Book Excerpt 1 – Foreword

My story is about plants. The planet. And animals. About a dog. Me! And my humans. Eating only plants. No animals. Yup! And that brings up other stuff. Um hm.

Meg helped me write this book. Makes me a bit testy. Humans “helping.” Because they take over. Habit of theirs. Controlling the lives. Of others. That’s when they get things wrong! Had to bring her up short. At times.

She’s a pain to work with. Says that of me! Too. Thinks she has me pegged. And get this! Meg puts her words. Into my mouth. And that’s really annoying. But I used what she said. Contrary wise. Here and there to make ALTERNATIVE points. Yessiree! When I sniffed her INCONSISTENCIES. (Hold on. I’ll explain this funny way. Of writing words. Later.) Anyhoo Meg’s mother insists we’re enmeshed. Whatever that means. “Boundary issues, Dori,” Meg says. “Boundary issues.”

Once in awhile I had to protest. Do CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. I’d lie down. Head between my paws. Close my eyes. And ignore her. I’ll have you know. So writing took longer. Because of my lying around. With my eyes closed. Then we’d get it together.

Tiffs. Stand offs. DISSENT. We made it. To the end. INTER-SPECIES friends. Relating my deeds. And hers. About how she and I try to protect animals. And help the planet. So you can. Too. Understand. When humans eat animals. They damage the world. It’s all connected. Harming animals. To how each of you treats different others. To Earth’s destruction. And VICE VERSA.

Meg says humans can’t tell this story. As well as dogs. Ahem. As well as this dog! We live with you. Watch you. Figure you out. A matter of survival. Um hm. We’re ETHOLOGISTS! Studying humanimals. But a dog can’t go it alone. In the literary world. That’s where Meg came in.

Every word she wrote down. For me. Is the truth. And that’s important. Because if you can’t trust a dog. Then who can you trust? Think about it. Who? My human insists I should say whom. Not who. See! I told you. That stuff slows a dog’s creativity. To a craawl.

Meg says the hard truths. She brings up. And that I had her include. Might twistyourknickers. Humph! I think she meant to say: “twistyourwhiskers!” Yup! Hard truths make a dog radical! And one more thing. Animals are people! Too. Non-human persons entitled to live. Their own lives. To the fullest! Free! From human harm. On a healthy planet.

Wagwagwag,
Dorothea Orane