Mu Turns 11
On the occasion of Mu’s 11th birthday, today, I set out to select 11 pictures out of the thousands that I have of him. I wanted to narrow it down to eleven pictures that are either good photographs or that show his character, preferably both. I managed to narrow it down to 33 pictures. Please see the gallery below.
11 of my favorite things about Mu.
He smells really good. Mu has never had a bath in his life, but the top of his head smells wonderful. I wish I could capture that smell in a bottle so that I could smell it 30 years from now. Eau de Mu.
He has the best snore in the world. Within moments of falling asleep, Mu settles into a serious snore. It’s not too loud, but pretty substantial. He has a soothing snore, like an 85-pound cat purring.
He is beautiful. Taking pictures of Mu is my favorite hobby. He is very photogenic. He is even more beautiful in person, and I wish I could capture every one of his marvelous expressions. I wish I could paint, so I could paint Mu.
He is the best cat detection dog in the world, as far as I know. I don’t actually know how many cat-detection dogs there are in the world, or how many cats they find. Mu has found over 300 missing cats. He is definitely the best cat finder in Washington.
He loves to play. Although Mu works hard, his work is really a game to him. Having fun is Mu’s main motivation. He enjoys the game of finding cats. He also loves to play after the search, such as fetching a stick in the lake.
When he takes a cookie or a treat, he makes cartoonish snarfling sounds. It makes it sound like he really enjoys his food. I tried making snarfling noises while I ate, to see if it made the food taste better. I couldn’t really do it like Mu does.
He has been a very healthy dog for 11 years. Mu is not as athletic as he was when he was younger. He used to be able to jump a seven foot fence. He is still faster than Tino, and beats him to the ball every time. Mu has been relatively free of health issues, which I hope means he will be with me for a long time.
He is the champion of naps. Some days, when you didn’t get enough sleep the previous night, and work has been tough, it can restore your energy if you have a short nap. Mu is always ready to help with a nap. He feels very warm because of his thin coat. When he curls his warm body against me, and starts snoring, I can be asleep in 30 seconds.
He has a perfect soul. I don’t know what a soul is, but whatever it is, Mu’s is perfect.
He makes me laugh. He will do goofy things that seem designed to make me laugh, like lie on the couch upside down with his head dangling over and wait for me to discover him like that.
He is family. I’m proud to have Mu for a son.
Happy Birthday, Wakomu.
