My 5th Birthday

The Birthday Boy

King for the Day

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Today I turned five years old; a milestone birthday.  What's so special about turning five you ask?  Well, when you take into account that one human year equals seven dog years, today I officially transformed from Sister's little brother to her big brother.  Yep, I'm older than Sister!  Now, I'm not saying that I plan on taking advantage of Sister seeing that I'm the older sibling, but let's just say, I expect to gain some perks with my promotion.

Now, as a birthday treat, allow me to reminisce about my very first birthday.

Right off the bat, everything about that day seemed special.  It was Monday, May 31, 2010 and, for some reason, no one in my family went to work.  They did, however, spend the morning running around the house cleaning and cooking for a BBQ scheduled for later in the day.  I was amazed at the flurry of activity.  I knew that I was a one of a kind dog who deserved an extra special first birthday, but to take a vacation day and create some elaborate meal in my honor?  Wow!  But, if my family wanted to shower me with BBQ hot dogs (I had been told that hot dogs, despite their name, are not made from dogs), hamburgers and potato salad, who was I to argue?

Shortly before 11am, Sister gave me a good brushing (she said I had to look my best) and tied a kelly green bandanna around my neck (I'm more of a forest green kind of pup, but I got it free when I submitted to a grooming session a couple of months earlier).  I hate to brag, but looked good! 

Now, over the years, I've learned that the words "do you wanna" only mean good things for me.  "Do you wanna go get dinner?"  Yes please!  "Do you wanna go for a ride in the car?"  Of course!  "Do you wanna go outside?"  To chase squirrels...sure!  So when Sister asked me "Do you wanna go for a walk?" I was more than game.  I ran to the side door, allowed Ma to put my collar and leash on (because it was my special day I was not required to wear the "snout guard" AKA Gentle Leader harness that Ken the Dog Trainer requested I wear so that I would learn how to walk nice), then I followed Ma, Pa, and Sister out the door and through the front gate.

I noticed immediately that the outside temperature was a little too warm for my comfort (I am, after all, always wearing a fur coat), but I didn't let it bother me.  I was going for a walk and, better yet, I seemed to be walking toward the park (a neighborhood place that, while lacking a dog run, does offer up a lot of interesting smells)!

It is hard to believe, but things got even better.  When I got to the park I was greeted by what seemed like half the town lining the street.  Some people stopped to give me a pet (including "Uncle Mike" who lives down the street) while those who didn't just admired my handsome good looks from afar.  Overall, it was a warm birthday greeting and quite the birthday surprise!

After making our way through the crowd, Pa found us a nice quiet (and shady) spot inside the park with a great view of the street.  I sat down and Sister sat down next to me to give my neck a scratch.  After a minute or so, Sister leaned in close and whispered in my ear: "here it comes."

"It" was a parade!  My very own birthday parade.  There were shiny cars, marching bands (each member wearing a funny looking plume on his/her head), cheerleaders carrying pom-poms (I decided then and there that pom-poms are the perfect toy...you can throw them up in the air, chase them, and then shred them into a thousand itty bitty pieces), lots of children (where there are children there are snacks), and bagpipers (also wearing funny looking feathers in their hats).

Once the parade passed by, a number of people walked up to a podium to make a series of speeches.  Now, I couldn't hear those speeches (the sound system was not that good despite a couple of high pitched interference screeches which made my hair stand on end), but I was sure that they were all wishing me a very happy birthday and commenting on my devilishly good looks.  I wagged my tail in approval each time the crowd erupted in applause.

After all the speeches were made, the crowd dispersed.  But before we left our quiet and shady spot in the park, Sister turned to me and asked:  "Did you like attending your very first Memorial Day parade?"

Wait...the parade wasn't for me?!