From the hearts of canine companions

January 1, 2008.

It’s another New Year’s Day.

When the Chinese New Year sneaks in on Feb. 7, all the rats, mice and rodents in the world will rejoice, for 2008 is the Year of the Rat.

Gorby, Tasha and I are up bright and early today. I am Nik, the cute and oh-so-wise-looking Mini Schnauzer with my human Kathy in the photo.

My sibling Toy Poodles and I are writing this week’s Dogdaze column for our pooped-out human. You see, dear readers, our human Kathy has not been the same these last two months of 2007. And, although she doesn’t bark to us what ails her, we doggie companions hear her speak about her woes and joys to her fave friend over the phone — that is when she does answer that ever-ringing phone.

Tasha has also become an expert at getting to the inbox of her high-tech cell phone, and is in the habit of reading our human’s text messages — we want to be in the know. After all, we are her closest canine companions and, yes, like our human Kathy, we have long and large noses for news.

Gorby, our eldest sibling, barks to us that it is not wise for us to spill the beans (what does that mean? I wonder) on the life of our human Kathy in public.  Since Gorby is the one Tasha and I fear, we heed his growls.

* * *

Before we bark to you our wishes for 2008, Gorby, Tasha and I ask you — pet lovers, Dogdaze readers and friends and foes of our human Kathy — to pull your hands (please allow your pets to read this, too. That’s for equal rights to all!) and your pets’ paws together and thank God and the Big Dog in the Sky for another year that will allow us to become better at who we are, to do more for others (animals and humans alike), and to eat less meat, for better health and less cruelty to animals the world over.

Gorby adds: “The year 2008 is a brand-new year for our human Kathy. This is my wish for her:

“It’s another year, another chance to challenge herself, and for her to look at life as something livable and hopefully full of all that is good and positive.

“Putting the pieces of her life back together these past two months has been difficult. But, just as she always says, life is short and so is she.

“So, dear human Kathy, get a move on it.”

* * *

Tasha, the only lady among us, (No, she’s not a bitch!) says that we should each make one wish for the 12 months of 2008. Gorby and I, male doggies of few words, beg to differ with Tasha. So, here’s our list. We made it, checked it and did not bite anyone or each other in the process of coming out with it.

Three doggies wishes for 2008:

1. More parks and more pet-friendly places like Eastwood, Rockwell, Bonifacio High Street, Tiendesitas and Serendra. We love to pet and people watch, too, you know.

2. More responsible pet owners so that more establishments will understand just how much a part of the family pets are. Pets rule.

3. A stop to cruelty to animals. That’s our biggest wish.

4. An end to cruelty in the world.

5. Better-maintained pet stores. We mean the ones that have pets for sale. We have seen quite a few not-so-lovely pet places in our visits to establishments that allow pets in. The doggies there have barked their woes to us and we picked up a few other sad stories from the other pets there, too.

6. No to any place that cages animals for whatever reason they may have. No animal should be put in a cage, an aquarium, a box.

7. More well-organized fun activities for pets and their humans like those sponsored by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and other like-minded animal welfare groups.

8. Love for all petkind.

* * *

Our human Kathy is now awake. We need to end this piece because she hates it when we hang out around her computer.

Bark, arf, woof, till next time.