Follow me on Twitter I used to have a little brother cat, a cat named Mickey.
Mickey came into my life one day when I was pretty comfortable in my home. But of course I love everybody, so I was anxious to become friends with Mickey. I had never made friends with a cat before, and now I had one in my own home! All the time!
Except that Mickey didn’t see it the same way I saw it.
Here is a photo of Mickey, as he looked one day when I went up to him, wagging my tail behind me, to play with him. You can see that he wasn’t too happy to have me around.
My Dad used to say, “Joey, watch out. Mickey doesn’t want to play with you. Joey, wise up or you’re going to get an unforgettable lesson.”
I’m a friendly dog. I want to be everybody’s friend; I even wanted to be Mickey’s. But as a cat and dog combination, we played with each other in a way that drove our parents nuts. Mickey would lie down in my bed. He knew it was my bed and yet once he discovered it, he made a big point of laying in it.
I, in return, used to go upstairs, to where his food was, when nobody was looking, and eat his food and drink his water. My parents were aware that this was personal, since I would have water in my own bowl.
And so our game played out, for years.
The last few months of Mickey’s life, he learned to accept me. He would walk up to me and allow me to lick and kiss him. We were learning to act like brothers.
Then one morning, I lost my friend Mickey.
Many people look at their dogs and ask, “Is my dog dreaming?” And if so, they want to know “What is my dog is dreaming about?
Here is a video of me, taken three months after I was hit by the car, shortly after the doctor took off my splint and bandages. It was July and warm and sunny during the daytime. I was allowed to take longer walks but I was definitely not allowed to run.
In the middle of the night, my Dad will my Dad say “Joey’s dreaming.” Then he’ll say, “Joey.” Then pause. “Joey.” Or my Mom will do this, too. And then I’ll wake up, and look straight at them, then go right back to sleep.
Am I dreaming? If you think I am dreaming, what am I dreaming about?
Please comment!
So there I was, a Cover Dog, my photo on the cover of a newspaper, right there on the cover of the Daily News Tribune, for everybody to see! And my story was the cover story, “Jottings from Joey”. And it said, “Chocolate Lab’s blog gives dog’s eye view of world”.
When my mom came home that day, she was screaming, “Joey! You’re right on the front page! You’re a COVER DOG!” Not shouting angry, shouting excited. And shoving this newspaper into my face. Okay. Does that make me famous? Does that mean my parents will feed me more chicken from the table when they sit down to eat? Does that mean that I will go on more and longer walks and runs? Does that mean that they will allow me to sleep on their bed at night?
Today when I went to my veterinarian’s for some reason, they said, “Joey, you’re famous!” Did I care? One of the technicians went over to a jar of treats and got me one. Now that’s what I cared about! That and all the love that was there!
About my photo, most people say I looked “regal”. People have said to my mom, “It’s amazing he could stand still for so long while his photo was taken.” My mom calls me “statuesque” though I don’t understand what that means.
The newspaper story that my friend Dan wrote was very good. It was all about my blog, and about my book, the book that my mom wants to find a publisher for. When my mom tells people about my book, they say “My son would love reading that book.” And so my mom keeps on trying to find a publisher.
My book is like my blog: I write it to help other people who have dogs, and to help other dogs, of course. I write it to help children who have dogs to understand their dogs. I know what it’s like to be a dog, and I know what it’s like to be injured. To be a dog is fun! To be injured is not.
There I am! My photo was right next to the New York Times, right on top of Barron’s, and right under the Boston Herald.
How would you describe my closeup coverdog photo?
In June and July, I continued to get mail and receive comments to my blog posts, and I continued to make friends with dog lovers and dog owners.
In June, I made friends with people all the way in Russia.
I really have no idea where that is, or how far away it is, but my mom was saying, “Wow. Russia” when the comment came in. My Russian friend, Alexander, commented on how good medical care for dogs is here in the United States, and that medical care for dogs here in the United States is often better than medical care for people in Russia. I think the idea is that we in the U.S. are supposed to appreciate the blessings of a good life. And be sensitive about people who cannot get good medical care. I know that I do, and I also appreciate good friends like Alexander. I also think there must be many dogs in Russia because many dogs come from there, such as Siberian Huskies, and more.
