Bear

Bear

I spend a lot of time alone.  It’s not so bad.  It’s taught me to truly appreciate my time with those I love most.  I’ve got the best family ever.  I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters and a mom and dad.  I’d like to tell you a little about each of them before I tell you about my life.

         I’ll start with the littlest sister.  She gives the best hugs ever.  Sometimes I forget that I weigh twice as much as her and I crush her when I try and sit on her lap.  I am a lap dog, so it’s instinctual to want to sit on laps.  The little one likes to take me on walks, but always ends up crying.  I’m not sure why.  It’s the most exciting thing ever for me to meet a new friend on a walk or to chase a critter.  I go fast and then she gets angry and cries.  I don’t like when she cries and so I try and not do those things that make her cry, but I always seem to forget.

         Next is Joshua.  I know his name best.  Mom always mixes up our names.  She calls me Joshua and him by my name.  I can understand why.  We are both pretty quiet and don’t mind being alone.  He has big brown eyes like me.  Mom calls them “puppy dog eyes.”  Joshua really likes to scratch me.  I love this more than anything.

         Then comes the older brother.  He has the best hair.  That is what mom is always saying.  She never yells about his hair, but she always yells about my hair.  I just don’t understand.  But back to the boy.  He gets really loud and excited about things.  I like this best about him.  He makes me want to jump and run so fast.  He has a laugh that makes me laugh!

         I really like the oldest girl. Before she became a teenager, I saw a lot more of her.  She used to wake up every day to feed me.   She loved me so much, she would give me more food than mom said was good for me.  But I didn’t care.  She stills gives me dinner most days and walks me occasionally.  I love walks.

         I spend the most time with mom.  We turn the music up loud and then she constantly opens up this magical box and puts all my favorite treats in it.  This is why I love her most.  She is always leaving treats in there for me to savor during all the times when I a left to my lonesome.  Sometimes mom takes me to this place full of lots of smells and other dogs like me.  It is so exciting and even kind of scary for me.  I have a hard time staying calm, but she always brings carrots for me, so that helps.  Mom also takes me on walks.  I get really tired.  Mom says it’s because I’m fat and lazy.   

         Dad is awesome.  He walks me every morning and never makes me be on a leash.  I love that.  Then I don’t get in trouble when I see something exciting and need to run to investigate.  I listen to dad.  If he tells me, “No,” I stop what I’m doing and return to him.  He sometimes takes me on runs.  I always bark when he stops running and it makes him crazy.  I just can’t help myself.  He leaves me at the corner of the park and I want to be right by him.  My favorite thing with dad is to be on the beach.  I can run so fast and sometimes I am even brave enough to get in the water.  Dad gets upset when the waves come and I won’t go in.  But they are just so scary for me.  Supposedly I am a water dog. That is what they tell me.  But I don’t like it much.

         Now I’ll tell you about me.  I love to be rubbed and scratched.  The very second someone touches me, I roll onto my back, stick my feet up straight into the air and my eyes roll back in my head and my tongue slips out of my mouth.  I just can’t help it.  It feels so good! I could be pet all day long and it would never get old.

I love when my people get my leash out.  That means we go for a walk.  I love walks so much.  I also like to go on adventures.  Sometimes, when the family is leaving to get in the van, I sneak into the garage and jump in the van.  Usually mom yells at me and makes me get out.  That makes me sad.  But now that dad got a truck, I get to go on more adventures.  For a while I was too heavy to jump up into dad’s truck, but that was okay because he’s strong.  He would just lift me in.  Car rides are the best.  I love the feel of the wind on my face.  But sometimes dad takes the corners a little too sharp and I get sick.  Mom and dad don’t like this, but I don’t mind.  We go for walks in the forest and I love it.  I run back and forth on the trail and make sure I give everyone a secret lick.  I love to give secret licks.  That is where I very subtly give a tiny lick to each of their hands.  That is my way of thanking them for being with me and loving me.

I’ve learned lots in my life.  Things like, “Don’t eat shoes.”  “Don’t rip my bed to pieces.”  “Stay out of the trash.”  “Don’t go in the family room.”  “Stay on my rug after I come in from outside.”  “Don’t steal food from the table.”  I know all of these rules, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.  Shoes are just like bones.  You can chew them for a long time.  When mom and dad are not home, the kids let me in the family room, so each time I scoot in a little more than the last time.  Food left on the table must mean the people are done and I can have some, right?  Sometimes I get so hungry I take food from the kids’ hands.  I once stole a bagel out of Joshua’s hand.  It was so good. But thing that gets me in the most trouble is the trash.  Like I said earlier, mom is always leaving things in there for me to eat later when the people are not home.  I always plan to just take out a little.  But then I lose control and knock the whole thing over and have to take out every single thing and lick each one. I live for this!  Lately my people have been locking the garbage and that makes me sad.

Overall, I love my life.  I wish I could have more food, more hugs, more trash, and more walks, but I’m happy.  My people are great.