Yorkie Khali and Bulldog Tony spill the beans on Xandra Rocha

She’s beautiful, smart, down to earth and makes ice cream. Who wouldn’t want to get to know Xandra Rocha just a wee bit more? Her little business that could — Pinkerton Ice Cream — has stood the test of time and with flavors like Guava Basil Sorbet and Banana Nutella, she’s got a large, loyal following. Also a proficient food writer she has now expanded to other forms of media and has taken TV by storm with her local food and travel show called Something to Chew On  every Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. on the Solar News Channel.

The cheerful Xandra has always been a dog lover and as far as she can remember, dogs have always been an integral part of her family life. “Dogs make every day more fun and enjoyable!” Rocha explains. “They remind you about how to enjoy the simple things in life. They are always the first at the door to greet you when you get home, and they love you no matter what you have done, what you look like, if you are rich or poor, etc. I’m pretty sure dogs are the only creatures on earth that understand the true meaning of unconditional love.” 

Set to marry her longtime sweetheart Luis Araneta this April, the decision to take Tony, their bulldog, was mutual. “We decided to get Tony when I was visiting Luis in New York. After a few failed attempts at visiting different bulldog breeders and not finding ‘the one,’ we decided to try one last time and took a train up to New Jersey to visit some puppies from a breeder there. It was freezing cold. There was snow and ice everywhere. We had to take the train and then walk to the breeder’s house. It was a crazy adventure and big effort just to go meet this one puppy that we weren’t sure we would like. We even got lost on the way up, so Luis and I were bickering and grumpy. 

“But when the breeders brought out the fat, wrinkly velvet roll to show us, I just melted. So many rolls of wrinkles and fat everywhere! He even pooped and tried kicking it away, then burped and farted. I know it sounds soooo gross, but he had us laughing so hard from the very beginning we knew he was ‘the one!’ He was such a little weirdo! We decided to name him Tony, after Tony Soprano.”

Their latest baby, a 10-month-old Yorkie named Khaleesi, was a gift from her parents, filling the void of a lost loved pup. “My parents surprised me with her after I returned from a trip. We lost our family Golden Retreiver, Brandy, slightly over a year prior to getting Khali, and we all sort of decided it was time to move on and get a new puppy. The house felt rather empty without the presence of a dog. I walked into my parents’ room and my dad was holding up this tiny little fluffy hamster. Or so I thought she was. It took a while for me to realize that it was actually a little puppy! She was so small I was scared of stepping on her or squishing her by accident. I chose to name her Khaleesi (Khali for short), because she is small, blonde, and feisty, just like Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.”

Name: Tony (aka: Tpot, Potots, Sausage White)

Breed: English Bulldog

Age: 2 years old

Name: Khaleesi (aka: Khali, Khaliloo, Khaliloola, Khalipupot, KhaliRat)

Breed: Yorkshire Terrier

Age: 10 months old 

Describe yourself in three words.

TONY: Gassy, quirky, hard-headed.

KHALI: Feisty, energetic, cuddly.

Describe your relationship with your human. What do you guys like to do together? How do you spend time with each other? Is anyone closer than the other to your human?

T: I love my humans even though sometimes I pretend not to hear them. I like to show it by stealing their slippers or suckling on their arms like a pacifier. I know they love me too because they haven’t kicked me out of the house even though I slobber, burp and fart all the time. And they don’t judge me when I sniff my own farts. My humans and I like to play games. One of my favorites is “tag.” I stay very still and crouch down a little bit and wait for one of them to slowly approach me and tap the tip of my nose, then I chase them all over the house! We do that over and over again until I get too tired and decide to walk away.

My humans like teaching me how to do new things! I know how to close doors, bark, move back, spin around, roll over, go to my bed, pound it, walk through legs like an obstacle course, and stay on command. But I think my favorite is “boxing.” I’m really good at jabs and straights and ducking. I really box with my dad. I punch his hands with my paws on command and duck, just like in a boxing gym.

I like it when all of us hang out together because at mealtimes, Khali prefers to eat my boring kibble, and leaves her chicken rice and veggies for me to finish. I love both my parents, but I am closer to my Dad. He knows how to handle me best.

K: I love my humans, too! I love snuggling on their laps and I love to be carried. I love playing fetch with them! I like to “zip-zip” all around the garden, running around in circles because I have a lot of energy! I like chasing Tony around, and don’t mind when he suckles my torso or little legs because he is gentle with me. My mommy doesn’t seem to like this very much, though, because I get covered in slobber and end up ruining my blow dry. My mom takes me to the parlor often even though I end up looking scruffy again the next day since I am not as poised and ladylike as she expects me to be. I love being with my Mommy. I follow her everywhere, and I love being on the bed or couch with her. I like learning new tricks, too! When I was just 10 weeks old I learned how to sit, lie down, roll over, stay, and dance on command. I like going on joyrides with my mom! She takes me around with her when she does her errands sometimes. I like sitting on her lap and looking out the window! Sometimes I’m a bad girl, though, and chew up the bathroom rug. I also eat any papers and sometimes my own poop. Then I get a tummy ache and have to go to the doctor. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I just can’t help it. I am much closer to my female human than to the male. She knows how to handle me best. 

