"Happy birthday, Cara!"

I sit under the chair. The baby sits on the chair and she's covered in sweet smelling food. I want so badly to lick it off but I can't reach. There are toys everywhere but they're not for me. The man let me have the shiny paper and boxes to play with instead. They're so much fun! There are balls of air all over the floor! I kick them and push them with my nose! Sometimes they explode and it scares me. But they're so big and fun! They fly when I push them! I want to grab them with my teeth! 

"Too bad the guys couldn't be here. I know they wanted to."

"That's okay, I don't mind a small party."

I must bite these things! They keep getting away from me! I yelp and scurry away when it explodes! I hide under the table. The humans laugh and look at me. I don't see how it's so funny. It's horrible, the sounds they make! But I want to play with them, they're so much fun! 

"How's the cake, Cara? Is it to your likin'?" 

The woman smiles. "It's delicious. Have some."

The humans spread food all over each other's faces. They laugh and smile. It smells delicious! I want some! Why don't I get any? I whine! "Ya' don't get chocolate, Charlie, sorry." The baby is covered in it! Why don't I get any? Maybe they can't hear me whine. I'll bark! "Hey, Charlie, knock it off! You'll get a little somethin' later."

Why can't the humans see I'm starving? 

**********

The yellow stuff on the ground is gone. It's cold outside. Now I know for sure we're back home. The man isn't though. He's gone again. The woman takes me and the baby outside for walks. There are tons of babies out here. I don't know how I never noticed them! They're everywhere! They're all being pushed around in tiny cars. There are plenty of dogs too. They all sniff me and I sniff them. Some bark at me and the woman escorts us away. Sometimes the baby starts crying and the woman feeds her. Human babies don't realize how good they have it!

At home I try to nap on the floor. But the baby comes and hits me. She doesn't mean to hurt me, but it hurts all the same. And I have to get up and find somewhere else to sleep. She's walking on her feet now. She makes noises that sound almost like human speech. Like a primitive form. She's a lot faster. Sometimes she falls and starts crying. I scurry away so the woman won't think it was my fault. She never scolds me. But she picks the baby up and coos at it. The baby stops crying. 

She sleeps less too. She doesn't get put in the crate as often as before. I seem to be sleeping more often nowadays. I love sleep. I could just lie on the couch all day and snore....

**********

"Happy birthday, Charlie!"

I hear him! That's the man! That's my human! He's in the telephone again! I wag my tail and lick it! It's him, it's so good to hear him!! I want him to come home! I want him home with me and my pack! We all miss him so much! We love him! I love him!

"He's excited to hear you. Ah, Charlie!"

I lick the woman's face by accident! But I don't care, I'm too excited to care about anything but my human! I'm the happiest dog in the world!! I must bark!!!

"How's my little girl doin'?"

"She's stopped eating her peas, for one. Thrilled about that."

"Uh oh, I know how Mum gets when she's thrilled."

My tail could take an eye out it's wagging so fast! Humans really miss out on the joys of owning their own tail! I start to chase mine! 

"But she's starting to speak better, so that's good."

"Is she? Atta, girl!"

"And...Malcolm? I have something to tell you....I wanted to tell you when you came home but...maybe I should just tell you now."

"Uh oh, what is it?"

I catch my tail! I did it! Nothing can escape me! Now I can spend a few minutes chewing on it and grooming it. "I'm pregnant."

I jump and scurry away from my spot! The man in the telephone is yelling! The woman starts laughing and puts the phone to her ear! She's crying and sobbing and her face is soaked and she's laughing and smiling and I don't know what to do! Is everything okay? Are we happy or are we sad? I need to know! 

"I am! I almost thought I wasn't but I took the test...." She's crying so much! Something must be wrong! I try licking her face but she gently blocks me with her arm. Now she's laughing? I'm so confused! I need a nap. "I love you too."

**********

The woman is getting bigger again. I can't sit on her lap anymore. And neither can the baby! There's no room for either of us! What's the big idea? The man is home and he spends the days sitting on the floor and playing with the baby. Sometimes he plays his guitar for her. I lie on the floor under the table and listen. 

