A Puppy Looks at 15!

Peanut's POINT OF VIEW

As I look back on my 15 years I realized that I have a few lessons under my collar for you young pups. I don’t like to bark much about myself, but now seemed like a good time to share.

I don’t like to think about the early days. They were rough and tumble out on the streets. I am lucky enough to not remember much from those days. Things turned around for me one day at what humans call ‘the dump’. I was out shopping for dinner for my young kids when some humans came to pick us up and give us some shelter. I’ll always be grateful to those kind souls. *When your life feels like a dump, remember, there’s always someone who cares. Maybe you just haven’t met them yet.

They brought us to a shelter so we could get back on our feet. It was bittersweet to see them all go but I just wanted what any mom wants for her kids, a happy home. One by one they left with good, kind, happy humans. Then a nice couple came just for me. For me! I was a wreck. It was hard to believe that I could have a loving family after such a rough start in life. But they were patient and let me take the time I needed to believe that I deserved love too. *It’s ok if it’s hard to believe that good things can happen to you. But they can. You’ll see.

After a while, my humans brought home some young pups. Itty bitty things. I could tell they didn’t have a mom, poor babies. So I gave them all the love and training I had given my own pups. Over the years, my humans brought home too many lil pups to count! And I love them all like they’re my own. *Always look for ways to treat others like you’d want to be treated. Share the love in your heart and show the next generation how to sit.

Around my tenth birthday, I started to think about my legacy. I wanted to share what I know and help people love their pups and take the best care of them they can. So I talked to my humans about ways we could bark about it and they came up with the idea to do that through this magazine! It’s been quite a journey to get here to being a magazine mogul. Young pups ask me all the time how I did it. I tell them to hire good humans and take lots of naps. It’s important to care for yourself. *Surround yourself with others who care as much as you do, you’ll be surprised where you end up!

It’s hard to believe that I’m going to be turning 15! If I had to sum it all up, this crazy life of mine, I’d say... don’t bury your bones. Share what you have with others, go for long walks with your humans, and wag your tail at all who pass. ■