HarborCam attempting to suck up to the judges will be disqualified.