Every year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I give my annual speech to the dogs.Out in the woods at the end of the path, in the deep forest.  I can always deny it out there. This is the first year Frieda has attended, as we were able for the first time to walk with her off-leash a couple of miles into the forest. I brought biscuits, my camera and the dogs gathered around me. I had no notes, having forgotten to bring the Ipad.

I told the dogs it was a good year. And next year will be a better one. I told them I had two books coming out next year, “Lenore Finds A Friend,” my second children’s book, and “Dancing Dogs,” my short story collection. Both books will be out in the Fall. Dog-wise, I said it was going to be a quiet year. More obedience training for Frieda. Sheep for Rose in the summer, if her legs hold  up. Izzy and I will be doing some visits to people who are dying, but they will be quiet and private and I will not be writing about them or photographing the people.

Be careful about Simon, I cautioned, he doesn’t like dogs yet. Frieda, I said, great work at calming down, not eating chickens or bringing home motorcycles or small children. I said we would continue feeding them Evo, an expensive but very healthy premium dog food. Some rawhide flips once in awhile, some marrow bones, boiled and dried every couple of months. I said we had some work to do on collective commands – moving four dogs at once safely across streets and through the woods. More photoshoots, I said, more videos for the blog, for the books. I thought there was some grumbling. I reminded them that the books and the photos pay for the Evo.

I told them that after the short stories, the Frieda Book and the Simon book, I was considering proposing a book on animals and spirituality, the mysterious zone on the edge, the space between us and the animals where Shamans and Communicators go, a place of mystery and magic. I thanked them for their affection and devotion. I commended them for being such a cohesive and response pack and for enriching my life in so many ways. And for welcoming Maria into our lives. And for greeting so many visitors so graciously.  I used to think of Izzy, Rose and Lenore as “my dogs” and Frieda as “Maria’s dog,” but now I just think of them all as our dogs.

And the best news: a rabbit popped out of the woods to my right, and nobody moved. Nobody listened to me much either, but that is beside the point. Meeting adjourned. See them all together right here next year.