Gunnie and Me

Look at this cute dog. I love dogs. Well, actually I think most people do. But actually most of my friends have cats. This dog, Gunnie, belongs to a friend who comes to visit us at Spanish Village. Gunnie jumped up, put his paws in my lap and licked my neck and then my entire face. I felt so good, so loved. Animals have a way of doing that, besides just lowering your blood pressure.

I have my own dog at home. I'd like to bring him to work, but we have a rule about not bringing them. I guess it's for the best. That way we can enjoy the dogs who come through the Village with their owners. There are some people whom I recognize just by their dogs, that is to say, if I saw them without their dogs, I probably wouldn't recognize them at all. Is that bad? All I look at is their animals.

I think most people have cats because they love them, but also because they're very easy to take care of. My very special friend has a cat who brings her toys and puts them on his bed when he mentions to her that she hasn't done so for awhile. She takes his socks and runs up and down the hall at night, growling at the mirror on her way by, but she's very lovable and friendly. She always knows when he doesn't feel well, and she acts accordingly.

I remember stories about animals. I have a friend whose cat would lie stretched out in the bottom of the porcelain bathtub when the weather was really hot. My parents' dog jumps up on the bed and leans against my father when there's an earthquake. My own dog doesn't seem to be bothered by earthquakes, but he doesn't like fireworks and other loud noises. He puts his front paws on the bed and buries his head under my arm. Since we live near the baseball stadium and Sea World, we hear them every night in the summer. Sometimes I turn the volume up on the television and that helps.

One of these days I'd like to draw some animals. One of the artists here at the Village uses a childlike style to paint the most wonderful dogs who are so happy and cheerful looking but also frequently are making social commentaries.