the dog days are coming - by vincent huang

sometimes when i am tired during work i walk around the office and find my favorite dog. usually she is lying on the ground next to her owner, and i will sit on the carpet beside her and pet her from behind. behind, not in front, because after all these months i am still terrified of dogs, of their claws and teeth, too scared to approach them head-on. but i am learning, and with this dog i have learned that if i pet her for five to ten minutes without interruption she will eventually feel safe enough to roll onto her back and expose her underside to belly rubs i am trying to become better at caring for people and this is good practice, an exercise in patience and consistency and trust, all things i have been bad at my entire life when i think about dogs i am really thinking about the people i love. of course i know the tendency to anthropomorphize is a deceptive one - but i am here to write about myself, not about the inside of a dog’s head, so i think the offense is forgivable while i

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