It’s pouring outside. The temperature is nice. It’s been relentlessly hot in New England, so these next few cool days are going to be great. The cool weather is also good for dogs with heart conditions, although mine just died in my arms after throwing up blood about two hours ago, so I guess that doesn’t matter to me.

I have two more dogs, and they’ll keep me upright, but this just sucks.

Many, many years ago, I was given Bertha as I had just lost a dog. I didn’t want her at first, but 12 years later, she may be my favorite dog ever. The lesson I have learned from that experience is that it is okay to go out and bring new life back with you. Two may be company, but three is a pack. I love having a pack.

I have this weird, made-up dog lineage in my mind, but I take it seriously, and I can trace it back to the dog I had at 17. Basically, it goes like this: My first dog raised my second dog. After the first passed, I brought in Bertha, who was raised by the second dog. From there, Bertha brought up Bonnie, Bonnie raised Clyde, and here we are.

In my mind, this means the next dog will learn from all the previous ones, if you can dig that. It may sound stupid, but I stand by it.

I don’t know if I’ll post this or not. I wrote a previous article showering Bertha with praise, and I fucking cried while writing it. Even with me pouring out so much emotion, the piece has done very poorly compared to my other stuff, with not a single like.

It was a great piece, and I wrote it for myself and my dog, and nobody else. I’m proud of it, and moments like this remind me to write for myself first. If people want to read what I write, that’s incredible, but if they don’t, that’s fine too, this isn’t for them.

This is not a great piece of anything, but it needs to be written anyway. I can’t process emotions as well as others unless I am in front of a keyboard. I’m posting this, but I don’t know why. Maybe somebody will read it and start giving their animals an extra five minutes a day or something.

Whatever.

Thanks for reading, stay crescent fresh, and enjoy your pets because they are probably amazing.

J.T.C.