Mom, I Miss You Already

Coco, a chocolate Miniature Poodle, wrote this blog (with help from "Emmy the Pet Sitter").

Dear Mom,

What is an Alaskan cruise? And why do you have to go to Alaska for it? I wave my paw as you and Evelyn board the shuttle, but my tiny Poodle heart is breaking.

Emmy, my pet-sitter, suggested I keep a journal to help with my feelings of abandonment (sniff). So here I am in Prescott, writing and pining for you. I thought "pine" was just a tree in our yard, but it's a verb, too.

Mom, what's a verb? Emmy is an editor, and she's teaching me new words.

I like Emmy. I'm not going to say anything to her, but I'm a little worried. Did you tell her that when I sit up and wave my paws it means "I'm hungry"? Did you show her how to mix my food--a little wet, a little dry, warm water, and a smidge of treat? Did you tell her to rest her arm on my car seat so I can snooze?

I bet Emmy won't tell you this, but our first night she forgot to tuck my ears under my collar before I ate. It turned out all right. I licked the leftovers from my ears in the middle of the night. It wasn't too bad, actually.

I know you told Emmy about my (ahem) sensitive tummy. You could have left that out, Mom. Emmy kept me out of the kitchen while she ate dinner, just like you do, and didn't let me lick her plate. She had quiche. I don't know what quiche is, but I could have had some if you hadn't told Emmy about my tummy.

Emmy felt sorry for me. "Coco, I'm going to give you a sound bite you can use when your mom gets back."

A bite of sound? That could be tasty. You couldn't eat a sound bite, Emmy explained. A sound bite was something that would make people believe what you were saying.

Here is what Emmy told me to say: "Mom, each of us is responsible for caring for Earth, our only home. One dog can make a world of difference. If I lick the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher it would be an eco-friendly, water-saving measure."

What do you think, Mom?

Mom?