Life works in mysterious ways. And, given our backstory, who are we to judge which way the wind blows?
When our favorite UPS (“Unlimited Puppy Snacks”) driver, Scott Hodges, took a photo of our 6-pound Pomeranian—Cupcake, the Non-Winery Dog (pictured above, attempting to drive the winery forklift)—competing with our neighbor’s ginormous golden Labrador retriever Sadie for a biscuit at the door of his vehicle, we thought nothing of it. It’s a regular occurrence, and a funny sight.
Then, Scott posted the photo with one of his famous captions to the UPS Dogs Facebook page last May 2019. And something strange happened. Cupcake and Sadie went viral (obviously because of Scott’s caption; not because the two dogs were looking especially photogenic, and they certainly were NOT thinking about being ready for their close-up). More than 40,000 people reacted to the post. 2,600 commented. 5,100 shared! We were stunned. See for yourself:
Symbiosis.
A form of mutually beneficial cooperation by two dissimilar species in nature.
No better example of this phenomenon can be found then the one exhibited here by the Blepping Labrapotamus (Canis Moochus Gianormous) and the Yipping Hippie Mouse (Canis Yappus Underfootus) who utilize skillfully choreographed teamwork for the purpose of extracting far more biscuits together than either one could possibly obtain alone.
To understand their technique we must first understand the strengths and weaknesses of each species. The Blepping Labrapotamus has great speed and size, which she uses to pursue my truck and completely block my exit with her massive derriere until such time as the requisite biscuit toll has been paid. But she sleeps approximately 23 hours a day, and her snoring and flatulence will often drown out the noise of my approaching truck, thus allowing me to make a clean getaway.
This is where the Yipping Hippie Mouse comes in. Although lacking in speed and size, she never sleeps and remains on constant, watchful alert. Her radar-like ears can detect my approach from over two miles away, allowing her to awaken the Blepping Labrapotamus with her shrill, piercing bark.
Her long, flowing hair and her talent of dancing on two hind legs enhance her cuteness factor to the point of irresistibility, triggering an automatic biscuit dispensation reflex on my part. And her inability to carry or chew an entire biscuit in her tiny mouth does not hamper her in the least; she simply scurries about and catches the veritable avalanche of crumbs that fall freely from the Blepping Labrapotamus’s massive mouth in much the same way as a remora attaches itself to the underside of shark in order to subsist upon the scraps of meat debris.
Faced with such well-rehearsed teamwork by this devious duo of doggo desperadoes, I am powerless to resist and left with no option but to cede to their relentless demands!
By Scott Hodges in Newberg, Oregon.
#youcantspellunlimitedpupp
ysnackswithoutUPS
#thebarkerandtheblocker
#betterlivingthroughteamwork
#ThelmaandLouisegotnothingonus
Of course, being in marketing, Money Honey Sara casually mentioned to Scott that the next time he felt compelled to wax poetic about our “Yipping Hippie Mouse (Canis Yappus Underfootus),” it would be absolutely delightful and tremendously appreciated if he could possibly work the words “Bells Up Winery” into the post.
This was around the same time that Cupcake was once again suffering from a systemic yeast infection that caused her to go bald; the treatment involves a lot of oily ointments and shampoos and conditioners multiple times a day/week. Therefore, she wears onesies and, yes, doggie pajamas, when she’s “in treatment”. Which is pretty hilarious. And Scott posted this…last July.
There’s a new sheriff in town…and her name is Cupcake.
Her job….is maintaining law and order at the Bells Up Winery on the mean streets of Newberg, Oregon.
Like the rough-and-tumble saloons of the old Wild West, the Bells Up Winery attracts more than its fair share of wine tasting drifters, cattle rustlers, outlaws, gamblers, horse thieves and assorted ne’er-do-wells…all of whom require a firm hand to keep them in line. It’s a big job indeed, and one that only Cupcake can handle.