He builds another crib. This one is bigger than the one by our bed. The smaller man is here too! He helps his brother and he plays with me! I love playing with him! He gives me toys and pets and treats! He gives me meat from the table! I love him! I wish he lived here with us! 

"Ya' know what it is yet?"

"Linda thinks it might be another girl...we're both hopin' for a boy."

The baby toddles over to us. The smaller man picks her up and puts her on his lap. I sniff. Now he can't play with me! But I'm very tired. I think I'll have a nap instead. I lie on the floor by his feet and close my eyes. 

"Cara's gettin' so big!"

"That's why she needs a bigger crib...can ya' hand me that piece, Ang?"

My ears twitch and I sigh. I fall asleep to the sound of their voices.

**********

I carefully sniff the thing the woman holds. It smells like milk. It's another baby. It's a boy. I sneeze and spray the baby. "Charlie, this is Ross."

Our pack is bigger now. I wonder how humans only have one child per litter. My litter is big. I wonder where they are now. I wonder where Mum is. I wish she could see my new pack. I hope my brothers have good packs too. 

This new baby sleeps in our room. The little girl sleeps in a different room. They both cry and it's very loud. I lose more sleep. The humans lose sleep a lot too. Sometimes when it's extra dark out we're all awake and the children are eating. I'd like a late night snack but no dice. Both children smell like milk. The baby boy reeks strongly of it. I try licking his face to see if he'll give me some. 

The baby boy lies on the floor. The little girl walks like the other humans now. She smells like human food. The baby smells like milk and mess. The humans play with them and laugh and smile. They're so happy! They're too busy to play with me sometimes but I don't mind. With all the sleep I lose at night I need to catch up on it during the day. I snore and I snooze. Life is pretty good. I feel relaxed. 

**********

It's warm outside. The birds are chirping and the humans are playing with the children. There's more room to run out here. I run from fence to fence and chase my toys. The little girl runs around too and squeals while the man holds the baby boy. 

"Eat your potatoes, Ross....there ya' go." I can smell the mushed food all over his face. I want to lick it off but the man won't let me. I sniff some flowers and sneeze all the petals off. "Come on, ya' can't keep 'em in your mouth?"

"Maybe he's still too young....try his bottle, see if he'll take that." 

"Yeah, he likes his beverages. Like father like son, right, Ross?"

There are butterflies everywhere! I want to catch one! They're too quick for me! I can't jump high enough! The little girl laughs and runs and squeals and I chase after her! This is so much fun! Why didn't we play like this sooner? Humans take forever to grow! We chase each other and chase butterflies and birds and I sniff the grass and try eating it! The little girl pulls some out and tries eating it too. She makes a face and tosses it. There's grass falling from the sky! I try catching it and the little girl laughs! She pulls out more and tosses it for me! This is great fun!

"Woah! Shit, this kid drinks faster than Bon after a show!"

**********

There's paper all over the floor! And new toys! One of them is for me! A brand new bone that reeks of meat! I slobber everywhere and I keep it away from the kids. They have plenty of their own but this one is all mine! I take it under the table and chew it. 

"What Ross doing?"

"Well, he's playing with his new Christmas presents."

"Come on, where's your new toy, Cara? Hope Charlie didn't eat it."

This bone is the best I've ever had! I rip and tear and gnash! I take it between my paws and carve into it with my sharp teeth. It smells like beef. It's bigger than my tail! But I know it won't stay that size. Somehow my bones always get smaller. Next thing I know they're gone! And the humans keep giving me more! What fun!

"Here's your dolly, play with this."

"Mummy, why her hair red?"

"Some people have red hair. Some people have brown, or grey, or yellow, or black...."

"Or none." 

"Yes, Mal, or none."

I burp. I quit chewing for now. I'm sleepy. I set my bone aside and curl up under the table. The humans are so happy and so am I. We're going to be happy forever. This is the best pack ever.