Sunnyside Tails is a new column introducing you to some of the best cats and dogs of the neighborhood.
Perhaps you remember Lenny? He was the Bernese mountain dog who was such a regular at Bare Bones Bar that he was known as “the Mayor of Belmont” until his death a few years ago. Now, Lenny has a potential successor: Fezzik, a one-year-old Bernese mountain dog.
Fezzik’s people are Deane Funk and Marion Hayes, who live on Southeast 29th Avenue next to Bare Bones. Fezzik is their second Bernese mountain dog after Lenny, who they inherited from Marion’s mother in Virginia. (Lenny was her mother’s third Bernese mountain dog.) “They’re a pretty great breed,” Hayes said.
Fezzik was named after the character in The Princess Bride, the 1987 film featuring the late actor André the Giant. Like the character, Fezzik is a gentle giant, Hayes said. He weighed 15.5 pounds when he joined the family as a puppy. Now, he’s just over 100 lbs, a big, lovable bear of a boy with a sweet disposition and cuddly energy.
You can often find Fezzik sauntering through Sunnyside to romp with his dog and human friends at Sewallcrest Park or Hosford Middle School. He enjoys going to the river, too. But Fezzik’s favorite perch might be the front porch, where he loves watching people and other dogs. “You have to pay the Fezzik tax if you walk by,” Deane said.
Fezzik is deputy mayor of Belmont for now, Deane said, but he and Marion suspect that one day, he’ll wander over to Bare Bones on his own to preside over the street, just like Lenny did.
If you’d like to nominate a neighborhood pet for a future Sunnyside Tail feature, email [email protected]