Toenails, She Wants To Cut My Toenails!

Dear Gavin,

I must tell you that I am feeling a little jealous seeing the picture of you and Kiley with Laila. You look so cozy there with her. You have not forgotten me, have you? Gramma says that boys never forget their first dogs. How does she know this to be true? I will admit that I have not found anything that Gramma does not know so far, but how can she know so much?

I saw that Papa filled the pool with water, so that means that it won't be much longer until I see you, right? I see other people all the time and that is nice; but it is you that I want to see the most. I like your mom, too. And I love Gramma, but they are girls and it is just not the same. Only you can understand that.

Gramma has been stalking me for two days with the toenail clippers. She is obsessed with the idea of clipping my nails. I am perfectly happy with them the way they are. Why must she insist on clipping them? She says that they are too long and that I will feel much better after having them cut. No, I think I will be quite stressed after such an ordeal. It is so scary to have those clippers around my nails. What if it hurts? Oscar tells me that once Papa clipped his nail into the quick. Quick? What is a quick? I thought quick meant fast. Oscar says that this is part of the nail that has feelings and it will actually bleed!

His bled. He says it was very traumatizing. So traumatizing that even the sight of those clippers causes him great anxiety. Emmy says he is just a big baby and only carries on so that Gramma will hold him and kiss him. He tries to act like he doesn't like it when Gramma holds him and calls him her handsome devil, but I know better. Sometimes Gramma will pick up his paw and ask if she can clip his nails. He will howl and cry and she will pick him up and hold him. I think this is their special thing! Like my special thing is helping Gramma make the bed. I am so smart. Gramma told me so.

Gramma clipped Emmy's nails last night. She just sat there and let her. Sometimes I just want to bite her! She is always so perfect. Gramma told me to watch and she even let me smell the clippers. I will admit that I smelled no blood and Emmy was fine, but I still would not allow Gramma to clip my nails. Gramma was telling Papa all of this and I was listening. Before I knew what was happening ......... she cut my nail! Okay, it didn't hurt, but I still jumped down lickety split before she could trick me again.

I suppose Laila, the boxer, is okay with having her nails clipped. She is, after all, a girl. I will never understand them, will you?

Your boy dog, Wall-E