Cowboy's Baba (aka Comedian Sabrina Jalees)

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0:36There's good cats out there. I mean, I don't mean to sound racist, and I know that obviously it's like such a polarizing thing, but cats are bad people. Dogs are good people.

0:49I'm Jen Moroz, and this is Furball Confidential. Today, you're going to hear from the very funny Sabrina Jalise. Yeah, it's cool to be two women with a baby because there's a bit of mystique to it, a little magic, you know People look at you like you're two pigeons with a hat And you're like, who are those two pigeons? And who gave them that cool hat? And how'd they decide who would wear it? Sabrina lives in L.A. with her wife, Shauna, and their sons Wolfie, who's seven, Rowan, who's still a toddler, and Cowboy who's actually a dog, a French bulldog to be exact and the reason we're here today I've known Sabrina for years, and it's been so great to watch her career take off.

1:34She's written for shows like Big Mouth and Search Party. You can see her in Lilly Singh's new movie, Doing It, which just came out this fall. And she's got a new parenting podcast coming up with fellow comedian Natasha Leggero. Plus, she's starring in a new animated Netflix series with Nick Kroll called Mating Season in the New Year. So Sabrina's pretty busy, but not too busy to pass up a chance to talk about projecting our feelings onto our pets. Why losing out on her first choice of dog actually might have been the best thing. And those famous, or should I say infamous, French bulldog farts.

2:14Well listen, I really want to jump into your life with Cowboy. But before I do, one thing that struck me is you're Canadian. and you spent a bunch of time in New York. You're out in LA now. Yes. And I'm a little bit obsessed with dog culture after having got a dog, but I'm so curious. Is like LA dog culture, is it the same as everywhere else? This is a great question. So when I moved from, I grew up in Toronto, always wanted a dog my whole life. Finally in adulthood, made it work for myself with some stumbling into trying to be a teenage mom of a dog early on. But But anyway, I have Cowboy. We're going to come back to that.

2:52We'll come back to that. But Cowboy's beginning was in Brooklyn. He grew up just nose to the piss smelling ground. And when we moved to LA, Cowboy is 13. Cowboy's 13. And so he spent the beginning part of his life in Brooklyn. But then when we moved to LA, I thought to myself, oh, my God, throw away the leashes. We're going to have a yard. this guy's gonna be hiking laurel canyon by himself i'm like this is incredible and then like just like anything in life just like anything in life it's like you're like i can't wait to grow up and someone's like taxes politics right and you're like oh the taxes politics and war of being a dog in la is coyotes honey they're hungry for dogs the size of cowboy i hadn't even thought My friend was walking their dog on a leash.

3:49A coyote came up behind him, pushed his back, and then grabbed the dog with the mouth and then just ran off with the dog. They're like brazen, these coyotes. Wow. Well, now we're even getting them in Toronto, you know. Like there's like coyote attacks in parks in the middle of Toronto. I feel like it's becoming a real scourge. Is that the right word, scourge? Yeah. With MAGA came the coyotes. It's a very MAGA. They have a very mega style. Mine. No sharesies. What about the people? And like, because, you know, there's always like, I don't know, like when I go for a dog walk, like I will recognize all the dogs in the neighborhood won't know their owners names.

4:32But is there like a particular culture amongst the owners in L.A. too? I'm like I maybe envision something that isn't there. You know, I met some of our closest friends at a dog park. So there's that because our dogs looked the same. They had a dog named Taco that was white and black coloring and then Cowboy white and black. And you know how you have like a preference towards what's Clutch's coloring? Clutch is like she's black with white, like a white tuxedo. So you probably look at Cowboy and you're like, my nephew. Yeah. Like it really is interesting. Like it's like completely arbitrary, but you're like all the white and black dogs now are sort of part of my family.

5:12My family. Yeah. So we met through it at the dog park. Now we have like a bit of a bigger yard. And I have to admit with the bigger yard comes, you know, like with great power comes great responsibility. It's like with a bigger yard comes less responsibility to walk. So we're not walking as much because we also have two kids. And so I do wonder, like Cowboy's life is richer when the baby comes because there's a lot of food dropping. And Rowan, our recent baby with the food and him, they have a handshake agreement that no matter how much scolding, it's like as soon as someone turns their back, there's a pipeline direct to Cowboy's mouth.

