Why We Should All Be Thankful

It’s nearly the time of year when my humans will celebrate a holiday called Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday that first began in the United States in 1621 when the first settlers celebrated a successful harvest after surviving a long hard year in their new home.

It wasn’t until 1941 that Congress made it an official holiday to be celebrated the forth Thursday of November.  Needless to say there's a lot of histroy to a holiday that has been around this country for well over three hundred years.

The human game of football is popular on this day as are parades and preparation for the mad dash to the nearest shopping mall before the sun comes up the following morning. This is known to humans as the biggest shopping day of the entire year and the newspaper arrives Thanksgiving morning weighing an additional five pounds from all of the advertising crammed into the middle of it.

Canines are different. Oh, don’t get me wrong I enjoy the festivities at my house as much as anyone. I love the turkey and the fixing’s that are piled onto a special plate for me to share while the humans eat their meal. I also like all the extra attention I get from everyone who shows up for the meal and the football game. I get lots of extra pats and strokes, extra treats and, of course there are the crumbs and goodies left lying around afterwards.

Dogs tend to say thanks more often then humans and for things that humans take for granted such as good food, warm shelter, a kind word and a good friend. Dogs have no sense of guilt so we don’t need a holiday to give of ourselves to others or to share what we have with those we love. Moreover, we don’t need a newspaper full of advertisements to find gifts to pass along either.  So here a few days before Thanksgiving is my list of things I’m thankful for:

1. I’m thankful for you, my family.
2. I’m thankful for the warmth of your hands when you pat my head and for the warmth of your lap when I need to cuddle.
3. I’m thankful for the food I am given and for the fact you care enough to make a special trip to the store to buy it for me.
4. I’m thankful for the cookies I get for doing things I would gladly do anyway, since I love you and want only to please you.
5. I’m thankful for my toy box and all those squeaky annoying toys you let me have even when I drive you crazy making noise in the middle of the night.
6. I’m thankful for my ball. It gives us hours together, you throwing, me fetching.
7. I’m thankful for my warm bed, both the one on the floor and the one I share with you. I’m also thankful for you letting me have at least five times more room then I need to spread out and snooze.
8. I’m thankful for car rides and for the safety seat, you make me sit in because you love me. I know that sometimes you really don’t have to go anywhere but you make a special trip just because it’s a nice day and you know I love to ride with the top down.
9. I’m thankful for the moment you come through the front door. The look in your eyes when they meet mine after being apart all day is wonderful and fills me with great joy.
10. I’m thankful for tummy rubs, ear scratches and backrubs, not necessarily in that order. Tummy rubs in bed; just as the sun is coming up and we’re both half asleep are the best. It’s pure love.
11. I’m thankful for the Christmas present you hide under the tree every year and for the fact, you pretend not to notice that I’ve opened it early.
12. I’m thankful for the fact you go through the fast food drive in that has dog bones rather then the one you really like because you know I really love them.
13. I’m thankful for every time I hear you say, “Good Boy!” or “BJ, I love you” or “Come on boy, let’s go for a walk”, because that means I’m important to you.
14. I’m thankful for you letting me have my friends over for a good romp in the backyard and for the fact, you feed them dinner too.
15. However, of all these things I am most thankful because I’m your dog. I belong. I’m a member of a family and for better or worse, no matter what happens I know we’ll be together, and you will always love me; not because I’m handsome or smart or “well bred” but because I’m ME. I’m your dog!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Comment by BJChips^(5,633)

Comment by BJChips^(5,633)