Four years ago, when Lenora Metts began writing on Facebook using the voice of her 9-year-old Scottie dog Gordon, she had no idea that it would result in a multinational community and yearly get-togethers with Scotties and their owners from around the world. In 2016, Metts, who has been a proud Scottie owner for 35 years, joined some Facebook groups for adopters of Scottie dogs. She hoped to connect with others like her who had a love for the breed, and she did, but she also encountered people grieving the losses of their beloved pets.
“I noticed that a lot of people were grieving and sad with their dogs’ illnesses and losses, and I felt bad,” Metts said. “So I thought, well, it’ll seem ridiculous if I tell these people I love them, but Gordon and Madge, who were my two Scotties at the time, could.” So, Metts began writing to other dog parents on Facebook in hopes of bringing some comfort.
She used the voice of her dog, a white Scottie, to write to friends in the group. She would have Gordon call them “aunties or uncles,” which she said seemed ridiculous to her at the time. “But people caught on pretty soon,” Metts said.
“And it became sort of a lexicon; everyone’s an auntie or uncle now. ..
. And so it just kind of became a community.” Lenora Metts’ dog Fyfe in her home Friday, July 19, 2024.
Three years ago, some friends she had made through the group wanted to visit, so she planned what she expected to be a small get-together at her home. Lenora .