Notes from a small dog -The lost ball

You’ll have heard that they lost my favourite ball… the one I’ve had for ages… Well, she keeps trying to replace it with fakes. She’ll hold out a green thing that looks like my ball… and for a moment I think she’s found it…

Then she’ll throw it and and try to con me into playing with it. But you know, she just doesn’t get it. It’s not my ball…

It’s all new and clean. It doesn’t smell right. It isn’t chewed and fluffy. It doesn’t even taste the same…

But I accept it, sort of, ’cause I know she’s still feeling guilty…

Chasing it though, that;s not really going to happen. I’m sorry, I know it’s upsetting her, but you know…it’s not my ball. Mind, just in case my never reappears, I’m not letting her risk losing this one…

What do you mean ‘guilt trip’? There are consequences…