A Friend in Need

There are days I just know I need to stay close. A look in Her eye, a quieter-than-usual demeanor, even Her smell lets me know when She's having a tough time of it.

I'm not making this up. There is actually scientific research demonstrating that we of the canine persuasion can sense human emotions by sniffing our peeps' sweat! (D’Aniello, B., Semin, G., Alterisio, A., Aria, M., & Scandurra, A. (2017). Inter-species transmission of emotional information via chemo signals: from humans to dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Animal Cognition, 21(1), 67-78. doi:)

When I sense She's upset, that's when I step in to do my best job being (Wo)man's Best Friend! Sometimes it's as simple as lying nearby. Other times She needs more, so I lay my head on her lap while she's reading. She might not want to be with people but She's always happy to be with me!

When I'm giving the best of myself, it's only a matter of time before She's back to her old rockin' self, and we're chasing toys, doing tricks, and getting treats!

A Seat at the Table

One of the first rules I learned when I started living with Mom was no people food. That doesn’t stop me from still trying to sneak a bite here or there, but sometimes, when I look up and see everyone eating at the table, I can’t help but feel a little left out.

Jack seemed to notice this last weekend, so he picked me up and put me up on a seat at the table, with Mom’s permission, of course. I wasn’t allowed to eat any food, but sitting was just fine! I was surprised to see that my family doesn’t eat the same brand of kibble that I do. Their food smells much better.... but I know if I try to sneak a bite, my seat at the table is as good as gone.

Still, it’s nice to be included with the big kids every now and then!

Dinner with Company, Please!

A wise dog once said: “What’s dinner without company?” What’s that? They didn’t? Well I’m saying it!

I hate eating all by myself. In fact, I just won’t eat unless there’s someone else with me in the kitchen, preferably eating as well. Food is supposed to bring people together, so how can I enjoy it when I’m all on my own?

Of course, not everyone shares my love for social eating. By happenstance, life pulls my family away at meal time, and they get nervous when I don’t eat. If I could talk, I’d tell them I’m waiting for them, but I understand that life can’t wait sometimes. Even so, I still find it hard to eat when I’m alone.

I’m not alone in this right? Food is meant to be enjoyed with friends and family!

The Little Guy

There are lots of fun stuffed animals around the house, but not all of them are mine, believe it or not! Sam has a lot of stuffed animals in her room upstairs. I don’t know why she has so many, I never see her play with them! In fact, she doesn’t play much at all! Her toys generally just sit in her room… except the little guy.

The little guy looks like he should be my toy. Every time I see him, I just want to chew on him and play, but Sam always takes him away from me…. I think he’s really important. He looks like a little black and white dog, like me! Sometimes when she’s really sad, I see her holding him, and she takes him with her when she goes out late at night.

I don’t really get it, but I understand wanting to have something to comfort you when you’re feeling low. Still, when she’s away and he’s home alone, I like to try to play with the little guy when I get the chance… why should she get to have all the fun?

No Bones About It!

Sometimes when Louie and Mom go out to dinner, they’ll come back home with a treat for me: a bone! You can’t imagine how good it tastes; after years of eating nothing but kibble and grass, a bone from a t-bone steak is divine! It’s so nice of them to think of me!

But not everyone is excited for me when I get my bone. The girl upstairs always makes a big stink, and I don’t understand why. She talks about boiling the bones to make them more chewy, and less likely to splinter… I guess choking on broken bones is an issue for dogs that have a few more teeth! After giving her spiel she relents, and I’m back to flavor town.

The compromise is that I’m always under supervision when chewing on a bone from a restaurant. Sam still doesn’t seem happy, but when the bone starts to break, Louie and Mom are pretty quick to get it out of my paws (not that I make it easy for them!)

Downward Dog

I try to approach every day as a new opportunity, but nobody can be positive all the time. Some days I really feel aware of my size, that I’m not the top dog, and the world feels really overwhelming. On those days, it’s really important to have a plan for how to pick myself back up.

The first safety net is surrounding myself with people who love me. When I’m feeling low, they pick me up and squeeze me and kiss me. They make me feel loved, which is just what I need, and the physical contact makes me feel better.

I also have a few safe spaces around the house for when I’m feeling moody: under Mom’s bed, in her closet, or on my beanbag, I can take some time for myself to try to calm down. It’s really important that these spaces feel like they’re mine, so my family purposefully tries not to reach in and play with me when I’m in those spots.

Finally, I try to keep a few smells around the house that will cheer me up: the flowers out back, the treats in the treat drawer, or Mom’s perfume on a pillow are some favorites that help make me feel like my usual self again. I’ve even seen Sam try this technique, keeping smelling spices in her purse for when she’s overwhelmed. It works for people too, so maybe give it a try!

Whatever you’re feeling, take the time to put a few safeties in place to keep yourself from being too down. There’s so much fun stuff to do, we shouldn’t spend our time being mopey for too long!

My Lucky Day

My friend Ewa visited last weekend. You can’t imagine how much I love her. When I see her coming toward the door, I’m practically in tears with delight from the thought of her!

When Ewa comes, I almost don’t mind so much that Mom’s gone. She takes me on walks, she cuddles me, she talks and talks and talks to me... sometimes in Polish, which I don’t happen to speak, but I know she’s saying nice stuff by the tone of her voice.

Sometimes we go to see the elderly Polish lady that Ewa volunteers to visit. It makes me happy that I can make her smile. Sometimes I just sit on her lap and hope that life is a little better because of our visit. Ewa speaks to her in Polish so I am kind of in the dark, but I can tell they like each other. They might even love each other.

I know that Ewa loves me, and I love her, too. As much as I hate to see Mom pack her bag and go, I am so grateful for my time with Ewa!

The Big Bed

I’ve already told you about some of my favorite spots to nap, but nothing compares to where my Mom sleeps.; when I’m good, Mom (or another family member) lets me sleep in the big bed! There’s so much space compared to my little bean bag, I don’t even mind that we’re sharing! (In fact, I usually prefer it!)

The big bed is also nice because I get to sleep between my two favorite people, Mom and Louie. It’s so cozy when all of us are together, I never want to leave! There’s also a big bed upstairs, but it’s a bit warmer up there, so I don’t like it as much. It’s usually a bit more empty too—not much to snuggle with.

I try to be on my best behavior so I get to be in the big bed most nights now! I can’t wait for bedtime!

My Cousin Luna

This is my cousin Luna. She is crazy.

She has so much energy it makes me feel like an old dog. Every time she visit, she jumps on the furniture and runs around, I don’t know how she does it. She lives pretty far away, so I don’t see her too often, which is kind of a relief. (I really hope she doesn’t see this.)

I’m not really related to Luna, but mom says she’s part of the family. I think she is a Yorkshire Terrier.

Even though we butt heads a lot, I like having her around when she’s calm. It’s kind of nice to have someone else in the house that’s my size… as long as she doesn’t eat my food!

Bath time!

Sometimes when I fall asleep outside, or walk on a rainy day, I get dirty before it’s time for my haircut. Haircuts are great, because I feel all sporty and clean, but every now and then mom has to clean me instead. I don’t really mind though, I love mom!

She picks me up and puts me in the kitchen sink, and runs warm water all over my fluffy fur. After a little soap, I’ll get another rinse, and then she dries me off. Sometimes people laugh, because I look so much smaller when my fur is wet. I think she used to bathe her baby boys in this sink too, so it really makes me feel like a part of the pack.

I hope everyone is staying clean!