People Are Mean

I prefer dogs and sometimes cats over people. People just don't know how to act right. They treat other people bad. When I see one of the People treat another one of the People bad, I don't like that person right away. I really get tired of how the People treat each other, too.

I hear the People always talking about bullying and being mean to People. I see it all the time. The People love to bully the Mommy. They are so dumb that they think it is funny. They say that she "deserves it." I guess it is funny to them because they have their pack, and they are so full of meanness they don't want to let her in it. In the animal world, usually the person who gets picked on is someone who is stronger than the other animals. They call her names, they gossip about her behind her back, they say it's okay for People to be mean to her. What I think is funny is that they do all of these mean things to the Mommy, and then they go to this place called Church where you are supposed to learn how to be a good person. Some of the People, especially on the days they go to church, they are even meaner to the Mommy. It's like they held it in all day, then they have to let go of their meanness on someone. Some of the People are even mean at church, so I don't think they really care about God. They only care about themselves.

The Mommy spends a lot of time by herself  and with Mosie and I. She doesn't like having to deal with the mean People all the time. She makes herself do it, though. She is one of those People that they call an extravert. That means she likes to talk to people a lot. The Daddy would even make fun of her because she would always be making a new "friend" at the grocery store, the gas station, the park. She always is talking to somebody. Even the People she doesn't know. She likes to make People feel like they are valued in the world.

The mean People told the Mommy that her business is going to be a flop, that she is never going to sell a book, that no one is ever going to give her a job. One of the People is so mean that he pretended to be her friends for years, only to find out that he never liked her. He was only friends with her to make fun of her to other People. Dogs would never do that. We either like you or we don't but we don't spend our time going out of our way to be mean to people because someone else told us to. I'm a dog, and I was friends with cats. I wasn't pretending to be friends with the cats so that I could make fun of the cats to my dog friends. I was friends with the cats because I actually liked playing with them. I know I'm not supposed to like cats, but I do. They actually are pretty cool and fun. So, why would someone be so dumb and mean to pretend to be friends with someone they don't like? As a dog, I have a short life, so I don't really have time to waste doing things like that.

The funny thing is, if the People treated dogs the way they treat the Mommy or other People, then everyone would be mad at them. No one would treat a dog that way. No one would say that it was okay for a dog to get beat up by its owner (very bad person) and that it was the dog's fault. They wouldn't ask the dog what was wrong with it and why didn't it leave. No one would take food from a dog's bowl or keep it from eating, which is the same thing they do when they keep someone from making money to support their family. If a dog barks, the People understand what that means. No one would make fun of a dog for walking. In fact, most People stop and say hello to the dog. No one would tell a dog to leave the state, leave the country, or they wish the dog would die.

No good person makes fun of a dog for crying or trying to do tricks that no one else thought they could do. The People do that to each other, though. I don't understand the idea of telling someone they are "unloveable." I hope any People who think someone else is "unloveable" doesn't have a dog. Because if someone can't even love someone of their own species, how can they love a dog? I know I am just a little dog with a little brain, but I think treating someone bad because someone else told you to, is mean and dumb. Even with other dogs, I get to know them first. I sniff them and get to know them. I have hardly sniffed or played with another dog I didn't like it.

I think the real reason People are mean to each other is they don't like themselves very much. Some People just can never be happy with themselves, and they pick on People about the things they feel bad about themselves over. I know one of the People picks on the Mommy because she is smart and was good at school. The Man made up all kinds of lies about the Mommy and even lied and said she didn't do all of these awesome things. The reason he did is because he wasn't good at school, and he lied and cheated and accused other People of being mean to him. But, they weren't. He used it as an excuse to get away with doing bad things to other People and for getting bad grades. Every time he would do bad, he would be mean to the Mommy...like how he did bad was her fault. He did bad because he did bad things, and he didn't want to admit that it was his fault. So, he was a bully and was mean.

The People are really good about barking or peeing on someone that isn't like them, because the People never want to change. They want to find someone who is different than them or maybe that keeps going even when they are mean to that person. What's even weirder still is the People who teach kids not to be bullies, but they are really, really, really big bullies. They think that taking another person's dreams is good. If they did that to a dog, locked them up in a little cage, never let them run and play or chase butterflies, or be happy, the People would be in big trouble.

I love the Mommy. She is good. She makes me breakfast, she loves me, she cuddles me, she takes care of my sister, Mosie, and I. Other People don't like her because they made up their minds not to a long time ago. They think making the Mommy not talk to anybody, picking on her on Facebook, and telling her what she can and cannot say is funny. They sit there and laugh and laugh and laugh at her behind her back. They don't know what they are missing by being friends with her because they are too busy being bad dogs.

I Don't Cook!