5:54And is it conscious? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. He's like, this is like literally the only guy that makes sense to me. This is literally the only guy that's not asking me to learn something or talking. It's like this guy just gets it. You eat, you shit, you piss. Yeah, that's hilarious. So Cowboy, I know Cowboy is in your life now, but I want to go back. As you mentioned, you wanted a dog all of your life growing up. And how did that play with your family growing up? I think I like, you know, in sitcoms and movies, it's like how I remember watching Beethoven and thinking about like, who will I be when I'm a kid with a dog?

6:37And my parents were like, you'll never find out. And they kind of dangled it. They did dangle it. They were like, you know, maybe next house, maybe the house after next house, maybe because we moved a lot. My dad was a contractor and we'd move into the houses to avoid paying builder's tax to go back and find us out. Now we followed all the rules. But we moved constantly. And so they would always be like, oh, we don't want a dog. They just didn't really have like in Pakistan where my dad grew up, having a dog meant like having a dog chained to a fence outside. It was never like or roaming around outside.

7:15But like the idea of a dog in the house was like the idea of having a gay daughter. It shan't happen. right um but lucky for him it was almost a one-two punch of of both at the same time and then my mom is swiss and she just they were more of a cat family it just didn't really well so i got a job at cbc hosting this show called smart ask when i was 18 years old oh my god 18 yes i made my first chunk of money and i'm like now that i've got my money yes i'm getting i'm I'm getting a dog. Even though I still lived with them, I was like, I don't owe you people anything. Hey, by the way, if 18 sounds young to be hosting your own show, get this.

7:59Sabrina stepped onto the stage at Yuck Yucks in Toronto when she was just 16. At the time, she was the youngest comic ever to do that. Okay, back to dogs. It's my dream. And they're like, well, you just started doing stand up. You're traveling all the time. I'm like, with my dog. like Paris Hilton. I'll be getting a teacup Yorkie. And so I sort of like created... Is that what you got? A teacup Yorkie? Yeah. Oh my God. I did. But then it also coincided with, I did just relapse. There was a driver of the festival. She was hot. She was gay. I was like, let me hang out with these lesbians for a night, see what happens.

8:39And I fell in love with her and went to Montreal. She was also in a relationship. It was a very complicated and weird time. But basically my first – I went to Montreal. The excuse that I made was she worked at a pet store. I'm like, well, I have to go buy a Yorkie in Montreal now. All the stars are on. There's a justification if I ever heard one. So I take the greyhound out there. I buy the Yorkie. The Yorkie fits in my hand. It's like the tiniest little thing you've ever seen. The least ethical dog from a pet store just produced to be so tiny that it's immediately unhealthy. And, but it's mine and it's my Paris Hilton dog.

9:20And, and then I try ecstasy for the first time. And then I realize I'm gay. And I'm like on the Greyhound home from Montreal with this little dog who's crying and needs me. And I'm like, who is me? Me is gay. I'm coming down from ecstasy. Oh, wow. I didn't realize it like really coincided on that trip. Everything intersected. And I got home and this dog was pissing and shitting in my bed while I cried and reckoned with who I was. And it only took about two weeks before I walked upstairs from my bedroom to my parents' room. And I was like, guys, I have a surprise for you. I bought you a dog. And they're like, you bitch.

10:01But like, for real, what was their reaction? Because they were like, literally were like, you're so dumb. How are you this? We told you. We told you. And I said, I know, but I'm still growing. and so I gave it to them and at first I remember this like vividly like my dad the dog was walking around in the kitchen and my dad was like keep that dog out of here they had like a basket of potatoes like it's going to touch the potatoes keep it away from the potatoes they're going to eat the potatoes and you know within like I think it was like truly five to seven days they were like this is our new joy this is like just like Cootie was the name and Cootie as in C-O-O-T-I-E.

