Beware the Cheshire Cat!

” The cat grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.” Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

From the time I have lived with Doc, when she thought I was hanging around the wrong kind of dogs, she would look at me and say “Beware the Cheshire Cat.” I hate it when she says that, because what she is really saying is that she thinks some of my friends are snakes.  Why all these references to animals you ask? Well they represent the slippery, smiley, manipulative ways of those that pretend to like you who then turn around and do you wrong. Doc knows that I need to be able to learn how to identify my friends from my foes. So, like any good mother she watches from a distance while I learn from my errors and my successes. She is always there if I need her.

Recently, I got my feelings hurt by someone who I thought was my friend. I found out they had been telling the other dogs that I was nothing but a mutt and made fun of me because I’m not a pure breed.  I should have known better because this “so-called” friend had been gossiping about others in my presence. Lesson learned, if they talk about others in front of you, they are talking about you when you aren’t around. Learning the ropes in life can be hard and sometimes hurtful. The best lesson Doc has taught me is to step back when I meet someone new and watch how they act from a distance before extending my friendship. People always reveal their true selves over time. The good news is that there are many nice puppies in the world that can become my friends, I just need to take my time.