Hey there y’all,

Baxter here. Apparently it’s been a year since I came to live with Matt and Julia. Y’all must be counting in people years, ’cause I swear I’ve been here for longer than that.

I like the farm. I get to sniff and sleep and sunbathe and walk and zoomies. I get excellent scratches, which is helpful ‘specially now ’cause the mosquitoes really, really, really like me. Like as much as Julia and Matt like me.

Besides Matt and Julia, I have a bunch of other friends. There’s Frank down the road, Ella, Penn, Cocoa and Chloe at class, and Pinky, Bluey and Monkey at home. My stuffies are special. When I’m really, really happy, like when Matt comes home, I’ll go and find one of them and share her with Matt ’cause he’s special too.

The one friend I really, really want is Ralph. She still doesn’t like me too much, but she’s coming so much closer to me now. I still want to run up and sniff her, but sometimes when I’m out, we’ll just sit there and look at each other for awhile. I like it that she doesn’t run away or hiss or scratch as much. I’m trying so hard to be patient with her. Julia says it’s working, but I think it’s taking a dog’s age for her to get used to me.

Out of everybody, I like Julia and Matt best.

I’m Julia’s partner. We do lots of things together, and she says I’m a very good help. We hike, wade in the pond, play in the creek, check the fields, garden, cook, paint, build. She gives excellent scratches. She also gives me baths. It’s usually right after we’ve been playing in the pond. I don’t understand that. I mean, I already got wet. Why does she think I want to get wet again? After a big play, I just want to lay down! I do like the towel part, though. It’s like an extra lot of scratches.

Matt and I are good bros. He and I go for long walks to see my friends the turtles, visit Frank the German Shepherd or check the back field. When he calls for his footman, I go and help him find his socks and get ready for walking. I’m a very good footman. The best thing that Matt and I have in common is that we’re really good relaxers.

I think it’s pretty clear that Matt and Julia and me are all related. I mean, I still say y’all, but last week Julia declared me officially a Canadog.

Doggally, I think I was official after the winter. I went outside every day, no matter how deep the snow was or how cold it was. I think that’s pretty Canadian.

I know my accent or my nationality really don’t matter. Neither does the time before or the first year, you know. What really matters is now. Matt and Julia love me. I love them. I’m happy.

Baxter

Read Baxter’s first post from a year ago