10:46Yes, yes, my French Canadian girlfriend named her and I said that's incredible name. Yes, Cootie. Cootie went from being the dog Sabrina's parents absolutely did not want to be in the apple of their eye and she lived to be 16. And when Sabrina was all grown up, she took another crack at being a pet parent. It was all part of building her dream family. We got married. We got a dog. This was like, this is the beginning of like, was this pre kids, like training for kids? Exactly. This was like, we are married. We are a young married couple and we can take care of something. And so we got really fixated on a French bulldogs because our friends, Monica and Danny had this friend, she named Roxy and she was so cute and we're like we want a roxy we want a roxy so we're really trying to manifest a roxy and we were obviously went down the the path of trying to adopt one but then all the descriptions for frenchies that are up for adoption are like roberta is rambunctious which is always like a tip for like a deep medical problem that she has like later like it'll be like some personality things and then it'll be like you know she requires a surgery every other day but It's$14 ,000.

11:57And you're like, well, Roberta, maybe for another person. Right. So then we started asking people on the sidewalk when they had a Frenchie, what's the story? How did you get this Frenchie? And we got recommended to this farm in Pennsylvania and we got on their wait list. And so actually, this is kind of funny. Cowboy can't hear it. Don't play this for cowboy. If any of you guys know cowboy, don't play this story for cowboy. We will play this for a cowboy. But, you know, Roxy was a red dog. And so we got sent the first litter that this farm sends us. It's like there's a red Frenchie. There's an all black Frenchie.

12:39There's a black Frenchie with a little tiny little brown. And then there's this white, mostly and black spotted alien dog that look insane. I think I know who that is. Crazy pink face. Almost devilish. You know, like, yeah, it was, it was like a tough sell that one. So first I'm talking to Shauna. Shauna from the beginning was like, this alien dog looks pretty cute. I'm like, yeah, but let's talk the brass tacks. We're going to get that brass dog, right? We're getting that red. We're getting that red dog. She's like, yeah, I guess. So then by the time I email about the red dog, she's like, oh, the red dog is taken.

13:15But the two black ones and the, and the alien dog is available. And I write back being like, oh, okay, well we'll take the, all the, all the, all black one then. and she goes oh that that one just got taken so what is available is the black one with the brown and then the and the alien dog and I said okay well immediately give me that black and brown dog and she goes ah so sorry the only one left at this moment is this alien dog I go all right we're we're getting the alien dog and Shauna goes oh that's so sweet because I've been thinking like he looks like a little cow let's name him cowboy I love it and so I remember like about a few days later, I get a message from her saying, Hey, the first choice, the red dog is now available because I've not received the deposit from the people that wanted it.

14:01And so there was this real like Sophie's Choice sushi lunch after the gym. I remember my friend Danielle was there and we're talking to Shauna and I'm like, Shauna, be logical. Okay. We wanted this red dog to begin with. It's available now. We never know this alien dog. We'll never know that it was chosen, not chosen. Someone's going to adopt this alien dog, you know? And Shauna very begrudgingly was like, okay, you can write her and tell her we're not going to have cowboy. We'll have the red one. And of course, as soon as I write her, what does she say? She's like, oh, the deposit actually just came through.

14:34So the dog to confirm that you will have is the one that you've been trying to sort of evade the entire time. And that dog is cowboy. And I couldn't imagine any other dog. Honestly, like that is such a good origin story. Yes. As I'm going through this, I'm like, is this sort of like if I'm taking sort of personality traits of mine out of here, what is the takeaway? My instincts are bad. Well, listen, also the takeaway is maybe Shauna had some really good instincts. Shauna has really good instincts. It's true. And it sounds, though, and we're about to find out about a little bit more about your relationship with Cowboy, but it sounds like that's changed since the very beginning.

15:16Oh, my God. I love this guy. No, I love him so much. He's such a good boy. He's such a sweetie. He doesn't bark. He'll lick your feet till they fall off, which is a pro and a con. Listen, clutch is the same. He's the pedicure that will not quit. Yeah. Yeah. And he's so loyal. Does he fart in a way that can change the property value in a room? A hundred percent. The smells have never been the same, but he's just really, really - Like worse than regular dog farts, you mean? Oh, yeah. Because regular dog farts are bad. I would like to, I would wager, I'd put$25 on, I'd put$175 ,000 on. She has a gambling problem.

