Street Food

Jenny and I were out for our usual supper time stroll when as luck would have it I spotted a hidden gem amongst the grass. I turned my body around and played it cool when I heard Jenny yell out a common refrain "Lottie! No street food!" Alas...my crunching always gives me away. Before I could react Jenny had her fingers in my mouth and pulled out a wet beige coloured blob with an orangey-red coating. Apparently dogs aren't supposed to eat pizza they find on the ground. I don't see why. It tasted perfectly wonderful to me. I don't know why Jenny has to spoil my fun. The strange thing is, once she takes it from me she doesn't even eat it herself...she bags it and puts it in the garbage. Why would she waste the miracle that is "found pizza"? Unbelievable!

But what can I do? She's bigger than me. Maybe I could think of a way to distract her? If I could only keep her attention on something else that might work. Or maybe I could try to chew quieter? Perhaps next time I'll gum my food for awhile, then when it's nice and soggy I could chew it super fast then swallow.

I probably shouldn't complain. Jenny tells me that I should appreciate the hard crunchy food we have at home. She reminds me that it is expensive and that "other dogs would love to eat it." If only I could talk, I'd tell her she should send it to them and leave me my street food.

Why do I like street food so much? Is it the thrill of the hunt? The knowledge that other dogs could have walked right by it and not even noticed? Or do I desire it because it is forbidden?

I really don't know, but if I ever become fluent in human the first thing I'll tell Jenny is "leave my street food alone, I found it and I'm going to eat it!"

With love & cuddles,
Lottie



PS. Lesson #9 If you know what you want, go for it quickly and quietly or risk having it taken away.

Grass

Lately I've noticed that many people are obsessed with grass! It seems kind of silly to me. They spend so much time and energy trimming, spraying, weeding, and watering it so it will grow healthy and beautiful, yet they don't even eat it! Why would they treat it like a vegetable and not eat it? Are they worried that I peed on it? Or worse?

To be honest they don't know what they're missing. Sometimes when Jenny and I go for a walk I like to stop and snack on some grass, but she only lets me eat the really long stuff in the park (I think she worries about chemicals). I've even seen cats in my neighbourhood eat grass and they're fussy. Of course they do like catnip....

Not only do people not eat it, but they don't like to smell it or roll in it either (although I have heard that if they drink too much or go camping they will sleep on it). They also don't like it when you get it stuck on your fur and bring it into the house with you. So why do they put so much effort into something they don't eat, smell, or roll in?

I don't know...and I can't hope to understand.

With love & cuddles,
Lottie



PS. Lesson #8 Spend more time and energy on your dog than your lawn, the rewards are greater

Car rides

I had almost given up on the day until my parents said those magic words "car ride". Anyone worth their weight in dog treats will tell you that I love car rides!! After enduring rain, thunder, and an attempted assault by Chippy the Squirrel, the invitation to take a ride to the park was both unexpected and well timed.

You may wonder why I enjoy car rides so much, afterall they do come with some risks. There is always the possibility that my parents will take me back to the vet, or that I will get so warm that I get a fever and babble incessantly about squirrels, bunnies, or chicken treats. --Psst. Nevermind about this last part, Jenny just told me I'm being far too dramatic.

I think what I love the most is the explosion of new sights, sounds, and smells. I love sitting on Jenny's lap and watching the world go by. I love seeing other cars, trees, houses, buildings, dogs, water, people well everything really, go by so fast. I try to stick my head out the window but Jenny always stops me, although I have no idea why... What does she think will happen? I will admit I've eaten the occasional fly this way, but that was accidental to be sure. Anyhow, I'm in a great mood and I wish you all a smooth ride where the breezes are cool and the sights endlessly fascinating.

With love & cuddles,
Lottie



PS. Lesson#7 Take a car ride and engage your senses!

Lacey

I had a visitor for 4 days this week. Her name is Lacey and she's a dog like me but much older. Jenny told me that she's 14 years old! I think that's why her eyes are getting a little cloudy looking. She is a mutt like me and is probably a mix of Corgi and Terrier. She is medium sized with red and white fur, and has long legs (unlike me).

Her owners dropped her off at my house (Jenny says it's our house) but I don't know why. We've shared time together before so I didn't mind too much, although I did have to watch her carefully just in case she got any crazy ideas. I didn't want her eating my food, or stealing my bed, or my favourite spot on the couch, but I was most concerned that she didn't get too much attention, afterall, this is my house. I haven't told my parents but they have a weekly cuddle quota to meet and I intend on helping them any way I can.

I will admit that Lacey was a good house guest. She didn't touch any of my things or put up a fight when I reminded her that she was on my turf.

I did find two things strange though. First, I learned that she doesn't care about bunnies! We were out walking and there were several hanging around the area, and she didn't care at all. Shocking! How she can resist the thrill of the chase is beyond me. I wonder if I'll still be chasing bunnies when I'm 14? I sure hope so. Secondly, she likes to eat these yucky things called "carrots". She got so excited when Jenny offered her some she wolfed them down, so of course I got pretty excited when they were offered to me. I was horrified to learn that they were disgusting! How she can get so excited about carrots and not bunnies is unfathomable! What a funny girl!

With love & cuddles,
Lottie



PS. Lesson#6 Accept a visitor into your home and you will learn a few things.