Dog Years

My dog is sixteen in dog years
which explains her doggy tantrums,
the way she steals biscuits,
the way she escapes through open gates,
has her own friends who she barks to
late into the night. I wonder
if she should be studying harder,
making plans for the future.
She did once eat my maths book
so perhaps she’s made a start.
Mum says dogs are incapable of thought,
that she has no idea it’s Wednesday
when Mum works from home
but she comes in anyway with her lead
as if to say It’s the weekend!