A few days ago, my puppy pleasures were nearly complete – or so I thought. Too many posts and too much time staring into my gadgets, and now more cuteness added to the canine collage posted on December 19th here on Doug Hugs. I have lots of friends with, well, dogs … and they love to show them off on social media. This month, in particular. The holiday of all holiday months when a particular jolly guy shows up a week before a new year. Everyone is camera happy and the pups are overcome with outfits, impromptu poses, and loving glances from around glittered trees. All is growlingly, belly-tickingly satisfactory.
As it should be, I suppose. Everyone – including four-legged family members – should take this time to enjoy the holiday. Even Abby:
I’ve written wonderful words about her before today. She is in my life usually every week or so for a small amount of time. No, not an internet sensation by any stretch … this picture is of my own doing and she has no YouTube channel with treats of followers. I consider her part of my extended family and am the only one within her circle to frame her beautiful snoutful of charm online. This step is her happy place as I visit her humans. Every time, holiday or not, her happiness surrounds my legs and wiggles down through a white, rapidly moving tail. She stays warmly welcoming throughout my visit – always vigilant. Always kind.
With Abby, I’m adding to the copious amount of dog faces in the galleries we see walking virtually through the halls of our hand-held museums. These aren’t the velvet poker playing, cigar-smoking Bulldogs of our past. Today’s stars are elegant snow hoppers, slinky couch-dwellers, and sophisticated fur walkers who’ve matured into the 21st century lifestyle. They’re demanding food online that has a higher nutrition content than ancestral meal chunks full of filler. Special outfits, walking gear, colorful personalized leashes and customized treats round out the experience for some. Haircuts are more expensive and tailored to suit while nail cutting, veterinarian trips, and cone shaming, regrettably, still remain a constant.
Yes, they’re dogs and we love them. Chloe, Charlie, Abby, Jasmine, Vito, Sammie, and others like them in my life – they’re around my feet in the 3-D museum of my reality. Others I really enjoy seeing peek their way up from the bottom of my phone as I scroll down through the December days. Whether in a heap of trouble or just being cute, these knee-bender friends look to us for companionship, love, friendship, and a home in which to enjoy their lives.
I think, from what I see, that is being accomplished. So, so many brag on about their dogs … for good reasons, I may add. Look at those faces and attitudes. There was a whole lotta peaceful pleasures going on inside those brains when pictures were gladly taken and posted online. Can’t say for sure there were any words or structured sentences, but who cares? Sometimes words aren’t necessary.
Pictures are worth a thousand of them, anyway. December dogs know this, too. You could learn a few lesson from them while sitting around the tree opening your presents. They’ll be enjoying time with you – just being with you. Take a picture … then another. Enjoy them as well.
I’ll take my pleasure one silent, smiling picture at a time remembering Shopan who sits in frame overlooking our December festivities. His picture’s worth a lifetime of memories as the jolly holiday gets underway and a new year is just around the corner.
All will be belly-tickingly wonderful soon for us, too. I promise.
DougHugs 