Many of you avid readers of The Matta Goose Stories are well acquainted with the troublemaking, affection scrounging goose, Petra. There should be no doubt you love her as much as Matta does, despite all her complaining.
What might be less known is that Petra was based on my dog, Sophie. My puppers was a minpin with a WHOLE lot of spunk. I one saw her make a huge man that look like he could have easily been a linebacker for the Ravens, well she got him pinned into a corner. He asked very politely if I would mind putting her in my room.
She would jump on me every morning and nudge me with her nose to take her for a walk. And every night, she would be curled up next to me passed out. She spent most of her time during the day, basking in the Los Angeles sun while she slept, except when I said those magical words of, “Do you want to go outside.”
Sophie never had a problem explaining who was in charge in that apartment, and yet she was quite endearing. Once she warmed up to someone, they would want to take her home with them.
However, she was my puppers and she would have none of it. I loved how faithful and protective she was of me. There was never a moment I felt in danger when I was with her.
It didn’t take me long to realize that Petra and the relationship she had with Matta was quite similar to that of me and Sophie.
Now, I need you to recall the story of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star when Matta lost her first goose named Petra. That story was difficult to write as emotionally charged as it was. Sophie was still with me then which is why I wrote that line at the end of the tale that said, “Don’t worry, my current Petra is still alive and laying at my feet right now.”
That was what Sophie was doing, well ok, she was laying next to me in my chair but I don’t think that would have been Petra.
Also, the running joke of communication skills - That was all Sophie’s doing. She had a tendency to tear up stuff to include, toys, pillows, stuffed animals, and a whole lot of other things, if she wanted something and I didn’t provide it to her.
Oh boy, and if she got really mad - she would poop in a place that I would most likely step in the dark. Usually in front of a commonly used door. (This was annoying especially because she was house broken AND grass trained!)
Yep - though I had to let her go a couple years back, she lives with me through Petra. It makes me smile every time I write a scene with that silly dog… I mean silly goose.