This morning, the Mommy woke up, and she let my sister, Mosie, and I out to go potty. Then, she fell asleep on her chair. It's supposed to be my chair, but I'm not allowed to sit on it for some reason. When she didn't let us in when I wanted in, I started barking at her, "Hey, hey, hey! Lady, let us in." After I came in, I wanted my breakfast. It was the same thing we have almost every day. Water, dog food, and cheese. Sometimes, the Mommy won't put the cheese on my dog food right away, so I sit there and give her my "doggie eye" until she does.

After breakfast, I had to tell the Mommy let Mosie and I outside, again. Mosie can't hold her potty very well. If I don't make her go outside with me, she might make a mess. Then, the Mommy will not be happy, and Mosie will not be happy because she got in trouble. Whenever Mosie gets in trouble or does a naughty, she spends the day in the Mommy's bed. The Mommy starts to feel sorry for her, goes and picks her up, and says "It's okay Mosie, we still love you!" If I do a naughty, I get told to "Go lay down!" or "Go to your bed!" I mean, the Mommy made me a bed out of memory foam, but it isn't as comfortable as the Mommy's bed.

This morning, the Mommy was feeling tired. I could tell because she didn't even have the coffee brewing, yet. I love the smell of coffee in the morning! I like how it tastes, too. One time, I drank the Mommy's coffee right out of her mug. She went to take a drink, and over half of her coffee was gone. She was like, "What happened?" I came up to her and gave her my cutest dog grin and tapped her on the arm with my paw and was like, "I drank it, and it was delicious!" The Mommy just laughed, and I was super hyper the rest of the day. I felt like a puppy again.

The Mommy finally made the coffee. Then, you know what she asked me? She asked me to make breakfast! She didn't really ask me, actually. She said, "Manny, make us breakfast." I looked at her like, sure, I will make you breakfast. I will make sure to wash my paws after I just ran through the dirt and cover my whole body with a hair net, so I don't get any hair in your food. I also will make sure I eat all of it right after I make it.

Actually, if I knew how to cook, I would make the Mommy breakfast. She has been making everyone breakfast for years, almost every day. The Mommy told me once that she doesn't really like cooking breakfast, but she likes for everyone to start off the day with a good breakfast. She does make good breakfast, too. She makes pancakes, french toast, all kinds of eggs, muffins, breakfast burritos, ham, sausage, steak, mmmm.....mmmm....mmmm. Someone even told her she should open up her own breakfast restaurant. The Mommy liked that idea, but she said she would have to hire someone else to cook in her restaurant.

Everybody Loves Me!

Sometimes when I go sit on the Mommy's lap, she will pet me and say, "Manny, everybody loves you." I just smile at her and say, "Yeah, I know." Of course, everybody loves me. I happen to be one of the best doggies ever. I know because I get told I am all the time. I know because the Mommy tells me so all the time. That's how she is. If she thinks you are awesome, she tells you. If she doesn't....then she doesn't say anything.

I have to admit, though, the Mommy doesn't think I am awesome all the time.  Like, the time that I ate her favorite shoes, chewed up toys, ripped the couch, ate a bunch of candy and kept her up all night, made a dookie by the door...those were times she did not think I was awesome. When we used to live somewhere else, I would run down the street before she got me on the leash to visit some other dog friends. The Mommy would go chasing after me in her flip flops. Then, she didn't think I was too awesome, either.

She would always come get me, though, even when I was naughty. She would pick me up and carry me like a baby. I have to admit that I secretly liked it. That's why I would do it, so she would hold me in her arms. When we got home, she would tell me I was naughty and point her finger at my nose. Still, I knew that later that day I would be snuggling next to her in the chair.

When strangers come to our house, they don't love me right away. I like to bark at them and let them know that this is my territory. They need to know that this is my house, and I live here. Also, it is my job to protect the Mommy and watch out for my little sister, Mosie. I reward myself by laying on the couch in the living room. Even then, I get in trouble. The Mommy comes in the living room, and says, "Manny get off the couch." When I don't move, she says, "Manny, I can see you. You are not invisible." Then, I stretch and slowly get down. I want her to know that I know I'm not supposed to be there, but I'm not in any big hurry to get down, either.

The one who loves me the most, I think, is my little sister, Mosie. She is a pretty awesome doggie herself.  I love to play with her, and we take naps together and everything. The Mommy calls me an Instigator when I play with Mosie, though. According to the Mommy, I do things to get Mosie in trouble. I give the Mommy my cutest dog look like, "What? Would I do that?" The Mommy says, "Manny, I don't know what you are doing, but stop doing it." I can tell you that it's not all my fault. Mosie plays like she is little and has a little brain, but she gets us into trouble, too.

Every night, I go to bed being hugged and petted and knowing that I am loved. That's probably why I wake up every morning thinking, "Today is the best day of my life!"

