Photography and video courtesy of Victoria Vanderwoude.
Norman has a sophisticated palate. The English cream golden retriever has been to at least 15 wineries and a couple of breweries with his owner Victoria Vanderwoude. Sometimes he’s allowed a sip, but he’s much more interested in the ice. His go-to “drink” is the puppuccino from Starbucks. The cup filled with whipped cream is so irresistible, Norman escaped the backyard and meandered to the Starbucks at Hillside Village. “He’s a spoiled only child,” Vanderwoude says. Vanderwoude adopted Norman from the Paws of Love Animal Rescue, which saved him from a high-kill shelter in Greenville. When Vanderwoude took him home, he was malnourished and had urine burns on his hind legs from sitting in his cage. “He had no name, no age, no background — nothing,” Vanderwoude says. A healthy diet and some antibiotics returned Norman to his playful self. One time, in pursuit of a bird, Norman leaped over the barrier at the dog park and laid chase into White Rock Lake. “My fiancé ran down the shoreline trying to get him back,” Vanderwoude says. “He thought he was going to have to get a kayak.” After a long day of play, Norman likes to sleep belly up with his legs splayed in the air.
