Wednesday, September 22, 2010

You can make a difference!


Today I signed up to be Facebook pals with Barack Obama and Stephen Harper. WOOHOO! Well, I’m not exactly their Facebook friends but I LIKE their pages so that’s close, isn’t it?

I wanted to go and say hi to Stephen Harper at the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa but Cathy didn’t think that would work out too well. He’s always got lots of RCMP and bodyguards around him.

I guess I do appear a bit threatening since I’m so big and boisterous. That must be why a lot of neighbours hide when they see me coming. Or maybe it’s because of Tanner. He does have that effect on people, too. And don’t even get me started about Tyna.

I like being friends with politicians almost as much as movie stars like Angelina Jolie. Did you see me on her shirt the other day? *Whistles* I bet you Brad was jealous when he saw that.

Rory had a question on his French homework this morning that got me thinking.

If you could change the world, what would you do?

As a furry friend (I’m even including cats and rodents here, aren’t I generous?), you might not think you could do much to make a difference in this world but you’d be surprised. Even changing your small little world around you can have an impact. We are all connected in the great circle of life.

*Breaks into song*

The Circle of Life,

and it moves us all.....

Oh, oh, here comes Elton John and he doesn’t look happy that I sang his song without paying royalties. Sorry, Elton. Didn’t think you’d mind. After all, you’re rich and I’m not.

Anyhow, where was I? *Comes out of song filled reverie*

Here are ten things we furry friends could do to make a difference in our little worlds. This mostly pertains to dogs, but I’m sure cats and rodents can gleen some gems out of my words of wisdom.

  1. Eat lots and lots of petfood and pet treats to keep the petfood industry afloat.

  2. Chew your toys to bits so that your humans have to buy you more. Chew up things like slippers and sunglasses so that humans have to replace them. Good for the economy. These are tough economic times we live in and we need to help the best we can.

  3. Think green. I do my best and play with the boys’ old holey socks as toys. *Violins gently play and poor ol poverty stricken Loup chews on his old sock and munches on his mouldy rain-soaked, low-grade dogfood* O Woe is me! This must be how depression dogs felt. Maybe I’ll run away and catch a ride on the rails like the Littlest Hobo. You remember him, don'tcha?

    “Travelin around from town to town.
    Some day, I think I’ll settle down......"
    Uh, where I was I? Oh yeh. *Shakes head and rattles brains*

  4. Dig lots of holes and rip out the grass to help aerate the lawn. This also helps cut down on greenhouse emissions from not having to mow so much lawn. Naturalization is where it’s at!

  5. Eat up leftovers so they don’t go to waste and be sure to gobble them up with glee to make your human feel good. Be sure to pre-rinse the dishes with your tongue so that the dishwasher doesn’t get clogged.

  6. Look as adorable as can be for when your humans want to take your picture. Nothing brings them more joy so go along with it if you can stomach it. I draw the line at the cute outfits though. Winnie might like it but I’m too macho for that kind of thing, unless it’s a leather jacket. *hint, hint to Cathy*

  7. Make sure to stir up a little excitement now and then to keep your humans from becoming too complacent. Make sure they take you for a walk as it’s good for them to get outdoors and breath fresh air instead of spending hours hunched over their computers. Also a dogfight now and then is good for keeping them on their toes.

  8. Stir up some trouble by pooping on the neighbour’s lawn while on walks so that your humans get a chance to get to know their neighbours better. It’s a lonely world and neighbours just don’t bond the way they used to. It’s up to you to break the ice.

  9. Be happy to see every human you meet on your walks. Jump up on them with great enthusiasm and sniff them all over. Even though they may seem surprised, scared, or annoyed, deep down they love the attention.

  10. Make sure to give licks and cuddles to your humans a few times a day. Always be happy to see them. They work hard and endure a lot of stress in their lives since they’re humans and humans love stress. It gives them a reason for living, I guess. I don’t get it myself and would rather play. It’s our job to give them lots of unconditional love. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Just what does that mean anyhow? Do dogs really eat each other? That’s just gross.

