MIKEY SEZ:

Next to his wife, they say a man's best friend is his dog. I wouldn't want to argue with that, but the question for today is: Who is a dog's best friend? Answer: another dog. 

I've been needing a friend, and as of today, I've got one: Sparky. Sparky lives across the road. I've seen Sparky many times when he's out taking me for a walk, but Sparky never came close enough so we could do a meet and greet. Plus Sparky's little and runs around in circles like a crazed chicken, or at least that used to be the case. 

This morning, for some reason, Sparky came through the fence and right up onto the porch where I'm normally hanging out, waiting for something to happen. The best thing, they didn't try to chase Sparky away, like they've done with some of the other dogs who tried to visit. They're the one's who named Sparky, Sparky. I heard him say something about a sparkplug, and she laughed, and after that, they were all, "Hey Sparky! How you doing Sparky! Sparky, come here and play with Mikey." That sounded good to me. Then they decided to give Sparky some of my dog treats. "What's up with that?!" I wondered, and I put a quick stop to that idea with a growl and a lunge. Sparky took off, and I ate the treats. "Bad dog Mikey!" they both said in unison. Whatever.

I figured Sparky would be back, and soon enough I was right. What dog can resist a treat? I did my best to be all friendly and inviting to Sparky. They even took me off the leash so we could chase each other around the yard until I got so hot and tired I had to drain my water bowl and lay down for a rest. I saved a few drops for Sparky. "Here you go kid," I said. Sparky lapped it up, then took off back across the road.

My bet: Sparky will be back tomorrow. Right around breakfast, if I know anything about the habits of dogs.

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

Today they took me to the ocean to a place they call Punta Salinas
which I understand, means Salty Point. This was my first time at the ocean.
It's nothing like the bamboo forest. It made me want to write a poem, so I wrote
four. Here they are, in English, Spanish and Dog...

[English]

#1 SAND

I walk across sand
And find myself blistering,
not feet, but all over

#2 THE CRAB

Falling to the ground,
I watch a crab settle itself
In a bed of dust.

#3 COCONUTS

Wind blows on my face.
Among the trees, I see many
Cocos and chestnuts

#4 FREEDOM

Rolling waves splash shore
blue water white caps big waves
Now Follow Sun west

[Spanish]

# 1 ARENA
Camino arena
me encuentro ampollas,
pero no todos

# 2 EL CANGREJO
Cayendo al suelo,
Cangrejo resuelve misma
lecho de polvo.

# 3 COCOS
Viento sopla.
Entre árboles, veo muchos
Cocos, castañas

# 4 LIBERTAD
Rodando orilla olas
agua azul olas blanco
Oeste siga Sol

[Dog]

#1
Woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof

#2
Woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof

#3
Woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof

#4
Woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof
Woof woof woof woof woof

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

At the top of the hill near the end of the road, is the home of a giant Doberman. Black, menacing and of full of angry, aggressive energy. Whenever we walk by, that dog goes into a frenzy -- barking and growling, jumping up and nearly knocking the tin roof off of his doghouse. Everytime this happens, HE says to me, "Mikey, look at that crazy dog! Thank god they've got him strapped to the doghouse." 

I'd like to tell him not to worry. The Doberman may be bigger than me, but I'm no slouch. Last time SHE took me to the vet, I learned I now weigh 61 pounds -- all muscle. I can handle myself.

Yesterday is a case in point. We walked by as usual, the Doberman was making a regular nuisance of himself, jumping and barking his fool head off, when suddenly we hear a loud SNAP and the Doberman comes charging down the hill headed right for us. that dog was mad, and full of himself. I could see it in his eyes. Stupidly, HE placed himself right between me and the Doberman and jerked back on my leash. "Hey! Get out of the way before he bites you right in the leg!" I'm hollering inside my head. "And let go of the stupid leash!" Somehow HE eases up, and backs off, just as the Doberman makes a lunge in our direction. His teeth are flashing and he's snarling like a maniac. I make a couple of quick feints as he tries to grab my leg and then tries to chomp on to my collarbone. 

"Mikey! Watch out!" HE yells at me. No problem, that fool missed me both times. 

Now it's my turn. With a deft upper cut I bite down hard into his right shoulder. Not enough to draw blood, but hard enough so the idiot knows I mean business. Immediately that Doberman starts backing up as fast as his hind legs can take him. He turns tail and runs back up the hill towards his doghouse, squealing like an oversized stuck pig.

"Mikey! Are you all right?!" HE asks me.

"Never better," I tell him.

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

"WHA???!!," sez Mikey.

