Dogster

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My First New Year's Eve

My First New Year's Eve

I know I spent a long time in my crate recently, and while I was in there I heard lots of loud and unfamiliar sounds, saw lots of unfamiliar shoes hurrying by, and when I finally got out, I was in a strange place, someplace I had never smelled or seen before....but this time, I took a ride in the car, and it wasn't for so very long, and when I got out of the car, I was in another new place, but this one seemed alot like where I come from, where I used to live. I knew it wasn't the same place at all, but it smelled closer to what I'm used to--wet wood, dead leaves, black soil....and RABBITS. And DEER. Their scent was everywhere, just like Before. I was very excited!
My mom brought me to a big house in the woods, right in the middle of all these great smells, and when we went inside, all these people were shrieking and offering me their hands to smell. I appreciated the formality, but I didn't need to smell them--I could tell they were nice people, so I just gave every hand a fair lick and returned every smile with a shimmy-shake.
Inside the house there were lots of food smells. Good food smells, coming from several locations deeper within the house. This helped me to relax a bit and encouraged me to have a look around the place; I was hoping to find the source of at least one of the good food smells. My nose led me directly towards a smell I can only describe as high, and sour. And good. I spotted it, conveniently resting on a low table--a wedge of something I'd never tasted before, but had seen people eat sometimes in various forms. It was pale yellow, and after glancing around and ensuring no one was nearby, I tested it's weight by picking it up in my teeth and gently lifting it from the plate. It was substantially weighty, and the smell got so strong I could hardly resist sinking my teeth into it right away, but I thought it wise to get it, and myself, to a less-conspicuous place before sampling my booty. Unfortunately, as I walked past an open doorway, everyone's head turned in my direction and I had to surrender what was sure to be a treat unlike any other I've experienced. It was alright, though--I didn't get in any trouble for my faux pas, although I could tell my mom was little embarrassed her "perfect angel" had been caught misbehaving.
Next, after I was given some dinner of my own (the usual kibble, nothing special), I headed to my logical place of repose, the couch. The couch is where I do all of my digesting, snoozing, chewing of bones, and puts me in an excellent position to receive all and any attention and cuddles that might come my way. The couch presently before me was particularly inviting, as it had padded arms on which to lean, and was at an ideal height for hopping on and off. No sooner had I deemed the couch as possibly the best I had come across and was wagging my tail in eager anticipation and gratitude, then a stern voice, sounding like a thunder-clap, said NO, right behind my right ear! I was startled, to say the least, not only by the strange, booming voice that was addressing ME, but by the message it threw at my head--NO. No? NO? I spun around in disbelief. Not only was the Man standing there, which is where the thunder came from, but the other two strangers, ladies they were, and my mom, were standing there, too, and all eyes were on me. What? I tried to ask, but before I could, mom took me by the collar, and making soft and comforting noises at me, led me across the floor and over to an area of fluffy carpeting, where I found a large chew bone, a dish of water, and some kind of large pillow on the floor. She tried to get me to step onto the pillow, but it felt lumpy under my feet, and so I lowered myself down onto the carpet instead. My mom told me this was good of me to do, and gave me a bunch of scratching under my collar and kisses between my eyes, so I decided I'd better stay where I was, even though it hurt me somewhere on the inside when she walked away to join the others, who had all arranged themselves on the very couch I had been banished from. I didn't understand what the problem was, and why everyone but me was taking advantage of all the comfort the couch had to offer. Where I live with my mom, the common practice is that people and dogs share both couch and floor space equally. Watching them from across the room, I realized that this change of environment and the introduction of new people warranted some changes in behavior, too. I hoped this wasn't anything permanent, though. But I trusted my mom, so I relaxed and made short work of the rawhide chip she had placed before me.
I spent the rest of the evening on the carpet, observing the night's activities, which included the people sitting together at a long table and eating food that was passed around on big plates and in big bowls. They played games, too, but not the kind I like--games that required two hands and a pencil and paper, which are of no use or interest to me. But it was nice to watch, and to hear them laughing, and soon they were eating and drinking again, and watching some kind of noise television program, and making all kinds of noises by blowing on cone-shaped things made from shiny paper. I didn't really get it, but since they seemed to like it, I didn't see any reason to worry. I just kept my eyes open for another opportunity to try and sneak onto the couch, which, sadly, never came, and I was forced to wait until my mom and I returned home the next day to reclaim my rightful position within the household, where I snoozed with satisfaction for the majority of the day.