Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

Dear Santa,

I’ve been wondering what my two-legs would like for Christmas. I mean, there are loads of things that would be nice for her, but she says there’s not much she needs.

But, today I heard her muttering. And I’ve found something!

She needs fish.

Not just any fish, mind… special ones.

And not to eat (though I am partial to a bit of salmon or tuna…)

You see, we’ve got this fish tank and she looks after it all the time, but one of the fish is a bully. Well, two of them really, but one of them just dashes at everyone when it is feeding time. This one bullies its mate…and she is really not happy about that! I mean the two-legs, but I don’t think the mate is either.

The poor little female fishy is getting battered. And that’s no joke. So, she’s done her research and it seems the best way to stop him is put a few more females in there to keep him occupied.

So, I know you shouldn’t give pets for presents at Christmas, but if you could manage a couple of sisters for the little fish, it would make both the two-legs and the no-legs happy!

I promise they would always be well looked after… and I won’t pinch as many of the fish-treats if there are more mouths to feed. ( You know they make them from shrimp and salmon, yeah? Well… I like those…)

And if they are delivered by reindeer, I guess they’ll be flying fish!

So, do your best Santa, please!

And while you’re at it, you’d best read Dot’s letter too…

Much love, Ani xxx

Dear Santa

I have been a very good dog this year. Well, except for the time I chased a cat and lost Mom. My friend Patch’s dad found me and had to bring me home. Mom and dad were angry with me. I think I was clever to wait at his gate and then show him where I lived as he had never been to my house before. However, I was grounded for a while.

But other than that I’ve been really good. I know I sometimes eat garbage when we go for a walk and I get scolded for that. They say things like, “You know we feed you well and you have good food in your bowl.” But I had to eat garbage before I was rescued so it just comes naturally to me. I promise I’ll try to be better in the New Year.

I wasn´t going to mention this but mom says you know when we are naughty, so I better fess up. I rolled in some very smelly doggy poop one day. Boy was I in trouble. I had to have a bath outside first and then another one inside. Nobody wanted to be around me. I thought I smelled just fine.

Then there was the time I was sniffing around and my nose touched a poisonous caterpillar. I got very sick and Dad had to rush me to the veterinarian. They gave me not one, but four shots with a big needle. I hate shots. But I felt better after a day of sleeping. No one got mad at me and Mom was crying. I better not do that again.

I was going to ask for a snuggly blanket for Christmas but Mom bought me one already and I just love it. I can’t wait to go to bed every night and snuggle into it. It’s so warm and cosy. My toy box is overflowing so I don’t need any new toys. Last year I got socks for Christmas and although they were cute and supposed to keep my feet warm, I didn’t much like wearing them.

I would like a bone to chew on and treats are always welcome. Maybe then I won’t search out the garbage or sniff a bad caterpillar. I can’t promise I won’t chase cats anymore.

Santa, could you please make sure Ani and all my doggy friends get nice treats for Christmas. And could you please make sure all the doggies without homes find nice warm forever homes to live in like I did.

I really hope Ani doesn’t have to wear those silly antlers.

Merry Christmas!

Love from Dot the Dog

About the author

Brought up on a ranch in southern Alberta, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, travelling the world and meeting interesting people. She also believes everyone is capable of making their dreams come true. It’s no surprise that she’s now an award-winning author of children’s adventure books who divides her time between the west coast of Canada and Orihuela Costa, in Spain.

Find and follow Darlene

Website: Darlene Foster    Facebook   Amazon author page

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