Name one time you got into major trouble and how you got out of it. Who gets into trouble more?

T: I got into major trouble one time in New York. My Mom and Dad left me in the apartment in a makeshift pen made out of their suitcases because they were going out for date night. While they were away, I decided to plan my great escape! I smashed my poop and used it to make the floor slippery so the suitcases would slide across. I jumped and pushed and wiggled till it fell over and I got out! They caught me red-handed, though! Just as I managed to break free, they walked in the door and I was covered in my own doo-doo and the floor was a mess and the luggage was stinky. But I got out of trouble because I was so sincerely happy to see them, and I was so proud of myself that I wiggled my butt and hopped over to them, giving my best puppy eyes. My dad had to give me a bath and clean my paws with Q-tips because they were covered with my doo-doo. 

K: One time I got into major trouble because I tore up all the paper I could reach. I ate the toilet paper and shredded the newspaper. I made a mess! I got out of trouble because I sat in the pile of shredded papers and gave my best puppy eyes. Mom was upset. But she forgave me soon after the mess was cleaned up. I got into major trouble another time too because I peed on my mom’s bed and ate my own poop.

T: I get into trouble more because I steal shoes and slippers all the time and refuse to let them go. I can’t help it; I’m hard-headed because I’m a bulldog!

What’s a typical day like for you?

T: Sleep… wake up… try to wake Dad up by pawing at him… eat… scratch my bum on sharp or rough edges… wipe my face on the bathroom rug while growling like a monster… go to doggy school where I play and hang out with my crew.  Dad says I need to go to class because I do naughty things when I’m bored at home. Then I come home… nap… steal slippers or trash bins… spend time with Dad… sleep.

K: Wake up… eat breakfast… sunbathe… grab my rag toy and ask people to play “fetch” with me so I can “zip-zip” around for a while. Get brushed by Mommy… follow mommy everywhere and give sad eyes when she has to leave. It works a lot of the time. That’s when she takes me to do her errands. I like looking out of the car window. Go home… steal doorstoppers or little clips and pieces of paper… sneak into the bathroom and slowly shred the edges of the carpet and eat them like spaghetti… nap… play with Mommy when she gets home… get brushed by Mommy… sleep.

What are your fave hobbies?

T: Stealing slippers, sleeping, having my butt scratched, going to the farm and peeing on as many plants as possible, boxing.

K: Eating paper, sneakily shredding the bathroom rug, playing fetch, zip-zip.

Mommy makes the most amazing ice cream! Tell us, do you get to have some? Which are your fave flavors?

T and K: Mommy doesn’t allow us to have any ice cream because we get too hyper. She only lets us lick the bowl or spoon after grandpa and grandma have some. We think vanilla is our favorite.

Your favorite food? And if you could have anything in the world, even the “forbidden stuff,” what would be your ultimate meal?

T: I love it when Mom gives me drops of wine and beer! Dad watches closely to make sure I don’t drink so much. But it tastes really good. I also love cheese and yogurt. Dairy makes me very happy but gassy. One time as a treat I got a piece of steak fat! That’s my favorite! I also love when they bring me back marrowbones! I also like bananas. A big fat steak and potatoes would be my ultimate meal.

K: I love bran flakes and goji berries and go crazy for pears! I like chewing on ice cubes or raw carrot sticks.  I know it’s weird but I really love Tony’s kibble! I also love lamb and chicken!

Describe your dream vacation and where it would be.

T: My dream vacation would be somewhere with a big open field and cold weather! I don’t like the beach because it is so hot and I can’t swim. I just sink when I try to. And the sand gets stuck in my wrinkles and bum.

K: I love the sunshine and cool weather! A big open field or a beach makes me very happy!

What would be your ultimate happy moment?

T: My ultimate happy moment is when Mom and Dad cuddle me and rub my belly and scratch the places that I can’t reach. The ultimate, ultimate happy moment would be if Dad would stay home with me all day long.

K: My ultimate happy moment is lying on Mommy’s lap.  I like it when she pets me softly till I fall asleep. I wish I could stay with her all day long!

Also please share five secret things about your human that only you would know!

T and K: Our humans like to give us voiceovers. We have our own unique voices and only they can hear us and know what we are saying. Our humans are very weird and goofy! They always play! They like to dance around the room, or wrestle and tickle-torture each other! Mom is always playing tricks on Dad. It makes her laugh a lot when he gets pikon.  One time she was letting Tony drink water from the bidet hose, and dad walked in and she sprayed him with it. They ended up having a water fight. The whole bathroom was a mess. We like to join in and jump around them and bark when they do things like that!