16:04I would go to any casino with you full end. She doesn't even finish the thought. I would bet that Frenchies have the worst farts per capita. Frenchies have the worst farts. We try not to be racist, but let's be honest. Frenchies, bad hips, good farts in terms of if you like the stinkiest. Maybe. Maybe the hips are sort of like as the hips go off, they're sending a message through. Squeezes things out. The smell of war. It's really rancid. I really do think if you put a bottle to his asshole when he farted, cap the bottle, literally like when the world is over, you know, when everything is dead and gone, whatever robot could open that bottle and be like, damn, I don't even have a sense of smell, but that's bad.

17:01well or like if there's no weapons left then you've got like a bottle destruction yes the world is completely just completely it's been like whatever happened to the dinosaurs has happened but then someone opens that bottle um and it happens again i guess i don't know i don't like that arc you know what we're gonna have to really pitch on this pixar movie but the main character as a bottle of cowboy's farts. And that's a non-negotiable. If you don't believe Sabrina when she says French bulldogs have the worst farts, I'd encourage you to look it up. I did. I learned a lot. But if you'd still like to make the case that your pooch has the worst gas, meet us on socials at Furball Confidential.

17:44We're always up for a good argument. You were talking about like he's loyal, like you love him to death. Like if you were to describe his personality and you can answer this in any way you want like just describe his personality or he is he is um you know that guy in office space he's the stapler guy he's like my my stapler my oh yes that's cowboy excuse me yeah i believe you have my stapler it is which also is what shauna says is inside my soul sometimes so i think you know we we're very so you're simpatico we are but don't you think we all sort of project onto our dogs like my mom i got her another dog against her will named rox and she named it roxy coincidentally and um and she will with roxy she'll be holding roxy and be like oh roxy doesn't like when so many people are here and i'm like i get it we invited too many people you know so she uses Because the dog is like the conduit for however she's feeling.

18:45Exactly. I think we all kind of do that because, and we do that with kids and we do that with dogs because it feels silly sometimes to say what we're feeling or asking for, but for a dog or for a baby, it's like, we kind of have to wrap it up. Roxy's tired. Yes. Yeah. Oh my God. And I think I am that with Cowboy, like my anxiety I put onto him, you know, like, oh, Cowboy must be really scared that LA is on fire right now. Not me. I can tell exactly what's going to happen here. Politically speaking, Cowboy's a little tense. Right. Right. Cowboy's worried about what's going on with immigration and fascism, but he's hoping it all ends up where it should.

19:29Oh, man. But for real, like sometimes like I do find like on a really incredibly stressful day to like come home and have clutch there like is a real like like it soothes my soul. like it is crazy. Yeah. Every dog is because there is something so beautiful. And this is, I think what I was chasing when I was, you know, after that, like leave it to beaver or Beethoven or whatever. I don't even know if leave it to beaver had a dog. They had a beaver. But what I was sort of sort of feeling that I was chasing beyond like some normal North American family, I think was this idea of this thing, this like hot water bottle with a heart and this sweet sort of warm feeling.

20:20And like the, you know, every sense of the word warm, it's like this thing that has unconditional love. Every other form of love is conditional. I know people love cats too, but I have opinions about that. And we have Carolyn Taylor, she loves her cat. And I love that for her. My feeling about cats is these claws that are hydraulic and they descend into your body. And that being like the way the show of like comfort around you or something to me is like BDSM. And I just don't want to be choked or insect. And so I love a dog. Carolyn Taylor, by the way, is on the podcast too, talking about her love of cats.

21:00So you'll be able to hear that whole thing. Yeah, and I, you know, there's good, there's good cats out there. I mean, I don't mean to sound racist. And I know that obviously it's like such a polarizing thing, but cats are bad people. Dogs are good people. I'm just going to say it for the record. They're just bad people. As far as people go, that cats are great cats. They're great cats. They're just bad, bad people. Look, my dog was attacked by a cat. That's what you need to know. It was in Beacon, New York. We were at this cafe and cowboy starts shaking, vibrating. And I'm like, cowboy, what are you so afraid of?

