The Absolute Very Best Dog in the Entire Universe Forever

I am Tilly, but my Mom is the one proficient in keying, so she’s the typist in this partnership. And when I say partnership, it’s a true symbiotic relationship. Mom is pretty wise, but Mom REALLY thinks I am the wisest of all. Probably because I’m patient and kind, but also full of spirit and a love for life, with a sincerity that rivals none. Mom tells me all the time that I am the BEST DOG. The Absolute Very Best Dog in the Entire Universe Forever.

Mom wants the world to hear me, because of that Best Dog in the Universe thing. So she is typing up my daily conversations and thoughts here. Some posts will be memories, some are life hacks, some posts will be poems about cookies, and some bits are just plain old Dog Wisdom, Unconditionally.

My primary way of communicating is through my sense of humor, and Mom and I have a million private jokes and schticks together. Every once in a while we go through the routine – tell each other the jokes again or play through the schtick – so we don’t forget how good they are.

Mom feeds me, walks me and plays with me, and I make her laugh at least once every single day. That was my goal at 35 days old when she came to take me home from the shelter, and so far I’ve been a success more than 50% of the time. Mom seems to get lots of other things from me that I’m not distinctly aware of, only instinctively aware. Regardless, we are a unit, and laughing, wagging and the acquisition of cookies are daily goals.

The Original Dog

Luckily, I’m OD – the Original Dog – of the house. The other two dogs are mighty fine roommates, but in my opinion, it’s really about Mom and I, and what we’ve shared in the past 12 years. I try to be generous and share Mom with the other dogs, but sometimes I saunter right in there and butt one of them right off the belly tickles line because I am the OD, and because Mom was really MINE first. And she still IS MINE, and she always will be.

My view of life is this: Life is meant to be enjoyed, and learned from, and learned about, and savored like cookies. (Crunch, crunch, crunch. I like to hear the crunch in my head.) Sometimes I get off track, especially when there’s something outside of the fence that I don’t like (like a strange cat, or a deer for instance), or smells that catch my attention.

I’m Experienced and Well-Socialized

For a 12-year-old pup, I am one helluva smeller. My nose is so good that I catch most things before the younger roommates do. My Mom says my smeller is so good because her and I have traveled so many places together, and I’m an EXCEPTIONAL and EXPERIENCED smeller. (Mom usually accentuates the word EXCEPTIONAL, which makes me wag.)

I’ve seen a lot of movies in my lifetime, and probably the best one was Up. I liked Doug. He was pretty awesome and helpful to those humans, even if a bit of a ding dong. Not all of us can be thought leaders, I guess.

For the most part this blog is about life stuff that I’ve sniffed out – my philosophy, my perspective one could say. I will try to keep my dailies short, because life is short. Much shorter than we ever really understand until way late in the game.

So, in parting I’d like to share: When we go for rides in the car, there’s a combination of words I sometimes see on other people’s cars: Bark Less, Wag More. I believe that is truly EXCEPTIONAL advice.