Purpose or Work

Auntie Gill is behaving oddly, even for a human.  She is doing something called 'serious practice' on a piano. She puts us in the cage while this is going on, because she says we can't be trusted.  To do what?  I wonder.

I am coming to understand that in order to be trusted, I have to do the obedience and discipline things a lot.  I wouldn't mind if I felt that there was any degree of compromise from Auntie Gill, but I don't see her, or any of her friends practising what they preach.  She doesn't 'sit and stay', she doesn't 'be quiet' and she certainly doesn't do 'poison, paid for!' (Unless it is for a really big treat - biscuits don't work - but new shoes do.)  In fact, more and more I am beginning to feel cross that I have to do this stuff.  Humans expect me to, but it is a perfect example of 'do as I say, but not as I do'.

It's not surprising that Humans are not very good at discipline, but it's like I said at the beginning of my diary, this is because discipline is all about doing what you don't want to do, when you don't want to do it.  It's bound to fail isn't it?  Beagles don't work like this.

After studying Beagle culture, Alexandre Dumas was inspired to adopt our First Precept of Beaglehood, 'All for one and one for all!' for his musketeers.  We know that we can't survive on our own, so each beagles' talents and skills are placed in the service of our Pack brothers and sisters.  My talent, as you know, is fearless rootling; Brahms is a Chase Leader; my mother Berlioza Beagle, like all beagle mothers is a Mother of the Pack;  Great Great Grandma Bach Beagle was honoured as Grand Dame of Pack Mothers for her outstanding contribution to post-natal care.

We are a very tight-knit group and because there aren't that many of us, we need all hands on deck, so to speak.  It is also a fact that we like our Purpose in life, which is to eat and the means is by Rootling and Chasing, which all beagles love to do.  I think this is perhaps where humans have gone wrong.  Their purpose also, is to eat, but they achieve this through Work and I don't think they like doing this much.

Happy in my Purpose

I sincerely believe that they would all be happier if they took up rootling and chasing, then they would not get fat or smoke, because they would have to run fast.  The First Commandment of the Pack is, 'First come, first served'.  It certainly keeps us on our toes!