Things around here have gotten out of paw (or hand). I am getting older and can start to handle more of the responsibility of keeping this pack together and in order. Many subjects must be addressed.

    Let’s start with cookie burying. Each day I tell Bob and Lain just how many cookies I can handle burying. It is usually Lain that gives me the bury bones i.e. cookies. In the morning I talk to her about the subject. She will always go directly to the cookies and get at least one for me to bury. While she holds it out to me, I poke it with my nose to tell her, “Put it on the floor.” Then I must tell her that I can handle more than one cookie burial in a morning. She laughs and gives me at least one more cookie. Sometimes the second one is a second flavor or shape. Every morning it is the same routine. You would think that she would get it right at least one morning. I tell her at the same time each morning. I give her enough time to get with the program after she has had breakfast. Cookies, cookies, cookies. If there is anything that is more important than cookies, I can’t think of it right now.

    Lately I have had to get more, and more creative with burying places. The number one reason is that it is raining! You just can’t bury cookies outside when it’s raining. I’ve tried. For the last couple of years, I have buried cookies in the yard in the rain. It just doesn’t work! I reasoned that they would grow into a cookie tree, or at the very least, they would be tasty. It just doesn’t work! When I go back to dig them up, they are soggy and moldy. I tried putting cookies in the ivy when it has been raining, but soggy and moldy again. So, I have been trying to collect lots of fabric scraps from Lain’s sewing projects. Fabric scraps make nice cover for cookie burial. But, Lain cleans up the fabric heaps and finds the cookies. I have tried burying them in the dirty clothes when it is laundry day. Nope, no good, she washes them with the clothes!

 

    The other day I just scratched up the carpet under Bob and Lain’s bed and buried a cookie there. Nope, Bob came into the room and found it. It had to be moved.

 

    I tried burying one in my blanket in the living room. Nope, Lain vacuumed the carpet and refolded my blanket. The cookie dropped out of its’ hiding place and had to be reburied. So, you get to the number two reason for my creativeness. Bob and Lain keep finding the burial places and the cookies have to be moved (or eaten).

 

    All of this talk about cookies is getting me hungry, and reminds me of breakfast. Bob and Lain’s breakfast not mine. Lately I have been getting cooked cereal dishes to lick after breakfast. Cooked cereal, cooked cereal! Why would anyone eat cooked cereal when there are plenty of eggs in the world? They should be eating eggs for breakfast, fired eggs. Fired egg yolks break and leave lots of tasty lickies. A little bacon grease would not be bad either. Oh, oh, oh, and butter. Butter from toast. Now, that’s a great plate for a dog to lick! Why can’t they learn what a proper breakfast is?

 

    Then there is the fireplace. My fireplace I might add. There are just not enough fires built in my fireplace. A dog needs a nice warm fire. You don’t have to be afraid of fire when it stays in a fireplace. The little fence that Bob puts in front of the fire keeps it inside just like my fence keeps me in the yard.

    Oh, yes, the yard. Why can’t we have more yard? Other houses around here don’t use their yards. Most of the people don’t have dogs. They just waste the yard with spas and gas grills and lawn chairs. Why can’t I use all of the yards for sniffing? Bob built my big fence. I’m sure he could build a bigger one to circle all of the houses around here.

 

    Then there is the dog issue. I need friends. I can sniff and talk to the Pekinese that lives next door. If I bark very loudly, I can talk to the yellow retriever down the street. When there is danger, all of the dogs from a mile around talk to me and warn me of the coming danger, THE DEER or maybe a CAT or maybe a REPAIRMAN! Oh, we have a good ole talk once in awhile. Why can’t we have one big fence that just goes around the whole town? A free place for dogs to roam. I guess it would have to have no cars.

 

    Cars. Now that is a good thing. I like to ride in cars. We go to the park. In the park we see other dogs and people. I can run free with the dogs. Most of them can run faster than me but I like it anyway. I run for awhile with one dog going left. Then when another dog runs by going right, I run with her. Then left again. Then right again. Oh, I get tired but it makes me oh so happy!

 

    Well, that's all for now.

 

I've got sniffing to do. Talk to you later.

Emma Basset