This week meet Mary Tish Phillips and her dog, Ripley! Mary Tish is a fellow Texas girl, and we met years ago backstage at one of my first runway shows... She works internationally in Milan, London, Seoul, Guangzhou, and has done worldwide exclusives for Celine. Needless to say she's got an impressive track record, and today get to know some fun answers from her and Ripley!
enjoy xoxo!
-Anneliese + Felicity
Meet the Person-
1. what is your name?
Mary Tish Phillips
2. what is your calling in life?
At 20, I'm still figuring it all out.
3. what is your favorite color?
Blue
4. what is your favorite type of food or meal?
Tex-mex
5. what is a smell that makes you happy?
Christmas scents
6. if you could tell your younger self something you wish you knew now, what would it be?
Enjoy the process because time flies and everything is temporary.
7.if you had super powers what would they be?
Teleportation. Imagine all that you could see and do if you could travel anywhere in a snap!
8. if you had one word to describe your self, what would it be?
Not sure, so I asked my mom... She said joyful!
9. what are the unwritten rules of where you work?
Arrive early, be positive, and be grateful.
10. what do you enjoy doing when you aren't work?
On my days off, I go to the barn to ride horses. Anywhere with horses is my happy place. Also, I go to the pool to swim laps. It is such a great full-body workout.
11. what is a cause that is near and dear to your heart?
Colon cancer awareness and research because my Dad and multiple people in his side of the family have had it. In 2018, I ran a half marathon and fundraised for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance while I trained.
POSITIVE BONUS:
what is the highlight of this year so far for you?
Unexpectedly coming home to Texas and spending time with my family and modeling in Dallas. I'm surprisingly enjoying it so much!
Meet the Pet-
1. what is your name?
Ripley
2. what breed are you?
A mixture of a bunch of breeds, but mainly chihuahua and miniature poodle.
3. how old are you? human or animal years is fine.
Four years old. (Human years)
if you had super powers, what would it be?
To be able to climb trees to catch evil squirrels!
who is your role model in life?
Big dogs.
tell us your adoption/rescue story…
Before coming to the shelter, I used to roam the streets everyday with a pack of dogs. We had an owner, but they didn't care for us. It was very dangerous being on the road everyday. The owner of the shelter saw me everyday and one day decided that she had seen enough dogs get run over so she picked me up and took me to the shelter. My old owner tried to get me back but they had no proof that I was theirs because they had never taken me to the vet. I was technically their dog but they hadn't ever taken care of me. So I stayed at the shelter. One night, my new mom and sister (Mary Tish) saw me on an adoption website and my mom said that if I was as cute as I was in my photos (I was dressed up as Santa Clause) then they were getting me. They went to the shelter the next morning and sure enough I was just as cute! I was just a puppy then and I was very naughty at times. But luckily my family got me a nice trainer who showed me how to act and taught me that I don't have to be scared of everything. I'm now happily spoiled with more toys, treats, walks, and attention than I could've ever dreamed of!
favorite color?
Red
what is the ultimate cheat meal for you?
BACON!!!
what nicknames do you go by?
Mr. Duh-dah, Ripley Duh-dah, Ripples, Rip, Tiny, & Mr. Ripley.
how did you get your name? is there any significance behind it?
At the shelter my name was Ralphy, but my new family thought it didn’t fit me very well. My mom and sister made a deal with my dad that he could pick my new name if he allowed them to keep me. He luckily agreed and named me Ripley after Ripley in the Aliens movie. I like my new name. I respond to it much better and everyone says I look much more like a Ripley.
what is the best and worst thing about being a dog (or cat)?
Best part is that I don’t have to worry about anything unlike my family members. And the worst part is that I can’t get food by myself. I’m too short and I don’t have hands...
what is something you want people to know about you?
I weigh 12 pounds and I once killed a squirrel. Stay back! I'm ferocious! Oh and I also love when people rub my belly!
If you could be any person in the world for a day, who would you be and why?
I'd be a sheriff. I like telling other dogs what to do and being in charge.
Meet the Pair-
1. take us through your morning routines together…
Ripley only likes to sleep in a crate. He has a huge crate filled with a big bed and blankets and it has a black cover over it. It’s like a cave! We call it his bedroom. In the morning when you open the crate door, it takes him a while to get up. Then he goes outside and then once inside the games begin—play time!
2. do you ever dress a like?
Ripley: No... I only have a red plaid coat, an orange coat, and an emperor costume. My humans don’t have any of those things.
3. what is your favorite things to do together?
MT: Go on walks, go on trips, and go shopping! Ripley loves being out and about.
4. favorite game to play together?
MT & Ripley: throw and chase the squirrel toys.
5. what is something Ripley does that gets on your nerves?
He sometimes endlessly growls at me when he wants more treats.
6. what is the best thing about having each other?
The companionship.
7. what is your favorite memory together?
So many but recently it was really fun to take Ripley to the beach for the first time! He loved running on the sand along the water!
8. what is the funniest thing Ripley has ever done?
MT: This summer, my family and I were playing fetch with Ripley on a golf course near a little lake. My brother and Ripley were running rear the lake and Ripley caught sight of geese in the lake and took off! To all of our amazement, he jumped in to the water after the geese and swam fast nearly to the middle of the little lake. My brother jumped in after him and swam as hard as he could and finally caught up to Ripley about 50 yards out. My parents and I stood on the shore and were shocked to see Ripley swim so fast and well since he had never swam before! My brother and Ripley safely made it back to shore--both exhausted! No geese were harmed, but as you can imagine we have not since taken him back to the golf course!!!
9. how long have you been together?
3.5 years.
10. does Ripley inspire you? if so, how and why?
Ripley: Mary Tish inspires me to keep walking when I want to stop on our walks. MT: Ripley inspires me to enjoy life and not worry so much!
11. If you could ask your pet anything and get a response, what would it be? (and vice versa)
MT: Hmm I have so much to ask you! But to start, what is your favorite thing about being my dog?
Ripley: Hey lady! Why don't you feed me bacon everyday?!
A big thank you to Mary Tish and Ripley for giving us a glimpse into their lives together!
Follow them on insta: @marytishphillips