Wag Wednesday: Andy Bates & Fiona

wag-wednesday

Since starting the blog, we’ve interviewed many members of the hospitality industry, and one constant among the interviewees has been a profound love for their pets. We thought it would be great to share this love with our readers.

That’s why we launched an ongoing feature called “Wag Wednesday” to showcase industry peeps and their pets. Know someone who wants to be featured? Email us at bark@miamifoodpug.com.

This week, we’re featuring Andy Bates, Chef and Co-Owner of The Avenue, and his dog, Fiona. Catch The Avenue at J. Wakefield Brewing this Sunday (November 6) for a Fish n’ Chips and Scotch Egg brunch from noon-5 p.m. Follow them on Facebook for more upcoming events.

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Your Name: Andy Bates

Your Pet’s Name: Fiona, or as we like to call her FiFi l’amour or Fifiantor

Sex: Female

Age: 7

Breed: Dachshund

How did you come to own your dog? What drew you to them?

Really, she’s my wife’s. Fiona waited for her here in Miami while she lived in London with me for a few years. Now we’ve moved back and they’re happily reunited. What my wife doesn’t know is that Fiona prefers me now. 😉

What’s the story behind your dog’s name?

Why Fiona? My father-in-law’s name is Frank, my brother-in-law is named Francis and my wife’s name is Francesca, so they wanted to keep the “F” thing going and appropriately named her, Fiona.

How would you describe your dog’s personality?

She is a princess of sorts, but not in a royal sense. She is quite spoiled and stoic, but it’s not like we dress her up in jewels or anything of that sort.

How has owning a pet made your life richer?

Well, Fiona’s love is priceless, but I’m definitely not richer after buying her all the treats she eats or as we like to call them “cookies.”

It’s said that dogs reflect their owners and vice versa. How does this apply to you and yours?

I’m from England where it’s cold and rainy, and Fiona lives in a house that’s constantly air-conditioned to frigid temperatures, so we both love being outside and going for long walks in the sun. We also both eat everything that gets put in front of us.

Tell us a funny story about you and your dog.

So the other day, Fifi and I were taking a drive, and she was sitting on my lap with her head out the window enjoying the wind blowing her floppy ears as she usually does. All of a sudden, another car pulls up at a red light with a dog doing exactly the same thing out the passenger side so they ended up right next to each other. I watched, intrigued to say the least, to see what was about to go down.

The other dog hadn’t seemed to notice Fifi, so she barked at him once, like “Hey!” She said, “I’m a dog in a car, too!” The dog looks over at her instantly and barks once back,”Oh, hey!” (Yes, this dialogue was actually happening in my head at the moment).

Then, my favorite part, Fifi being the cool girl she is, thrust her chin up just before we drive off, like “Wassup.” Maybe it all happened in my head, maybe it didn’t … but it was definitely hilarious to me.

Are you involved in any pet organizations or philanthropies?

Not at the moment as we’re a bit busy with this restaurant thing, but I do love to dog-sit my friend’s dogs and I once over-booked myself and ended up watching four dogs all on the same weekend!

We follow a lot of dog social media accounts like Doug the Pug, Rocco’s Contemporary Life, and Menswear Dog. Do you? Which are your favorites?

@HamiltonBarkley or “Hami from Miami” because that boy’s got style and he knows what’s up!

See past editions of Wag Wednesdays here.