Around this time, I got my new bootie, and life was really better for me, so people who commented on my blog learned about that and were happy about that.
People also wrote about their own experiences with dogs, and with losing their dogs, as their dogs passed away.
One of my new friends, Jeanne, wrote about how sad she was when her dog died. She wrote that even years later, she still felt very sad about no longer having her dog. My new friend also wrote about how sad her daughter was feeling because her hamster died recently and how difficult it was for her daughter to say “good bye”. That reminded me of my post…about Wanda and Miri and their hamster.
I also got a comment from Ellen, about health insurance and, although this is not my department, my comment did mention pet insurance, which I don’t have.
But one thing is sure: People and dogs both have bones, and bones can break (Ellen’s wrist had broken), and nobody thinks that is much fun. (But while people don’t think that is much fun, I never saw a person with that big collar around his neck, such as I had to wear!)
In some comments, people expressed the idea that just because I had my full splint taken off, that I could go swimming, and take showers, and do all sorts of things. I could not.
So in my responses, I commented that I was still bandaged, that I still had to have a lot of patience. I was very limited in movement, I could not take a shower, and certainly could not go swimming, and still hadn’t gotten my ankle and toes x-rayed to see how well it was healing, or had healed.
Another topic that came out of the comments was my readers’ confusion between a splint and a cast.
In my responses, I explained this difference between a splint and a cast. But to repeat, the splint is more flexible than a cast. It allows my leg to flex more than a cast would. I had a splint.
Finally, I just received nice comments from people saying hello, wishing me a speedy recovery, and telling me how much they liked my story and how glad they were that I was healing. And these comments are just fine with me!
This was a fun day. It started out with my Dad and me running! But then it became very different from other days. 
First, the doorbell rang and a man came to our home. He brought lots of things with him. I know he was nice and I could smell his dog all over him! Then the man said “He smells my dog”. I could have told him that!
So then my mom asked, “What’s your dog’s name?” and he said “Honey”. Honey is a Welsh Corgi.
Getting back to this day, this day was different from any day I had before. The man and my mom and I all went into the office. My mom and I went over to the desk and computer, and my mom said “Joey, sit” and that’s what I did – for a while. I looked at him a lot. I was also pretty interested in this man because I could smell his dog all over him! So after a while I got up and moved around. But again and again my mom said “Joey, sit” and so I did, and then the nice man said, “Joey!” and I looked at him and his big camera and this man said “Good boy” and so on. And so on.
The man was pretty relaxed and I was pretty relaxed. But I was also interested in the treats that were in the little cup in his hand. You can see my ears: They are paying attention to those treats.
And so it went! When this man was leaving our home, he said, “Joey, sit” and he took more photographs of me standing by our front door. He’s a nice man and I was very relaxed for him. And that is unusual for me to sit still for so long and to look straight ahead into a little box that doesn’t smell like a treat. Usually I look up, or down, or to one side, or to the other.
Then the man left our home and another man came! This man and my mom sat in the kitchen and talked for a long time. He was nice also. I was relaxing for a while in my bed in the dining room, right by the kitchen, while they talked. But I liked this man. And so – I brought my ball into the kitchen and started showing him that I wanted him to play ball with me. I wanted to be his friend and I wanted him to be my friend.
I think he is my friend, even though we didn’t play ball. But still, he was very nice.
And then my mom said, “Joey, you’re going to be in the newspaper!” although I didn’t know what she was talking about.
And then she gave me the treats that had been in the little cup.
The rest of the day wasn’t so interesting. But I’m not complaining!
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You can read the article in the Newton Tab about Joey here!
And Joey would be happy to meet Mark the photographer and Dan the writer again, and also to meet Honey!
Joey also appeared as a “cover dog” the following week, in the Daily News Tribune, the following week, with Joey as the cover photo and article!
Many children are afraid of us dogs. Many children love us dogs! And many children are afraid of us dogs but want to love us. They want to get close to us and not get close to us.
Waiting alone, for my mom, outside a school
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Sometimes my mom and I take a walk to the school. She leaves me alone outside the building while she goes inside. For a while, I’m alone but I know she’ll come get me soon.