MIKEY

Casa Mulero

Mulero Valley

Santa Olaya, PR

"IT'S A DOG'S LIFE..."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT ME," sez Mikey.

He looked at me kind of funny during our walk this morning when I stopped next a big patch of tall-growing, dew-covered grass - and started eating. I wasn't nibbling, but really munching away. Getting a stomach full. "What's up with that?" he muttered, not really aiming his question at me directly. If he'd been more like that guy they call the "Dog Whisperer" he could have just leaned down and murmured in my ear: "Mikey, why are you eating grass?"

TODAY'S QUESTION: Why do dogs eat grass?
source:    http://www.whydodogseatgrass.org/ 

A bit worried and perhaps confused too? Most people have seen a dog eating grass at least once in their life time. However, should you be worried about it? The answer is a big: NO.

Although experts cannot give the exact reasons, speculations include:

1) Dogs eat grass to make themselves feel better when they are unwell. However, this is disputed by many by who say that dogs do not have the wisdom to use grass as a remedy. Also, careful analysis shows most dogs are not unwell before eating grass.

2) Some Experts believe that the reason for this behavior can be a natural. Dogs might do this to improve digestion. This may be a behavior inherited from their ancestors.

3) Another simple reason is that a dog simply likes the taste of grass. It is suggested that this taste reminds them of their prey. The prey of dogs mainly consists of herbivores and there is undigested plant matter in their stomachs. It is possible that eating grass is reminiscent of this taste.

Mikey sez: "O.K. Let's take the questions one-by-one..."

1) What do they mean we "don't have the wisdom" to self-medicate. Have you ever seen the dog equivalent of Ativan or Zofran? Me either. When I'm feeling a bit woosey or have an upset digestive track, nothing works better than a stomach-full of fresh, well-chewed grass.

2) I learned this from my mother. Although some think that it mgiht be an inborn trait - almost Jungian in fact, which makes it like a nature/nurture question. 

3) Yes. Think of brussel sprouts, green beans, snap peas, arugula, mint, basil, asparagus, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, tarragon, cilantro, oregano, chives, sage... The list goes on and on.

Should a dog be stopped from eating grass?

Most vets agree that grass is not harmful for dog. If you feel that the dog is eating grass due to nutritional deficiency then switch to a food which is better. A food rich in fiber can help alleviate the problem.

Mikey sez: "Well, I can't argue this point, but I will say nothing beats a good t-bone steak, especially with the bone still attached - followed by a healthy green salad -- fresh grass will do just fine."

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

"IT'S A DOG'S LIFE..."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT ME," sez Mikey.

Rain's gone and the sun is out. It's been bright and sunny since the sun rose over the mountain a few hours ago. So sunny and hot that already I need to find shade, either here on the porch -- or when he ties me up to the pole in the middle of the front yard -- under the car. In the bamboo forest on a day like this, I used to crawl under a giant banana frond and just hang out for the day. Too hot to chase lizzards, too much sun to be out foraging around in the jungle. I'd just lay around and wait for something to crawl up next to me. I'd play dead, or pretend to be asleep and sooner or later something would appear in my space -- BAM! -- I was on it before it knew what was happening. If it was something small, then I had a nice snack. If it was bigger, it might make for lunch or dinner.

Today -- I'll try the old "just sleeping" routine. I'll let you know what happens.

BTW, can anyone explain to me what's up with Sandy? She seems to be all-over-the-map...

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

"IT'S A DOG'S LIFE..."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT ME," sez Mikey.

Rain! It rained all night and it's still raining this morning. When will it stop? All-day rainstorms make it hard to find something to do, but worse than that is the thunder and lightning - which reminds me of when I was living in the bamboo forest. Compared to that, this is nothing. Imagine huddling under a big green banana frond, water dripping in your eyes and ears. Suddenly there's a blinding flash of light! Followed by a rumble and roar and the ground shakes beneath your feet. All I could do was try to burrow deeper into the jungle, clamp my paws over my eyes and ears, and try to wait it out.

While drinking his coffee, here on the porch this morning, he turned on the radio to his favorite salsa station, and I heard them talking about alarmas, un huranan, otra ciclonica, fuertes lluvias, alertaron, y fuertes marejadas, vientos, and somebody named Sandy -- yes, I understand spanish, but that's a story for another day -- right now, I'm just happy to be here with a roof over my head and three square meals a day -- which in fact did amount to another bowl of dry food this morning, but what the heck, it's a living.

Hey! Is that a little bit of sun behind the clouds over there?! "Mikey, come on, let's go for a walk, before it starts raining hard again."  He's calling me from across the porch. Gotta go. No time like the present...

ps: note on the map how there's a line of rainshowers all along the Mississippi River valley. Interesting, no?

