 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Basic Facts A day in the Life of a Poodle Even though life is full of surprises, mine also has a lot of routine. I find routine very important and I think most dogs do.
When the sun rises, I wake up; I know it's time to get busy. Since I came to the U.S., though, it's been hard for me to understand that in the winter the sun takes longer to rise, but I am getting used to it. I jump on Mari's side of the bed to wake her up because I need to go out, you know. And that's what we do everyday, we go for walks, rain or shine, or in some cases snow. When it's cold outside I always wear a sweater, my favorite is the old green one.
All I need is to hear the sound of my leash to know that I am going out. The immediate response is to jump! That's what I do when I am happy! I get to go out a lot, at least four times a day. I also tend to walk longer if both Mari and Robert take me together. When I'm outside I have lots of fun. Considering I am a Brazilian dog, it's surprising that I like the cold weather but I do. I love to play in the snow because it;s soft and jumping is very comfortable. But sometimes it can't be a little inconvenient.
The world outside is fun if you stop to pay attention to every thing that moves! When I see a squirrel, I try to run and catch it but you know I will never actually get one. They always climb the trees and I can't do that so I stand there and cry. How do they do that? I'd love to be able to climb up a tree but at my age I better be content with what I still can do. Birds are very fast and of course I can only see them when they are walking by because I don't walk looking up at the sky. I'm a down to earth dog! In the house, Mari moves around a lot too, so I follow her all of the time. No, I am not a stalker. You see, she is my best human friend and for some reason (you have to level to my reasoning now) I simply panic when she moves from one room to another and I don't notice. When it comes to movement there is nothing like a car ride! I just love to watch people go by on the streets and in the parking lot of the supermarket. Rides are special and they just happen once in a while; it's a treat. Well, of course I go for a ride when I go to the vet, but I prefer the others! The ones with an end at the vet's office makes me move in a unique way - I shake a lot and it is not because I am happy. But, the visits are never as bad as I think they're going to be.
It's amazing how good I am with timing. I know the exact times I get to be walked or fed...or maybe my human friends just learned well. They are good at it, but even if they forget I have my ways of reminding them. If I need to go out for an extra walk, because of an emergency or something, I will scratch the front door. Now, the mailman never fails to arrive six days a week and I know exactly when he's coming. I bark because as far as I know, he is a stranger that brings paper and packages and it's fun to do it. Even an old dog like me needs some fun.
I love belly rubs. Do you know of ANY dog that doesn't? Now I have a trick that almost always works. If you don't do it when I dramatically throw myself on the floor belly facing up I will "ask" you to give me a rub. People can't resist a gentleman or gentledog, that is. I will gently put one of my front paws on you or rub my nose. It works most of the time! Grandpa Held says my nose rubbings are my "funnies;" so if they ask me to do a funny, I will.
I love to play with my toys and you can imagine that I have a basket full of toys just for me. The joy of being an only dog! Although I have to admit that I love to scatter them around and I've never learned to put them back in the basket. My favorite toys change from time to time, so technically I love them all and I choose to play with them everyday. There is no such a thing as a quiet day. I run and play a lot considering my age and the fact that now I sleep 50% of the time. And since I am admitting a lot of things in this paragraph I also have to admit I snore and bark on my sleep. I can be entertaining even sleeping! As it is with my toys, there is no such a thing as a single favorite food, but I guess I could name a few such as bread, cheese, fruits, meat and basically anything that falls in the kitchen floor, of course. I eat mostly commercial chow, but I'm not nuts about it so I also get some rice. I drink milk and yogurt and even eat oats. At my age I need the fiber. The only way I will live longer still is if I eat well. I try my best but I am only human, I mean dog. By the end of the day when Mari and I are walking and Robert is supposed to come home, I think that every car pulling into the parking lot is his. Well it's not because I am dumb or anything, it's just that cars are other moving things. So any excuse to have fun is a good excuse. It is a guessing game and when Robert actually does arrive, I run even faster to say hello. I like the evenings because we are all home. I don't like when Mari and Robert go out without me, but they never stay out too late when they do. Before it's time to go to bed, Robert walks me; my final walk of the day. We walk a lot, considering its dark and sometimes bitter cold. I just like to walk. Then it's time to sleep again. I mostly sleep under the bed although I move around a lot. I have my own pillow and blanket. Soon I'm ready for another day. Isn't life simple and wonderful?
Quote "Where do dogs go? You ask, you unmindful people. They go about their business. Business meetings, love meetings...they go, they come, they trot, they slip under carriages, urged on by fleas, passion, need, or duty. Like us, they get up early in the morning, and seek their livelihood." Charles Baudelaire, poem The Parisian Prowler "Mutts" comic strip is the intellectual property of artist Patrick McDonnell and is distributed by King Features Syndicate. Please see my References page for more information on "Mutts" and Patrick McDonnell. |
|
 |
|
 |
