Do Ya Like Dags?

We don't just like cats; we like dogs, too.  My friend Joan asked me today what our dog Muji thought about all these cats we live with.  It's funny she just asked me that, because last night Muji had me laughing so hard my stomach ached the way he was playing with the cats, and it is the first time I have ever seen him really cut loose with them.  And the harder I laughed, the more animated Muji and the cats became, and the more I laughed out loud.  He was chasing Secret, Marbles, Solo, and Charity.  The cats looked a little alarmed, but mostly amused.  We had a grand time.

Muji and Morris safely contemplate one another from behind opposite sides of the glass door

Well, to answer Joan's question, he gives the cats his bed a lot, which I don't really approve of, because it is his.  Sometimes he just shares it with them. 

Oh dear, no room for Muji

He referees arguments that sometimes break out between them, which can be dangerous for him.  Sometimes he gets a swat from one of them when he did "absolutely nothing wrong, mom," which earns him lots of pets and hugs and sympathy from me, and which he knows to rush straight over for. :)  He likes when I am filling the cat bowls and crunchies fall on the floor, because those are his.  And when the cats don't finish their canned food, because that is his, too.  And he likes when they throw up, because that is his, too.  All in all I think he is very curious about them and very respectful, and the cats are really growing to love him, Marbles and Rufus in particular.  I think Bette is the last skeptic left.

With 4 years on the streets and umpteen litters of kittens under her belt, Bette remains our vinegary skeptic

My dad liked dogs.  Growing up, he had an orange chow chow named Rusty, who used to ride the bus to meet him.  When I was a kid I had two favorite Worldbook encyclopedias, the "A", because it had wonderful color pictures of art, and the "D", because it had pictures of every breed of dog you could imagine, and I used to look at the dogs with him.  That is when he would tell me stories about Rusty the chow chow. 

My mom?  Dogs?  Cats?  Not so much.  She wasn't mean to them, and she didn't hate them, she just didn't want them anywhere near her.  She said if they just stayed over there and lived their own lives she was fine with them.

My dad couldn't stand cats.  I mean he couldn't stand them. 

Nik's mom likes dogs a lot.  She has two.  As soon as Nik's father passed away, she moved them straight into the house.

Nik's mom's dog #1, Nelson

Nik's mom's dog #2, Sabu

My aunt, who never was that interested in dogs, inherited a dog when her friend got ill.  His name is Connor.  I remember she was not that thrilled about the idea.  Now you cannot seperate her from this dog.  She sends me pictures of Connor.  We talk on the phone about Connor. 

My aunt's dog, Connor

My nephew got a dog.  And then he had to move.  So he left the dog with his mom, my sister, who was identical to my mother in her opinions of animals.  Now she says it is her dog.  My sister is a convert.

And then there is my oldest brother.  If I remember correctly he was not fond of dogs.  He liked cats.  He was a lot older than me and moved into our basement when he was a teenager to do teenager things, and I just remember what seemed to me a bunch of cats being down there, and then sneaking down to pet the cats, because I don't think I was supposed to be down there.  We had a pool table in the basement, and I remember kittens climbing in the pockets and through the tunnels that were for the balls.

But then he got married and his wife wanted a dog.  So she got a Westie they named Gus who likes hot dogs.  And the next thing you know they got a second dog they named Nick, who likes to boogie board.  Yesterday I got an email they found a stray dog they've named Pinky.  Pinky looks like a cyprus poodle.  I don't know if they are keeping Pinky, but you could say my brother is a convert, too, because when you start to put hats on dogs, there really is no going back:

Clockwise from left, Nick, Gus, and maybe Pinky, my brother and sister-in-law's dogs

 Once upon a time, I had four dogs and only two cats:

 

Mr.Chew

Gracie

Sandy

and Chica

Now we only have one, and I have lost count of the cats. 

There is one super great thing about Muji that I have never found with any other dog.  He keeps his nose out of the litterbox. 

Muji in the car, in a picture taken by his last human mom and dad, Maria and Akis

So yes, I think you could safely say we like dags.