Dogs of OEV by Shelley Long Do you make New Year’s resolutions? The tradition is over 4,000 years old, beginning with the ancient Babylonians whose year began in mid-March when the crops were planted. At a 12-day festival, they crowned their king and made promises to pay their debts. In Rome, Julius Caesar established January 1st as the beginning of the New Year, named for Janus, the two-faced god who the Romans believed looked back at the previous year and ahead to the future. They offered sacrifices and promises of good behaviour for the coming year. New Year’s Resolutions continued into the Middle Ages, and by the 17th century, making resolutions (and breaking them) was common practice in North America. In the 1900s, resolutions tended to be religious or spiritual. Most resolutions made now tend to focus on self-improvement – get more sleep, drink less, eat healthier, spend less, etc. Given that dogs primarily live in the present (although they may have some ability to think into the future) and don’t have
Alejandro: I resolve to eat more treats and to respect others’ personal space. the ability to self-reflect on their behaviour in the way humans do, the chance of your dog heading into the new year with a list of things they want to change is unlikely. Besides, dogs are already perfect, right? I asked the owners of a few dogs in the neighbourhood to imagine what resolutions their canine companions might make for 2026.
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Tara: I resolve to try to stop eating things off the street.
Mushu: I will work on being less dramatic.
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To advertise here, please contact Marty@villagerpublications.com Ivy: My resolution is to try to stop barking at nothing.
Page 6 Old East Villager Jan-Feb 2026
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