2020 – A Dog year

2020 had only just begun when Corona grabbed it and bent it into the shape of a year unlike any other.

In the Chinese Zodiac, 2020 was the Year of the Metal Rat, but on the ground the year was a Dog.

Social isolation, a ban on travel, a ban on alcohol, no walks allowed; it was tough.

Suddenly I began to appreciate what I had taken for granted.

It was a dog year even for dogs. Many found themselves surrendered to rescue groups or abandoned.

And so it was that a rescue dog found us. A cross Beagle Spaniel.

A whippy dog, agile and acrobatic, not above climbing through open windows; clever enough to open doors. In the four months we have had him, he has grown into his head, which at first looked out of proportion; too large for his body, and heavy.

He shadows us, infusing us with positive energy. He makes us laugh. We play together. We are twisted around his paws.

2020, a dog year indeed.