This is Fruitycake. I had no idea that I would be told to stop barking so much in my life. When I was living on the streets and roaming around, I didn’t have anyone telling me what to do.
I had to bark. I had to be strong. I had to be smart. I had to bark at other dogs before they could bark at me.
Now, when I bark at other dogs at these campground places, I am told not to. Something about quiet hours. Something about disturbing the peace.
Girl Person says that others are avoiding us because of my barking. Boy Person says I need to burn off some energy. Brickle just tells me to stop it.
Well. My name is Fruitycake. I am sweet. But I can also be tough like Juicy Fruit.
I can be tart like a grapefruit.
I can be all of these things. But I would rather be sweet. I would rather not have to worry about being tough. I’m just having a hard time remembering I am safe now.
Brickle tells me sometimes that persons pretend to be tough to. They pretend to have everything figured out. That surprises me. Because I thought they did have it all figured out. Brickle says no one does. We all bark for no reason.
I wonder if everyone was just nice and patient if there would still be so much barking. Can’t we all just be nice? Can’t we all give others the chance to be comfortable where they are?
Can’t we all stop fighting to win a race that goes nowhere?
Juicy Fruit and grapefruit or sweet Fruitycake? It’s up to me. I’ll try to start letting my guard down. And I’ll give others a chance to be nice. But I have to be nice first. So do you.
–Fruitycake The Raccoon
Love you Fruitcake you are very safe with Brickle and the persons you will have a very happy happy life take one day at a time and you will see wonderful things
You know, Fruitycake (we need to get you a nickname, by the way), I sometimes want to yell at other people, too. I wanted to yell at my neighbors so often because THEY were so noisy, playing their stereo so loud at all hours of the day and night that a lot of other neighbors called the police, called the courtesy officer (a police officer who lived in the complex), and called the office. But the office didn’t do anything. So, I moved. Finding another place when you don’t have a house on wheels isn’t so easy. But one day my brother told me the house next door to him, with his same landlord, was vacant. It hadn’t even been advertised yet. So, we talked to the landlord, and here I am. I don’t have any neighbors I want to bark at! When you get used to your new surroundings and your new lifestyle, you will realize that you don’t need to warn people and other doggos away because you’re safe. Yes, Fruitycake, you are very safe. Just ask Brickle.
Honey life’s a journey not a destination, you’ll do just fine