Sometimes....I Cry!

Dogs get sad sometimes, too.  I don't get sad very often because I have a super awesome life.  Still, sometimes I cry.  I am mostly sad when the People leave me alone when they have to be gone all day or if I get something in my paw.  I also cry sometimes if I see the People are sad. I can't let them cry all by themselves.

I mostly cry when the People are gone for a really long time to work.  The Mommy used to be gone for hours a day.  She would leave in the morning, and then she wouldn't come back until late at night. Some nights, it was dark when she came home. I would always be waiting for her by the screen door looking out.  I would stand there waiting for her.  She would walk in with a big smile and be so happy to see everyone.  She said that it was the best time of her whole day when she went to work...coming home to see us.

Now, the Mommy is home almost all the time.  She works at home.  I know some people think that means that she is a housewife.  She works part-time and  full-time.  Like, I mentioned before, though, she also writes for me, and she writes for something else, too.  She also does this other computer work. She cooks and cleans and does all kinds of chores.  I know the Mommy really misses going to work. She talks about it all the time.  She doesn't like being at home all the time, but I like her being here. Then, I am not so lonely during the day. When she would go to work, I would hide under her desk and wait for her to come home.  Now, I hide other places.

Since we live with neighbors all around us, even on other sides of the wall, it can get noisy for me. Some of the People's voices I don't like. I really like the little kid neighbors.  I don't play with them, though.  I guess some times little kids are scared of dogs.  I like to hear kids play.  When they get mad and cry, though, it hurts my ears.  Then, I start to howl, too.  I can hear the kids from far away, so I start crying and howling.  The Mommy tells me to "Stop!" If she thinks I am really sad, she will come pick me up and say, "Oh, Manny! It's okay. Everybody loves you."  After that, she will hold me really close and sometimes dance with me and sing me a song.  I feel better in a few minutes, and I jump out of her arms and am ready to play again!

A Dog's Point of View About A Dog's Purpose

The Mommy and the Daddy went to see the movie, A Dog's Purpose.  I didn't get to go to the movies because they don't let dogs in.  I think that is the first thing that I think is wrong with the movie. When the movie is about dogs, they should let the People take their dogs.  I know I would have been hugged a lot and been given lots of treats after that movie. The Mommy said she cried big tears in the movie at least three times.  I don't blame her. We dogs can be very touching and special animals.

When the Mommy, and the Daddy read the book, A Dog's Purpose, I read it, too.  It was one of the first books I read with the Mommy.  It was so special because that's when I decided I loved reading.  I would put my paw up on the page and look at the words with her.  When she would tell about what she read, I would nod my head, and say "yes that is what it was about." The Mommy and the Daddy cried when they read the book.  I think they didn't even realize they were crying, but they were. That's why the Mommy took tissues in her purse before she even went to the movie.  She knew she would cry.

The movie, like a lot of movies, was different from the book.  I don't remember the Daddy being mean in the book.  I do remember the Todd boy being mean.  They also spent more time on the Bailey dog than I remember in the book.  In the book, the part that made the people cry was when the German Shepherd saved the kid from drowning.  That dog was a hero.  I think the movie should have spent more time talking about what a hero dogs are.  Dogs are big heroes in the lives of other dogs, and even the People's lives.  If dogs could talk, the People might be surprised by what we would say.

That's another thing I didn't really like about the movie. I  didn't like the voice they gave Bailey, the dog. That's not what dogs sounds like when they talk. Dogs sound more like kids, and they are more excited.  That dog sounded like an old dog who was tired and telling his story while he was laying on his front porch in between his twentieth nap of the day.  Dogs are more excited in life than that.  They talk more upbeat, and they are more excited about things.  That voice they gave Bailey was tooooo slooowwww.  I bet Bailey was like most dogs, including me, and he would have talked like every day was the best day of his life.  At least, that's the way I think.  I think every day is the best day of my life.

Mostly, I really liked the movie because it's about dogs.  I do want to say that I think it was a really mean thing that someone did to try to keep the movie from being successful.  They made up a lie that someone hurt a dog when making the movie.  Then, there was an investigation by the People, and they found out someone made it all up.  I guess there are more People in the world like Todd than we realize.

Overall, A Dog's Purpose was a really good movie. And, if you asked me which dog I am most like, I would say most of them. I know what it's like to be taken away as a puppy, I know what it's like to be with a family, I know what it's like to be a hero, I know what it's like just to have a normal every day life, and I know what it's like to find the People who will always love you in their hearts.

All Better Now

The Mommy told her friends yesterday on the Facebook that I hurt myself. I did. I hurt my paw. It was really sore last night. The Mommy was really worried. At first, she thought it was my leg because she saw my muscles twitching by my shoulder. She pulled an ice pack out of the freezer, and she wrapped it up in a towel. Then, she put it on my muscle. It felt so good. It was so nice and cool! Later, she realized I hurt my paw, not my shoulder. She figured it out because I kept licking the back of my paw. The Mommy is so smart, and she notices a lot of things.

