Pluto and her mom, Nancy Wight
A miniature schnauzer has become an Internet sensation by offering advice on handling the coronavirus crisis for "two-leggeds" (humans) from the perspective of a "four-legged" (dog).
Pluto, a 13-year-old female schnauzer, lives in Montreal with her mom, wildlife photographer Nancie Wight. Through the miracle of digital technology, Ms. Wight turned Pluto into a talking dog -- complete with adorable face, high-pitched voice, expressive eyes, and home-spun wisdom. They have created such a stir on the Web that NPR has published a feature story about them. (BTW, we think all schnauzers are adorable, hence the blog title Legal Schnauzer, which is in honor of Murphy Abigail Shuler, the wonderful mini who graced our lives for 11 years in Alabama -- see here and here.)
Pluto is "getting the feeling that there's a kind of crisis for the two-leggeds," and she seems to have a heart-felt desire to help, especially since the crisis has upended the two-legged world, -- affecting their ability to get everything from snacks to toilet paper.
* Are you going stir crazy from being isolated and stuck inside? Well, "just relax, curl up, wander around, and play with a tennis ball," advises Pluto.
* Like many humans, Pluto is confused about the whole toilet paper thing. But she does offer this: "What my mom does for me is she cuts the hair on my bum really, really, really short, and the stuff just comes straight out -- no worries, it's all good."
* Are you out of snacks because the grocery-store shelves have been cleared out? Pluto says you can always go to a nearby school and sniff around to find snacks there. And if you go to the end of your street, you likely will find a curbside drain hole -- and Pluto knows from experience that runaway snacks almost always get stuck there.
Perhaps Pluto's best advice -- and it's the most hilarious -- is to be good to each other and observe social distancing. "You shouldn't sniff other people's legs, and you really shouldn't sniff their crotches until this is all over. That's social responsibility."
Here is part of what NPR had to say about the phenomenon of Pluto:
A "talking" dog, a wiry 13-year-old Schnauzer, has become a pandemic hero since the canine made her first appearance on Facebook last week. She's very funny.
Pluto and her human, Nancie Wight, have been churning out viral videos with advice on hair trims, how to do without toilet paper, how to find snacks and how to stay cheery at home.The dog looks straight into the camera and her mouth seems to move (with the help of a video program) and a high voice appears to come out of it.
Wight created the Facebook page, PlutoLiving, for her friends, who urged her to offer it to a wider audience. She hit the public button last week.
"I did not expect that by the end of the second day we would have a million views and now it's over 4 million," she says from Montreal. Pluto.living has a growing following on Instagram, too.
We invite you to check out the original Pluto video below:
