My Life As A Dog

My dog gets in trouble.  I don’t know why, lets say she chewed up my shoe.  I get upset and say “Bad!”  The only thing she wants after that is for me to not be upset.  She will do what she can to get back to good graces.  If I say something to her that I don’t mean, she will forgive in a second. 

Not so much with me.  When I get my feelings hurt, they take a while to mend. Why?

I left work a little early today so I could walk the dogs and get to the gym at a decent time.  I was one of the first people at the stop, so I got a seat on the sardine-can we call ‘the bus’.  I took my seat, opened my book and started reading.  The bus started down its path home.  At the next stop a young boy of around five years boarded with his young mother of maybe twenty years.  The boy was cute.  He sat next to a lady and asked, “Do you like movies?”

She said kindly, “Yes, I like movies.”

“You got a DVD player?”

A smile was all that was returned to the young boy.

Each person who boarded the bus was asked, “You like movies?”  “You like movies?”  “You got a DVD player?”

I stopped reading to watch how people reacted.  Quite honestly, I thought the child was closing in on the “annoying-line” as the “cute-line” moved farther away.    His mother would cast a smile and sometimes a laugh.  By the way they were dressed, I imagined that money was not plentiful for them and maybe this boy had just seen his first movie on a DVD player.  He seemed fasinated.  Still, over and over again, he would say, “You like movies? You have a DVD player?”

Most people simply passed by looking for a seat as if the kid was not talking to them.  The next common response was to smile, but not reply.  Some would say, “No.”  Some would laugh.  And finally, a young lady locked eyes with the boy.

“You like movies?”

“What?”

“You got a DVD player?”

“Yes.”, she said with a soft smile.

“You like movies?”

“Yes.”

He had her full attention.  As I looked around, I noticed he had the full attention of others as well.  Then he gave his next question.  “You got money?”

“What? No, I don’t have money.”

On to the next person he went.  “You have money?  You want to buy a DVD?  We have the latest movies that you can’t get in stores.”

The kid was peddling illegal movies.  His mother simply smiled with a bag on her lap.  I assumed it was a bag containing the movies. 

An older woman came on the bus.  The questions came again. “You like movies?”  “Yes”  “You got a DVD player?” “Yes”

“Mama - you ask her if she has money and wants to buy a DVD.”

The boy came to me, looked at me and started his questioning.  I stopped him by rasing my hand to his face. “Don’t ask me your questions young boy.  I will save you time.  I like movies.  I have a DVD.  I have money.  But, you are annoying me so leave me alone.” 

He left.  The bus stopped.  He and his mother got off.

It was disgusting.  Now, all I can hear in my head is “You like movies.”

Today, as I was walking the dogs, I saw the dog bus in our city. The dog bus is a bus that picks up doggies needing day care while their owners are at work. They go to doggie day care and then get brought home on the bus after work. The bus looks like a school bus. Each dog gets a secure seat all to themselves. None have to stand or put three to a seat. Nice service for dog owners who need it.

After I walked, fed, walked the dogs, my wife and I went to the bus stop – the people bus. The doors opened. All seats were taken – two people per bench. There were people standing in the isle of the bus. As the bus traveled closer and closer to work, more and more people got on. My wife and I stayed toward the front of the bus while new passengers walked passed us. I glanced back and looked as people were swinging back and forth trying to maintain their balance. Most people had a pole or a hook to hang onto. However, there were some who were suspended in the upright position by the people around them.

Hmmm… I think I’d rather go on the doggie bus.

I suppose I am not totally a dog.  It does not even sound fun to pee on the floor.  However, my dog is protesting the visit of our niece by peeing on the floor.  She (the dog) does not do well with change.  When the change occurs, she protests by peeing on the floor.  Thank goodness we have hardwood floors and a lot of Murphy’s Oil Soap.  

I suppose to some extent, I am like my dog.  I don’t always accept change as well as I would like.  Ever notice how the smallest of change can stir feelings of being unsettled?  For example, have your day planned out to tour a town with your friend.  Your friend calls at the final hour and cancels.  Now what are you going to do?  Or, if you are a church goer and someone sits in your spot.  Your grocer stops selling your favorite cereal.  The train to work is late.  Perhaps you can or cannot relate to these examples, but I imagine most of us have a small change or unplanned event that can make us feel unsettled.  Change can make us resist or try to preserve what we know.  The new is not always accepted with open arms.  

I would suggest that with change we try to find a way to accept the new and reject the old.  I would also accept that if you are having a difficult time accepting the new to keep your pee off the floor - it is rather gross…   

Being new to the city, I wanted to meet new people and searched online for suggestions from the natives of my new city.  One common suggestion was to get a dog, find a dog park and start talking.  Perfect!  We have two dogs and live a block from the dog park.  Well not so perfect with my little dog.  My small one is a Dog Whisperer challenge.  I actually looked into the Dog Whisperer coming to my place to help me, but he would not come to my city.

If you watch kids play at a playground, many times there are some who watch the kids play from a distance.  The reason could be that they are shy, insecure, afraid, nervous or that they simply don’t want to play.  My life as a dog is like this.  I go to the dog park and watch the other dogs and owners play and interact.  I watch from a distance, wishing I could play and talk.  But, as my dog hovers on her back legs ready to attack anything within 20 feet of her; I realize that my mouth is staying shut and my play time is non existent.

It is now 7am and I am going out, to walk the dogs.

Welcome to my new blog and my first post.  My Life As A Dog.  The idea of this blog came to me as I was walking my dogs last week.  I live in the city.  Each morning, I wake up.  I walk the dogs.  I feed the dogs.  I shower.  I eat breakfast.  I walk the dogs again.  By 8am, I have time for me.  I go to work.  I come home.  I walk the dogs.  I feed the dogs.  I check my email and eat dinner.  I walk the dogs.  I have a couple hours to talk to my wife clean the house and / or work out.  I walk dogs before bed and go to sleep.

So, it works out to be that during the week, I get to have a few hours to do whatever while the dogs rest in between walks.  My schedule has pretty much turned into the same as my dogs.  (Not complaining, just realizing.)  If I were to try to deviate from this schedule I get whines and moans from the doggies until I crack and take them outside.  

I have a lease in the city for the next 18 months.  I have concluded that for the next 18 months, my life will be that of the two dogs I live with.  Of course, I will have a vacation or two in there, but we shan’t quibble of semantics.  I will post my experiences, thoughts and ideas on this blog as time passes.

Woof, grrr hmmm woof!  errr… I mean “Thanks, and until later.