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So I retired to California about three years ago with my owners. At first, I wasn't thrilled about it. I'm a New York mutt thruandthru and had never left the city prior to that. Being a New York dog gives you a certain je ne ses quois... Your walk, your attitude... And, well... it just wasn't understood out here. 

But the truth is now I love California! It's pretty much always sunny, I don't have to walk up and down four flights of stairs anymore and most importantly, I don't have to defend my territory the way I did in New York. For a lady of a certain age like me, walking the block, peeing in your spots, letting others know I was there first, figuring out when to wag and when to growl... it's exhausting! 

Anyway, we went to Palm Springs for New Year's with all the regular humans my owners hang out with (more on them later) and I was flash-backing to New York like you wouldn't believe! 

Here's the thing humans don't realize about being a dog: it's hard!

They seem to think we have it easy. That all we do is sleep and sniff butts and eat but the truth is we have a lot of responsibilities that they just don't see. Like for example, I got off the car, immediately run to the front door and smelled everywhere. I said hi to the humans (they get all upset if you ignore them) but then I went into every room of the house and made sure it was safe: no rats, no dogs, no humans hiding in the closet with hand grenades (it happens), etc.  

Then, you gotta make sure none of them get lost. Humans are constantly wandering off on their own pr in couples to do God knows what. Who do you think keeps track of them? Yes, Sir. Yours truly. I'm part Shepperd, so my instinct for this is even greater but still all dogs do it. It's a big part of our job. 

It took me forever to figure out that humans poop on their own in these little rooms they call bathrooms, which is weird because it's also were they clean themselves. Who wants to clean themselves were they poop?!? 

But I stopped trying to understand humans a long time ago... I just live with them. 

Anyway, I keep getting away from my point, which is that New Year's was hard work and I'm happy to be back home in my balcony, checking out the hood. 

Whadda ya want? I'm from New York!

p.s. this is a picture of Chorizo, a Spanish cured sausage that one of the humans brought this year and which is one of my all-time favorites.