It's been an usual couple of days for me since the wee hours of Christmas eve, I haven’t slept a wink. As a rule I can get by on four-to-five hours sleep a day but that’s not the point. My dog is....something’s up and I can’t figure it out.

Meet my loyal buddy Darth, my eight year old dachshund...and a real piece of work this little guy.

I cannot remember who said that dogs emulate many of the personality traits of their owners (research studies I guess I read that somewhere but who can remember). They couldn’t have been more right: stubborn, cranky, does not play well with others, loud, sometimes aggressive and very demanding. Don’t get me wrong, he is a great dog. But this temporary change of routine, unlike any year past, he seems so un-himself: complaining , anxious and more belligerent than normal.

Our other pet Kenobi…well he’s a cat – and as cats go, he's all unto himself. As long as his needs are met, he just does his thing and is a very gentle creature. The two of them get on pretty well and have since they are about the same age and raised since their birth. We have had more cats than dogs over the years. But I am a dog guy. My wife loves cats. Mind you I do as well, but a dog, well, anyone who loves dogs…knows.

Christmas eve and Christmas day have been fairly low-key. No parties, no friends or family gatherings except our daughter over. Did the presents stuff late last night. All fairly placid and we all have remained in good spirits and "peaceful."

It is Christmas evening, and my dog is staring at me and whining away as I write and needing to make an end. Mind you, he hasn’t been ignored, has had his usual walks, treats, food and all that. But he’s not a happy camper. My spending ample amounts of time on computers, well he’s very use to that (for my small business although I retired from the rat race years ago) along with the occasional; cigar consumption in my well ventilated (AC filtered) office.

Perhaps what’s been keeping me up in some weird way is keeping him in this anxious state of disorder. The holidays can be tough for people's emotions, well, guess it goes for dogs as well. Never experienced this before. Guess I better look for more "research" another time, for another day.

So, here’s wishing you and your pets a very stress-free christmas week and happy new year.

^{Images are my own.}