ananya asks: Where are you from?
Hi ananya –
I don’t remember much about the first few months of my life. I was born as part of a litter, and wandered about with my mother and brothers and sisters, till one day I was picked up by a dog catcher and taken to a pound. I spent about a week there, before a stranger bought me and took me to his home. That home was the first place I ever began to develop a sense of “being from” somewhere.
As you probably know, that stranger was a man who kept me around, fed me, sheltered me, taught me a number of rules, and – most importantly to me – has loved me like crazy ever since. I’m no fool, so I have stuck with him, and will stay with him as long as I live.
So when you ask where I’m from, my most honest answer is, I’m from where Handsome is. Geographically our home is in the United States, on the west coast, not far from Los Angeles (Can’t you tell from my movie-star looks!). But dogs don’t live in the sort of world you see on a map or a globe. Our awareness is very different. So I’d argue that I’m from that yard that smells like that, up the hill from that area that has the slight breeze where you can smell the sagebrush from miles away, right where the sun is warmest when it’s just over those treetops.
Or I could say that I’m from the woods, just as you see in the picture on my website. I’m from near that little stream, that really cute doghouse I like so much.
Or you could say, as some do, that all dogs come from heaven, that we’re all angels here to help humans out and make this world a better place.
Or I could be really rude and say, “Who cares where I’m from? I’m here now, aren’t I!”
But I think the truest answer is my first. I’m from the streets, and I’m from a pound, where I was overdue to have been put down. And I never forget how close I came to not living this fun exciting life, and how grateful I am to Handsome, and to everyone else who’s helped me along. And to all the friends who keep me happy, excited, and fulfilled.
Yeah, that’s it. I’m from Gratitude. That’s exactly where I’m from.
Great question! Thanks!
Shirelle