It’s a Dog’s Life
Animals and Critters

written by Chace

My day starts early, or as early as when my mom gets out of bed. I like to go out first thing to sniff, bark and relieve myself while my mom makes her coffee.

On a nice morning, my mom (that’s what I call her, as I don’t know her name) will bring her coffee outside and sit with me for a while. Sometimes, I need encouragement to ‘do my business’.

Once Jeff (my dad) wakes up, I can make a little noise and instigate a game of catch. After all, I’ve been a good boy all night, and now it’s time to play.

Breakfast comes next, with kibble mixed in the bananas and pumpkin, or sometimes it’s pumpkin and bananas. I enjoy cleaning my bowl, as it’s been a long night.

We usually walk in the morning to either ‘get the mail’, or sometimes we do the Ermineskin loop. I enjoy my walk as my mom always has a little snack in her pocket, leading my nose around the block.

After that, I am exhausted, so it’s time for my mid-morning nap. Mom and Dad are both busy on their computers, and I get to make the bed. Scratching the blankets around, I make a nice, cozy nest. Ahh...

Sometimes my mom goes out, and I have to ‘watch the house,’ or both mom and dad go shopping. That is when I have to take my job seriously.

Lunch is followed by nap time. As an Aussie dog, I like to round up my people one at a time, convincing them that it is nap time. Sometimes, they take turns napping. Because I am ‘such a good boy’, I need to have nap time with both of them.

Afternoons are filled with all sorts of fun activities. Mom and I might do the four-corner sniff and stroll so I can check my pee-mail, answering whichever needs a response. Sometimes, Mom and I go for a ‘car ride’ around the hood. When the weather is nice, we play ball outside or inside if it is rainy.

One of my favourite house games is hide-and-seek. My people hide at different ends of the house, calling out, “Chace, come find me!” I run back and forth, trying to find them until my tongue hangs sideways, and then we take a break.

My supper is to be served precisely at 4:00 p.m. I get very anxious if it is late. It can be early, but never late. I don’t care if there has been a time shift—my stomach tells me it is time to eat. I like to play right after dinner, but my mom prefers that I let my tummy rest, as she doesn’t want me to vomit, nor do I.

I like to bolt outside and bark at my neighbour’s dogs in the evening. This alerts them to the time and that they should be getting ready for bed. After all, we want a quiet neighbourhood after 10 pm.

Around 8 p.m. I get a bit of an apple to crunch on. After that, I need to calm down and watch TV. When it’s finally bedtime, I jump on the bed to give my family support and warm up my mom’s side of the bed. They like to read in bed, so I stretch myself and wind down, thinking it has been another great day.

Sweet dreams until tomorrow, when I get up and do it all over again.