Today is a big day for me—it’s my fourth birthday. My fourth birthday marks two years since Hannah and Nate brought me home to their family. I can’t believe it’s only been two years. I feel like I’ve been here forever. I barely remember my life before Hannah, Nate, Ben, and Lucy. Honestly, I am not sure I want to remember those days anyway.
It’s a little strange because I haven’t heard my family mention my birthday much. Usually I catch snippets of conversation and listen to the plans for me. But not a peep. I hope they didn’t forget about my birthday! Last year I had a feast on my birthday–new toys, bacon with dinner, and a new bone.
My birthday starts like any other day. Peach and I wake up and slowly make our way downstairs. We go through our morning ritual of going outside, eating breakfast, and a round or two of the mouth game. When we grow tired, we snuggle with each other on the couch. We lounge around the house for the day while Ben, Lucy, and Nate are away.
When Lucy and Ben arrive home with Hannah, Lucy runs straight to me.
“Happy Birthday Zelda pug!” she says, giving me a big squeeze. “Sorry I forgot this morning,” she whispers. I lick her face, happy someone remembered my birthday.
“Mom, can we take the dogs for a walk?” Lucy asks.
“Sure,” she replies. “Ben, can you come, too?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” he says. “Can we go now though? I wanted to go over to Jack’s house before the party later.”
“Okay. C’mon, Lucy, let’s get the dogs harnessed,” Hannah says.
Since it’s my birthday, I decide to show the family my pug best. I walk right to Hannah and allow her to put the harness on me without a fight or running in circles.
We take our normal route around the neighborhood. Surprisingly, the street is pretty quiet. We don’t see any squirrels, only a few people, and no other dogs. I try to prolong the walk by resting under a tree. But after a minute, my family is dragging me forward again. Peach walks beside me trying to catch birds. I never go after birds; it seems silly since they can fly. Peach thinks she is quick enough to leap and catch one, but she hasn’t come close yet. Being on a leash definitely hurts her chances, too.
When we return home, I stick my head into the water bowl. I gave up long ago trying to drink water without getting my head wet. It’s impossible because of my flat face and small tongue. I just take the plunge.
“Happy Birthday, Zelda!” Nate says, walking into the house. He gives me a few pets before greeting the rest of the family.
“Oh, good, you are home just in time for dinner,” Hannah says.
“Dinner already?”
“Yes, we are eating early so we can make the meet up,” she says.
“Oh, yeah, of course. How could I forget?”
The family files into the living room. Peach and I follow them and resume our normal spots during dinner. Peach sits under the table while I sit in front of Nate’s chair, waiting for table food.
“Oh, wait, don’t we have some special treats around?” Nate says.
Treats! I love treats!
“Yeah, check the cabinet of dog stuff over there.” I follow Nate, jumping on his heels as he checks out the treat closet. He fills my bowl with deliciousness, and I chow down. The treats are moist and meaty, and I can’t get enough. I finish the bowl quickly and look up. I see Peach eating her portion next to me.
Hey, it’s my birthday, not Peach’s!
I try to squeeze my way into Peach’s bowl, but I realize it’s too late. She has finished her bowl, too. I lick the remaining crumbs dry before returning to my spot by Nate’s feet in the dining room. Nate slips me a piece of chicken under the table. I knew he would give me table food on my birthday.
“Hannah, anything we need to bring tonight?” Nate asks as they clean up the table after dinner.
“Just the dogs. Maybe some water and treats, just in case.”
“All right, well let’s get moving,” he says.
Ben walks over to the harnesses.
“All right, Zelda, are you ready to go for a ride?” Ben asks.
Ride? Where are we going? Dog store? Norman’s house? Park?
I run around the coffee table four times before I calm down enough to let Ben harness and leash me. Peach, of course, walks right over and is leashed. We load up the car, and I sit in Lucy’s lap.
“Zelda, are you excited?” she whispers while she pets me. “You get to meet more pugs.”
Wait a minute, did she say pugs?
I leap to the other side, barging over Peach, and I look out the other window. No sign of pugs anywhere. I sit down and look at Peach. Her calm eyes tell me to wait, to be patient.
A few minutes later, we get out of the car. The first thing I notice is the smell of dogs. It’s overwhelming. Then I hear the barking. I look to the source, but I can’t see through the maze of cars. I pull my family toward the smell and noise. As we approach, my nose tells me the smell is mostly pug. We burst through the pack of cars, and in front of me is a large, fenced area. Inside are a number of dogs, most of which are wrinkly, flat-faced, and curly tailed pugs! I run for the fence.
“Wait, Zelda,” someone yells. I stop. Peach walks beside me. She is smiling. I know she is excited, too, although I’m guessing she wished all the dogs didn’t look like me. Nate leads me into the fence of pugs.
“Happy Birthday, Zelda!” he says and lets me off the leash. I run for the first pug I see, then move on to the next and the next. I count at least ten pugs as I greet everyone with sniffs and barks. I start a pug chase, and all of us are running after each other with our tails bouncing and wrinkles jiggling. After a few minutes, I lie down panting with my tongue hanging out of my mouth. I look around for Peach. I see a dark pug chasing her around the fence. She is barely running—she is so much faster than all of us, even me. I bark for her. She turns and finds me, then walks over. I get up and bite at her leg. She bites back, and soon we are tumbling through the grass. Somehow, a pair of pugs ends up next to us and joins the fun.
This is the best birthday gift ever. I haven’t seen any pugs since I moved in with Hannah and Nate. I thought I might be the last remaining pug. I am glad I am not. It is great to be in the company of all these sneezing, snorting dogs—it makes me feel normal again.