Happy Birthday America, my paw!

I don't know what it is.  It happens every year about this time in St. Louis.  There are a lot of loud noises.  People are shooting at me.  If I go out, I could die; I know it.

When I first came to Clayton with Mom and Dad, I was just 12 weeks old.  Three weeks later, Mom took me up to the park to play.  It was July 3rd.  The same as this week.  As we approached Kingsbury Park, there was a loud KABLOOM!  Someone was shooting at us!  I grabbed Mom's leash and started pulling her to home.  But she wasn't coming.  She kept telling me to stop and to calm down.  She didn't know someone might kill her.  So I tried to drag her home.  But she fought me all the way.  In fact, she tried to tackle me, and kept telling me it was all right, to calm down.  But I knew better, so I pushed and kicked and broke free, pulling her with me.  (She lost her glasses, and I think I might have left some scratches on her, but I couldn't leave her with those shooters, could I?)  We finally made it home, but I was really scared.  Dad went out and came back with her glasses. 

The next year it happened again.  This time my Auntie Debbie was staying with me.  As soon as I heard the shots, I had to pull her back home and make her stay close to home till it was all over.  It's not easy taking care of my girls.

This year was even worse.  Especially when it got windy and rainy.  Then the shots were like from high up and sounded low and rumbly.  Then when I heard  loud one up in the direction of my park, I ran.  Hard as I could (at least as hard as anyone can with someone dragging on the leash).  I don't know how I can make Mom and Dad understand the gravity of the situation.  Don't they know we could all be shot?

Yesterday, when Mom tried to get me to go out after breakfast, I'd had enough.  I just ran up the stairs and said, NO!

Mom tried bribing me with treats and stuff.  She tried to tell me it was just America's Birthday Party.  AS IF!  What kind of fool does she think I am.   I wasn't budging:

So she fooled me by pulling out my "Go to the dog park" leash and she went to the basement door as if we were going in the car.  I believed her, so I came down.  We went down to the car, but instead of getting in the car, she walked out the basement door.  So I went.  And I did my thing.  But when I came back, I went and sat with Dad.  He wouldn't fool me like that!  He would protect me.

I really don't like America's Birthday Party.  Why can't America just have a nice glass of wine like I did and not shoot people and animals all over the place.

Yours,

G