Ode to Libby

Subject: Ode to Libby.

Like a mangy dog in its kennel I toss and turn seeking a soft spot to survey the world through the kennel door. The bone is in reach and the water bowl is full, what more can I want when so much outside the kennel is foreign.
There was a time when I could range around the neighbourhood sniffing here and there, doing the necessary without giving a thought to those pesky humans and their municipal rules. The cats sprinted up the trees as I strolled along, and only that large bull-mastiff  caused any grief as you passed his gate. 
Today there seem to be regulations against much of what we did back then. Humans have cast their myopic gaze over  our lives and now we have to be tethered to a human as they stagger along behind us calling out commands which only reflect their failure to understand our instinctive impulses.
Take cats. They are a scourge for a dog, getting a place on the couch whilst we have to make do with a smelly blanket in the kitchen. They come and go at their leisure the humans even provide a small hatch in the door for them to come and go whilst we have to wait for walkies. They don't have the same sense of commitment to humans as we do there's little tail wagging or genuine affection which we exhibit freely and without charge. Food seems to be the only reason for a cat to hang around and I have seen cats openly cadging a meals from around the neighbourhood.
Out in any weather we still provide that signal of companionship and affection, even on blustery wind swept days when we would be much happier tucked up in our box. We never complain to be hooked up to the leash and respond to words like walkies without ill feeling.
The ignominy of watching us poo and then rushing forward to scoop it up in a bag is very condescending. My nose can pick out any number of poo's left unattended. From the cat to the squirrel they lie all around unscrutinised but 'wow' if I have a No 2 the  whole world descends on my shoulders and plethora of sanctions fall into place.
No leave me alone here in my kennel to dream of catching that over indulged cat when it walks in after midnight. Then we will see who's boss.