By Dickie Anderson
It is about time that people begin to think of what the holidays look like us – the dogs of Amelia. My name is Andy, and my sister’s name is Katie. We are the Anderson dogs. Once a year, we take over and get to write a column. Katie, a Yorkie, is the oldest. I am Andy, a Labradoodle, and I just turned four. I let Katie think she is in charge. We still remember the Christmas I came to Amelia Island. Seems Big Guy got into his head that Mom needed a Labradoodle. If you ask me, it is Big Guy who fell in love with the lovable doodle breed. Katie was not happy, but now we are buddies. The folks have a fenced backyard so we can go in and out all we want. We never tire of chasing squirrels and rabbits. We aren’t sure what we would do if we caught one.
We want to tell you what it is like when the holidays arrive and things get weird at our house. When they bring an outdoor tree inside, it is always strange, but even stranger when they drape lights on the branches and hang things that look like dog toys on the limbs. The weirdness continues. They put wrapped presents under the tree and then wait to open them sometime later. It just seems odd, but there is usually something for us to unwrap, so we don’t mind.
The calendar goes crazy. No regular schedule. Gone is any sense of normal. Usually, our days are pretty predictable, but not during the holidays. We like our dinner at the same time every afternoon. But holidays, we never know. On top of everything else, they are gone a lot of the time. Our nighttime schedule out the window. No more cozy TV time. We like the Christmas specials, especially the ones where cute little kids get puppies for presents.
There seems to be a lot more food around. Mom cooks more, but it seems like the food she cooks gets wrapped up and given away, and it isn’t DOG food. Katie and I hang around the kitchen hoping for some treats, without a lot of success. They think carrots are treats.
One tradition we can look forward to is joining other volunteers visiting with seniors at the Council on Aging. We dress up in our holiday gear and join other volunteers to have our photos taken with Santa.
We have learned that we need to be ready for the unexpected in December. We love to greet the UPS man who seems to come several times a day. Our barking does not make the humans very happy. After all, we are just trying to protect them. It is in our doggie handbook – “Bark at strangers – stranger danger.”
The big day arrives – Christmas Day! There is just something, well, yes magical. Presents are opened and there is a special meal. Everyone seems happy and to appreciate each other. Kinda wish there were more days like that.
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