A Dogs Life

     The saying "Living a Dogs life" used to have a negative connotation referring to someone having a difficult time but I don't think that's true any longer.  The saying leads back to the 16th century when dogs and other house pets lived difficult lives.  There are other dog sayings that imply how hard life can be such as "it's a dog eat dog world", "working like a dog", "meaner than a junkyard dog" and possibly many other references but a dogs lifestyle has had many positive improvements over the years.

     I guess what I'm saying is, if someone told me I lived a dogs life I would interpret that as living a privileged life without worries.  At least that's the life of dogs in my extended family.  Just think about it for a minute, dogs don't work, they don't shop for food, they don't clean up after themselves, they chew things up, they require a lot of attention and yet we forgive them for the bad things they do after we shame them, of course.

     Dogs get away with any bad behavior because they have sad eyes, they are always loyal and loving and most of all the are always excited to see us even if we only left to get the newspaper off the front lawn.  We can learn something from dogs about the excitement of living, which is also true of little kids, they show the same excitement toward life.    

     One other thing dogs are patient with humans, I mean they have to be when we are always dressing them up like puppets.  Recently I found out that some dog owners give their dogs middle names and it's not unusual for the dog's middle name to be human type, like Titan James.  I guess it's like having a child and when they get in trouble you use their middle name to show you are strongly displeased with their behavior.  "Titan James get over here, Right Now".  Hmm! I wonder what the dog is thinking?  "Oh, I'm in big trouble now she used my middle name, I better use my sad eyes and maybe turn my head sideways to show I'm ashamed."  " I'm not sure what I did wrong, they left the food on the table for me, didn't they?"

     I wonder what's on the mind of a dog on a typical day of their life?  Let's take a view of life through a dog’s eye.

Morning "Time to wake up my humans so they can feed me, I'll go wander around the kitchen so they know I'm up, maybe I'll route through the trash can, that might get their attention."

"Oh boy here they come, I'll wag my tail and jump around like I haven't seen them in weeks."

"They're letting me out for my morning romp and poop in the backyard.  I think I'll roll around in my poop to show them I have a sense of humor." 

"Why are they so upset, it's just poop, it doesn't smell bad to me."  "I'll do my sad eyes and tail between the legs, that gets them every time."

"This food is good, let's see how fast I can eat it.......Cool, a record time."

"They're leaving, now I can take a much needed nap."

Afternoon "That was a good nap, now it's time to smell stuff around the house, I could use something to chew on.  Look they left the TV on, that was nice.  It's the animal channel but I saw that episode, wasn't that good, a little unbelievable, cats aren't that smart. "

"What's that I hear outside, Bark, Bark, Bark, That should scare them off.  Just doing my job protecting my house.  I think my humans would be proud."

"I need to lay down and rest, I've been working like a dog, Ha Ha, I kill myself.  Oh! there's the air vent perfect place for a nap.  Oh! Let me shake first so the loose dog hairs can float around the house, Ah! That's better."

Evening "My people are home, Go crazy, show them how much I miss them." "Jump up on them, they always like that."

"Yeh! I get to go outside again.  I love chasing squirrels, rabbits or leaves.  I think I'll eat some twigs, I am particularly fond of the dyed brown mulch, it has a nice earthy taste with a long finish.  Here comes my human to play with me, this is the best part of the day."

"It's back inside to enjoy and evening with my humans.  I don't understand why my humans eat multiple times a day and I only get one meal.  Maybe I can get a treat if I whine a little.  He'll probably put it on my nose and tell me to wait before I eat it, that's so annoying, why do they torture me?"

"Time to relax with my humans in front of the TV, cool "Friends" I love that show especially the episodes with chick and duck, so funny, great comedic actors.  I wonder why I haven't seen them on other shows, if I had thumbs I would check IMDB"

"Time for bed, but first I have to go outside again a do my business, Wow! What an exhausting day, this is a dogs life."