My Doodle Canvas

Every morning at 5AM on the dot, he sits and stares at me until I wake up and take him on a walk. No bark. No paw push. Just eyes — patient, knowing, absolutely confident that I WILL give in. And I always do. He’ll turn 4 this October, and I’ll be honest — the first three years were something else. Nonstop energy. Ate like he had a gas tank. Lost his ever-loving mind whenever someone would knock at our door. These days, he’s a bit more mature. He has a specific pillow on the couch that’s all his. Picked because it allows him the perfect view of the front door. He takes his watch VERY seriously. Also, he will not poop in our backyard. Only on walks. We don’t speak of it. I will speak of how, one day, I decided I needed to build something around him. It wasn't just one grand revelation that inspired me to build something around Winston; it was a cascade of tiny epiphanies. How he’ll walk into my office in the middle of the workday and sit staring at me until I look out the door with him at whatever dog dared to walk by our house. How he’ll look me in the eyes like he knows what I’m thinking before I say it out loud. It never crossed my mind to question how much he needed, because certain loves just feel like they demand everything.I’ve had two Golden Retrievers. I adore that breed. But I have never met a dog smarter than Winston. More emotionally aware. More present. My Doodle Canvas exists because dogs like Winston deserve to have their photos hanging on your wall — not hidden away in your camera roll. If you have a doodle, you know exactly what I’m saying.— PS at 6: 30 AM he will remind me that it’s breakfast time. He is yet to be wrong.