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

"IT'S A DOG'S LIFE..."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT ME," sez Mikey.

Today I had wanted to talk about language, literature, music, maybe even art, but serendipity struck, as sometimes happens. Just as he was leading me down the driveway for our morning walk, -- actually, as usual, I was dragging him down the driveway -- when we hit the gate, the one where he's installed the BEWARE OF DOG sign, which always makes me smile either going out the gate, or coming back in, anyhow there, at the gate, on the outside, sat another dog.

"Hey, what's up with that?" I thought to myself, just as he said almost exactly the same thing, outloud. "What's up with this?" I heard him ask. "Don't worry about it," I'm thinking, "I'll take care of this." We walk out the gate and I immediately go up to this intruder dog, to do a little checking and sniff him out -- I can tell immediately this dog's a male. Smaller than me, scrawny, probably underfed, grey and a bit timid looking. 

You need to know that stray dogs are nothing unusual around here. It happens all the time, at least once a week. Hey, look at me. How do you think I got here in the first place? But, that's a story for another day. This stray appears to have been abandoned just recently. Still has an electrical cord dangling, tied around his neck. Just as he leans down to inspect the dog, the cur bares his teeth and snaps at him. Well, for me, that's all it takes. I'm all over the mutt. Snarling, snapping and in a flash I've got him flat on his back. He tells me, "STOP THAT, MIKEY!" so I back off a little to see what's going to happen next.

He leans down towards the cowering mongrel who's acting all docile for the moment. He doesn't touch the dog, but he does pull on the electrical cord, coaxing the pooch back onto its feet. Then it happens, the hound snaps at him, again. That's if for me. I'm back on that airhead before he knows what hit him. Two barks, a deep-throated growl and a bite on the heels and that maniac is headed for the bamboo forest. "Hey! Where's that dog going?!" I hear him say. "Into the jungle, where he belongs," I silently reply. "Watch out for the big iguana!" I holler as the mangy fleabag disappears behind some bamboo shoots.

By the way, iguana tastes just like chicken -- only a little fattier.

MIKEY

Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

"IT'S A DOG'S LIFE..."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT ME," sez Mikey.

First morning, after that night I showed up, discovered they've got cats. Two, a brother and sister pair. The fluffy blonde one, he's called Venus de Milo, Milo for short - with a long "i" pronounced the spanish way. The scrawnier dirty grey one, they call her Herman Melville. Herman for short, accent on the second syllable, and the "e", it sounds like long "a", and don't forget to roll your "r" in the middle. 

Cats? No problem. Right off I chased them into the jungle. Let them live off lizzards for a while. Besides, there didn't seem to be any dog food when I arrived. She fed me her left-over dinner, right off the plate. "Hey! What are you doing?" he shouted at her. "Who knows where that dog's been?"

Well, I know, and I'm not talking. Bamboo forest - that's enough to know for now.

The cats came back, but it took a few days. Meanwhile all I had to do was make a quick lunge, and wham, back to the jungle. Of course they tied me up. Right away in fact. Right after I chased the cats into the jungle the first time. Some kind of long electrical cord they used. Then, hey, next day they bought me a fancy collar, a leash and some long cables with clips on the end. Whatever. I can still jump and lunge, and you should see those cats go racing off into the jungle. 

"Watch out for lizzards and snakes!" I tell them. Oh yeah, tarantulas too. They taste like chicken - only the fur tickles.

MIKEY
Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR

"IT'S A DOG'S LIFE..."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY, NOT ME," sez Mikey.

In this picture I am standing just outside a bamboo forest near Santa Olaya, PR which for sometime was my home, until one day about a month ago when I suddenly showed up on the porch of Lillian and Jan's house in Santa Olaya, while they were having dinner. 

I sat down near them, and next thing you know they're calling me Mikey, short for Michael the Arcangel. Miguelito, in Spanish. Angelo Miguel, Michaelangelo. Well, you can call me whatever you want, "just don't call me late for dinner." Speaking of which, dinners have been pretty good of late. Too much of that dried Purina Dog Chow to my taste, but lately he's been giving me some of his own left-overs from dinner - dog bones and the like - which is fine by me. Anything beats lizzards and the roadside stuff I had to dig up previously. 

For instance, last night he had steak (again) and after I looked him hard in the eye for about 15 minutes, he broke down, cut me off a piece and gave me the bone as well.

I know, breakfast and lunch, (and probably breakfast tomorrow) was a bowl of that dried up stuff. Hey, it's a living. Who am I to complain?

Got facebook? check out this photo... 
 

MIKEY
Casa Mulero
Mulero Valley
Santa Olaya, PR