Phil, the squirrel

by Rita Foelker

(Inspired by a chat between Luciane Vieira, from Bethel/CT, and me.)

Hi! My name is Rita and I’m spending some days in historical Connecticut . This is quite an adorable place, with very nice people. And you know what? I became friend of Phil, the squirrel. He is a smart squirrel that lives with his family in the backyard.

Phil told me something that was happening to him. His friend Bob, a duck that lives in the neighborhood, has called him a dog so often that now it sounds like a bad word to Phil.

Phil is upset. Nothing wrong with being a dog, but Phil noticed that Bob was being impolite on those occasions.

When Phil said he had to do something about it but didn’t know what, I asked:

- Well, my dear friend. Are you a dog?

- I don’t know…

- Let me see… Do you bark like a dog?

- No, I don’t. I’m actually afraid of barking dogs!

- OK. Do you walk on four legs?

- Sometimes! But not usually, because I use two of them to pick up seeds, flowers and mushrooms up.

- What do dogs eat?

- Um… Dog food?!

- Very funny!!

- Sorry… I think they eat small pieces of brown hard ration. Blah!

- And does your owner take you out to pee?

Phil didn’t allow me to go on any further.

- OK, you convinced me! What’s the point?

- The point is: if you are not a dog, and don’t feel like a dog, why worry about what others think or say??

Think about this, discuss it with friends and family and try to find your own answer to this question.

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