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My Life as Top Dog

A Dog Lover's Prayer

I'm reading Sheltie Talk right now, and it has a couple of poems at the very end of the book that I'd like to share.

A Dog Lover's Prayer
Lord, you know that there would be times when man would need another kind of friend--one who would not criticize, nor blame, nor make demands, nor question. One who would only listen and love.
And so you gave us the dog. Not just one dog, but a dog to suite every temperament and personality.
Lord, we thank you for man's best friend. Help us to remember that he also belongs to you.
Therefore, while we are to enjoy him, we are not to mistreat him, nor alter his health and ability to function by breeding to suite our foolish whims. We are not to thwart his purpose by keeping him isolated where he cannot learn to function in our world.
Teach us, Lord, not to inflict pain and suffering to gain our selfish ends--sometimes as frivilous as a purple ribbon, and not to breed so many of his kind that homes cannot be found and he is left homeless and starving, or sentenced to death in a shelter.
Help us, Lord, to love our friend, the dog, in such a way that it reflects your love and compassion for mankind, whom you have called your friend.

WHAT AM I TO YOU?
M. Kummer
As a pup I dreamed and wondered
What life could hold in store:
For ME, I thought, there's something GREAT
Beyond that kennel door.

Out there are needy people
And I have much to give:
Love, and wit, and gentleess,
To help them learn to live.

I'd be someone's protector,
Keep little ones from harm,
Or guide an old man's weary steps,
Or help to run a farm.

I'd run and bark and jump and play
With friends along a sandy shore.
I'd roll in meadows thick and green
That lie beyond that kennel door.

I lay here waiting--longing,
As the days and years crept by;
My owner kept me fed and brushed,
But inside, let me die.

I do not think of greatness now,
I'm old and filled with pain.
My owner has some ribbons,
But I have lived in vain.

I cannot think what could have been,
My dreams are filled with hope no more,
Just floor and walls and broken heart
For me behind this kennel door.
CCA "Bulliten"
Feb 1984

Of balancing a bike helmet on one's head...

I took the hint in a rossetee from Buddy and family and decided to write another diary entry. I'm overdo on that anyway. (Thanks a bunch for the rossete Buddy, Maggie, and Peanut, and I really think you're special too. :) )
Well, there hasn't been much to write about lately because mistress has had some sorta sleeping problems where's she's a little sleepy most of the day through and hasn't been doing as much with us dogs as she used to. She has been trying to do her responsibility as well as have fun with us though, and feels really guilty about not spending as much time with us as she used to. She has a bit of busy schedule these days...
Anyway, she also lost her camera for about a month, so her picture-taking activity suffered too. And when she found it, she didn't do a photo session until I got groomed.
Well, her idea of a photo session is to make me do rediculous things like balance things on my head. And then when I keep knocking them over (intentionally or not), she jokes at how Treader is better at posing! Well let's see how she can balance things on her head. Oh, right...she does that on her own accord already...anyway, you'll notice that I did manage to put a smile on in my new pics where she made me balanced a bike helmet on my head. Speaking of that, you know those things are among the hardest to balance on one's head? Well, depending on the shape of your head, but if it's shaped like mine...yeah. The helmet was made for a human's head, not a dog's. And the strap doesn't even work, which made it even harder.

Well, my rambling on posing for pictures is done, I guess. I've been doing really well, and my medication is keeping my incontinence in check. Even if I do still leak occasionally.

Parakeets, pictures, and shedding

Been a while since I updated. Anyway, mistress got another Budgie (AKA Parakeet, or 'Keet) the other day. A family we know is moving this summer and wanted to rehome him. Cute fellow, his name is Dr. Looney, and his color is skyblue dilute. (Mistress calls him SkyGuy sometimes because of that.)
Mistress's other Budgie, Spirit, has been having a heavy molt that lasted longer than we're comfortable with, and we're getting worried, so I'd like to ask you to pray for her. Called the vet up and they said it was normal, but my online friends on another site (not this one) said it's not normal. We just don't know what to believe.

Gah, what am I doing gabbing on about birds when this is supposed to be about me? Okay, onto the subject of myself...like the new pictures of me we put up today? The one with the badge...mistress wanted me to pose with her shooting badge. Don't ask why. It doesn't belong to me. She wanted to get an interesting pose, and when I thought she wanted me to take it out of her hand she got one. :D The second one we loaded is just me with the rest of my body in something of the same pose, minus the badge.
Oh, and we put this picture back on the main page:
Clickeesh
It's an old picture (about two years old), but mistress wanted to bring it back up.

I've been blowing my coat, and I've got fuzzy dead fur on my sides and flank. Makes my lower back itch more than usual and I go around asking for scratches even more than usual. Mistress brushes the itchy fur out every few days.
So there you go, not much to update on about myself other than that.