Dog Thanksgiving

Dad says this week is a special week for humans. A lot of them are here at the RV Park because of a holiday called Thanksgiving. (We are now at one of my favorite parks, Silent Valley Club near Banning, California). Dad says Thanksgiving is a time that humans remember all the things they are thankful for and the other humans they are thankful for. They do this by stuffing themselves with lots and lots of food. Sounds like my kind of a holiday.

Silent Valley RV Club is a happy place for me.

Often I have to remind Dad that I’m not so familiar with some human words. “Thanks” is one word that I have little clue to the meaning. So he tried to explain it to me. He says it is an emotion or a feeling that you get when someone does something nice for you or when something nice happens to you for no reason at all. Then, you tell that human or any human how you feel about what they did or how you feel about the good that happened to you. He says that you want to give that human encouragement for being nice. It’s sorta like getting a treat when you do a trick well. The human wants to “thank” you for doing the trick well, so he gives you a treat (the only way he has to tell you how good he feels about it). Now I see why food is involved in this holiday. He says it’s also like when I lick someone that makes me happy. He says licking is a dog’s way of saying “Thanks” to a human.

He says that this holiday was started almost 400 years ago by humans called Pilgrims that were moving from their den in England to find a new and better den in America. They were thankful to the Indians (those are the humans that already lived in America) for helping them find food and to their Father for providing good food to them. (From what Dad told me humans didn’t continue to thank the Indians, but they did in that first year.) He said that they ate squash, beans, stewed pumpkin, wheat and corn and Turkeys and deer. So some of these things are now eaten each year to remember that first Thanksgiving.

So, now I kinda understand it, so I want to tell you about what I am thankful for.

First of all, I'm thankful that I'm a dog and not a TURKEY! Thanksgiving is a bad time for them!

The very first thing I am thankful about is that I’m not a turkey. I think turkeys have it pretty bad at Thanksgiving, being caught up in a human tradition like this. So, I am very thankful that I am a dog and not a turkey. I’m sure glad they didn’t eat dogs that first Thanksgiving. Life would have been a lot different for us. Having the family pet served on a platter each year would not be a very happy thing for dogs.

Dad deserves my thanks for all the special places he takes me. Thanks Dad! I'm especially thankful for Mom (Donna) who runs and plays with me when I don't have my dog friends.

I am very thankful for Mom and Dad on this Thanksgiving holiday. These humans are my adopted parents and they do a lot to care for me. They sacrifice their time, spend their money for my food and health, give me lots of love, take me on long walks and pick up my poop for me. Those things make me feel good. They also argue with each other over what is best for me. I guess I’m thankful for that, but it would be nice if they would agree more often. I guess the result is that I get the very best of care with two humans always giving me such attention. (I would thank you more next year if you would consider letting me stay outside without a leash on. It’s so confining!)

I also want to thank and be thankful for the man that makes my treats. He must be a really good human because I’m happy every time I eat a treat. I have never met him, but I think his name is Mr. Iams because that’s the name on the treats box. (I would thank you more if you would make the treats larger though.)

The human that makes our motorhome must be a very good man. I am thankful to him that I have a safe and comfortable place to live and ride. Thank you Mr. Alfa. (I would thank you more next year if you would make it less expensive for Dad to drive the motorhome. I like to see a lot of places in this country and it takes too much of Dads food money to drive so far.)

The humans that make my water bowl and food dish have to be thanked. Those are things I use every day and they make me happy when I use them. I don’t know their human names, but if you are reading this, thank you very much. (However, if you could make my food dish bigger I would thank you more next year.)

Oh, yes, the humans that make the RV Parks where we stay have to be thanked. They make dog walks, make it possible for me to meet other dogs and make us safe and comfortable. (A few more places to run without my leash would be appreciated and I could thank you more next year.)

I'm thankful for Casey (my girl friend) and her Mom and Dad Karen and Steve.

I thought I would never say this, but the Vets that take care of me when I am sick are really good humans. They are nice to me and only occasionally poke me with long sharp needles. Dad says it is to make me healthy, so I forgive you and thank you for being there to help me when I am sick. (Could you make that needle hurt me less next year? I’d thank you more if you could do that. Oh, and more treats when I come to visit, but I’m thankful for what you do anyway.)

I'm thankful for all my dog friends that I've met over the years, here's Saylor (the dog) and Cindy.

I especially want to thank all the tiny humans that stop to play with me. Without you, my days would be boring. (I would thank you more if you wouldn’t take so much of my fur with you. It’s called petting, not pulling, thank you.) I am especially thankful for my new “niece” Chloe. She is a beautiful little human and I’m thankful she is so healthy and smart.

I'm thankful for all the small humans that stop to pet me and play. Here's Benny and Garry tickling me in Silent Valley Club.

I am thankful for all my dog friends. Casey is one of my favorite girl friends that I’m thankful for. I see her in the summer at RedRock RV Park. I like to run and play with my adopted sister Genevieve’s dog Megan in North Carolina, my Uncle Johnnies new Golden Retriever Mia in California, and Lucy (my little human friend Jennie's dog from Silent Valley RV Club) and all the dog friends that I have met all over the country. You have made me happy as a dog and I hope you get a whole lot of table scraps at Thanksgiving. (If not, once the humans fall over and fall asleep from eating so much, you should be able to eat as much as you want. (But don't eat too much.. see the article below on how you can eat too much on Thanksgiving if you are a dog!)

I'm thankful for my sister Genevieve's dog Megan and the fun I had with her.

Finally, I want to thank all the humans that have made my life happy and who call me by my name (Reggie) and stop to pet and talk to me. Thanks to Johnny Rocket (who takes me on walks when Mom and Dad leave the RedRock RV Park for a little while), Gordon at RedRock RV Park (who always teases me with his wolf calls), Steve and Karen (who are the parents of Casey my girl friend), Uncle Johnny, my sister Genevieve, and so many more humans that give me some of their time. I hope you all fill your guts with lots of good food on Thanksgiving and thank all those humans (and I hope dogs) that make your life happy too!

I'm thankful for my friend Lucy (the dog) and her sister Jennie, my friend from Silent Valley.

I love my sister Genevieve, and Dad. I'm thankful Genevieve graduated from college cause it makes Dad happy.

I guess finally I’m thankful about who I am. It’s fun being a dog and I’d hate to be a human with all of those frightening responsibilities. Its good to like who you are and I do.

I'm thankful I'm me!

Happy “dog” Thanksgiving to you.

Arf

Reggie