Every day it’s the same old stuff. I get up in the morning, have breakfast, go outside to check around the house, come back inside and mosey around looking for something to do. Most of the time (being as my needs are simple) I spend my time laying around waiting for someone to want me to do something or to go somewhere. People don’t expect very much from me, so they don’t get very much. But, I would readily give them anything I could or do for them anything it was possible for me to do. But, there are moments.

Sometimes I get to take a walk through the pastures to the mailbox and back. Occasionally, I will walk next door and aggravate the dogs behind the fence. I’m free! They are not. What a wonderful feeling it is to not be enclosed in a fence or house all my life, free to roam around and do pretty much as I please.

I seldom get in trouble except for the times I might bring a mouse into the house to proudly display to everyone my athletic abilities. It is not easy to catch a mouse around our house, being as we are surrounded by shrubs, trees and pastures. They have so many places to hide that I get frustrated trying to track them down. But, it is good exercise for me.

I am fortunate that I live with people that are so good to me. I don’t think I have ever gone hungry or thirsty. Nor have I ever gone without a soft place to sleep, though often aggravating those whose bed I am trying to share. They sleep there so why can’t I?

Even though I have never gone hungry, I do find eating the same old food every morning gets old. The people I live with have a great variety of things to eat. Oftentimes, they will let me have a small portion of what they are eating. Their food tastes much better than does mine. Don’t they realize that? After all, they buy mine in a pet store while they buy theirs in a grocery store. What’s with that? Just so you know, I have never stolen food off of a table or countertop like some of my visiting friends have done. One even grabbed a whole sandwich off of the countertop which made my people angry.

I pretty much come and go as I please. Even though the back yard was fenced in for when I was a pup. The people let me out the front door and when I get tired of nosing around I come into the backyard through a gate that only opens one way. If the people aren’t at home I can go into the backyard through a small door built just for me. Thus, I am free to go outside when I want to even when the people aren’t at home.

Some people, when reading this might think I am a useless burden, just something else to have to take care of. They forget that I do have some qualities they might find useful if they paid attention. I have pretty good ears and I hear noises the people are not equipped to hear. Therefore, when a vehicle enters our long driveway, I hear it long before the people do. I raise my head and begin to growl to let the people know someone is coming. Sometime, in the middle of the night, they might find this to be a valuable trait for me to have.

The bottom line is … I am only a dog and I know it. But, I am valuable to people because of the things I do that they cannot do, and … because they know I love them, and I know they love me.