year of the dog?

apparently 2006 has been designated as such, but tell me something i don't know!

actually, based on my observations around here, i'm pretty sure every year is the "year of the dog"... consider the following:

1. bobo and i are hand fed virtually every day (unless i'm not getting the "good" stuff fast enough, in which case i prefer to to fend for myself)

2. speaking of food... my mom & daddy often cook for us--this is only significant in that they don't really do any cooking for themselves. oh, the occasional lasagne or spaghetti or grilled cheese, but, for the most part, this place is delivery central! pizza, pad thai, chinese... or mexican take-out. all of which is also delicious (when they share, which is often)*

3. from day one we've been allowed on the furniture piece of our choosing... including the bed. in fact mom and daddy actually had to buy a bigger bed (they went from a queen to a king) in order to accomodate me 'n bobo. sometimes bobo and i like to mess with their heads by plopping ourselves down in their spots on the couches when they're getting ready to watch their favorite tv programs just to see what they'll do. know what they do? nothing! that's right...they'll sit on the floor (most times) before they make us move. now that's power.

4. despite the fact that, as a little puppy, i managed to destroy every nice piece of furniture in the house (along with many nice--not to mention tasty--houseplants) i was never punished. not that i ever deserved to be punished, mind you, after all, i was a puppy and didn't know better, but i've heard stories...

5. since bobo and i joined the family, we have never spent extended time in a kennel... that's right. mom and daddy have not taken a vacation together in over four years! of course, i don't really know what a vacation is, but from what i understand from my chit-chat with acquaintences at my hairdresser's, it's not a good thing for the furry four-legged members of a family and sounds very unsettling. displacment, new routines, being forced to eat dry food (the horror) out of a bowl, caged up... ugh! it sounds mortifying and i'll not have it, if i have anything to say about the matter. no... as far as i'm concerned, mom and daddy can just take their "vacations" right here at home. what do they need to "get away" from, anyway?

*the only food items they won't share with us? onions, chocolate and raisins. mom and daddy say these are not good foods for puppies, which seems like such a shame to me, because they all look delicious.

phooey on "year of the dog", as far as i'm concerned, bobo and i (and max...) are living in the glorious "age of the dog". and i can't imagine that ever changing.

"The other day the President said, I know you've had some rough times, and I want to do something that will show the nation what faith that I have in you, in your maturity and sense of responsibility. He paused, then said, would you like a puppy?" ~ Dan Quayle (courtesy BrainyQuote.com)