Charlie's birthday

Yesterday, we celebrated our dog Charlie's birthday. He is ten years old. This is a picture of him enjoying one of his birthday treats. He's a funny old dog, though. He kept looking around and whining. When we didn't respond correctly, he got up and headed for the door. He wanted to go out and enjoy his treat without needing to worry if the cats or anyone else in the family was going to bother him. Plus, he was probably already planning where he was going to bury it.

No matter how domesticated we think our pets are, it is often surprising to us that they are still not human. They are animals. The cats have never gotten to the point where they really trust us, either. If they think we're not carrying them to the window sill correctly, they'll claw their way to the window in the way that minimizes their worry. Not the way that hurts us the least. And Charlie, while he is a very well behaved dog and is an extremely loyal one, will take off like a shot (no matter who is in his way) if a rabbit runs out of the underbrush in front of him. They can't help it. They're still animals. And I think that's part of the fascination of having pets. There is a sense of having a wolf or a tiger living in your house! There is a sense of having something not quite tame around. We're a little bit closer to nature when they are around.