Wood Dog

Lunar New Year fell on Feb 18. Anyone born before that date belongs to the previous year (Rooster).

Dogs keep a private line they will not cross, quiet most of the time and suddenly very hard when it is reached. Their loyalty is practical: they remember your appointment, take the long way to bring you something hot, and never mention it. They read people quickly, clocking who is performing and who is not. First impressions say reliable and direct. What is less known is how heavily they weigh being let down. The page does not turn easily, they just stop talking about it. They will answer at two in the morning, and they will remember that you called.

A tree grown on flat ground, nothing to block the wind, every branch visible from a distance. People like this speak straight, put promises in the open and leave themselves no back door. Going around a thing is not their skill: asked a question, they answer it as it stands, and do not watch faces afterwards. Standing tall in the open costs them. They have taken a few knocks and still stand there, at most driving the roots deeper.