It would be hard to argue that much of who we are and what we like and how we want to live our lives is imprinted on us when we are very young. I could quote studies and papers and non-fiction books that will support me on this statement, but I'm a dog and I don't know how to read. I just know what I've heard, from shows on the Animal Planet (which Rozi and I watch when everyone else is out of the house, and which is sometimes hard to watch because one of us gets drowsy and snores like a chainsaw...not naming names, but since I'm the one who knows about it....).
So, the recent news story that has something to do with me (and with Rozi) should not be a surprise to any of you.
The facts appear to be (and I must say "appear to be" because (a) I don't really remember specifics and (b) there's no real proof that any of this happened) that the place that we grew up before we came to this house wasn't quite what everyone was led to believe. Oh, sure, visions of a puppy haven/heaven floated around everyone's head. Everyone imagined us frolicking in the tall grass out behind the barn, then running through fields and field of wheat until it started to get dark and our birth-mother called us for dinner. And, the image probably continues with us curled up in a nice warm doggy bed, getting nice and toasty from our mama as we sloooooowly dropped off to sleep.
But, the facts would seem to present a different story. One that (as I mentioned in the opening of today's topic) is probably why we are what we are. And, that is:
We were raised in a hotel! Okay maybe not "hotel". More like "motel" or "once, but no longer, quaint in on the side of a highway".
And, there are certain things about us that can be, I think, directly attributable to the world that we perceived as tiny (yes, Rozi was once tiny and our real mama has the pictures to prove it) little (ditto) puppies. I mean, imagine it: we were in an environment where we never had to take care of the laundry, because someone came in every day and put new sheets on the bed and new towels in the bathroom, so that if we had an 'accident' on the bathroom rug, we knew that by the time that we were getting ready for bed the next night, there would be a new clean rug ready for us.
And, if you ever wanted something to eat, you could just pick up the phone and press the button that looks like a lollipop (that's how Rozi remembers it anyway) and a nice person would bring food to you. And, you could eat all that you wanted because they would just bring more.
Oh, I tell you, those early days, days in which we learned that life could be a dream were just magical, and they really affected us in a deep and meaningful way. But, it's not just the good stuff that was imprinted on us; there are some things about living in a hotel that aren't so good, and that we carry with us today. And, that is that we didn't have a yard to play in and didn't have streets to run along. And, so that's why when we have a chance to go outside, we both get so excited. And, also, why Rozi just about loses it when she sees that our mama wants to put her harness on and take us for a walk. Now, I too enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of the strolls that we take in the neighborhood, but I enjoy walking gracefully and watching the world go by, unlike Rozi for whom walking on the sidewalks drives her to states of near-ecstasy. These perceptions from each of us must come from those early days.
And, for those of you who are psychologists or psychiatrists or subscribers to "Psychology Today", being cooped up in the hotel room is probably also why we don't take it so well when we go to visit hotels. Yes, we do feel bad about not being able to control ourselves, and barking or - in the case of Rozi - howling like a banshee about it. But, you see, it's not our fault.
So, you now have another little piece to the puzzle that is my sister, Rozi, and me. And, despite all of this (or maybe because all of it), we now continue to live a life of luxury, our days filled with treats and naps, our nights filled with snuggles with our mama.
Why, just this afternoon, I posed for my latest photo shoot.
Arf, Yip, Yip, Yip
Izzi (without Rozi)
So, the recent news story that has something to do with me (and with Rozi) should not be a surprise to any of you.
But, the facts would seem to present a different story. One that (as I mentioned in the opening of today's topic) is probably why we are what we are. And, that is:
We were raised in a hotel! Okay maybe not "hotel". More like "motel" or "once, but no longer, quaint in on the side of a highway".
And, there are certain things about us that can be, I think, directly attributable to the world that we perceived as tiny (yes, Rozi was once tiny and our real mama has the pictures to prove it) little (ditto) puppies. I mean, imagine it: we were in an environment where we never had to take care of the laundry, because someone came in every day and put new sheets on the bed and new towels in the bathroom, so that if we had an 'accident' on the bathroom rug, we knew that by the time that we were getting ready for bed the next night, there would be a new clean rug ready for us.
And, if you ever wanted something to eat, you could just pick up the phone and press the button that looks like a lollipop (that's how Rozi remembers it anyway) and a nice person would bring food to you. And, you could eat all that you wanted because they would just bring more.
Oh, I tell you, those early days, days in which we learned that life could be a dream were just magical, and they really affected us in a deep and meaningful way. But, it's not just the good stuff that was imprinted on us; there are some things about living in a hotel that aren't so good, and that we carry with us today. And, that is that we didn't have a yard to play in and didn't have streets to run along. And, so that's why when we have a chance to go outside, we both get so excited. And, also, why Rozi just about loses it when she sees that our mama wants to put her harness on and take us for a walk. Now, I too enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of the strolls that we take in the neighborhood, but I enjoy walking gracefully and watching the world go by, unlike Rozi for whom walking on the sidewalks drives her to states of near-ecstasy. These perceptions from each of us must come from those early days.
And, for those of you who are psychologists or psychiatrists or subscribers to "Psychology Today", being cooped up in the hotel room is probably also why we don't take it so well when we go to visit hotels. Yes, we do feel bad about not being able to control ourselves, and barking or - in the case of Rozi - howling like a banshee about it. But, you see, it's not our fault.
So, you now have another little piece to the puzzle that is my sister, Rozi, and me. And, despite all of this (or maybe because all of it), we now continue to live a life of luxury, our days filled with treats and naps, our nights filled with snuggles with our mama.
Why, just this afternoon, I posed for my latest photo shoot.
Arf, Yip, Yip, Yip
Izzi (without Rozi)
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