Hi Mercer Island! 

Copper here (the long-legged red one), and my little brother Beans (the compact, snorty one) is curled up next to me snoring as I dictate this. We’re honored to be your Pets of the Month. Our humans say we’re “inseparable,” but really, we just share the same core values: snacks, naps, and staying warm.

Winter on Mercer Island is our favorite season. Some dogs like summer (too hot), some like fall (too many leaves to step on), but we? We were made for the colder months. Vizslas are famous for being “velcro dogs,” which means I stick to my humans like a heated blanket. Beans, being a Frenchie, is less velcro and more… weighted blanket. Together, we’re basically a full bedding set.

Our perfect winter day starts early — not because we want to be productive, but because breakfast exists. After a quick trot outside (Beans insists on wearing his tiny puffer jacket), we head straight back to what we do best: sleeping. Our humans say we nap more than any dogs they’ve ever met. We take this as a compliment. Not everyone can commit to rest the way we do.

We rotate through a variety of sleeping stations throughout the day:

When we’re not sleeping, we actually enjoy winter adventures too. Copper here—I LOVE a good zoom through Luther Burbank Park. The cold air makes everything smell crisper, and the squirrels are extra plump this time of year. Beans prefers shorter outings; he claims Frenchies are “indoorsy,” but we’ve caught him sprinting joyfully through the backyard like a loaf-shaped rocket when it snows. He’ll deny it, but we all saw it.

One of our biggest responsibilities this season is keeping our humans warm. They might think they’re the ones caring for us, but we know the truth. Without our constant physical presence—on laps, up against legs, under blankets—how would they survive the dark winter nights? We are essentially emotional space heaters with fur.

Winter also brings our favorite human tradition: holiday treats. Copper is a gentleman about snacks. Beans is… enthusiastic. He once attempted to scale the counter during a cookie-baking session. He claims he was helping. We disagree. Still, we respect the hustle.

At the end of each day, no matter how many naps we've taken (current record: 11), we curl up together on the couch. Copper stretches long; Beans curls into a donut. Two very different shapes, one very important job: being the coziest brothers on Mercer Island.

Thank you for choosing us as your Pet of the Month. If you ever see a tall red blur and a compact snorting potato walking together this winter, that’s us. Please say hi—preferably with treats. But if not, that’s okay.

We’ll probably be sleeping anyway.

— Copper & Beans 🐾