21:32And I look up and I see that there is this cat and it's looking at him. And I have had, at this point, I have not had any negative experiences, cat v. dog. I'm like, that's not a German shepherd. Don't worry about it. We're fine. But once again, these animals move in an insane way. And it was almost like if they were shooting the Matrix and they had put like a vest, like a stunt vest. Like one of those harnesses? Harness, yeah, a harness. And then pulled the cat from its chest towards Cowboy. That's the way it moved. It moved like straight up and like. You're making it sound like the exorcist.

22:12It was the exorcist, dude. and it was like chop chop chop chop chop chop it was crazy it's it's claws are out and it was you know like go like going nuts and we grabbed cowboy and then the lady at the front was like oh yeah she's got an attitude and i'm like she's gotta die i she she she she scratched cowboys like cornea is that what the eye oh yeah yeah so he had he had to go to the vet and um we had to put like a cream on but he he didn't pick the fight he didn't lose the fight in terms of like being a dog mama have you had like was that the scariest that you had with that's the scariest for cowboy well aside from almost losing him in palm springs oh that's the scariest well first of all kind of ominous like we the first time we went to palm springs there was all these like lost dog posters that looked like cowboy again, like same coloring.

23:10It was like a French bulldog and they ended up finding the dog. But, but that was sort of like the cold open to this story is we're in Palm Springs with cowboy and this is before we have kids. And we would leave him in the hotel room at the Saguaro. Saguaro is very animal friendly. They probably don't want to know that I left him in the hotel room, but look, Saguaro, we'll be back and you won't know a thing. so so we so we're like getting ready for dinner cowboy has his big weakness is anxiety around being alone and it's like you are a dog and you will have to be alone sometimes i'm so sorry it's so mean actually this whole thing is like what are we doing we're ripping these animals away from their parents that well let's be honest with the parents gonna take care of them the way we do Oh, we don't know.

24:01Look, we don't have time for this tangent because what I do have to tell you is we're in Palm Springs. We're at this rainbow themed hotel called the Saguaro. And we cowboy runs out the door because we're getting ready for dinner. And I am like, you know what? I don't have time for this cowboy. I'm going to close the door. All right. I'm going to open the door. You're going to come right in because you have separation anxiety. This is my trick. I'm such a genius parent. Yeah. So I close the door. Shauna goes, what the fuck are you doing? I'm like, I'm closing the door. So he wants to come in when I open the door.

24:36Watch this. She goes, open the door right now. I open the door. Where's Cowboy, Jen? Oh, no. Where is Cowboy? My heart is already like starting to be fast. Absolutely not anywhere. And it is a long hallway that just got longer when your dog's not in it. And I am looking left and I am looking right. And she's like, you're joking, right? And I'm like, no, no, no. He was right here. She's like, how is he right here when he's not here? And I'm like, oh my God. I'm like, cowboy. And she's running up and down the hallway yelling, cowboy, we're going to different floors. She runs out into the parking lot and gets stuck out there looking for him.

25:10And like, literally it was like, you know, one minute feels long when you've lost your Oh no. Yeah. When it's, it was like 10, 11, 12, 13. It was like 15 minutes and I was like, someone has stolen this dog. Where else would it be? It's like it's not in the stairwell. It's not like where would this dog be? And so I called the front desk and I'm like Liam Neeson. I'm like, my dog has been kidnapped and I need footage of the hallways right now. And they're like, that's not how it works, ma 'am. There's like a whole room. I don't even know if the room, the security room is even here. Like we can't just like zip footage to you.

25:55And I'm like, well, I have one skill and it's to escalate things. They're like, okay, we'll send a person up there to come. Like someone that works here will come help you find this dog. So someone's up there looking. And as people are looking around, I thought, why don't I just press this button for the elevator? And I press the button for the elevator. The door's open. No, no. The look on Cowboy's face was like, like, like no time had passed at all. No rush. No, like, you know, he's must've heard us screaming his name, but this boy refuses to bark unless someone is jumping in a pool. Wow. Refuses to use his voice.

26:40He is like simply Ariel after meeting Ursula at all points in his life. That's Little Mermaid for all my little mermaid heads. Okay. He has zero voice unless someone is simply having a great time in a pool. Right. And then he's like, they're coming for me. Like, he's like, he thinks, I think he thinks he needs to save everyone from the water. Yeah. I think that's the, my dog does the same thing. Like, she'll never get in the water. But does he get in the water or no? Does he like the water? If he's like chasing a ball, he'll go in and then we'll see how fast he would die if we didn't help him out.

