A Dog's Day

Dear Dog,

You went out last night, right before bed. Yet, at 4am you decide you need to go out for a breath of fresh air.

It is time to get up. You lay right in the middle of the floor, begging for pettins. I try not to fall over you.

Breakfast time. You are so awake that you are positively wiggling--trying to jiggle the food off of my plate.

Nap time. The snoring is unbearable. You need a doggie c-pap machine.

Lunch time. You are soooo hungry. Starved. Pay no attention to the bowl of dog food.

Nap time. You wake yourself up barking, scaring me in the process. Thank you very much.

AWAKE! Play. And play. And play. Take a break for a drink. Play.

Snuggle time. You insist on pettins. Head under my arm. Nose on the laptop. Failing that, you lay on my feet to make darn sure that I can't get up without you noticing.

A noise! Oh no! Barking galore. You have to scare off that big old trash machine, or the truck door that closed at the neighbor's house. I have to open the door to get you to shut up and realize there is no one at the door.

Dinner. Dog food? You don't need no stinking dog food. No, you want my dinner. Only in dad's world do you get food from a dinner plate. But yet you persist.

Walk time. I start to put on shoes and you start dancing. I pick up the leash and you start prancing. Off we go and you are lovin' it. Get home, get a drink, and pass out.

Sleep time. I'm busy. But it is 10pm, and you know that is the time that we go to bed. You want to go outside. But I'm busy. But you don't care. I put down the laptop and we actually get to bed on time.

The cycle of dog continues. You keep me sane, usually. You are my buddy, my pest, my entertainment.

So, dearest dog, thank you for being you. Now could we keep the barking down a little bit?