Maria Firkaly & Henry and Copper

Who is in the photo at right?

Maria Firkaly, Freelance Social Media Consultant, Jack of All Trades (Marketing, Development, Grant Writer) for a small non-profit in NorthWestern Pennsylvania, and amateur photographer.

Henry, the big black lummox, is an 11 month male Mastiff/Boxer/Labrador mix.

Copper, is a 6 year old female mutt. I asked my vet what he thought she was, and he said “She is like the typical yellow dog you find in a third world country.” Nice, huh?

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Sunday afternoon with the mutts at the Bark Park calls for some caffeine. Henry and Copper are a handful.

What's brewing?

Iced Coffee. When the weather gets warmer it’s a great treat in the afternoon. Maxwell House, Breakfast Blend with French Vanilla creamer, it was the best deal at the market recently. I make a full pot and keep some for later.

Any treats for you or your dogs on this occasion?

I packed a picnic lunch for my two boys, fiancé and I. Henry and Copper were so busy playing; they didn’t even try to find out what we were eating. We brought along some mini dog biscuits. Henry inhaled his. Copper was too excited and spit her treat out. Typical Copper.

How were you and your dogs united?

Copper is a pound puppy. My sons and I fell in love with her at our local shelter. She was 6 months old and had the most beautiful eyes. We took her home that same day.

My fiancé, Matthew and I were out looking for a new pup last September. We had lost Matt’s dog, Chelsea to cancer earlier in July. Matt and Copper missed her so much. I knew it was time to add a new personality to the household. We were out visiting local shelters and stopped at a small convenience store in the middle of nowhere. On the front window was a flyer advertising a litter of puppies. Henry was “free to a good home” and I’m glad he’s in ours!

How did your dogs get their names? Any aliases?

Copper came with the name. When we first met Matthew kept calling her Cooper, so now she comes to either. She is Cooper the Pooper Scooper (I wish she scooped the poop!)

We had picked up some snacks at the convenience store the day we saw the flyer, one of which was an O’Henry candy bar. We decided to be extremely corny and name the new pup Henry. I fondly call him “Henny”.

Do your dogs have a favorite place to go for an outing?

Both dogs get excited when we offer a ride to the “Bark Park”. Copper is learning how to Dock Dive and loves using the pond at the Conneaut Lake Bark Park to practice.

Squirrel, postman, cat...?

For Copper, most definitely squirrel. She is a mighty hunter! Henry is a piece of work. He gets worked up by random objects, like the lawn cart. Oh Henry!

Squeaky toy, ball, stick...?

Henry is the toy lover. He is crated when we’re not home. As soon as we let him out of the crate he runs around and tries to fit all the toys from his crate into his mouth. He will also sneak any stick, the bigger the better, into the house.

Copper will only play with toys once Henry has sufficiently annoyed or enticed her with one. He will stand over her and force the toy into her mouth. Copper does get excited when fetching in water. She will happily dive into the lake and retrieve a stick, over and over again.

Who are your dogs' best pet-pals?

Up until two years ago, Copper was the only dog in our house. When Matt’s dog, Chelsea became ill last year, she moved in with us. Chelsea and Copper became very close and my girl was lost when Chelsea died. Copper took to Henry right away. She even taught him how to behave around our cat, Silver. Copper would run over and touch Henry’s nose and then the cat’s when he would play too rough.

Henry? Henry loves Copper, but he follows me around. I’d have to say he and I are best pals.

Both dogs are friendly and get along with other mild tempered dogs. We found a new friend at the Bark Park recently, Duke.

What is each dog's best quality?

Copper is a sweetheart. I’ve never had a more loving dog. No one can resist her pretty eyes!

Henry entertains us. This dog pours himself off the couch, oftentimes falling back asleep halfway down. We love his playful attitude.

If your dogs could change one thing about you, what would it be?

They would like it if I was able to work from home every day.

If your dogs could speak in the movie about your life, who should do their voices?

Will Farrell would be Henry’s voice. Henry has a doofy (cross between dumb and goofy) look on his face, which reminds us of the characters Will Farrell portrays.

Copper would be best voiced by Uma Thurman. She is sexy yet tough as nails.

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--Marshal Zeringue