It's My Birthday!

So today is my birthday and I am nine years old, believe it or not! Frank told Donna that means I'm 63 in human years, which seems kind of old, doesn't it?

Donna and Frank bought me a lot of treats I am not supposed to have because I am, well, a bit overweight.

They also sang Happy Birthday to me and gave me a cupcake with a candle in it. The candle looked pretty tasty but they said, "No, no, eat the cupcake." I have a sweet tooth, but this one didn't do it for me.

As you know if you've been reading this blog and looking at the pictures, my coat is black and white, sort of like a panda. I have these two big patches of black on my sides and my back, but they seem to be getting a lot of white streaks in them. If this keeps up, my fur might look like Frank's hair! Scary thought!

I know I'm slowing down a little bit, but I feel young at heart. I can't believe I'm a day over five (that would be 35 in human years, right?)

Anyway, I feel happy today. I can count my blessings, like: I'm not in a shelter, I have a comfortable house to live in, a couple of square meals a day, and no coyotes...so far!


Bella (full disclosure: this photo was taken a year ago, but I refused to pose with a funny hat today.)

Watch Out for the Coyotes!

When we go on our walks, Frank often stops to talk with a neighbor who lives on one of the streets along our route. He has a little dog who jumps around and tries to get my attention, but this little guy is young and kind of hyper, so we don't have much in common.

Anyway, this neighbor tells Frank that he has seen coyotes on the street and that there is a big one that “looks like a wolf." 

Frank talks to his funny-looking silver box and finds out that most of the coyotes on the East Coast are really “coywolves,” part coyote, part wolf, and a little bit of dog! The box also told him that our town has a map showing where the coyotes have been spotted.

Frank says he worries “about what Bella would do” if I saw a coyote. “She’s tough and she wouldn’t back down; she would fight.” It makes me feel good that Frank knows I would defend him to the death, because I truly would!

The thing is, if I saw any kind of wolf, I would not want to fight him. Wolves are our Noble Ancestors! They don’t depend on humans to feed them or pick up their you-know-what or pull them around on a leash! They run wild and free and make their own rules and I would never want to fight a coywolf, even if she is only part wolf. I would bow down and show my respect! Well, unless it attacked my human...

Sorry—I get a kind of passionate about canine history!

Anyway, we try not to walk on that street at night anymore. Frank says his karate teacher told him the best way to use your martial arts skills is to avoid using them. I agree, especially when it comes to coywolves!

Still, I would love to see one of those Noble Ancestors—from a distance, of course!

Bella (on patrol)