27:19like he's just like his head just like weighs him right down although we do think that he is a frenchy boston first of all because when we picked him up from the farm um it was all boston terriers and then she was like but this one's a frenchy and it's a discount and i was like oh interesting that's good because it makes his his legs longer like all of the the natural sort of like uh health problems that that um these dogs usually have i think he's evaded with with the with his little interracial mix. Yeah. So he can kind of swim, but he can't, once he hits an edge, it's over. It's really sad.

27:58It's really sad to see. Poor little cowboy.

28:05When you got cowboy, you said like, it was sort of as like a starter family. Like, did you already, had you always envisioned, I know you said you wanted a dog growing up, But when you envisioned a family, did you always envision a dog being part of it? Yeah, I think so. I think because I felt so ripped off by not having a dog in my childhood. And now seeing our sons interact with Cowboy and having this relationship with this unpredictable, cuddly, you know, teddy bear come to life vibe dog that sometimes will fart close to your nose. and and will sometimes like jump and you're like you have to be ready for it it's like I think it's it's not only like the thing that I find so um incredible about it is like to see the connection that like my one-year-old has with the dog but then also see the connection that my seven-year-old has with the dog for my seven-year-old now it's like about this sense of responsibility and this little brother that he's had since he was tiny and for the one-year-old it's this like this being that communicates with you in a more pure way than, than maybe any other one of us, because it's like, there's just like a similarity in terms of their wants and needs.

29:25And, and then just, it's so cute to me. And I think it's such a, a cool personality trait for both of my sons to have this furry brother that they have to be look out for in terms of like, is he gonna like jump like kick basically kick you in the stomach inadvertently or or do you need to look out for a cowboy when you're walking cowboy you got to think about okay well we can't go that close to the road and and here comes a bicycle so you gotta like tighten the leash on cowboy and this idea of negotiating life and looking out for this other being I think is like such an incredible uh pedigree to have yeah I love the fact that Wolfie at seven is like feels like that responsibility like does he is he at the stage where he's like he loves he loves that like cowboy like at seven you're kind of sort of like you're getting taught a lot of lessons but you're in school and you're starting to realize sort of like this is good and this is bad and you kind of want to be good but sometimes you want to be bad and but I think cowboy is like the ultimate scapegoat where he's like you know if wolf especially if wolfie's gotten like his share of lessons for the day you'll be like oh look at cowboy messed up the rug again you know it's like it's like he'll always be at least i didn't at least i didn't piss in the house when i was left alone you know it's like not that cowboy's doing a ton of that but if he's you know sometimes he deserves to piss in the house if we're gone for uh over five yes yes fair enough Fair enough.

31:03You got Cowboy as a, like as starter parents, like, did he end up teaching you? Like, did he prepare you for Wolfie and Rowan? Yes. Because as soon as you have a dog, it's like what I was not ready for at 18. It's like, it's not an easy thing to be a good parent to anyone. Even yourself. And at 18, I wasn't a good parent to myself. I was making very strange decisions and trying to find myself. And like, it really does take, you have to be consistent and you have to you have to make sure that that dog is fed and and outside and that dog has a good life or your your life gets turned upside down it's like there is literally it's like what i said about pissing and shitting in the house it's like that dog needs to eat and then that food needs to get out and that dog needs to move around and like you need to be in a in a place in your life where you're ready to commit to that and if you can't commit to that then you've got to arrange for someone to commit to that.

32:02And all of that is great training wheels for becoming a parent. I think it's like a total great sort of first step. And then some people, I think they have that relationship with their animal and they love their animal. And they're like, I couldn't imagine a step further than this. And then, you know, for me, I've always, I grew up with like a ton of little cousins around and I always saw my life with kids. So Cowboy was the first kid. And was he a kid? Like, you know, like you do see now, especially people really do treat like you were talking about your dad earlier on and having a dog outside.

