The GIRL prefers when I have longer fur. SHE is always kissing and squeezing me, but SHE can’t keep her hands off of me when my fur is longer. I am a dog not a teddy bear!

It is getting cooler, so the long fur seems to keep me a little warmer. On the flip side, it gets tangled and sometimes I get itchy. The GIRL brushes me a lot, which I really enjoy. Sometimes, SHE gives me a bath after the brushing, which I don’t really enjoy. I put up with it and I am less itchy after a bath. I think there should be a law about how often people can bathe us dogs.

The BOY prefers my coat short, sleek and trim. I am cooler with a short coat. Plus, it is very aerodynamic. I am super fast with short fur.

I have covered my PEOPLE’s preference about my fur. I have also covered some practical aspects of long and short fur. What about aesthetics? What about popular opinion? Look, I know I am handsome and irresistible, but I’m also a curious dog. What do you think? Long or short?

I am so embarrassed. Look at what the GIRL had me pose with. I know she is excited about the garbage can, but why do I have to be in a picture with it? Oh, yeah… SHE says I resemble one of her favorite childhood TV characters. Do you know what SHE is talking about?

Back to the garbage can. The GIRL and BOY think it is the best thing since sliced bread.

For over two years now, they had been disposing of our dog waste by gathering it in small plastic bags. Then they would drop those bags in the large garbage can in the garage. I am one clean dog, but even I thought it made the garage stink. Every time they opened the lid, what a stench. Finally after more than two years they couldn’t take it anymore. 

One day the GIRL and BOY came home from shopping, giddy as little girls. Their prayers had been answered. They had purchased an ordinary small old-fashioned aluminum garbage can with a lid from a local hardware store. It is not that big, not even 24” tall. They put it on the shady side of the house. Now instead of carrying our poop through the house and into the garage, they put it in the garbage can outside. They were beside themselves with joy. They way they went on about this new purchase and this new process; you would have thought they invented electricity or something. They were so thrilled with this simple concept. They went on and on about it for weeks. They kept saying things like “Why didn’t we think of this before?” and “Wow. This has made our lives soooo much better!”. Calm down people. It is a garbage can. 

My buddy, Mojo likes to watch TV just as much as I do. He is not as selective as I am. I mainly like shows about dogs. Mojo does not discriminate. He likes shows about all animals. Sometimes he also likes to watch the news. He likes to watch the newscasters’ lips move. Jinx and Pixie are not as sophisticated and worldly as we are. I don’t think they can even see the TV. Oh, wait a minute. I do recall Jinx watching a reptile and insect program once. That makes sense. Jinx is a savage hunter.

I wonder what other pets like to do in their spare time?

So, you want to hear the “antelope incident”. Oh, boy. Please remember that I was a young pup. I was young, energetic, and maybe a little naive. It’s not one of my proudest moments, but here goes.

I had recently come to live with the Girl, the Boy and the cats, Mojo and Jinx. The Girl and Boy were over the moon about my joining the family, but the Girl was concerned about the cats adjusting to my arrival. One Saturday morning, a dog trainer rang the doorbell. She was one smart, tough cookie. The trainer had me “sitting” in seconds flat. The Girl and Boy looked on in amazement. I guess they thought I was all beauty and no brains. The jig was up. I couldn’t play dumb any longer. The trainer recommended that any new dog should not have free reign of the house. She suggested that they keep me in the kitchen behind a gate when no one was home. She also had the nerve to recommend that I be tethered in other spaces of the house for a month or so. This trainer said I had to understand that this new house, this territory belonged to the Girl, the Boy and the cats. She didn’t want me getting too big for my britches. The jig was totally up.

I complied with this confinement situation. What else could I do? Plus, the Girl and Boy spent lots of time giving me treats when I did what they asked. They also gave me lots of hugs and kisses for doing nothing. I was doing OK with this limited freedom, until the “antelope incident”.

One evening Mojo and Jinx were running around the house, having a hell of a time playing, while I watched from behind the gate in the kitchen. It wasn’t fair. Why should they have all the fun… and all the freedom?  I could hear them running on the carpet and every once in awhile one would fly by the gate, as if taunting me. Boy, was I missing out. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer. I jumped against that gate with all my might. I was scrawnier then, but I was still powerful. The gate came down with one push. I was off. I flew out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Mojo was just a few feet away as I picked up speed. I knew I could catch up and get him. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I caught him. I just knew I had to get him. Mojo took a sharp left around the corner. Just as I saw him duck under a chair, I felt 16 pounds of raw energy smack right into my side. Then I felt the claws. Four claws of furry latched onto me and they weren’t letting go. It was Jinx. He came out of nowhere, and took me down. Jinx was wild and he meant business. He hung onto me for dear life. Even when I toppled over, Jinx still held on. He was not letting go. The Girl had to pry Jinx off me, claw by claw.

The Girl had witnessed the whole thing. She later described it to the Boy as something out of Wild Kingdom. She said Jinx was like a ninja black leopard, taking down an antelope in the savannah. To this day the Girl and Boy refer to it as the “antelope incident”.  I don’t care what the whole incident looked like to them. For me, it was a turning point. I knew my place. I was no longer a naïve pup. I now understood the natural order of things, and that cats have claws. That day, I learned to respect the claw.

My People asked that I introduce myself. My name is Brewster. I am a four year old Brussels Griffon. I have been with my People for over three years. It was a little bumpy at first. I wasn’t sure if this would be my forever home. Oh yeah…and there were cats. I don’t think the cats were too happy about my showing up. In fact, I know they weren’t. Remind me to tell you sometime about what I refer to as the “antelope incident”. Jinx(the black cat) made it perfectly clear that he didn’t like my being here. Sometimes Jinx still rubs it in my face that he was here first. If I am lying on the sofa next to the Girl, Jinx will jump right up on her lap, looking all sly, and curl up for some cuddle time. If I even as much as make a low rumble in disgust, the Girl will take me off the sofa and put me on the floor. The injustice of it all! That Jinx will just look at me smugly, as he settles on her lap. Why am I still talking about Jinx? He doesn’t deserve my time or attention. Mojo (the gray cat) on the other hand, he is my buddy. Even though the “antelope incident” began because I was playfully chasing Mojo, it seems Mojo has long forgiven me. He clearly doesn’t hold a grudge. Mojo and I hang out together by the slider door, watching birds. I try to tell Mojo that he will never catch any birds if he keeps meowing at them like he does, but I really think he just wants to befriend them. Mojo seems to like all animals. He told me all about his pet fish “Buckley” that passed away before I got here. So sad. When my People go out and leave me in the kitchen, Mojo always keeps me company. Sometimes, he even snuggles on my bed with me. I would never snuggle with Jinx – never.