Christmas week, a year ago and today

Happy Christmas Eve and have a merry week everyone.
I have a short fictional piece for you because I don’t pretend to know what my dog is thinking. :P It is inspired by observations of Donna last year when she was still in the shelter and this year, Donna is sleeping as I typed this. Planning to get Donna a nice fat juicy steak for Christmas Day tomorrow, since we have to be off to our relatives later today without her.

Last year, two days before Christmas

You know it is a Sunday or Saturday when there are more humans coming through the noisy gate.

For all the other dogs in the other yards making a racket, that gate is by far more interesting to all the other dogs put together. And if I were to stand at a particular spot in our small yard, right next to the washing machine, I can just about get a glimpse of the outside through the square that has been cut out of the metal, so that the odd human hand can come though it now and then to open the latch of the gate.

If I focused, I could hear them even before I see the hand that comes through. Sometimes it’s humans I know. Sometimes, its strange humans. Sometimes it’s humans with other dogs. We all know the drill. Rushing against the fenced yard barking at the humans that walk past with the dogs as if our lives depend on it. It’s not personal… mostly. It’s nature. Well, unless it’s that specific one or two dog, a dog can’t help getting personal sometimes. Anyone with half a brain will know we have feelings too.

Hey you, human. Take me, take me for a walk. I really need to do it. It’s urgent…. Wait, wait, not him in the next yard! Trust me. He’s not as urgent as me. I NEED to do my business! …. Sheesh…

I can’t but help pace up and down. When do I get to go out of that gate? WHEN?

Maybe I should try to be even louder when the next human comes by. I know. I know. I’ll SPIN in circles. That should catch their attention, right?

I go back to monitoring the gate. It’s closed but the outside lies beyond the square. And I can see it.

This year, Christmas eve

I got a short walk in the morning and peed on all the grass patches.

The human took the leash off so I could sniff about the grass patches at will without having to be limited by the length of the leash. Checking our peemail, that’s a life time commitment for us dogs that you do not want to interfere with. Or at least that is what we think. Sometimes, the human gets impatient and thinks otherwise. but what does she know? At least she is cooperative, once she gets it that I won’t run away off leash. Although I do dawdle when checking peemail when I think I can get away with it.

Is it time to go for the long walk?

I can hear her tapping on the keyboard. Guess not. Not that I’ll be bothered to get up anyway, stretched out on my side like this. My ears get aired and sometimes I dream a little of the old life before they took me to this new place that I was to stay at. There are no stupid dogs here. You sort of start to miss them a little when they are not around, you know. But then it also nice for long, peaceful naps.

And then I’ll be all refreshed when it’s time for the long walk. That’s the time I go explore and check my pee-mail and know what’s up with friends in the ‘hood, Xiaobai, the Westie or Brownie, the mongrel that we met just the other day, or even my estranged mother, Dior. I don’t see them so often but peemail is a good way to keep up with your friends… or mortal enemies.

Sleeping dog, do not disturb. Not even if it’s Christmas! :P