Olja First

I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. Yes, I was happy with my six brothers and sisters. Yes, my mother looked after me well, even if, of late, she developed a liking for grabbing me by a front leg and tossing me on the floor, unceremoniously, belly up. Fair game. And game it is.

Being an observant sort, I had noticed my little brothers and sisters disappearing over the past few play mornings. Never gave it a second thought. My time will come to disappear, I thought, but I didn’t give it a second one. Play, play, play, food, pee, play. Has a nice cadence to it.

Then when they came for me, I thought I’d winge a bit in the car. A good way of assessing at an early stage how quick they are with the goodies. Pretty quick, I would say. Store that one away in the memory bank.

So my first few hours in the new home: nine out of ten for playground size, 11 out of ten for new toys (a floppy little brown elk whose ears I will surely manage to tear off pretty soon, and who I shall name Erwin), and a whole series of coloured towels whose prime aim in life is to be tossed around.

I like licking. It has to be said. Salty, sweaty, perfumed skins. Yum. And it seems to keep them happy as well. They laugh a lot when I lick their noses or cheeks. Good to keep them happy because my intuition tells me I will be with them a while. And they will treat me well.

Take food: If I have understood their conversation acccurately, and it’s early days yet, she has been shopping for weeks in advance and cooking small portions of horse meat (my favourite) to give me at regular intervals. I hope she doesn’t forget to take the next portion out of that white oblong box where things are very cold. I found some blue fluff under it this afternoon, and then a HUGE HAND came and removed it from my mouth.

Have been for a series of walks – not too long, mind – so I can sniff out the environs. And what smells there are in what they call the garden– tall green things which I can chew before they are forcibly removed from my mouth, swaying blue flowers which I can push with my nose. I even saw something with wings fly away from me. I only wanted to play.

Concentration. That’s what I lack. I need to snooze every once in a while. Actually quite often, usually after play or food. Or licking. You see I am only ten person weeks old.

Some say I have a great future ahead of me. Bright little thing, I hear them say. Of course, I am going to be one of the gratest canines of all time. That’s why I am called Olja First.

So much thinking. Need to lie down.