Yeah, I partied a bit too much last night.

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Happy New Year! Since it was my first real New Year’s celebration last night, I learned a lot, like how funny it is when humans drink champagne, who Dick Clark is, and all about resolutions and what people do when there’s a new year.  Dogs don’t really do much of anything when there’s a new year. But humans are way into this stuff. Apparently, they make different “rules” for themselves, like “I’ll lose ten pounds by March” or “I’ll stop smoking,” and they call these things resolutions. And they also sometimes make lists of things they want to change in the coming year, and ways they can help make that change. I still don’t get the big deal about a ball falling in the middle of Times Square, but I guess you’ve gotta be a human to get that. Like what’s the big deal about Oprah or Hershey’s chocolate? I’m not allowed to have chocolate, it can make me sick. All dogs, actually. It can kill us. But I really don’t see the big deal anyway. I’d prefer a Greenie, thanks. And I’m sure Oprah is very nice… but what’s the obsession? You just have to be human to get it.

So I wanted to make a list of things I wanted to help change in the coming year. I’m just one dog, and I don’t have a voice, really, but maybe I can make some positive change through my new blog here.

For the New Year, I’d like all Breed Specific Legislation to stop. Breed Specific Legislation is when a certain type of breed or breed-mix is banned in a certain area. It hurts my feelings to know that in some places, my mom & dad would have to give me up just because I’m part Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It makes me really sad. I’m a good dog, and I know not all “Pit Bulls” or “Bull Terriers” are bad dogs either. We deserve better. Humans made some of us this way, and gave us this bad reputation, and then they want to just eliminate the problem they caused by euthanizing 100’s of dogs and banning them, instead of rehabilitating them or changing the way people think. I can help make this change by showing people how sweet I am, and loving. And when they ask mom & dad what kind of dog I am, and they say I’m part Staffie, the people will realize that not all of us fit into the box they think we do!

I’d also like people to please spay/neuter their dogs & cats. I was neutered when I got to North Shore, and it was totally fine! My mom & dad say it helps when I go to the dog park because I’m not aggressive like I might be otherwise, and I don’t try and “hump” other dogs.  I don’t really know what that means… but I listen to them because they read up about all this stuff. Also, if I ever run away (I can’t imagine why I would), and meet a really nice girl dog, there won’t be any baby Indy’s running around. Now that sounds kinda cool to me, but I have a feeling it probably isn’t as cool as I think. The more people who fix their animals, the less strays we’ll have, and the less the shelters will be overcrowded. And then, every animal will have a nice home like they deserve. I can help make this change by talking about it to my dog friends, and spreading the facts about it on my blog here. They even have  organizations in some areas, and there’s SPAY-USA that will help you if you can’t afford it.

I wish people would train their dogs. Especially if they’re going to bring them to the dog park, or to Petco or another pet store. I’m always well-behaved; at the dog park I play really nicely, and I’m friendly, and I never get angry with anyone, even the little puppies who jump up and nip at me, because I remember being that age. At the pet store, I always stay with my parents, and if I meet another dog, I may try and sniff them but I never, ever, bark at them or growl. I never pull my parents across the store and knock over displays either. That’s just tactless. I may get overexcited when another human talks to me, especially if they talk in a high-pitched voice or get down on their knees to my level, but I’d never just run up to random humans and knock them over. If your dog doesn’t like other dogs, or jumps on people, or bites a lot or has toy aggression, then please don’t bring them to the dog park. It ruins the fun for everyone. And if they aren’t fixed… then especially don’t bring them!

I also really wish people would keep their cats indoors. Cats don’t really belong outside all the time, or even part of the time. I think it’s sort of cruel. I mean, I’d love to go outside whenever I want, but I’d be scared to be alone, without my parents. What if I got lost? What if I never came back? They’d be scared too. If they let me out all the time, I’d think they didn’t care about me. Not only that, but cat pee smells pretty bad. I know there are some cats that live outside around my house and I can tell where they pee… it’s yucky. And sometimes I see them running in my bushes and I forget mom is walking me and I pull her, and then I realize and feel bad. I know I only weigh 40 pounds less than her, and that I can pull like 3 times my weight, but it’s so hard! It’s in my blood! So please, keep those kitties inside. I can help make this change through my mom & dad, they can tell people who have cats to keep them indoors where they belong. My mommy has a cat, and has her whole life, and they never, ever went outside. Except this one story she told me where her mommy had a cat that used to go outside on a leash… what a weird kitty!

Which brings me to my next wish. I wish people would make sure their animals were up to date on their shots, and wore tags at all times that have their names, addresses and phone numbers. Accidents happen. Dogs and cats do get out sometimes… and not speaking from experience, but just from what I’ve heard, sometimes there’s a really interesting squirrel running down the street and you just don’t realize he’s not going to stop running… and, well, you get the idea. Before you know it, you’re two towns away and the squirrel went up a tree, and you’ve got no clue how to get home.  Doesn’t that make you nervous, thinking of that happening to your pet? Well the good news is, if your pet has a tag, he or she can be returned to you much easier! Mom & dad are always rescuing dogs. Dad does it at work all the time, and him and mom found a dog by our house once on a really cold night, and they felt bad so they followed the dog until they could get close enough to see his tags, and mom called the phone number on the tag and the doggie got to go home to his family. Isn’t that a nice story!? I can help make this change by telling people it’s really easy to get tags for their pets- every pet store has a machine in it that makes the tags in just a few minutes and costs barely anything. You can even order them online! Another option is microchipping, but that’s a personal decision, to be made by your mom/dad and your vet.

I also wish people would be nicer to animals. Animals deserve love and kindness, and compassion. No animal deserves to be abused or neglected or forced to fight. All animals should have comfy beds in warm houses with families that love them. We don’t want to fight each other, or attack anyone. We just want to have fun and be dogs! I can help make this change by making people realize animals aren’t disposable, we’re living, breathing creatures with hearts and brains… just like you. Maybe this blog will help people see that, too.

What am I thankful for in 2009? Being adopted by my mom & dad, having a loving family, being healthy (despite one little accident I had at the dog park in May that gave me a limp for a few weeks and almost scared my parents to death…), Halo dog food, homemade dog treats my mom makes, my warm & cozy flannel dog blankets from Aunt Yoyo, and also for just being lucky. Not every dog (or cat) gets this lucky in life.

And my New Year’s resolutions are… to try and stop biting my dad when we play. I know sometimes I bite too hard, but it’s just that I get so into our wrestling games that I forget he’s not a dog and he’s a human. *sigh* I want to go running more, too, I love to run! And once the summer comes, I’m going to be in my doggie pool EVERY SINGLE DAY this year!  And I’m going to try not to pull grandma when she walks me. And I want to learn more tricks, because the more tricks you know, the more treats you get. Also, my main resolution is just to be the best dog I can be so my family continues to be proud of me!

On that note…