Living Joyfully
Helping Pets & Encouraging People
The Joy Of The Puppy
Ok I feel like I should stay focused but it’s really hard when I am sitting in my dining room watching my new puppy Charlie try and take on my cat Lilly. It’s a loosing battle for the pup but she keeps trying and Lilly keeps not caring. The scene is as follows: Lilly the cat finally gets out of my son’s room to get to the kitchen. First obstacle: little white puppy who is determined to bark, run, come back all the way to the kitchen in which Lilly gets onto the counter where her food is. Charlie decides that this is unacceptable since Lilly did not play her game all the way to the kitchen so she gets as close as she can to Lilly who is still on the counter and proceeds to bark, run and come back. Lilly adds in her own specialty of a hiss and a swat in between stealing some leftover mac and cheese on the stove. Poor Jorj scratches at the door to be let in, leaving a lag in the “game” for Lilly to get on top of the cupboards.
Cue Jorj: Mr. Jorj dog really just wants to get on the couch but can’t seem to make it there since Charlie the now bouncy puppy has decided that jumping from said couch over Jorj to the ottoman is the new fun game to play. So back and forth she goes, and as she jumps she causes the ottoman to move so the last jump attempt meant she landed on the back legs of poor Mr. Jorj. Cue the “dog fight” if you want to call it that. There is pulling and tugging of skin, trying to catch each other’s back legs and the ever present growling and showing of teeth. Playing really until Charlie gets tired of the game and takes the toy Jorj was looking forward to chewing on. Ahhhh well the couch is now free.
Cue the toy: With Jorj lounging on the couch now, and Lilly silently trying to get more mac and cheese, Charlie takes on the toy. Usually she can get one of us humans to put treats in the toy but for now she is content…..cue poor Lilly again. Charlie leaps off the ottoman like she’s jumping out of a plane, snags a piece of Jorj flesh and she takes on the race of a lifetime getting Lilly to go under the bed.
For Charlie this has been a daily routine (if you want to call it that) since she became ours 4 weeks ago. She thinks she is big and tough until someone new comes in, when she is on a walk she is so excited to meet the dog barking at her until she does. Jorj brings calm and normalcy, whereas Charlie seems to focus as well as a two year old in a candy shop. This is the joy of a puppy. Charlie prances on her walk when she gets to carry the stick she found. She is excited to get her breakfast and dinner and she has picked her people to follow. She doesn’t care who she plops down on (she has taken that cue from Jorj) and she’ll whip you with her tail if you talk to her enough.
I look at her and wonder how (if it’s even possible) to have some of that puppy joy? I know the joy of eating a really good meal (cheesecake or street tacos anyone?). When I see my people I smile big and know I am home. Not so sure about taking on a hissing, swatting cat but Charlie looks danger in the eye and barks at it. Older siblings are always fun to mess with and when it comes to jumping from couch to ottoman, I’ll take jumping for joy because of something awesome that just happened. And then at the end of it all just plopping down on the couch for a two hour cat nap, what could be better than that?
I am joy in a wooly coat, come to dance into your life, to make you laugh!
Julie Church
Rae's New Shine Childrens Book
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
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