dogs are so good

June 21, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

here
is all the dog fur
you could ever want

and then some

and then some more
and more and more and more and more
until it’s everywhere
until you’re sick of it
until you’re breathing it in and sneezing it out
every morning
every night
until you realize your wardrobe has shifted to black
right around the time you got a white and tan dog
and her fur is everywhere
you try to hug her
it’s on your body
you try to fold laundry
whoops, you placed that shirt on the bed
which is where she sleeps
which is covered in dog fur
you try to cuddle up with a blanket
spend time with your spouse
walk around your house
and you
your clothes
your body
your socks
are so coated in dog fur
if you happen to walk in stocking feet
elsewhere
you leave footprints of dog fur
where ever you pass

but this dog is so good
you wouldn’t give her up
for anything

[but maybe we could give her a bath
every once in a while…]

February 6, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

something that doesn’t get enough love
is how dogs show their love
through leans

the bearing of their weight
by the side of my leg
makes me feel like i
am supporting this whole dog’s
whole heart
whole mental health
by my lonesome

and she’s choosing it

[what a damn honor
to be a human
that a dog loves]

December 18, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

this puppy
is so damn cute
i cannot handle it
i cannot handle it

playing with the squeaker of a long-gone toy
placing it gently in my hand
and nudging it forward
for me to throw

and the utter delight as she scrambles
on all of her feeties
trying to catch the squeaker as it bounces
unevenly
across the floor

or the container from yesterday’s dog ice cream
handing it off to me
in order to play tug
or just lick it some more
getting the last little bits of flavor
out from the waxed cardboard

or just laying on the ground
and looking up at me
with her giant, beautiful, trusting, dark-rimmed
puppy dog eyes
and white eyebrows
[evolutionarily placed there
just so her species
could mimic mine]
and i don’t always know what she’s thinking
but i know she’s trying to communicate with me
with little
stomps of her feet
or half-breathy boofs
or a hesitant wag of her tail
or just a side-look
and my heart melts
and i am putty for her
because she is putty for me
and we collapse into each other
enjoying being
puppy and human
and not too dissimilar
for a moment
in time

February 7, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

at least our animals exist

i don’t know how much of the outside world
i could survive
knowing about,
if i didn’t have giant puppy dog eyes
and happy puppy tails
and gentle cat purrs
and quaint cat meows
and wonderful little animal cuddles
to come home to every day
[or even stay home with
when the world is too much]

[how in the world do folks without pets
(and with depression)
survive?]

December 13, 2024

/ HJ / Leave a comment

WOOF
BOOF
says the puppy,
protecting us from the
unfamiliar sounds of
car doors
and trucks revving
outside

what a brave puppy!
but what she does
doesn’t actually protect us

[i hope she thinks it does
tho]

September 5, 2024

/ HJ / Leave a comment

when we first met
kip wasn’t sure
if they’d be able to be with me
long term
because i insited that i
didn’t like
dogs

but as they got to know me,
they saw how much i loved all animals
no matter what, so then they
started to share stories
of dogs being so good
and introducing me
to dogs here and there
and observing
and guiding
until the concept of us getting a dog
was raised, and i said “maybe”
that maybe, after volunteering with a shelter, became a “probably”
and then a “yes” with so many caveats
and then a “yes” with a couple of caveats
and by the time we helped Louka into our lives
those caveats were gone
and now i can’t even say whether i’m a dog or a cat person
in black and white terms
because i love all cats and all dogs
so so so so so so much

and i am so thankful to my kip
and my dogs
for teaching me just how wonderful
dogs are

September 10, 2023

/ HJ / Leave a comment

it’s still so wild to me
that i can miss the puppy stage —
with all the tiny pounces,
and bumbling bounces,
and round face,
soft fur,
clumsy,
smol, smol creature;
and yet
see the videos/
want to cuddle
but prefer our puppy as she is now —
grown in to her scruffy self,
developed such a strong personality,
knowing her toys,
showing her smarts,
happy smiles,
looking to us
(her family)
for support.

puppies are incredibly cute,
but dogs are where
it’s at for me.