I mentioned that I am a dog lover....and a writer....I wrote the following story quite awhile ago and thought I would share it. I hope you enjoy it.
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This is about dogs.
If you are a cat lover you may not understand what it is that makes us dog people so passionate about our pets.
Maybe I can explain.
I'm certainly not anti-cat--I've been owned by a few of the members of the furry, arrogant little green-eyed species myself! But there is just something about a dog that brings out the nurturing side of us dog-lovers.
Cats are independent. You can fill a couple of bowls with food and water, put down a clean litterbox and leave for a day or two without greeting disaster upon your return. (Cat won't be happy about your absence, but will deal with it.) Try that with a dog and you will learn the true meaning of disaster . Puppy-face is definitely not happy about your absence and will not hesitate to let you know it! (And, let's face it, dogs do not normally use a litterbox, so that right there is a problem.)...leaving a dog alone for a day or two is like leaving a two year old alone...not a good idea on so many levels!
Dogs were never meant to be left alone for long periods of time anyway. It is my opinion...as well as the opinions of all the dogs I've talked to...that if you are going to have a dog he should be in your home, on your bed and in your face...not chained up in the back yard, or confined to a cage just because you don't want to be bothered properly training him when he's a puppy...or locked in the basement, or any other room away from the family. Why have a dog at all if you will not allow him to be a part of your family? What's the point? I am most bothered by people who chain up their dogs outside in all kinds of weather. They tell me they want their dogs to "protect their property". I say: to heck with the property..protect ME! Property can be replaced. I want my dog right beside me..especially at night..so that if there's an intruder in the house I have some warning..and I want my loyal dog between that intruder and me so I can have some time to protect us.
When you bring a dog into your life it's the same commitment as having a child! If you are unwilling to make that commitment, please..do the prospective dog a favor and don't bring one into your life. It will be an unhappy situation. Don't think you can get a puppy, put him in a cage and then go to work and be gone for ten hours or more, take him out when you get home and on weekends, and half-heartedly train him, and then expect him to automatically get the house-training concept and be a good companion...won't happen. No consistancy. And, by the way, how would you feel if you were put into a cage for twelve hours and not allowed to relieve yourself? Or drink water? Or eat? Does that sound okay to you? If we did that to the worst of the criminals in our justice system there would be such an outcry...so why would it be okay for our dogs?
There are so many reasons to bring a dog into your home, but if you make this decision you must give a lot of thought to what kind of dog will fit your lifestyle.
If your home is a showplace with expensive furnishings and knick-knacks, you better pass on the cute little puppy that will grow up into Monster Dog faster than you can say Marmaduke! Better get one you can hold in one hand...a little Yorkshire Terrier is great for that.
On the other hand, if you have kids, a casual home and space to run, go for the gold: a big, slurpy slavering hairy beast that doesn't care if the kids think he's a horse! The memories you will all have and the pictures you will take of those romps with the dog will be priceless!
Either way, take into consideration the fact that most dogs shed..some more than others. Big deal..that's what vacuums are for!
They get muddy paw prints on your nice clean floors. They jump up on the furniture and leave perfect paw prints there too....and they are like babies and demand every bit as much attention...especially during the first year. The good news is that they never turn into surly, rebellious teenagers...they can be loved and forgiven a lot just for that reason alone! And once you get them past the first year puppy stage, your patient, loving training during that period will result in the most wonderful companion you could ever ask for.
What other animal has the heart, intelligence and loyalty to throw himself into the face of death to protect his family? That's why police officers use dogs. That's why there are seeing eye dogs, and dogs who save people's lives every day when the dogs have special talents to alert their owners in the event of a seizure or a heart attack.
Dogs can find skiers who have been buried by an avalanche..in time to save them....think about how long it takes to suffocate and then you may know how remarkable that is!
Wouldn't you want a dog on your side if you were in trouble?
There are drug and bomb sniffing dogs who save lives every day. There are dogs who can detect a cancerous tumor on humans at an early enough stage so that the person can get treatment in time to save their lives. There are therapy dogs who go into nursing homes and hospitals, giving comfort and love, and making such a difference in the lives of shut-ins. These wonderful creatures just know when they are needed and rise to the occasion. I don't know of any other animals that are so amazing. They are truly a gift from God...how else can you explain them? And if they are indeed a gift from God, shouldn't we treat them as such?