32:43But I think that's kind of generationally, too. Like it's normal for dogs to have been just dogs versus now they're real family members. So like, is he a real family member for you guys? Yeah. Yeah. Cowboy's a real family member. And he, you know, anyone with kids, I think will admit that like there is a discount period to their enjoyment. And even Wolfie's, you know, when we bring the baby home, it's like there is a priority. There is this little tiny baby that's now going to have a ton of needs. But once that regulates, it's also like our family feels like a complete family when Cowboy is with us.

33:22Right. And we recently, like after the fires, we came to Toronto for a couple months and we brought Cowboy and that felt so good, you know? It felt like, you know, when shit hits the fan, it's like, this guy is with us. We could have left him with someone else, but it's like, no, no, no. In a moment where we feel like everything is upside down, things only feel right side up when we are all together. And he's just such a good guy. He really is. I've seen so many pictures and videos, but I've never met him in real life. He understands the assignment, you know? Yeah. Like he's just, he's just means good.

33:58He does definitely have, like, I don't know what it is about his vibe that other dogs have an issue with, but like other dogs that have issues, if your dog has an issue, your dog's going to have an issue with cowboy. And I do think, I do know one thing that he does do that pisses other dogs off, which is that he will go and sit on their owner's lap. oh that would not be okay with clutch no but he but cowboy would but i think but to me i'm like knows to like yeah but that's buttons yeah i feel but i feel similarly it's like i love meeting new people i love trying all the amenities i mean i think sitting in a lap is sort of like getting a the equivalent of getting a lap dance for a dog you know not that that's a currency that where it's like, you know, the relatable thing of like in life when you get a lap dance, that's like sitting on a lap for a dog.

34:51But like that, it's like, you know, it's the cat's meow is like sitting on a lap and it's like, let me try this lap. And I'll tell you another thing. This guy wants to sit on a man's lap. He wants to hover over a penis. This poor guy who's destined for a lesbian family, but he is like, give me a penis. Give me a dick. Let me smell it. Let me sit on it. I love that that's something that you've like is so noticeable that you've picked up on it that 100 % laps oh my god 100 % if there's a if there is a man in the house he will be waiting for that man to sit and then he'll be sitting on top of that man oh my god that's so great um listen thank you so much for like taking the time to talk about cowboy I want to ask you one last question and it's sort of like you've had cowboy for 13 years like what lessons would you say you've taken away from him?

35:44Like, what have you learned about yourself? If anything? It's okay to be quiet. Oh, that we can connect. Like there's no common language. And I am such a talker and I live so much on this part of my brain that I do feel like sitting in quiet with him and looking into his eyes and you know we don't know how much they know or don't know or remember or don't remember but like there's no deeper moment than that you know like we just know what we know which is this feeling here and you know that you know i'm sure there's also if you want to be kind of like live outside of the beauty of it you could be like yeah they're Like, when are you going to feed me, bitch?

36:34Or whatever, which is, that could play into it. But I think there's also just like this deep sort of mutual love and respect. We have each other's back. Yeah. I love that, though. Like, just even the way you put it, like, to be silent. Like, you can be silent and connected. And I think this is a beautiful place to land this conversation. So, Serena, thank you so much for coming on. Thank you, Jen. What a fun podcast. It's been so much fun. Ah, it's nice to give Cowboy a little shine.

37:07Thanks again to Sabrina Jalise. You can follow her on Instagram at Sabrina Jalise for pics of Cowboy, her adorable family, and all of her updates. And hey, in case you're in the mood to support a pet-related cause today, we asked Sabrina for her favorite one, and she said the SPCA. They're the smallest, littlest one, a little boutique charity I found. There are so many branches. She encourages you to check out an SPCA near you. That's it for this episode of Furball Confidential. If you're mutts about this show, tell a friend, tell your vet, bark up a tree, ask your human to type us a review with their opposable thumbs.

37:46It all helps get the Furball word out.

37:52Furball Confidential is created and hosted by me, Jen Morose. Our producer is Talia Schlanger. She and David Travers-Smith co-created our theme music with Brian Kobayakawa on bass. Video and sound design and editing are all done by Reza Daya. Danny Stover does our social media. Our show artwork is by Adrian Foro. And on audience development, we have Marina Hanna. And thanks, as always, to the original inspiration for this podcast, Clutch. I'm Jen Moroz. See you next time on Furball Confidential.

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