Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for January 11, 2018

Go ahead and give yourself a lick, then!

No, not like that. I meant your reflection!

Yes you are. You have an adorable waggy tail, nice fuzzy ears, and your nails are much better than anyone else on the block.

Bixley has never thought of himself as cute…

or strong, or sleek, or any of the words in which the other dogs take pride.

He thinks he’s just an ordinary dog, who prefers a nap in the shade to a run up the canyon….

or an extra biscuit to a chase after a marauding cat….

and he wags is tail at the squirrels, hoping they’ll want to play catch with his new striped rubber ball.

So Marjorie’s words were new to him…

as is looking about to find his own reflection.

And the dog he saw there….

a friendly fellow, with a dashing bandanna….

was somehow not the dog he had always thought,

but… yes…. a cute dog….

which, if he played his cards right…

Might get him….. um…. what?

What did “cute” dogs get?

He’s off to find out.

This is Stuart Smalley’s dog – doing his daily affirmation.

Are you sure that’s you?

Yes, yes you are!

Yes, you are, Bixley. However, I don’t think Miss Millie High-Maintenance feels particularly threatened…

Put a dog in a comic, and I smile automatically. And usually chuckle

OK. I am pretty cute! There, I said it!

I said it, and now everyone at work is avoiding me.

Beautiful Bixley, that’s what his owner calls him. Bixley never knew what that meant until today.

Now he’s gonna be called Unsufferable Bixley.