A Beagle

Who here has not heard of the comic strip Peanuts?

I'm raising my paw, because until we moved to Sonoma I had never heard of a cartoon Beagle named Snoopy. Or even a real, live beagle named Snoopy. I don't think I've ever met a beagle.

However, the guy who created this thing (a "ComicStrip") lived just down the road in a town called Santa Rosa. His name was Charles M. Schultz, and he drew the characters for 50 years.

Snoopy being imaginative 

Snoopy has a gang (a WHAT?!?) he runs around with, a bunch of humans, the most famous of whom is apparently a guy called "Good-Ol-Charlie-Brown." There is also a little yellow bird called Woodstock (well, that's better - birds are for chasing!). Snoopy also envisions himself as a World War I Flying Ace and a couple other things. This dog has imagination.

Good-Ol-Charlie-Brown (GOCB) and his pals always have sometime going on. GOCB doesn't think he's well-liked because he's kind of nerdy and is really lousy at sports. 

But ya know what? The bunch of kids in this ComicStrip always seem to figure things out. Despite the fact that GOCB is a goofball he is part of this pretty strange group of humans who themselves are pretty strange. 

Lucy Van Pelt, GOCB's friend and giver of advice 

We all have our good points and bad points. GOCB may be nerdy, but he has a big heart and is a great caretaker for Snoopy. Each of the kids has their thing they do. And they tolerate one another, even Pig-Pen, who walks around in a constant cloud of dust. I'd be sneezing for sure.

As far as I know, there are no cats in this ComicStrip. What does that mean? Are we (cats) too good for them? I don't think that should be a thing. Nobody is better than anyone else. Cats may seem aloof, but we're introverts, so it's hard for us to start a conversation sometimes. Most cats will unbend if you give them a chance. Like people.

Maybe we need to use our imagination a little more, like Snoopy, the flying-ace Beagle.

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Photos taken at the Charles M. Schultz Museum and Research Center, Santa Rosa, California.

Do you have a question for your animal? Ashara can answer that and lots of others, too. Check out www.harmonysheartanimals.com and learn more.