A Day in the Life of Sunny Anderson's Dog, Gary Gumbo
Gary gives us his first-pawson account of what life with the Food Network star is really like.
Sunny Anderson's dog, Gary Gumbo.
Chances are you've been spending a lot more time with your pet(s) recently. But have you ever wondered what goes through their minds while you're working from home or going about your day? Gary Gumbo, Sunny Anderson's very own rescue pup, is here to lend us his POV. Here's Gary's first-pawson account of what his typical day with The Kitchen host and our November issue guest editor looks like.
6:15 a.m.
Sunny stops snoring, nudges me out of my cocoon behind her legs and proclaims, “I’m up!” She does this every morning and I’m immediately transformed into an awake and happy dog. We jump up together to start our day.
6:30 a.m.
We hunt for Sunny’s favorite house shoes, then I take her outside to exercise. She warms up by checking her garden, then I start the training session by running away. Even though I do this every day, she never catches on and we jump-start our day with cardio.
7 a.m.
Sunny makes me doggie stew, a mix of wet and dry dog food with warm water. She takes pride in all meals, even mine. I go outside, and when I come back in, it smells like pancakes and bacon.
8 a.m.
I sidle up to her while she handles emails and calls for projects she’s working on. While on a video call, she makes me wave at a human and their cat. She says I’m so cute in these moments, she doesn’t have to wear makeup or tidy up the background. It’s all about me.
11 a.m.
I get snacks. If she forgets to tell me to be nice, I’ll just snap them out of her hand. Sometimes I need to be reminded of my manners.
12:15 p.m.
I watch Sunny make lunch for herself from leftover shredded chicken that didn’t go into the enchiladas last night. She heats up the chicken, adds salsa and puts some fresh corn over the top. I get a piece of a flour tortilla. I’m officially #TeamLeftovers.
1 p.m.
I run around the yard while Sunny makes plans for planting spring bulbs. As long as she leaves enough grass for me to run on, I’m OK. She and I both like butterflies and bees, so the more flowers, the merrier.
2 p.m.
Don’t tell anyone, but we take a siesta! Sunny says it increases her productivity and creativity. I don’t need an excuse to sleep — I just go along with it because it means I get more cuddle time.
3:36 p.m.
We’re awake! I think she might be feeling guilty about the nap because she puts a pile of clothes that’s been sitting around for a long time in the washing machine.
5 p.m.
I watch Sunny take a steak out of the refrigerator that she’s grilling for dinner.
7 p.m.
We’re outside, and I just ate doggie stew again! She’s grilling, so I try to hang out nearby. I’m warned it isn’t safe because she could drop something hot on me, but I don’t care about that—if she drops food, I want to be around for it.
7:30 p.m.
Sunny eats and talks to this thing called Alexa. She asks it to play the game show Jeopardy! In case you didn’t know, the phrase “faux pas” means “false step.” She blurts out the correct question while chewing.
8:26 p.m.
She makes a drink with tea, bourbon and lemonade over ice and leaves me inside while she goes out to catch the sunset on the patio. I hear “Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder and “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. She loves theme music.
9 p.m.
She watches Family Feud and Columbo on the DVR while answering emails and planning recipe development.
12 a.m.
Sunny makes the chocolate chip cookies you buy in a tube — except she adds cranberries, chopped pecans and shredded coconut before baking them. Twenty minutes later, she has eaten the cookies and we’re in bed. As soon as she settles, I’m ready to steal body heat from her all over again.
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