Until next time, live in the moment and make sure to take some time to play today like I do.

Love Loup



Sunday, September 5, 2010

Out of the Loup

Out of the Loup
Great title, eh?

Thanks, Sandy er Mrs. Young, (She’s a teacher. Gotta show some respect here) for that great title. Hope you don’t mind that I stole it from you. My name is pronounced “Lou” in the French (meaning wolf in case you didn't know but I'm sure you did) I still think it fits nicely and rolls off the tongue like speaking French words. Love speaking French. Great language.

Anyhow, back to the point of my essay. Don’t want Melanie, Cathy’s essay teacher, to tell me I’m meandering and have too many dropped threads and too little focus. Then again, I have been told I’m extremely hyperactive so lack of focus is often a problem for me. Maybe I'm ADD (Attractive, Delightful Dog, that's me, ;))

Good thing I’m so incredibly handsome and charming to make up for it, right? *Winks and grins showing teeth that make a ping sound when the light hits*

Do you ever wonder why you’re living at this place and time? Do you ever wonder what your purpose is for being here?

Why wasn’t I born as another dog in a different country or even a different century? Why am I a dog and not a spider? I think I’d like to be a spider. They spin the coolest webs, don’t they? Such smart insects, er, arachnids, I mean. Love that word, arachnid. Spiders do such great things eating stupid insects like house flies and mosquitoes. I hate flies and mosquitoes pestering me. Another reason to love winter. Sorry all you summer-loving people out there

Spiders are even smarter than some dogs I know whose name starts with T and ends with R. GRRRR! Stupid dog. Wish I could spin a web and wrap him all up in it. Wouldn't want to eat him though. That's just too gross. Anyhow, where was I?

Oh, yes. I do tend to ponder these heavy questions when I’m here in the backyard twiddling my paws or when I’m working as a bouncer at Winnie’s Restaurant. If I was like Tanner I wouldn’t worry about such things and would only be concerned about my next meal or walk. Life is so simple when you think in those basic terms.

There must be some reason for me being here in 2010. Have you figured out your purpose? It’s hard to figure out what our purpose is. I know Cathy struggles with it a lot, the poor dear and she’s fifty already. She’s always trying new things in the hopes that she’ll find herself some day. Silly girl. Why does she need to find herself? Did she lose herself somewhere? I don’t understand the concept myself. So New Age. Maybe she’s hoping that one day everything will all magically fall into place, a lightning bolt will strike, and she’ll truly understand what she’s been put on the Earth for. Somehow I don’t think it works that way.

In my opinion, you find yourself and sense of purpose when you stop navel gazing and look outside yourself. When you take more of an interest in the world around you, you discover who you are. When you reach out and connect with others, you discover lots about yourself. When you use your talents to help and bring joy to others, that’s true purpose.

All it takes is a leap of faith and willingness to take a few risks. And a belief that you have something worthwhile to share with the world. We all have something to share, no matter how small. Well, I don’t know about Tanner having much to share but anyhow, you get my drift.

This navel gazing stuff is stupid, don’t you think? I like to ponder but I’ve never been much into navel gazing. I can’t see my navel anyhow. Too much fur.
I think we’ve lost touch with our sense of purpose in our quest to find happiness and self fulfillment. Happiness isn’t a constant thing in life anyhow. Sadness is part of the journey. The sun doesn’t shine all the time. Get used to it.

Sorry to rant. Don’t mean to lay guilt trips on anyone. Just pondering as I often do. Being such an intelligent and articulate dog can be a curse at times. It would be much easier to be like Tanner and be totally governed by the primitive brain. Poor dog. He can’t help it really.

Anyhow, have a great weekend and enjoy your long weekend for folks in North America having Labour Day. Don’t mind me. Just ol’ Loup pondering as usual. It’s either that or dig a hole for Tanner to fall into which is what I’ll do next. Woohoo! Can’t wait to see his face! Mwhahahaha!

Love and Licks,

From Loup