A dog is my first at writing for the Eccentric let me introduce myself. Most of you see me in town attached to my human, Tom Sweitzer who is a Music Therapist and has lived in town for a long time. You also may know him from running with me in town, although when Tom runs it often looks like fast walking. I keep pace with him to make him feel better about his "workout." Tom helps run A Place To Be. I am the first dog you'll meet at A Place To Be, where we use music therapy to help people with problems. I have my own problems, but I have learned from all the people that visit A Place To Be I have a lot to be thankful for. Often when I learn about how brave some of the clients are at our center it gives me real PAWS to reflect on my own life. That was a joke.

Seriously I love my job and the brave people I meet. If you haven't met me you probably don't know that I am extraordinarily cute. I'm often stopped in town by people mostly tourists that lean down and say, "He is so cute!" Yep, that happens a lot. Because my hair is straggly people think I am automatically a male dog. I am a SHE! Hence why Tom is always adorning me with a "girlie" bow. Why are humans so stuck on gender stereotypes? Don't get me started.

Well, I love my town of Middleburg and feel through my years I have left my mark, literally. Through this article, I will really get to leave my mark. I will write to you about my view from the ground up in our town and give you my perspective. I feel lucky to be able to live in a town where people smile, open doors for each other and what other town has two Thai restaurants in a four-block radius? Middleburg is my home and I thank you all for the love you show me. As my owner often says I'm like a stuffed animal with a heartbeat. Well, this stuffed animal loves Middleburg and I will expound on that next month. See you Around the Town.