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Chasing Butterflies

© Mary M. Alward

My dog, Meeko, is a source of delight to me and my family. Our grandsons love him. He makes us laugh with his comical antics. (when he acts silly)

Meeko was born on August 30, 2000. He is getting older, but still acts like a puppy a lot of the time. He believes in having fun - simple fun that he finds in his surroundings. He loves to go for a walk which gives him freedom to run and explore the world.

When Meeko and I head out for our walk early in the morning, he is always happy. He trots along, tail held high. His mouth is open. His tongue hangs out the side. He looks like he's laughing and who knows, maybe he is.

Our morning walk takes us along the canal (a narrow body of water similar to a stream that is quite deep) near our home. If we go about 6 am, we always see the heron that fishes for his breakfast in the canal. As soon as he hears us coming, he lifts his huge wings in flight and soars along the canal. It is awesome watching him fly low over the water.

Sometimes Meeko and I see squirrels, birds and chipmunks. Sometimes we see a cat or another dog. A beautiful pileated woodpecker lives near the canal. His black and white feathers gleam in the early morning light. It's so cool to see him hanging onto the side of a tree, looking for beetles and bugs for his breakfast.

Meeko often chases insects, and once he even chased a garter snake. Another time, before I could stop him, he caught a woodchuck by the back of the neck. It snarled and put up quite a fight. I made Meeko drop it. He was quite insulted. It is his instinct to catch woodchucks and squirrels, but he is getting to know that it's not allowed. Now, he just watches the squirrels, but if he saw the woodchuck again, I think he might go after it.

The thing that I love about Meeko, is that he's gentle and has never harmed another creature. He has even made friends with some cats in the neighbourhood. He likes to chase grasshoppers, bees, and dragon flies. But the thing that makes me laugh the hardest, is watching Meeko chase butterflies.

When Meeko sees a butterfly, he immediately stops and watches it for a couple of seconds. His tail goes up and so does his right front paw. Then, the chase is on. As the butterfly flits and flutters, zigs and zags, so does Meeko. He runs this way and that, tail wagging, and jumps into the air. The butterflies keep just out of reach. If I didn't know better, I'd think they enjoyed the game. They circle around Meeko as he jumps and leaps, trying to catch them. Sometimes he goes around in circles so many times that he can't walk straight.

The copyright of the article Chasing Butterflies in Canada for Kids is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish Chasing Butterflies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.