Missing Out

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He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. ~Proverb

I Monkey here.

Did you know National Dog Day occurred on Aug. 26 (as it does every year)?

Bet not, right?

Did you celebrate with a furry friend or two?

No? I Monkey thought as much.

You all are as bad as Mama.

Now, I Monkey realize these “pretend holidays” that have been added to the calendar to give folks something to post to Instagram, Facebook, and the like aren’t as well-known as, say, Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day.

But I can’t give Mama a pass on neglecting this one. After all, I distinctly heard the Alexa thingamajig tell her that morning about the holiday. And I know her computer had promptings, too.

Did we celebrate? Did I get extra treats? Did I get to go on an adventure, maybe to the Petsmart to pick out a new toy?

No, no, and no.

Humph.

Now, in Mama’s defense, she did take me on a nice walk, and she did give me treats when we practiced my Puppy School commands. And she did hang around home most of the day, keeping me company, rather than taking off on a solo adventure.

But what about “just because” treats? I’ve been awfully good lately, so why didn’t I get them?

Well, Mama claims she can’t afford to give me fattening treats anymore because I’m turning into a “chunker.”

Humph. Fat-shaming, I say.

I mean, finally, I’m able to enjoy and keep my food down (because of the stomach problems I had when I was a little monkey), so a few extra pounds shouldn’t be looked at askance.

Mama says around here, every day is Dog Day. And don’t tell her, but she’s got a point. She did celebrate International Sheltie Day on June 1, after all.

But for those organized folks who’d like to celebrate National Dog Day next year, here are some suggestions to tuck into your planner:

  • Donate to your local animal shelter, stuff like towels, blankets, toys, or cash
  • Walk a dog whose owner has trouble with that sort of thing (perhaps due to surgery or old age)
  • Spend extra time with your own dog doing fun stuff
  • Drive through the bank and get a pup treat for your dog
  • Puppy massage
  • Spend time brushing your dog (or take him to a spa)
  • Bake puppy treats (recipes are online)

28 thoughts on “Missing Out”

    • Miss Miss Linda, the Dog Days of August have hit all of us pretty hard. I Monkey have been suffering under this double coat of mine, and Mama says I know where ALL the air conditioning vents are in the house!

  2. Very good ideas, Monkey! Penny concurs. She also thinks she was hyped out of a whole day of celebrating HER. She says the world would be a better place if we celebrated her more often.

  3. Happy Belated National Dog Day, Monkey! I’m sorry you were disappointed by the lack of attention you got for it. And I sympathize with your frustration over the quantity of treats you’re allowed these days. Sometimes it seems like too much is never enough!

    • How true. While I’m just trying to make up for the solid year of good eating that I missed out on, Mama says I have to pace myself (or rather, she has to pace me!) so I don’t blow up like a balloon. Humph.

  5. Ha! Thanks to Instagram, I did know about the special dog day. But sorry, Monkey… I agree with your mom that EVERY day at our house is “dog day”!! And I know that you’re not “mistreated” any more than anyone around here. 😉

    That’s a great list of suggestions!

    • Well, Miss Kelly, I suppose all us dogs that are spoiled rotten with love can’t complain about mistreatment. So no doggie strikes in the future, right?!

  6. Those are all good suggestions, Monkey. I think we don’t have to wait for a dog day to do them. They can be done now. Tell Mama to take you through the drive through. Oh yeah. The weight thingy.) Let’s hope next year will be different.

  8. Yes Monkey, I did know that National Dog Day was in August because several people I work with have dogs, so they reminded me. Hope you had a faaaaaaaaabulous dog day afternoon!

    Hey, I love your list for next year’s National Dog Day. I will definitely remember them. Oh, and I have a great idea – I think YOU should be the spokesmodel for National Dog Day. And I also think a photograph of you should be on the poster because like I’ve shared with you in the past, you have got THE MOST adorable/handsome canine face!

    Happy Belated Dog Day, Monk! And as always, I enjoy when you post!

    X to you and Mama!

    P.S. We’re starting to get some really nice Fallish days here. And I already made my first Fall soup of the season!

    • Fall soup?? Oh, Mr. Ron, that sounds yummy! I Monkey need to remind Mama that Fall means soup — not that she’s gonna forget, but that she needs to share with me. I’m not terribly big on soups, but I think that’s because she doesn’t usually give me any. We need to rectify that!

      As for my being a spokesmodel of any kind, well, sir, I’m quite honored. Thank you for thinking of me, though I’m pretty sure thousands of other canines would line up for that distinction. Hope you’re having a wonderful early Fall — hasn’t this cool snap been fabulous?!?! Licks and furry hugs, Monk

  9. Happy Belated National Dog Day, Monkey! But I agree with your Mama – every day is Dog Day. I also agree with you that that means every day should be Dog Treat Day! But I also agree with your Mama that all those dog treats pile on the pounds. But I also agree with you that fat-shaming your pooch is wrong! It’s a tricky one! But here are some delicious virtual treats and a virtual cuddle – calorie-free! 😉

    • I Monkey love virtual cuddles, Miss FF — thank you! And you sound as conflicted as can be. Weighing all these thoughts, I can see where you’d compromise by suggesting a nice virtual treat and a cuddle — well done!

  10. Hi Monkey, Yorkie here. Yes, we did know that August 26th was National Dog day. Monkey, my doggo friend, we did celebrate! 🎉

    I agree with you that your Mama doesn’t get a free get out of the dog house pass for neglecting part of this very important date with you especially because your Mama definitely heard the news on that thingamajig!

    Now, my Mama tells me that she was thinking about you! But your Mama seemed a bit distracted for part of that day and that I, Yorkie, must muster up some empathy. Mama’s have so much on our minds that we just can’t “do it all” some days.

    We watched part of GMA and part of another show on TV up on the sofa together. They said most popular dog is the Labrador and the other show said most popular dog is the pug. We were left looking at each other not knowing who to believe…

    Then it came to us that the most popular dog is really the one sitting next to you. So we celebrated with ice cream spoons! I, Yorkie, had three ice cream spoons of pure vanilla and my Mama had vanilla with nuts and chocolate. Then we sent a couple of text messages to wish our other doggo friends a Happy National Dog Day with a cute graphic gift. It was a delicious day!

    • Yorkie, I Monkey think your Dog Day sounds delightful. But I don’t think Labradors or pugs have anything on us Shelties and Yorkis! Humph.

      Ice cream? Oh, Yorkie, I Monkey have heard that’s wonderful, but I have this sensitive tummy, and dairy isn’t something Mama wants to try me on. I’ve heard there are non-dairy options that you can get at the store — mabe I can nudge Mama to give that a go for me. Thanks for the suggestion, Pal!!

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