She is predatory perfection personified; a pint-sized Pomeranian powerhouse in pink pineapple pajamas. A full forty-four ounces of fearless, fiery, four-legged, flesh-eating fury.
She combines the tenacity of a pit bull, the razor-sharp fangs of a rattlesnake, the bone-crushing jaws of a hyena, the speed of a gazelle and the shrill, deafening howl of an air raid siren into a potent and compact package that can be concealed in a coat pocket or handbag until such time as her awesome power is deployed against the miscreant who dares to misbehave in her establishment.
When the forces of evil conspire to prey upon the law-abiding citizens of the Newberg frontier, you can sleep easy knowing that the mighty Cupcake will be there to stop them!
By Scott Hodges in Newberg, Oregon.
#hellhathnofurylikeapominp
inkpjs
#badguysbeware
#winecountryisnoplacefortheweak
#havenofearcupcakeishere!
This second post, about the “pint-sized Pomeranian powerhouse in pink pineapple pajamas,” also went viral, with 57,800 reactions, 5,200 comments, and 9,300 shares. In January 2020, Bored Panda picked it up among a list of other UPS Dogs posts, and Cupcake wound up being up-voted to #9. Poor Scott started getting asked by his adoring fans to do more Cupcake posts! (And, we sold some wine to a couple of folks who were taken by Cupcake’s sales technique…)
Most recently, Scott posted this:
To my fellow smol doggos:
Are you tired of getting “shorted” by your United Puppy Snacks driver?
Are you sick of being forced to scurry about for the crumbs that fall from the mouths of the large doggos who seem to get all of the treats?
My name is Cupcake. I am the official mascot of Bells Up Winery in Newberg, Oregon and I am here to show all you smol doggos how to use your petite size to take your biscuit extraction hustle to the next level and reclaim that which is rightfully yours. Stop settling for less!
Maximizing your biscuit yield is a simple, comprehensive four-step process which involves Visualization, Vocalization, Levitation and Location. Let’s break them down.
1-Visualization: If you’ve got it, flaunt it! Put that cuteness and big floofer hair to work! Wiggle that butt, dance on those hind legs, and use your agility and footwork to make yourself irresistible. Be the queen that you were meant to be, and the driver will be putty in your paws!
2-Vocalization: Use your shrill, incessant, high-pitched yipping bark to beat your drivers eardrums into submission. What you lack in size, you make up for in VOLUME. If your driver is desperate enough, he will want to gag you to hush you up. Let him gag you with a biscuit!
3-Levitation: My driver Scott Hodges knows that he cant start the engine if I am in the drivers seat, and he cant drive away if I am perched on the dashboard. Its MY truck, he just drives it, and if he gets stingy with my biscuits I have no problem with parking myself in his way until he gets so desperate that he tosses a handful of treats out the door in order to get me to leave!
4-Location: All UPS drivers have a stash. It might be biscuits or it might be their own lunch. You dont care either way. Use your smol size, agility and keen nose to locate and access that stash, no matter what tiny nook or cranny your driver may have hidden it in. If you find the biscuits…help yourself. If you find his lunch…help yourself. If he goes hungry because he was too cheap to buy biscuits…better him than you! His hunger will motivate him to make better choices in the future and remind him of the simple fact that, though you may be smol in size, when it comes to the biscuits you are LARGE and IN CHARGE!
By Scott Hodges in Newberg, Oregon.
#Itsyourworldhejustlivesinit
#Workitgirl!
#ConnivingCupcake
#biscuitsfirstpackageslater
#paytributetothePomeranianprincess
This last post? An avalanche of emails asking US for more Cupcake photos. And some additional wine sales (?!?!?!).
Well, what more could we do after that except give Cupcake her own Instagram page? Feel free to follow Cupcake’s Adventures In Winemaking to keep up with her as she lets all this fame go to her head and continues to boss us around.
And yes, you can request a personal audience with her royal highness during a private tasting appointment. We can’t guarantee she will be available, however—or that we’ll have enough earplugs in stock for you to wear…
