Biting Off St. Agnes' Head

I bit off St. Agnes' head the other day.

St. Agnes was a young girl who lived in the third and fourth centuries. She did not want to marry a boy and give up being pure, so she was killed. Ergo, she is called a martyr because she died for her faith.

Among other things, St. Agnes is the patron saint of gardeners. Mom and I love to garden. Plus, mom is a Sister of St. Agnes.

To remind her of these things, mom had a statue of St. Agnes on her bookshelf. When mom was puppy-proofing her house before I moved in, she forgot to move St. Agnes to a higher shelf. So, being the inquisitive puppy I am, one day I found St. Agnes on that bookshelf and promptly took her in my mouth.

That's how I came to bite off St. Agnes' head.

Thought for you humans:
Whose head did you bite off today? Did doing so make you feel important and powerful? Or did someone bite your head off? How do you feel when this happens to you? What is a better way of handling things than by biting people's heads off? What will you do the next time when you feel like biting off someone's head or when someone tries to bite your head off?

Mountains and Molehills

There are two big and scary monsters in my neighborhood!  But mom says I like to make mountains out of molehills.

The first monster is a big and green and noisy thing. It harumphs so loudly that it wakes me up every Monday morning. You should see its mouth! It is so big that it can scoop up one entire garbage can in one gulp. Now I bark at it to scare it away, but it doesn't go away. It keeps slurping up garbage cans and harumphing its way down the street.

The second monster is very, very quiet. It is a little taller than I am and stands very still. It just stares at me. I try to make it move or smile when I bark at it, but it doesn't budge. This monster is as scary as the big green monster I hear every Monday morning because it is so quiet and unpredictable!

Mom says the first monster is a garbage truck; she says the second monster is a grill. She says when I know what those things are then I won't be too afraid of them.

Mom tells me not to make mountains out of molehills by making things what they are not. A garbage truck is just a garbage truck, not a monster. A grill is just a grill, not a monster. I will try keeping that in mind the next time I see a grill and next Monday morning.

Thought for you humans:
What are your mountains that you created out of molehills? Why did you make your molehills into mountains? Wouldn't it be freer just to deal with your molehills as they are and not make them into something they really are not?

Dealing With Sadness and Unhappiness

They say that dogs can pick up on something when humans are not feeling happy. I can attest to that.

Today I got to see Ellen, who is Gus' mom (Gus was and is my first dog-friend), for the first time in a week. Ellen is feeling sad because her mom died. I would be sad, too, if my mom died. So when I saw Ellen, I did what I could only do--I offered her my kisses, my soft and clean-smelling fur (I had to have a bath this morning), my silliness, and my tummy for Ellen to scratch. I let her give me lots of kisses and hugs, too. We played, too.

Yesterday I did the same thing to mom. Every time when mom comes home, I greet her at the door with an abundance of energy and lots of kisses. But yesterday when mom came home, she was fake-happy, so I knew she needed something other than all my energy and kisses. I offered her all I could--I sat at her feet when she came in the door and, when she scooped me up as she always does when we see each other after being separated for any amount of time, I snuggled into her. We had a snuggle buggle. I didn't get all wiggly and giggly like I always do when mom is for-real happy. I let her give me lots of hugs. We had a quiet moment instead of the hyper moment we usually have.

I couldn't take away Ellen's sadness or mom's unhappiness, but that's not my job. I'm just supposed to give them--and anyone in need of some pastoral care--unconditional love and acceptance.

So yes, we dogs can tell when you humans are not feeling too well. We will offer ourselves to you in special ways. After all, they say we dogs are conduits between the sad and unhappy person with the love and acceptance of God.

Thought for you humans:
How do you deal with your own sadness and unhappiness? How are you when others are sad and unhappy?

First Hair Cut

Today I visited the Doggie Spa to get my first  haircut because my fur is taking over my face and I couldn't see too well through all the fur. When I got there, there were other puppies and together we played chase-and-slide-on-the-slippery-floor-and-crash-into-the-wall for a long time. I cried during my haircut because the scissors the Dog Haircutter Lady used were so huge and so close to my eyes that I was scared that I was going to die. But I didn't and I got some treats when the whole ordeal was over. Then I took a long nap until mom picked me up.

I liked the Doggie Spa because now I can see better. But I didn't like all the noise there! There were dogs barking, dogs crying, blow dryers, clippers...too much noise! I really like being home where it is quiet and I can listen to the birds singing.

Thought for you humans:
How often do you experience silence in your day? Do you miss silence when you are in a noisy place? Are you scared of silence like I'm scared of noises?

A Perfect Day!

Today was the most perfect day! This morning my mom took  me on a long walk--not the usual going-to-2-corners-walk but a four-corners-walk! It was fabulous! The new sights and new smells were amazing! Plus I got to play with two girls taking a walk. What made this 4-corners-walk even better was how happy mom was of me because I went for a walk for the first time on my blue leash! I didn't bite the leash or act stubborn by sitting down. I walked like a big boy with my own blue leash! Hooray!

(I guess I had the leash coming. My mom took me to the Dog Doctor on Friday to get some puppy shots and all dogs have to wear a leash at the Dog Doctor. So mom put one on me and I pranced around and showed off how good I could walk on a leash. I never walked so good on a leash for mom before! Now, because of my vanity, I'm stuck with that leash for every single walk now!)

Then my mom and her friend Marie took me to the Puppy Dog Park! That was also fabulous! I played with Ebony, a 3-legged Black Lab, and I played with Dani, a chihuahua. I played ball with Ebony and I played chase with Dani. Ebony is so big, and Dani is very small, smaller than I am, even! We had a lot of fun.

Yes, it was the perfect day. Good walk. Good Dog Park. And then good naps the rest of the day!

Thought for you humans:
How do you describe your perfect day? When are you going to have your perfect day? What holds you back from having your perfect day?

My Chores

We all have to do something to keep this Earth spinning. I help my mom a lot with the flowers outside by ripping off their leaves. I also like to dig up the grass so the dirt can see the sun. And I like to pick up sticks.

All these jobs are important because it contributes to the greater good. If I didn't rip off the leaves off of the flowers, then who would? The dirt wouldn't get to enjoy the sun if I didn't dig up the grace. Plus, the Earth wouldn't be as pretty if I didn't move the sticks around.

I also notice that the butterflies, bees, and the birds have their own jobs, too. We all need each other to keep things pretty.

Thought for you humans:
What creative things do you do to contribute to the well-being of this Earth and its inhabitants? What are your chores?

Making New Friends

I am now two months old!

There is a dog who lives next door to me. Her name is Ellie. She is not like me. She is a different color. She is taller than I am. She is a girl. She has a big girl bark.

I didn't like Ellie at first because she is different. But in a couple days, I tried to coax her into a game of chase. I ran around her. I sniffed her.

On another day when I tried to get to know Ellie better, I flopped in the grass. I looked at her. I barked at her.

It is not easy to get to know someone who is different than me! But just because Ellie is different than I am doesn't mean that I can't be a good neighbor to her.

I hope Ellie and I can be good friends some day!

Thought for you humans:
Whom do you consider different? How do you get to know people who are different from you? Do you think we should be good neighbors to each other, or should we just ignore each other and leave each other alone?