Introducing Mosie Moiselle as a Guest Writer

Hi! My name is Mosie Moiselle. The Mommy came up with this name because she was trying to figure out a cute French name for me. She started thinking all kinds of French words. Then, she thought I was a Madamoiselle. Then, she changed it to Mosie Moiselle. My long name is Madamoiselle Mosie Moiselle. That's a lot of words for a little dog like me to remember, so I just go by Mosie.

In case you are wondering why I am writing on Manny's blog, it's because he is my brother. He said that I could write something. I think he really wanted me to do it so everyone can see how silly I am. I am a silly girl. I like to play and have fun.

One of my favorite things to do is prance around and show off my cute tail to everyone! I am part Pomeranian...and something else. The Mommy thinks I am a Pomchi, part Pomeranian and part long-haired Chihuahua. The vet told her she could get me DNA tested if she wanted to find out. She looked at me like maybe it was a good idea. I gave her my saddest dog eyes and batted my long eye lashes at her, like "Please, not another needle." This was right after the vet stuck a needle in my behind! It hurt, too! When I got home, though, I was all better and ready to play and play Chase with my brother, Manny.

I like Manny. He is a super cool big brother. I want to be just like him. Everything he does, I want to do. Like today, when we got our treats from coming from outside, Manny jumped up on the wall. After he did it, I did it, too. Then, the Mommy told us both not to do that any more. Sometimes, Manny does stuff just to get me in trouble. The Mommy calls him an instigator. Whenever I do something wrong, Manny sits there until the Mommy comes over and asks what is wrong. Manny tells on me with his little dog nods and while he is looking at my boo-boos. Sometimes, he won't even tell the Mommy I did something wrong. He will growl at me himself and tell me not to do that anymore. He usually chases me around the yard then until he catches me, then he gets right in my face and growls at me. It's like he is telling me, "We aren't supposed to do that."

I pick on Manny, too. When I get up in the morning and I am hungry, I make him wake up the Mommy and tell her it is time to eat. I do that by taking my little paws and batting him in the face. Other times I will start pretending I am going to eat his leg like a chicken bone. He does his half yawn, half yelp thing telling me to stop. I guess he thinks I am annoying some times. Then, he goes and tells the Mommy to get up and take us outside. I always go running full speed. Manny lets me run out halfway. I get halfway across the yard, and next thing I know Manny is running ahead of me. He beats me to the fence every time. He might be a lot older than me, but he is super fast. The Mommy told me that my brother, Manny, outran five big dogs at the park once!  They were all chasing him, and none of them caught him. They never mess with him, either. That's why whenever we go for walks, I walk right next to Manny. That way everyone knows he is my brother and that I am part of his pack.

Who Says I'm Old!

I am 10 years old in People years. That's 70 in dog years. I know some people think that's old. They think that when you get past 50 or even 60, then you have to slow down. Not me. I might be 70 in dog years, but I feel like I am the same age as my sister, Mosie, and she is 3 in People years. I can run just as fast and play just as hard as she can.

I remember the first time someone told me I was getting old. I think I was 7 or 8 back then. The Mommy took me to the groomer, and they made her sign a special paper saying she understood that I was a "senior" dog and that I needed special care. I was like, "Senior Dog! What!?" I didn't think I was a senior dog. I still felt like a puppy and looked like a handsome grown up dog on the outside. All the girl dogs and the People told me, too, how handsome I was all the time. In fact, I am still a great looking dog. I'm just getting a few more white hairs on my face.

The Mommy took me home from the groomer that day, and she told me I'm not getting old. She told me that I'm still the best doggie ever, and that we had a lot of fun years left together. That made me feel great! She always knows exactly the right things to say to make me feel better. Somehow, when she said that, I started to feel younger again, like I did when I was 4 or 5. When she walked me and other People asked how old I was, they would say I looked good for my age or how young I looked!

Photo by Jeanette R. Harrison

This year, I turned 10 years old. I have to admit that some days I feel older now. I like to take naps in the warm sunshine, and I like to sleep all day. Those are my hobbies. That's really not that different from before because I have always enjoyed taking big naps and laying in the sun. Even though I don't play with the People as much, I get to run and jump and play in my yard. I love it. I spent a lot of years having to be on a leash every time I went outside because we lived in a yard with no fence. Now, I know that the leash means something special like a walk or a car ride.

Last time I went to the vet, he told me I am getting older now, too. He says I have to take extra special care of my health. Still, he said that I look good for my age. Then, he gave me a shot in my behind! I felt my age on that one because my behind was sore for two days. I know that if I keep going this way and taking care of myself and napping and playing and having fun with my sister, Mosie, I will probably live a long life. I think I am going to live until 20. Some dogs live until they are 25! I have decided that I am not getting old, I am just middle-aged...and I have a lot of adventures left in me.