The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to bring you the latest edition in our Petsonality Profile column, in association with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
In this fun feature, we discover more about travel retail pet-sonalities, their back stories, traits and habits, as well as offering some insights into their owners. Each pet-sonality is also painted digitally by pets and equine artist Sami Moodie.
In this edition we meet leading Middle East aviation executive Frank Cortes and his “faithful friend” Lennon.
Name: Lennon
Breed: Lennon is a Schapendoes mix so he has some of the traditional Dutch farm dog along with the friendly and docile Portuguese Water Dog. He’s at his best in the forest and covered in mud.
How old is Lennon? He is almost 12 years old. I adopted him when he was only a puppy in Barcelona. His exact age is unknown as he was abandoned with his sister in a container in Cordoba.
How did you meet? I had been looking for a dog for a long time as, despite travelling frequently, I also spent a lot of time working from home so I could be with him or her most of the time.
In Spain there’s a network of kennels for stray cats and dogs. I was checking the Protectora de Barcelona website and saw his tiny face in a photo. I went there with a couple of friends, and it was a heartbreaking experience, because there were dozens of dogs barking at the same time, all wanting to be adopted.
We were all in tears until Lennon appeared with one of the employees. He calmed us down and everyone relaxed.
Love at first sight? It was. I held him for a while and he was just looking around like, ‘everything’s cool’. When I told the organisers that I wanted to adopt Lennon they said, ‘OK, but we need to send social services to your house first to understand how you live’. This was/is a common practice apparently, so I had to wait for a week for that social worker’s clearance.
I was told I could pick Lennon up the following day. And that’s how our story together started.
Quirky habits? Lennon speaks when he needs something. It’s not like a bark; he actually uses barking ‘words’, very slowly, very clearly.
Lennon loves playing with a ball and, although he is scared of the sea, loves running on the beach and getting his paws wet. He’s also very fond of having his ears touched and sleeps belly up on my bed.
For a long time, Lennon loved to be under things; the bed, the table, chairs.
Funniest and/or nicest moment? I remember a few years ago, we were living in Amsterdam and I came back from work and I couldn’t find Lennon anywhere in the house. That was strange as he always welcomes me. I tried not to panic until I heard a very soft almost ‘auch’ sound. It turned out he had crawled under the sofa and couldn’t get out!
Favourite trick? And treat? Lennon loves strips of carrots and salmon. And trick? If you say ‘sneeze’ he will and then you say ‘speak’ and he does; softly at first and then barking louder and louder.
Social media account? Lennon was on social media but not any longer.
If Lennon could talk what would his first words be? Easy. ‘Let’s go places!’
Favourite airport? Lennon is well travelled and has visited many countries, including the USA, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Saudi. Palma de Mallorca has release areas for dogs and Amsterdam Schiphol also treats doggies very well. They would be his favourites.
Anything else we should know about Lennon? He is the most faithful and understanding friend I’ve ever had. He’s so tightly connected to my life in travel retail that I can’t really remember that life before him. ✈️
Click here for our introductory story on the Duty Free Unleashed partnership with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. The independent vodka brand from Austin, Texas has had a close connection with the welfare of dogs since its founding by Bert ‘Tito’ Beveridge in 1997.
The company has always been committed to rescuing and protecting the animals that have come into the lives of its people, and has even created a programme, Vodka for Dog People, to help that come to life.
Note: Through this column, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and The Moodie Davitt Report are partnering to promote the work of brokenbiscuits.org, a disabled animal charity. As the world’s first disabled animal centre, its work includes:
- Providing equipment to families
- Offering homes to paraplegic, deaf, blind and disabled animals
- An education programme of visiting schools and universities
- Working alongside rescue centres, rehabbers and veterinary professionals
- Caring for stray and surrendered disabled animals
To support the work of Broken Biscuits, you can donate via this link or find out more via the youtube channel.
Previously on Petsonality Profile
Meet David Sternlight and Blueberry
Meet Annette Rosendahl and Karla
Meet Nadine Heubel, Rhonda and Tara
Meet Sharon Crompton, Bruce and Dexter
Meet Jeff Butler and Rosie and Rascal
Meet Hannah Tan-Gillies and Charlie
Meet Daniel Levin and Garfield
Meet Denz van der List and Jazz
Meet Tankred Stachelhaus and Pepina
Maitreyi Karanth’s Shaggy (and Demi) dog story
Meet Jilly Brocklebank and Sadie
Meet Alex Thompson and Chester
Meet Sinéad El Sibai and Guinness
Meet Bronwyn Clementson and Harvey
Meet Jeff Bond and his four-legged friends
Meet Pauline Prescott’s Daisy and Digger
Meet Julio Cesar Magaña Ortiz and Hope
Meet Barry Geoghegan, Milly and Jess
Meet Duke and Lindsay Hitzeroth
