Gramma Was Sad

Dear Gavin,

Gramma has been sad all week. She has been talking about a dog named Sarge. Did you know him? She said she missed him a lot and that he died one year ago. Oscar was sad, too. He said Sarge was a big dog, but that he was very kind. He told me how Sarge always played with him and tried to help him stay out of trouble when he was just a puppy like me. Emmy said Sarge was the oldest dog here when she came to live with Gramma. She told me how he would go out and make them all head back home when they went outside the fence. She told me another dog named Louise used to live here, too. Gramma told me that Sarge and Louise are both in heaven and that we will see them when we go to heaven.

I have tried really hard to be the best dog all week. I have been extra nice to Gramma, cause she was sad. I kissed her a lot. She likes that. She told me I was a good boy. Guess what? I learned how to sit up pretty for a treat! Gramma says, "Sit pretty." And I stand on my back legs and wait very still. You can't jump up in the air and you can't try to take the treat away from Gramma. She will give it to you. She says that I do a good job, but that I need to learn to tuck in my front paws. She says I look like I am scratching the air and it makes me look simple. What is simple? Emmy said it is a nice way of saying I look dumb. I will try to control my paws, but it is kind of hard to remember all that while I am balancing on my back legs.

Gramma lets us go in her sewing room with her. Emmy lays on her pillow, but Oscar and I like to play. There are scraps of cloth on the floor and sometimes they stick to my nose when I sniff them. Gramma laughs at me. She says I am so cute. She told me she is getting a new camera and will send you lots of pictures of me soon.

Gramma held me up to the window today so that I could see the birds on the grass. There were millions of them! I would really like to chase some birds. I know I can't fly, but I can jump really high. Do you think I could catch a bird? That cat that lives outside caught one! There were feathers all over the front porch. What did she do with that bird? Oscar said that I don't want to know...... but I do want to know, why won't he just tell me? Emmy won't tell me either and I am too scared of that cat to ask her. Maybe the other cat Gremlin will tell me. He's really snooty and I don't try to talk to him much.

Remember when I was a little puppy? Gramma said this was the first picture she ever saw of me. That's you holding me; you are my boy! I love you a whole, whole lot!

Your dog, Wall-E