Dobby's Birthday Party

My family and I just celebrated Dobby's 4-year-old birthday. (To protect Dobby's privacy and her banking passwords, we will not disclose which day it is.)

My wife prepared a cake made with chicken, eggs, salmon, and carrots for her and Luna. (I had the remaining ingredients for lunch.) She bought a huge balloon decoration and costumes for the dogs; we bought some food from Costco and some fried chicken for the humans, and we had a little party at my parents' home. Nothing glamorous, but everyone was happy.

I was not a big birthday person. I was just lazy and tried to avoid anything that required any effort. Making a cake, traveling, and preparing presents were too much for me. So I claimed that I liked simple celebrations, and a meal outside would more than suffice, which had been the case for many years.

Things have changed since I was with my wife, who is a big birthday person. We have had birthday cakes together almost every year since we were together. We would take family photos with her fancy camera, and those pictures are now piling up. More often than not, she would think of something special to do with me (which means I must step up my birthday game, too!)

When someone puts in the time and effort to celebrate the day that has absolutely no significance to the world, but just to have fun with you and make you feel special, that is a wonderful feeling.

Let's get back to the dogs. Sometimes I wonder if we are doing too much for the dogs. I feel a slight unease seeing YouTube videos when ostensibly stupid people are lavishing money and spoiling their pets by getting spa treatments or expensive food for them. It just looks foolish, and I do not want to be one of them.

Are we doing too much for the dog? Probably yes. (In other words, I am one of them.)

But how many times are we going to have these birthday parties together for Dobby?

10? Maybe. 15? Extremely unlikely. So when we have the chance, why not?

Dogs cause trouble - there is no doubt about it. You need to walk them a lot, and if it is raining (which it does a lot in Taipei), you need to be creative and think of ways to burn their energy. Like politicians and governments, dogs do not speak human language, so it requires enormous patience to communicate with them. And like humans, dogs do get emotional and loud at times, which can be a nuisance to you and your neighbors.

But just like parties, dogs are worth the trouble. Since we have adopted Dobby and Luna, they must have brought at least 50% of our laughs, and therefore happiness, into our lives. There are some inexplicable qualities of dogs - the happy look on their face when they see you, or their clumsy acts - that just make humans happy. When they are tired and we can lie quietly together on the sofa, those are some of the most peaceful and blissful moments.

We should pay our taxes gladly, as Seneca said. I try to remind myself of this whenever I am upset with the dogs. No matter how you see it, it is a good deal of life.

In a few months, it will be Luna's birthday party, and I look forward to all the trouble then. (I should probably chip in more effort this time.)

Until next time, take care!