I wonder what kind of dog I’ll be when I grow up. Maybe I’ll be an athlete and join the ball and Frisbee crowd at the park.
Maybe I’ll be a sportsman, trailing dangerous game through the fields and forests.
Oh! I know what I’ll be…
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When I Grow UP
I may look like a sweet innocent little fuzzy puppy but when I grow up I will be famous! You may have thought that dogs couldn’t dream, but you’re wrong. Remember Paul Harvey? In one of his articles about “Kid’s say the darnedest Things,” a kid asked a great question about us – He said, “Do dogs dream?” Now you know the answer is, “Sure they do!”
Anyway, back to the subject at hand – “What will I be and do when I grow up?”
I will be a famous hunting dog that people from all over the world will seek me out, just to watch me do my tracking in the field. My master will proudly show me off and brag about how brave and cunning I am! He will setup wonderful hunting scenarios to show how wonderfully I work in the most difficult situations.
My master will proudly take me to the “One Box Hunt” in Broken Bow, proving that with a great dog like me you don’t really need a full box of shotgun shells. Just six shells for six birds. My hunting skills plus my master’s shooting skills made this all possible.
But, the most important thing that I’ll be “When I Grow Up” is my master’s best friend…
Oh! I know what I’ll be…
I will be the friend waiting for the kids to get home from school. I will wag my tail, and bark a happy greeting to let them know how much I love them. When one of my kids is hurt, I will lick their face to make it go away, I will nudge and push until they forget and begin to play again. I will be ferocious lion and protect my family’s home when they are out for the day. Challenge me Mr. Bad Guy and you will see I will fight you to the death. Don’t be fooled by my sweet sunshine appearance, I chew bones see my pearly whites.
I will ride in the car, stick my nose out of the window and breathe in the air. Okay I know, not a good thing to do, but I am a dog. I promise to fetch every Frisbee, ball, and stick my family throws for me. I will smile when they pat my head (btw dogs really don’t like that). We will grow up and old together, and when it is hard for me to walk, I will still smile and lick my master’s hand, loving them all the while. When I grow up I will be the most important dog in the world, the dog my family loves.
I want to be a helpful dog, for certain. I want to do my part and be an important member of the family.
My humans really enjoy cutting things. And tidying. They do a lot of clean-up. I guess sometimes playing is pretty messy. They seem to have a lot of fun making the mess. They’re very happy people. They didn’t even get angry when I peed in the house last time. I’m really glad we don’t have carpet. I bet they are, too. With the food fights, the cutting, and all that splattering, who could keep a carpet clean?
They like things clean, for certain. Each time they play, they cover everything in plastic, even the walls. I don’t know where they get so much plastic. Maybe they own a plastic store. I bet that’s it! And I could be the store mascot! How cool would that be? I wonder what the name of the store is – I wonder if they named it after me? That would be awesome! I bet none of the other dogs in the neighborhood have a store named after them!
My humans also use a lot of duct tape. They probably sell that at the store, too. They like white duct tape. Mom says the contrast inspires her. I have no idea what that means, but it makes her really happy.
I think when I grow up, I want to be a cadaver dog. There’s no way Mom and Dad will be able to remember where they’ve buried all those pieces.
I apologize if I shouldn’t enter a comment, but I will …lovely tribute.
I’m just a young pup at the start of my game
When I grow up, the whole world will know of my name
I’ll be a legend like Lassie or Little Ann or Buck
I’ll spend every nice day in the back of a truck.
I’m a young pup with charm and vitality galore
I’ll bark down all of those who dare darken my door
No cat is my master, no puck I can’t block
Got a Frisbee? I’ll catch it. All I can’t do is talk.
In my mind, I still have many more wars to wage
But my bones tell me otherwise; they creak out my age
My tail still wags happy, though some days it’s slow
And that lump in my side? Well, no one wants to know.
The word “hockey” still sends me a shiver of glee
But the kids now go out and play without me
I love the kids’ visits but am glad when they leave
Except the one I called mine; he grew up, and I grieved.
I reserve my barks now for the fiercest of guests
I avoid those darn cats; in the end, they’re just pests
I don’t chase the cars since I got hit that time
And the hill past the lake? Well, it’s one I can’t climb.
But in my heart and my soul, I will never give up
‘Cause inside–where it counts–I’m still just a young pup.
What will I be when I grow up. There are many things that I could be. I could be a great hunter, I could be a fly ball champion or the world’s greatest diving dog. I sat and thought long and hard about what I want to be. Would it be great to be adored by millions? Well yea. To be recognized every where I go would be neat. But what would make me the happiest? Well I am happy when my person is happy. I don’t want to just make my person happy. I want to help people. So I want to be a therapy dog. I thought about being a guide dog or an assistant dog which is very noble indeed. But I can help more people by being a therapy dog and visiting a lot of people. So when I grow up I want to be a therapy dog.
Incarnation
Ommmmmm . . . ooooommmmmmm . . . Om is a howl, a whimper, a screed of the soul, a call to the Self that echoes.
I am the sanyasi, one who wears the golden robes. I follow the Path and renounce the way of the pack, pant with passion and compassion. I swim inner waters, seeking to retrieve previous lives. Man’s best friend, prince of peace, I am the giver of the Self—guide to all who hunt for the meaning of life.
Let me shed light upon you, along with my fur. Let me drip soma upon you from my wet and glistening tongue. Gaze into my brown eyes; shed your two-foolted ways and learn the lessons of devotion.
I am the deva that curls at the foot of your bed. I am the Brahmin that chants the primal sounds of nature. I am That which wags the tail, the woof and warp of the universe. Bliss is but a bark away.
