I'll be TEN years old next month.  Yup.  On September 19th, I'll be TEN.  What that means to me is more trips to the doctor's office, not that I mind seeing my very good friends Nicole, Dr. Amy or Dr. V (depending on where I go) and the rest of my pals. 

 What I don't like is having my teeth cleaned or being knocked out and having little lumpies removed.  Last month I came home all stitched up in blue and Mom said I looked like The Patchwork Girl from Oz.  I had a little fatty lump bump removed from my chest, too.  I'm ok.  Nothing to worry about.  Just getting older is what my doctor said.

Getting older means getting comfy in your skin and knowing what makes people happy.  I'm the receptionist and VP of Public Relations for Rancho Attorney Service.  My job is to make our clients feel at home.  I greet them at the door and show them where to sit down.  If they're needing some loving, I give them kisses and flip over so they can rub my belly.  That makes people relax for some reason.  If they get tearful, I hop into their lap and lick their tears away, too.

 I've learned that I shouldn't eat anything unless my mom says so.  Some things make us pups sick.  Personally, I don't like the biscuit type of treat.  I love freeze dried chicken or liver, though.  I'll do just about anything for those.  If we have clients come in around my lunch time, I pick up my bowl of Core Wellness low fat kibble and bring it to them for sharing.  So far, I haven't had any takers, but I try.  If one of my doggie friends comes by I let them eat what they want from my bowl.  I'm a big believer in "mi casa su casa" and I'm glad to make them feel at home.

 When I was a baby I used to open all the packages that came to our office.  There wasn't anything I couldn't open.  Then I got tired of that and I let other people open them for the past few years.  A couple of weeks ago a package came from my Auntie Leslie.  I KNEW it was for me somehow.   I snatched it away from Mom and started nibbling and tearing at it.  Yup.  I was right.  It was a Sherpa slipper with a squeaky inside.  I started trying to shred it and ended up with cotton-like tufts stuck to my tongue.  Mom "de-fuzzed" me and set the slipper aside for later.  I was so excited I forgot myself.  I'm generally not a shredder by nature.  Old age, maybe?

When someone wants to take me on a walk, I ask my mom for permission now.  When I was younger I'd just dash out the door.  Now I stop and wait for Mom to say "OK, you can go!".   Then I go and let her put on my leash before walking away.  She really appreciates my courtesy.

The photo is of me giving comfort to a honeymooning couple from Nazareth.  My new friend Rula was tired and sobbing so I went to her and snuggled up the whole way to Nashville last year.  We are now friends on Facebook.  Being kind and thoughtful to others brings you friends from around the world.

Days go by faster but the quality of those days is ten times what it was ten years ago.   I'm happiest when I've made others happy.  Giving is living.