Dear Dog-Shrink,
The answer is obvious: that puppy has it made. Think about it. When you come into a situation where perfection is modeled for you every day, it's very advantageous. Take, for example, the hiking trip we took last weekend. Friday night, we drove out to New Hampshire, stopping along the way at Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury. Dog Mountain is a place where dogs can run, swim, and play -- and even visit a special dog chapel and a gift shop. We visited both -- while running, swimming, and playing. We arrived at a campsite in Gorham where Mark and Ali set up a tent, cooked dinner, and climbed into their sleeping bags. I showed Gladys (and Berkley, who was with us for the weekend while his human visited a foreign country to the north of the United States) how to sleep through the night and keep the tent nice and warm.
The next morning, we were at the trailhead of the Airline Trail before dawn and at the top of Mount Adams, the second highest peak in the Presidentials, by 830AM. It was crazy windy, but I showed Gladys how to put her nose into the wind so that her ears flapped. That's so much fun!
We descended to Star Lake and then climbed Mount Madison. I stayed right on the trail and didn't even freak out when we saw a moose -- again, a good role model for my impressionable little sister. The way down was pretty rocky as we took a more obscure route -- the Watson Path to the Brookside Trail. The less beaten path proved to be a good choice; we saw about ten hikers, but at the trailhead there must have been 250 cars! Crazy!
It was a great weekend, but I want you to think for a minute. If I hadn't been such a great hiker all these years, do you think Mark and Ali would be taking Gladys on hikes? And when Gladys follows me everywhere I go on these hikes -- to all the good drinking spots and all the good smells -- do you agree that she's a pretty lucky dog?
I figured you'd see things my way.
Your friend, Oscar
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