Johnny Peeps and the Muttville Comix, the featured presenter at the upcoming
Palm Beach County Pet Expo, Dec. 8-9 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Photo provided
By Arden Moore
Dogs never cease to amaze us with their wide range of abilities. Some dogs are born greeters and love to charm house guests by sitting, shaking paws and rolling over on cue. Some dogs are natural jocks, racing through agility obstacles and never making a wrong turn. I’m blessed with a pair of dogs who live to tame waves while perched on surfboards.
And then there is a pack of former shelter rejects and strays who live for applause as proud members of the Muttville Comix team.
Under the leadership of national acclaimed dog trainer Johnny Peeps, this canine crew will be the headline act at the Palm Beach County Pet Expo, which takes place Dec. 8-9 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach.
I caught up with Peeps by phone recently as he was preparing to perform a holiday act at a shopping mall in Scranton, Pa. He happily shared how he transformed himself from a circus clown to clowning around with canines for a living.
“My father ran a concession stand for the Ringling Circus when I was a boy, but I would sneak off and hang out with the clowns whenever I could,” recalls Peeps. “The clowns taught me how to juggle, do handstands and much more. I even went to clown school. But I also discovered how much I loved teaching tricks to dogs. Today, I have the best of both worlds: I get to make a living doing comedy with dogs.”
His tail-wagging troupe totals about 16 dogs, with the canine star answering to the name of Winston, an 8-year-old German shorthaired pointer mix that Peeps discovered at an animal shelter in Wisconsin.
“He was about 1 at the time, very playful and very willing to please,” says Peeps. “He does a combination of things throughout the show with the other dogs. He catches little hoops on his head and jumps rope — both tricks that are extremely hard to learn.”
Winston also ranks as the biggest dog in the act that includes mutts with the skill to do a canine conga line to music, lining up from big to small. And there is Max, a miniature poodle who wows the crowd by walking on his front legs while hoisting his hind legs in the air, and Chico, a small dog who performs a high dive off a platform into Peeps’ waiting arms. Look for Pee Wee, a gutsy young Chihuahua mix that Peeps regards as a rising star. He leaps over hurdles on a spinning table without spilling off.
Peeps calls Bradenton home, but for most of the past 30 years, he has been on the road performing for dog-adoring audiences at malls, pet expos and schools. He also appeared on the David Letterman show, Circus of the Stars and Primetime Live. His canine crew bested the competition to win first place on Animal Planet’s Pet Star show in 2003.
The very agile, athletic Peeps will finally tell you his age, but adds these adjectives ahead of the number: “I’m a very, very, very young 60.”
And he is also adaptable before live audiences. You have to be when you are working with pooches who can be unpredictable.
“Dogs have a sense of humor, and they are eager to learn when you make training fun,” says Peeps. “But sometimes, things happen in a show. For example, if a dog is supposed to roll up a blanket in a comedy bit and doesn’t, then I step in and roll myself up in the blanket.”
I hope you get the chance to catch the Muttville Comix act at the Palm Beach County Pet Expo. This two-day event is packed with lots of spectacles and dozens of booths that celebrate our great relationship with our pets. And, yes, you can bring your well-mannered, leashed dog to join you in the fun.
To learn more details and check out the expo’s schedule, please visit www.palmbeachpetexpo.com. And be sure to unleash paws and applause for Peeps’ pack of talented canines.
Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and certified pet first aid instructor. She happily shares her home with two dogs, two cats and one overworked vacuum cleaner. Tune in to her Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com and learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.
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