The first Great Pyrenees I ever met was in Japan. I flew there alone — my first solo trip — to visit my grandma the summer after 9th grade, almost a year after she moved back to Japan for good.
As a 15 year old traveling alone and limited by my grandma’s low stamina for walks and massive crowds, I spent a lot of time wandering around Toyoda, the suburb where my aunt and uncle lived, alone. I hung out at the drug store, the stationery store, and the train station, where there are always little shops selling snacks and accessories.
My favorite place to kill time, though, was at the grocery store: ALPS.
There was a bakery inside which had my favorite sugar twist donuts.
I’d buy two donuts, and, high off sugar, I’d go and spend the rest of my money at the passport photo machine outside the store, taking pictures and wishing it was a purikura.
After doing this for two days straight I noticed (how could I not) that in the afternoons, there was a bear of a dog sitting outside ALPS, hanging out with its elderly male owner, just chillin for hours at a time. Children would run up to the dog and flop its ears and pat its head and the dog paid no mind. My lack of confidence around speaking Japanese at the time kept me from ever meeting the dog, but it sure left an impression.
When my Japanese family visited for the wedding a few weeks ago, they met Yuki and, like most people, were amazed by her size. I told my aunt and uncle about the Pyrenees in Japan which was seared in my brain. “Rocky!” they exclaimed. Rocky, you beautiful beast!
We told my family how Yuki is a champ when it comes to long walks — she’ll do 6 miles, no problem, if the weather is good. They told me Rocky’s owner used to take him on long walks too until he was about four years old, when Rocky figured he’d seen it all and couldn’t be bothered to go farther than ALPS.
We’re always looking for new places to romp with Yuki but, at 114 pounds, she won’t fit in an Ikea bag, so we can’t smuggle her onto the subway. She also won’t fit in most vehicles. Luckily, when we ordered Uber Pets to and from the Bronx, the cars that arrived were Toyota Siennas.
Watch our Bronx romp on YouTube! Like and subscribe <3