We received a very special and heartfelt letter from one of our puppies in January of 2021. It's a letter from Ranger's point of view. We have never received anything like this before and we absolutely LOVED it! We had to share this letter with you. See below.....
December 28, 2020
Dear Ms. Christine,
I asked Mama to help me write you about what my life has been like since I came to Yuma in October.
First, I must say that you prepared me well for my forever home. Mama and Papa already had a toddler pen for me here much like the one you had for me and my siblings when I had lived with you. So the transition was easy to a place that makes me feel safe and comfortable. The blanket you sent home is in my pen, along with the stuffed pheasant toy you gave me for a going-away present. I sometimes use it as a pillow.
I am fully house trained now, and I love exploring the back yard, where I find lots of rocks near the grassy area to whet my teeth. I sometimes find sticks, too, for variety.
Papa gets up earlier than Mama, who is the night owl around here. He starts my day letting me explore the back yard, while he sits on the porch and watches me or cuddles with me in his chair before we come inside.
Then I get my favorite puppy chow, which I never seem to get enough of (although they say I am getting more than Purina Focus recommends). I’m now up to 25 pounds, unofficially by Mom’s bathroom scale. I get my first food batch, followed by the rest about ten minutes later. I guess that’s because I inhale my food so fast that if Papa were to give it to me all at once, I might be really miserable.
Between the two feedings, it’s my job to wake up Mama, which I am delighted to do. And she always seems so glad to see me. She’s not so glad though when I begin chewing on her shoes or other items at her bedside. Of course, I can’t resist licking her toes when she finally does get out from under the cover.
After my second portion of food, I get to go outside again, where Papa plays ball with me or tosses my favorite Frisbee. I get a real workout running all over the yard, and I especially enjoy playing “keep away” when he or Mama tries to steel my Frisbee. I run from one end of the yard to the other with it and then run circles around them to keep them from taking it.
Mama has taught me how to sit and stay. She uses hand signals along with the voice commands so that I know what to do. She also taught me to “kennel up” to get in my pen for bedtime or when they have to go out for a while. I also know the meaning of “suppertime.” So when I hear Papa ask, “Is it suppertime?” I go crazy—barking and spinning in circles, sometimes sloshing water out of my water bowl.
Mama thinks I don’t pay attention to what she does in the kitchen, but she’s wrong. If she gets a glass of water from the filtered water faucet side of the sink, I know that she plans to go for the ice cubes next. I love ice cubes! She usually gives me one. (She sometimes gives me baby carrots later in the day—the Vet said it was okay for snacks.)
By around 10a.m. or so, I am ready for my morning nap. Usually that occurs in my pen, but recently Mama put a towel over a soft dog crate cushion near my pen, and I sleep there during the daytime.
Around the middle of the afternoon or late night, if I spot Mama pouring herself a little bit of Dr. Pepper, I know what’s coming next—PUPCORN! (Well, I guess it is really popcorn, but they call it “pupcorn” when I’m around because they know that it is one of my favorite treats.) When anyone says “pupcorn,” I come running. Mama removes the brown hull parts and shares the soft pieces with me. She buys big bags of this stuff from a local movie theater, and boy, do we pig out!
If the grandkids don’t come over, I might grab an afternoon nap. When they come though, it’s total fun and chaos. I thought had a lot of energy, but let me tell you, when we play chase and keep away, they just about run me ragged! I always win, of course, but I am REALLY ready for a nap after they leave.
Speaking of napping, as I mentioned earlier, I love to cuddle in Papa’s or Mama’s lap. I’ve been doing that since arriving in Yuma. I don’t know what is wrong with these people—maybe they aren’t eating enough. Their laps keep shrinking! I can hardly find room to curl up, and their laps used to be so big! That doesn’t keep me from trying though.
I am due for my last series of shots this week, which includes my rabies shot. Mama and Papa have kept me at home to be sure that all of my shots are effective before I get to go out to meet new friends. So about the third week in January, they will probably take me to meet their former boss at the firearms dealership here, since he has been wanting to see me. People who see me at the Vet’s office keep saying that I am really cute. All I know is that Mama and Papa say that I’m the life of the party around here—even though there are never any parties!
Mama and Papa tell me they will keep you informed about how I am getting along, and I am glad they will do that. I still sometimes miss my brothers and sisters, especially when I am looking at some other dog in the sliding glass door to our back yard. He looks just like me, they say, and we always bark at each other at the same time. Somehow he disappears when the door is opened. How silly is that?
Please give Mommy Shelby a kiss from me and a scratch behind her ears.
Hugs and kisses,
Ranger
Credit to Sylvia A. Allen
Freelance photojournalist
Yuma, Arizona
