The Last Word August 25, 2014

Apparently it’s normal. It’s one of those things most dogs do that I don’t. The doggie last word. From the ground up, it’s a game I infrequently play but often observe. My time with my cousins Buddy and Joey provides me with a wealth of knowledge in the area of this and other normalized doggie behavior.

Most recently, I observed both of them in something a person may have perceived as an argument. We all saw it as play. They were growling and grappling with each other. They wrestled and barked and wrestled some more. And just when I thought it was all over with, Buddy ruffed. Then Joey. Then Buddy again. And the next thing I know, they were at it again with the wrestling.

Mom and dad had their own kind of wrestling match today when they stopped home from that place called work over their lunch breaks. Carter was in rare form this morning, waking up at random times, screaming bloody murder, breaking things and trying to eat my food.

More than once, he made his way for my doggie food bowl, each time when a parent dared look the other way for some reason. He did not succeed either time, in spite of his relentless efforts, but it certainly disturbed me (as well as my forever people) thinking of him eating my food. Not at all because I don’t think he would not like the taste, but instead because of the danger it could be to him.

All in all, it was a challenging day. It was one of those days that makes a person (or both of my forever people in this case) throw up their proverbial hands and go to bed longing for tomorrow. Alas, that was not an option for any of us, but that wasn’t the worst thing.

Because apparently it’s normal to want the last word, and today was a rare instance where I not only wanted it, but I had it in my little doggie paws. Today it was a game I played in rather than observe. Today I provided much-needed comic relief. I played with dad and Carter while mom was away at that place called work tonight. I stayed close to mom when she was home instead of escaping to my thoughtful places like under the bed. I wrestled with dad while Cater napped.

Today I had the last word. And in spite of everything else, that word was joy.

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Not A Given August 5, 2014

It doesn’t happen often, but when it does?  Well, my little doggie heart stops. Mom was talking to aunt Morgan about something that happened to her beloved Joey this morning and I’m not kidding you. I literally almost peed standing up. Which I don’t suppose is that big a deal since I (almost always) pee standing up but I digress.

Apparently dear Joey fainted in a way only dogs can faint. He was foaming at the mouth a little right before it happened and Morgan sprung into action to make sure he was all right. On mom’s insistence, he came to visit a bit today and by all intent and purpose, he seemed fine to me.

But wow. I have on more than one occasion gone as far as to be jealous of the little guy. Sure, I’m only six doggie years old, but Joey’s young, he’s vibrant, and he’s got the spunk I now lack in my increasingly older doggie age.

I saw it today as he played with dear baby Carter. It dwas interesting to me to observe since I believe Carter has figured out I am edefinitely his favorite four-legged pal. He’s gotten expressive enough for me to know this for sure. Yet today, Joey was his favorite. He evlen laughed at (or with) him. He favored him amidst the two of us. He even pulled Joey’s tail (an act I thought was reserved only for me).

All in all, it didn’t take much for me to notice two things. First of all, as scary as things had been with dear Joey earlier today he seemed to make a full (albeit fast and inexplicable) recovery. And second (and most importantly) it was a reminder that sometimes it’s not that easy. My little doggie heart stops to think about what could have happened today. The loss itself would be too much to bear. Yet the possibility of such things is not outside the realm of possibility.

It’s a reminder we all need from time to time, to remember that life is a gift, not a given.

A Cup of Joe June 23, 2014

I think it’s a great idea. It’s one of those things you hear and think you wish you would have thought of that. That, or you realize you have thought of it already (perhaps before this person did) so why didn’t you do something about it? My dear aunt Morgan is tossing around the idea of starting a coffee business. That’s the daring entrepreneurial spirit she was born and raised to have, that’s for sure.

I know it could be risky, but this is a risk I can stand behind. It’s like a food truck, but for coffee, and she would call it “A Cup of Joe” after her dog Joey. Joey (who is just about one of the cutest doggies you’ve ever seen) could be her mascot and all things public relations for the business.

It all sounds like a lot of work to me. But that’s because I like to spend the majority of my day napping in various spots throughout my forever home. Morgan is young and free to do so much in life. And I know she can. I guess I always have, but it was somehow reaffirmed in my mind today.

Because great ideas happen all the time. Kind of like those commercials you see for the product you thought of ten years ago but never followed through with inventing. The difference is vision. Today as I listened, I heard it come alive.

“Vision without action is merely a dream,” suggested author Joel A. Barker. “Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

It might sound silly, but I the right combination of action and vision can bring clarity to even the haziest of futures. Maybe it can even do so one cup of coffee at a time.

 

But Do Not Say May 15, 2014

There are things we think. These things are precious and special and private. Then there are things we say, either by word (in the case of my people) or by action (in the case of canines). These are things that cannot be taken back, no matter how badly we sometimes wish they could me.

I find this sometimes happens with my beloved mom and dad. Sometimes, whether in an argument with each other or others they say things they don’t mean in the heat of the moment and there is no turning back once they are said. Words are a powerful thing, a tool to which I frequently wish I had access. Days like today? Not so much.

Because today I finally spent some quality time with my dear new friend Joey. He’s adorable. He makes me feel young again. We play and wrestle and growl and paw at each other just like I’d hoped I would do with my dear aunt’s new dog once she found him. Boys will be boys, so we got a little rough with each other. Such is to be expected of us, after all. Dogs will be dogs.

At one point or another I got hurt in all of it. Again, it was one of those misunderstandings I have with my people sometimes. I was chewing on a rawhide bone for the first time in a while and my gums started bleeding. My dear aunt Morgan assumed it was because of something that happened between Joey and I. I knew better, and wished I could say so. In reality I knew it was because of me and my own silliness I was hurting. Such is life that I was silenced yet again.

Instead my people and Morgan got into a bit of a fit about it and it didn’t seem to end well. Morgan left with Joey and that was that.

But that’s just it. There are things we think. And there are things we say. Frequently I am pretty sure the things I think never make it to the realm of nonverbal communication with my people. Today they would have been in trouble because of the misunderstanding that happened. It was my own fault my teeth were hurting. Not Joey’s or anyone but me.

That didn’t stop them from worrying about it yet I was powerless to say anything to clear up the confusion. Because we never know when we won’t be able to speak. Or (worse) when the words we speak will not be heard. Such is yet another example of the importance of being what we cannot say on a daily basis. So today I re-commit myself to being the words I cannot say. Instead I live by doing.