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Then the children come by!
here come some children!
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These are good times when the children come by. They love to pet me. They know my name. My mom says that when they see her and they don’t see me, they ask, “Where’s Joey?” They ask “Why isn’t Joey with you?”
Then they tell her to say “Hello” to me, and she comes home and says “Ariel says hello!” or names one of the other children who have become my friends.
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One time I escaped from our back yard and walked over to another school where children were playing outside. That was a great day for me. When my mom showed up, all the children lined up to pet me. One by one they pet me on the top of my head, and sometimes on my back. I don’t know if my mom was so happy about it, but I was.
Maybe you would like to tell a little about why children love us dogs! Please comment below!
A 2007 Gallup pole indicated that 44% of American families own a dog. Wanting to have an at-home companion or a friend was the main reason why these families chose to own a dog. A much smaller number of people had a dog for protection, security, or practical reasons such as for hunting and exercise. But dogs are also useful. It’s helpful to know about your dog’s breed in order to understand what special qualities and characteristics your dog possesses innately. Then you can appreciate your dog all the more, and provide the resources that make your dog thrive and be happy.
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On a special day, I got to have my photo taken with a group of firefighters from our town, Newton. Also in the photo were Senator John Kerry and our mayor-elect, Setti Warren. This was a special photo because special and very nice people were in it and because I was in the photo, too! I was being useful by helping my candidate win. You can see me to the right, trying to make friends with one of the firefighters, who is petting me.
When many people think of firefighters, they think of Dalmatians. So we are back to the topic of dogs. Dalmatians and I are dogs. Also, Dalmatians and Retrievers (like I am) are strong and can run for long distances.
Dalmatians were very useful to firefighters a long time ago, before firefighters drove those large trucks with engines that they drive now. In fact, our town of Newton was the first town to use motorized firetrucks in our country! Before firefighters drove trucks with engines, they drove trucks that were pulled by horses. Teams of horses.
So to get back to the topic of dogs: Who protected the horses? Why, Dalmatians, of course!
What did Dalmatians protect the horses from? From robbers and thieves who wanted to steal the horses and people’s belongings during the nighttime when the firemen were sleeping. They also protected the horses from wild dogs who would roam the streets and nip at the horses’ feet.
Why Dalmatians? Dalmatians and horses make very good friends. Dalmatians are strong (like me) and can run for long distances, maybe more than 30 miles, at a speed up to 30 mph! Dalmatians wanted to protect the horses. The Dalmatians calmed the horses down when the horses got agitated, such as when there was a fire. People also liked the way Dalmatians looked, with their spots!
So firefighters have loved dogs for a long time because dogs have been their friends and have been very useful in people’s lives. I am happy to know that in our town we have wonderful firefighters and that now they are my friends!
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I have a lot of nice photographs of Dalmatians and horse-drawn firetrucks! Look below!
You can see the company Dalmatian to the right, just under the wagon wheel.
Here you will see a video of horse-drawn firetrucks from a long time ago, long before you or I were born.
Finally, here is video and a photo of Blaze, the Dalmatian! He’s owned by Dave Humpert from the California State Firefighters’ Association! I think that Blaze and I would make really good friends!
Mr. Mitch Mendler, who took this photo of Blaze, gave my mom permission to use it.
My mom has been taking me all over our town of Newton since I got better. I like riding in the car but many times we walk, which I really love. Right before we reach the center of town, we pass the place where Samuel Francis Smith used to live*, and there is a stone there that marks the spot, something I know a lot about. Who is Samuel Francis Smith? He is the man who wrote the lyrics to the song America, also known as My Country Tis of Thee. And he lived in the home right on the spot where I am sitting!
My mom included the words to this song here:
1. My country,’ tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims’ pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!
2. My native country, thee,
land of the noble free, thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
thy woods and templed hills;
my heart with rapture thrills, like that above.
3. Let music swell the breeze,
and ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song;
let mortal tongues awake;
let all that breathe partake;
let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
4. Our fathers’ God, to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom’s holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King.
I like when he writes about the hills, and the rocks, and the breeze, and the trees, though I don’t know what a rill is. But this is an important place in our town!
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* 1181 Centre Street, Newton Centre
