The dog in the mirror

Good morning.
It is I.
Harry Manilow.
Pretty dog. Big feelings. Zero mirror literacy.

Every single day I walk into Zoomies & Purr, I pass the mirrored shelf at the front of the store and am stopped dead in my tracks by the most breathtakingly handsome dog in Northern Nevada.

He stands tall.
He holds eye contact.
He knows my soul.

I pause.
He pauses.

I think, “Wow. We are both doing amazing.”

Important context:
Up until today, I believed this was another dog.
A very handsome, very quiet, very respectful dog.

So this morning, while my humans were talking and using serious words like delivery and arriving tomorrow and “Harry, that is not food,” I overheard the biggest news of my life.

TOMORROW.
NEW FOODS.
COMING.
TO.
ZOOMIES & PURR.

Two names hit the air like thunder:

Taste of the Wild
and
The Butcher’s Pup

My ears locked in.
My tail activated.
My brain began vibrating.

This information was TOO IMPORTANT to keep to myself.

I ran—RAN—to the mirrored shelf.

“FRIEND,” I said urgently to the handsome dog.
“WAKE UP. THIS IS BIG.”

He stared at me.
Silent.
Stoic.
Unmoving.

“TASTE OF THE WILD,” I announced slowly, clearly, like he might be hard of hearing.
Nothing.

“THE BUTCHER’S PUP,” I tried again, louder, adding pacing for emphasis.
Still nothing.

At this point I began to panic.

I barked.
He barked.

I tilted my head left.
He tilted his head left.

I tilted my head right.
He tilted his head right.

I stepped forward.
He stepped forward.

I stepped back.
He stepped back.

I froze.

I blinked.

I blinked again.

I looked at his curls.
I looked at my curls.

I looked at his nose.
I touched my nose.

Friends.

This is the moment.

This is when the realization arrived fully formed and unavoidable.

I was not speaking to another dog.

I was speaking to MYSELF.

IN.
THE.
MIRROR.

I locked eyes with him and said quietly,
“Oh. It’s you.”

He nodded.
(I nodded.)

Suddenly everything made sense:
• why he never spoke
• why he agreed with everything
• why he was so incredibly attractive

So tomorrow, when Taste of the Wild and The Butcher’s Pup arrive at Zoomies & Purr, just know this:

I have already been informed.
I have already celebrated.
I have already approved.

And I will be keeping an eye on things.

Both of them.