Don't tell her, but the reason I hurt my paw is because I was playing hurdles in her bedroom. The Mommy and the Daddy have a big oversized chair in their bedroom. It used to be in the living room. Now, it is in their bedroom. At first, I jumped up on the seat cushion, and I found out it was bouncy. It was so bouncy that if I jumped hard enough on it, it helped me jump right over the chair's arm without hardly trying. Once I figured it out, I had to try it again and again and again and again. I even did it a couple of times for the Mommy when she was putting on her socks. She was amazed, and I smiled my doggy smile.I know that it's irresistible to her.

I think the Mommy knew what I was doing, though. A lot of times, she knows what I am doing without even seeing it. Sometimes, she will yell at me when I am upstairs and she is downstairs and say, "I don't know what you are doing, but stop doing it!" Or, she will use her mad voice and say, "Manny, get down here right now." Then, she will look at me and say, "Were you being naughty?" I don't know how she does it. It's like she can see through the ceiling. She does a good job of being the Mommy. Her job at home isn't just to cook and clean and let all of us do whatever we want. Otherwise, boy, would our house be a complete mess!

Yesterday when I hurt my paw, I knew the Mommy would take care of me, and I would be all better by morning. Guess what? When I woke up this morning, my paw was as good as new.

Lazy Sunday

Today is my lazy day.  Actually, most days are my lazy days.  Now that I am getting older, I like to sleep a lot more.  I like to say it is because napping is my hobby.  I have napping down to an art form. I have tried almost every couch and chair and floor space at home, and I have picked out the best ones.  I am laying upstairs in the Mommy's room on the blanket today.  Not on the nice blanket, because then the Mommy would get mad at me.  There are some blankets I am not allowed to sleep on.

When I am napping, I have really nice dreams.  I dream it is a sunny day or that I am chasing butterflies or that I am running.  The Mommy can tell when I am having the running dreams when I am laying next to her because I start moving my paws really fast.  Sometimes, she wakes me up because I can hear her laughing at me. She says that I snore, too.  I do snore, some times. I can hear myself.  I wake myself up wondering "What is that noise?"

I bark in my sleep some times, too.  I dream I am seeing others dogs walk by our house, and I am barking to say "Hello."  Other times, I dream that the Daddy or the Mommy are coming home late, and I am barking at them to say, "Where have you been?" I don't know why I dream that about the Mommy. The Mommy is always there for me. The Mommy is the one who plays with me and takes care of me the most.

Lately, I have been going upstairs, though, to lay down by myself.  I started doing this because the Mommy works on her computer and doesn't pay attention to me.  I would go up to her and grab her arm and say, "Pay attention to me, not the computer." She would smile, pet me, and play with me for a couple of minutes, but then she went right back to work.

The Mommy was worried at first because she thought there might be something wrong.  She was like, "Why is Manny laying down by himself?" But, it's because even dogs need to be alone some times.  Plus, I know that the Mommy is always there for me, so now I can be more independent.  I'm not worried about if she will leave me or anything.  I know that she loves me and will be there to take care of me.

Mommy's Best Friend

A lot of times people call dogs "man's best friend", but I am the Mommy's best friend.  I love spending time with her, snuggling with her, and listening to her talk.  I spend hours and hours and hours with her.  It's just the two of us almost every day.  She is the one who feeds me in the morning, lets me out, walks me.  She even cleans up my poop, and she cleans the mud out of my paws or takes out burs that I step on.  She takes care of me when I am sick, and she wipes my eyes when I cry. When I am sad, she gives me hugs. I do the same for her.  Every night I go to sleep knowing the Mommy and the Daddy are there.  A lot of mornings, the Mommy's face is the first face that I see.

The Mommy also does her best to try to communicate with me.  If I howl or try to talk, she does her best to understand me.  She knows all of my signals by now. Sometimes, I come up with new ones to keep her on her toes.  One I do a lot is that I paw at her hand or put my head over the tablet or computer.  When I do that, she knows I want her to pay attention to me, not the computer.

I also talk to the Mommy a lot because she is the only lady at home.   She keeps track in her mind all the things that I like. That way, she can remember what I like or don't like.  She does that with food, games, music, movies, everything. She remembers everything about me.  Sometimes, it might take her a minute to remember it.  Like the other day, she was trying to remember the name of one of my doggie friends. It took her a minute to remember it, but she did.

Another reason the Mommy is my best friend is because I think the Mommy is great! The Mommy is a wise woman. The Mommy says that even when people aren't nice to you, you still have to keep going. I think the same thing is true for animals. She says I am her favorite doggie. Sometimes, I think that no one reads my stories, but the Mommy tells me they do.  She tells me she likes them, and that I am doing a good job. The Daddy does, too. That's why I keep writing my blog. I know that there are people who like reading it and think I'm awesome.  I think the Mommy is pretty awesome, too.

