Opinion : City Dog, Country Dog

Abandoned Buddy, happy in his new home

I've heard it said, "It's a dog's life"

A few months ago, I showed up at the door of a family with kids at home, another dog in the yard and about 5 cats. I was hungry, but had been trained not to beg. I waltzed right into the house, and made myself at home, snuggling up to the kids and parents, who promptly saw I needed a warm meal and a place to stay.

I don't know who these people are, but they sure do like me.

See, these new people don't even know my real name, and they don't speak Chocolate Lab very well, so I can't tell them. One of the gals call me Buddy, and that seems to have stuck.

They aren't sure if I should be in the house, or outside. I see them observing my clean coat, my ability to shake, and how I love to crawl onto their lap, put my head on their shoulder and be hugged.

I think part of them says that I should be in the house. They try, bless their heart, to accommodate me, but they tend to kick me out because of the smells I occasionally introduce to their delicate noses. (my owner asks, "Is there beano for dogs?")

My new owners think I'm a city dog and not a country dog.

I love to go out and explore the countryside where I now live. I lay in the sunny lawn, or under the tree and just watch as deer prance by me or the occasional rabbit runs by.

Usually it's not long before I run into some trouble.

I haven't yet figured out why there is this thing called barbed wire around the yard. It pokes at me when I want to check out the pony on the hill next to my house.

I love to run behind the pony and act like I'm wild and free, then I trip, or fall in a hole and hurt my paw.

Then I hobble back to the house, and knock on the door (the new people think that is so cute). They always bring me in, find out what's wrong and patch me up, give me some hugs, warn me to be careful....then I run out the door so I can have another go at being a country dog.

I'm still trying to decide if cats are food or friends. I like to lay on the porch and watch them play. My friend, Katie, she lived here first and is a Black Lab, but still a young pup and thinks the cats should be chased. I on the other hand find they keep my nose warm on a chilly day, and am more entertained by the way they hiss at me.

Since I've lived here I've gotten more banged up just enjoying the countryside than I have my whole life.

There's a river to explore, a creek to dig in, or this wonderful place they call "grandpa's house" that we walk to that has all kinds of wonderful nooks and crannies to check out. Katie and I end up with burs in our fur, when we come back home, which I then spend hours picking out, and cleaning myself up from, but it's worth it.

Today, I was outside exploring like I usually do, but found myself in a trap. Katie ran to the house to tell the people that something wasn't right. Fortunately it was a trap that only got stuck on my paw, and only bruised me.

The lady that lives here thinks I'm a lot like her girls who love to run and play in the country. They have all kinds of scars from falling, climbing in their tree house, and just getting scraped up in the great outdoors. See, they are really city people that just live in the country. They, like me are learning that you have to be a bit more careful out here.

In the country, just trying to be a footloose dog in a wooded jungle, with things that poke me and mess up my fur coat, now THAT'S a real dog's life...but it still beats living in the city.