In the moment

  Do you like long walks on the beach? Or late night drives? Well Marcelino likes them too. Anything that's sounds like adventure Marcie has all paws in! He likes the casual promenade around the block, the window ride home, even the little visit to the neighbor's yard. That may not sound like much, but for a little house dog like him it's a big deal. 

  Whenever I drive somewhere and Marcelino is with me he always has to have the passenger seat with the window rolled down or my arm (which is a little risky). When the window is rolled down he peeps his head just a little. Not too much because he can't breath; remember his buttoned nose? He likes staring out the window when it's not rolled down and when he does this I wonder what he thinks because he's  always seems like he's having a blast. Like why is he so excited when he goes on a drive? How does this grasp his attention? Was he stricken with wanderlust even though it's not far? I don't know really, but I like how he takes full advantage of his opportunities. 

  Dogs life spans are short compared to us humans, Marcie is a three year old pug and having done some  research he is twenty five in dog years and he'll live up to eleven years in human years. But none of this matters to him and even though dogs really don't worry about the idea of time they still use it wisely. To us "yesterday" was literally yesterday, but to a dog "yesterday" was probably a really long time ago. And for Marcelino its a big deal to ride shotgun. He makes every moment in the front seat an adventure. Maybe that's something we should do. 

  I say lets take the dog's advice. Let's not worry about later, let's live for now. Let's seized an opportunity like Marcelino when he goes on car ride. I mean who cares about tomorrow or later because tomorrow never comes and later will always be later. 

 http://m.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_dg_how_long_do_dogs_live

Cuddle Bug

  There's one of those days where all you do is linger in pajamas and most likely take a nap here or there. But do you know what makes it ten times better? Having a dog like Marcelino to cuddle with. Oh yessss, Marcelino is a cuddle bug extraordinaire. Like it's in his DNA to be glued to me during these times. 

  It's kind of normal to say when it's cold your dog comes and snuggles with you to keep warm right? Well it's kind of the opposite with me and Marcie. I am cold all the time and when he's with me it's like he's a little heater making sure I'm nice and cozy. Instead of me providing the insulation because I'm much bigger than him is ironic because he's the one that does that not me. 

  At random times when he decides to do what he does best it can be annoying, yet satisfying. When I'm sleeping he usually sleeps where my feet lay, but sometime in the middle of the night he nestles up against me, sticks his head on my pillow and paws at my hand or shoulder until I lift up the blanket. This is the part that I call annoying because he wakes me up with his cries and the pawing actually hurts. The satisfaction is when he is finally under the covers making my sleep ten times better. 

  Marcelino makes my lazy days the best days and I never regret using my time with him.

  

Reunited and it feels so good

  Knowing that someone is missing you or just waiting for you to get home brings a smile to my face. I say this because Marcelino never fails to give me this smile. I'm grateful that every time I see my furry friend he never gets tired of giving me so much love. Even when I leave for a short period of time. He's always excited !

  During my observation I notice that when I get home from school or work Marcie knows the exact time. I come through the door and I always see this little guy waiting patiently in the front entrance or impatiently looking through the side window. Like how can a dog tell time? Sadly I'm not the only one he waits for. He also does this with my sister and mother, but it's crazy how Marcie does this. 

  I learned that dogs also have episodic memory like us humans. They can distinguish how much time has past since a last event has occurred and understand the concept of time when left alone by their companions for a certain amount of time. Hence the reason why dogs get so excited when they see you. 

  When I reunite with Marcelino in the front entrance, he wags his curly tail like crazy. He jumps up and down hoping he can smack a kiss or two and then cries because he's too short. Hahaa poor Marcie. In return he expects a full body scratch and you know you give a good scratching when they start closing their eyes and just stand in a relaxed posture.

  I love coming home to Marcelino.

http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/do-dogs-understand-the-concept-of-time.htm

Mans Best Friend

Dogs develop a strong bond with its owner known as loyalty. Once they know their owner will protect them from any harm and will ensure their life they develop this bond. As I learned they are 

fully aware of the good treatment we give them and a natural response to being well treated is that they will repay the favor of ensuring their owner of no harm. This is known as protection. A majority of this comes from the their "wolf ancestry".

   During my observation with Marcelino I notice a sense of protectiveness. No matter where I am or what we're doing he's always fully aware of his surroundings, like a meerkat perching. Literally. When he's out in the front yard, back yard, or even inside the house he just skims the area like it's his job. Marcie will only bark or howl when he hears very obnoxious noises. For example the vacuum, the tv, lawn mowers, or cars that are simply driving by. Even the most clichè things of course. Oh yes, the mail man and the neighborhood cats. Marcelino goes crazy when he encounters them and the only way to calm him down is to remind him to be a good dog and to step up in the scene. 

   As you notice he barks a lot, but that's only because he's insecure. You can't help what he thinks. 

   Marcelino doesn't really bark at people. He's usually a friendly little guy that loves company. He'll do anything for your attention. 

Intro

Dogs are known to be mans best friend. This can be true indeed and the lovely idea about dogs is that they like you for who you truly are. They don't care how you look like or the objects you have to offer. They befriend you because they just want what every living being wants, love. My dog is my best friend, But to really call this canine my best friend I have to know him like the back of my hand. I of course give him attention but I want to truly understand who he is, which is why I chose him as my observation entry. My dog's name is Marcelino and he is a three year old male pug. He has a piglike tail and a pushed in nose. His fur has a pale nutmeg tone, but his face is black along with his ears. He also has these wrinkles directly on his forehead and the Chinese say it like a symbol that means prince in their language. Which I believe is so true because he is spoiled like one. After this project I wish to fully gain Marcelino as a true best friend.