All the Good Dogs

The Mommy and the Daddy took me to get groomed yesterday.  I love it when I have my bath.  The ladies always take such good care of me.  They were even super busy, yesterday, too.  I liked it. They even trimmed my neck hair and made my nails just the right length.  Now, my collar doesn't itch me as much, and my nails look really nice.

When I was at the groomer, there were some other dogs there, too.  Those dogs needed to be adopted. I was adopted by the Mommy and the Daddy when I was just a puppy. The Daddy was the one who wanted to adopt me.  Not the Mommy. I guess the Mommy didn't even want a dog.  I remember the first time the Mommy picked me up. She loved me since the first time she held me. It was like I was her very own puppy, and she always made me feel right at home. But, I was scared at first, and I puked in her lap on the car ride home.  I was scared of the car back then, but now I love going for car rides! 

Most of the dogs that were at the store were not puppies, though. Some of them were older dogs, and some were younger dogs.  There were big dogs and little dogs.  The Mommy has a big heart, and she really wants to adopt another dog.  I guess she really understands what it is like to be adopted because she is adopted, too.  She was adopted by her Mommy and Daddy, but she wasn't a baby.  She was a little girl in elementary school.

The Daddy is worried if they should adopt another dog.  He is worried that I wouldn't get along with them. I get along with almost every dog.  Still, I think the dog should be younger than me.  That way, I can teach him my doggy ways and teach him how to get along with the People and make them happy like I do.  I want the dog to be small, too, that way he won't try to fight me and try to be the alpha in my house.  Plus, I think big dogs are scary to some People. 

Sometimes, the People won't adopt dogs because they think there is something wrong with them. They think that is why the dog is in the shelter.  Of course, a lot of the People know it is not the dog's fault that they are there to be adopted. They are worried someone abused the dog, and they don't know if the dog will be able to be loved.  I can't believe anyone would think that an adopted creature is unlovable.  I guess they just don't have enough love in their hearts to know that all dogs are the good dogs.  I guess dogs have been loved for centuries, because even the Bible says that all dogs go to heaven...that's where the name of the movie came from. 

Anyway, I hope that the Mommy and the Daddy get a little brother or sister for me someday.  

My New Year's Resolutions

I am so excited it is 2017.  I have so many great plans and ideas in store for this year.  I know that it is going to be the Year of Manny. In order to make sure it is, I came up with a bunch of New Year's Resolutions to make this the best year ever.

1. Give more hugs and kisses to the People.  The People can never get too many hugs and kisses from me.  I think that is just impossible.  Instead, I should give them more so they will know how much I love them.

2. Exercise every day.  Some days, I get really lazy, especially when it is cold outside.  Then, I like to lay around and watch TV and take naps all day long.  For instance, today, I ran up and down the stairs a lot of times.  That was mostly because the Mommy kept calling me, "Manny, Manny!" Then, I would go running down the stairs.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables.  I like fruits and vegetables, especially apples, oranges, and potatoes.  I don't like grapes, and it isn't only because it's a no-no food for dogs.  They smell weird to me. The People ate grapes to make their "New Year's Wishes." I was like, "None for me, thanks." To me grapes are like little mini water filled balloons made by nature with really thin skins.  I could eat a whole bag of grapes and still be hungry but then have to go potty in half an hour.  No thanks. No grapes for me.

4. Play with more dogs and play with fewer cats. Okay, so here is the confession part of my New Year's Resolution. I play with cats...a lot.  There are a bunch of cats who like to hang around my neighborhood.  I pay attention to them because they are semi-interesting, and I get bored.  Plus, I think it's funny when their owners get all freaked out that their cat is sitting by me.  Like I am going to hurt a cat.  Get serious.  I am roughly the same size as a house cat. Still, I prefer dogs over cats.  Except for the neighbor's German Shepherds.  I don't like them.  They are too big for me to play with. A German Shepherd to a Rat Terrier is like a shark to....well, almost every other fish...except dolphins, whales and manatees.

5. Be less of a mooch.  Sometimes, the People call me Manny the Mooch.  That's because I sit in front of them and give them my sad dog eyes and lift my paw and cock my head in this cute way to get attention (and food) from them.  At the dinner table, I usually sit by the Mommy because I know that is where I have the greatest chance of getting some People food.  She doesn't like feeding me off the table too much, though.  She has caught me a few times trying to get to the meat that she serves for dinner, so she doesn't want to encourage that behavior.  That's what she says.  And, sometimes, I'm not even doing anything, but it's like she can tell what I'm thinking.  She will say, "Manny, I don't know what you are doing, but stop doing it!" Boy, has she saved me from getting in a lot of trouble...because I do like to do naughty things some times.  It's in my doggy nature.