Oh! I know what I’ll be…
I’ll train for six months to learn the lay of the land. I’ll hide things and find things while I study the people that I have been assigned. By then, I’ll know their habits and I’ll get them on a schedule I can maintain.
But they’ll still think of me as a pup. So, I’ll use the next year and a half to get them acquainted with my surveillance tactics and different sounds. I’ll bark when I want out and I’ll have a different bark for when I want back inside the house. While I’m outside, I’ll survey the neighborhood under the guise of doing my business.
While I’m inside, I’ll check all windows and doors while scoping out a central location to take my post. Of course, I want it to be in a common area where the family normally gathers. So, I’ll have to figure out a comfortable place where I can rest since I’ll be spending a good bit of time there.
That is when I’m not lying in bed with the seniors or babysitting the young ones. In my pre-dog training, it’s the young ones who get the most attached. But, the seniors seem to take it hard as well.
I am sworn to give my life for my family. But, I hope it doesn’t come to that. I just want to retire with a respectable pension and live out my elder days teaching the new guardian how to behave.
When I Grow UP
I have a busy life ahead of me. First, I must learn to sit, stay, lie down and pay attention to my master. Then, I’ll learn to walk beside my lifelong friend. We will be inseparable until I take my last breath. I will love him even after that.
Every day, I learn a new trick. Today, I trained to turn on lights. I totally nailed it! Yesterday, I learned to pick up my owner’s book and place it in his lap. He patted me on my golden head and said, “Good Boy!” I licked his face with excited glee.
My trainer calmed me down because it is my duty to stay on track with my preparation for being the best Assistant Dog ever. My owner didn’t mind my joyful display, for he rubbed my cheeks with just as much exuberance as I had shown.
“Back on track!” our trainer shouted.
We both stopped to listen, to learn. Soon, we would be on our own, just my friend and me. Soon, our trainer will not be there to show us how to retrieve the mail, how to help my master move from his wheelchair to the bathtub, how to pull him uphill when his arms are too tired and the gentle commands needed to make these things so.
I am proud to be the best friend of a veteran who lost both of his legs in a battle that happened long before I was born. And I am eager to help him to live by himself, to do things by himself, to be independent, as if I wasn’t even there.
But I will be there. I will love my master and I will be his best friend. That’s what I’ll be when I grow up!
There’s only one thing I can be, the fuzzy pup thought to himself. He jumped down and burrowed under the couch until he found what he was looking for. Out he popped wearing a short red cape. And some dust bunnies.
Shaking the dusty tufts from his cape and snout, the young pup peered up, seeing the open bedroom window. As he leapt to the sill, he thought I shall be…Ultra-dog! And with that, he jumped out of the window.
Yipes! the young Ultra-dog’s eyes opened wide, realizing how high up he was. This is not good!
He closed his eyes. His only thought was This is gonna huuurt! as he waited for the inevitable impact. And waited.
Huh? the young dog thought, opening one eye tentatively. He was floating in mid-air. He looked around in amazement. Holy cow!
A glow from above suffused the area. The pup saw a kindly white fluffy dog face in mid-air.
“Young Pish-El. You were sent to Earth from the planet of Montagoon, long destroyed in a Cat-a-clysm. You have powers beyond mortal dogs. You truly are…Ultra-dog!”
The glow faded and the pup woke dazedly on the ground. He still had his cape on. What a weird dream he thought.
Just then, he saw a young boy crossing the street. A car was barreling at him. Without a thought, he flew to the boy, grabbed his shirt collar in his teeth and sped him across the street to safety.
He smiled. Or was it?
Yep, that’s me, Beauregard. Bryan, my owner, called me Beau and what a strapping young lad I was, don’t you agree? Retrieving was my job and I knew it – it was in my blood.
Bryan and I had just won first place in the annual field trials. While loading the truck he suddenly fell to the ground. I knew something was terribly wrong and stayed by his side until a fellow competitor came to help.
Back at home, many sunsets came and went without Bryan. One night, two strange men came to up to the kennel. Their scent was unfamiliar; they opened the gate, slipped a leash over my head and drove me away.
My story is not for the fainthearted. The reality was – I had become the unthinkable – a bait dog. The repeated abuse left me cowering in excrutiating pain, but I knew I had to survive this nightmare.
With only one eye and half of my jaw missing, I was released. Sadly, a mere shadow of the cuddly, happy, young fellow you see in the picture. I was microchipped as a pup and eventually picked up and taken to the vet for scanning.
Suddenly the smells became more familiar… I was almost home! You see, Bryan had suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. Our bond needs no words. We both have been given a second chance at life. This time – when I grow up… I will be Bryan’s therapy dog.
My adopted family call me Jason. They use words like Argonauts, hero, brave and such. I sense it’s something they think I ought to learn to be. But how can I, when I have no idea what those things mean?
I like it here. It’s warm, there’s lots of yummy food and I get petted and walked and even get to sit on laps. The big one says I’m not supposed to be on the furniture, but even she doesn’t chase me off it. See here? That’s my favourite spot on the sofa, where Sarah sits to read her books. My head is a perfect fit on her leg. Sigh. Snore.
Oh, yeah, you asked what I want to be when I grow up. I fell asleep there for a bit. That’s easy. I want to be loved, hugged, brushed, played with. I want to have my ears scratched. I want to be taken on car rides and talked to. You know, more of the stuff I already do. Just like my buddy, the cat, only she doesn’t get to go on walks.
I saw a dog save a girl from drowning on that thing called TV. If I ever see a girl drowning I’ll save her. In the meantime, life is good just the way it is. The only thing I’d change is those things called shots I get at the place called the vet.
Oh, I hear my name. I wonder what’s for dinner. Gotta go. Bye.