Down Dog!

Happy New Year friends! Sorry I have been a bit off the grid lately. The holidays came and went and my canine exploring fizzled. I am not sure what exactly happened. One minute the house was full of food and laughter and the next minute my brothers were gone – along with all the tasty treats! Family returned to their homes away from my home, my hoomans went back to work, and the twinkly holiday lights were turned off. My days that were once full of music and dinner scraps returned to just me and the quiet ticking of the living room clock.

As January began to blow by it brought with it “arctic blasts” that made it too cold to be outside. This meant my opportunity for outdoor canine adventures dropped below zero along with the Michigan temperature and my bad attitude. I started to feel like a pretty down dog as the winter blues took hold. I felt as though there was nothing for me to do but bury my face in the couch pillows and wait for spring.

I was going on week three of this frosty slump when my hoomom decided to intervene. She clipped me in the car and drove me to town for a special adventure. Before I knew it, we were walking into the do-it-yourself dog wash. It took some milk bone bribery to get me to walk the plank into the tall tub, but once I was in…it was pure utopia. My hoomom lathered me up with warm soapy water and spent extra time rubbing behind my ears. She kissed my nose and kept telling me I was a handsome boy. I really started to believe in this “self-care” stuff and slowly began to relax. A day at the spa was just what I needed to melt away my winter blues. 

So friends, as we head into the last gloomy week of January, check-in with your friends. If you haven’t seen them around – you might have to take some time to plan a special adventure. If you are the one suffering from the winter blues – maybe draw yourself a bath and remind yourself that what goes down must come up. This week we will begin the month of February – so spring will be here eventually!

Thank you for all of you who sent me messages and checked in on me. Now it is my turn to check-in on you. Send me a message and let me know how you are planning on beating back the winter blues. 

I look forward to hearing from you – bark at you next week!

Your friend, 

P.S. Please feel free to share this story with a friend. It could be just the thing to cheer them up today!