We can learn so much from dogs. I don't know of too many other creatures that display such joy and exuberance for the simple things in life. They don't care about money. They don't need expensive toys. They forgive us our sins and never bring up those sins again....how many humans do you know who will do that?!
They make us laugh and forget our troubles. And when we come home from a rough day at work feeling discouraged, they greet us as if we are the most wonderful, most important person in the world EVERY time. No bad moods for these guys. They have a healing effect on us....just looking into those beautiful, loving eyes and petting them brings down our blood pressure. That is a proven medical fact.
I have had dogs all my life. I've had Irish Setters, Golden Retrievers, a Border Collie, an Alaskan Huskie, Cocker Spaniels and German Shepherds.
One of our most memorable dogs was a purebred white German Shepherd dickens named "Rocket"....nicknamed "Rocket Launch".....because from the time he was a puppy until he was a little over a year old his favorite trick was to stick both front paws and his nose...up to his eyes...into his water dish, take one or two gulps and then run at top speed into the family room where he'd leap onto the couch and plop down, dripping and grinning. Then, when we'd demand that he get down, he would explode into a breakneck run in a circle around the couch, through the living room, the kitchen, back into the family room and back up onto the couch again, over and over until he was finally tired enough of the game so that he would settle down and rest. We would be exhausted just watching him!
But, for all the aggravation while he was a puppy, as he grew up, he turned out to be the most wonderful, most protective, smartest, well-behaved dog anyone could ever ask for! Love, patience and training were the keys.
He loved his "brother", too...a four year old Cocker Spaniel named "Flag" who, most of the time, put up with this wild youngster's merciless teasing. (Flag got his name because of his unbobbed tail which waved like....a flag.) Despite their radically different breeds, sizes, temperments and ages, Rocket and Flag shared food, water, toys and the attention of all of us without much conflict. Watching the two of them together was truly like watching two close brothers. Flag tended to get testy occasionally, but Rocket would gently nudge and tease him until Flag decided to play.
In the evenings when things settled down, they would curl up together, dozing, Rocket's front paw draped protectively across Flag's back. Many times I would see Rocket gently washing Flag's face like a mother with her baby. Never could they be apart or each would cry and whine until they were together again.
At night, they both would sleep on my bed, guarding me, making me feel safe, secure and protected. Heaven pity the poor fool stupid enough to have attempted to violate our home, for they'd have received a nasty surprise!
Rocket and Flag lived long and happy lives and when it was time to say good-by to them we grieved and missed them for quite awhile. But, eventually, feeling empty without a dog sharing our lives, we brought another into our home.
No creature on earth will give you more unquestioned, unconditional, undying love and loyalty than your dog. All he asks in return is your love, kindness and space in your heart, home and life.
Never will you get so much for so little!
Please remember your local animal shelter when you make the decision to bring a companion into your life.......AND PLEASE....SPAY OR NEUTER!! Doing so prolongs your pet's life and prevents more unwanted animals from suffering the fate of homelessness and euthanasia.
2 comments:
I very much enjoyed your writing today, thankyou for the comical, and sensible thoughts. Dogs are great, and your words made me laugh! Thanks!
I loved this article. When my daughter (at that time 12 yrs old), moved to the midwest, she wanted a puppy for her 13th birthday. We lived in a very rural area in the country - on a family owned farm - and I knew a puppy could not survive in that environment - not with groundhogs and other critters crawling around everywhere. So, I started calling around to the local Vets offices and found a Golden Retriever who needed adopted. He was 1-1/2 years old. The family that him up for adoption had just bought a new home and upon moving in, found this skinny Golden in the house. The man that had owned the home prior to this couple buying it, was a breeder. He thought this dog was not breeding material and left him in the home when he moved. He actually left his registered papers and Vet records as well. The couple had 3 Black Labs that were very aggressive. The Golden was mild and meek and could not stand up for himself against the other dogs. He was getting skinner every day, thus the reason they decided to put him up for adoption. Smart move on their part. But, when I called them about the Golden, they wanted to meet us and come to our farm to make sure he had a good home. When we went to their home for the first time, we walked into the door and Hunk - the Golden Retriever - (we did not name him - it was his nickname) jumped up on my daughter and practially knocked her down and started licking her face. I knew right then and there, that monster dog was coming home with us. She fell in love at first sight and so did Hunk. He came home with us and we put weight on him. He had the run of the farm, although we did have a fenced in yard. He grew into the most wonderful dog and became a part of our family. We had him until he was a little over 12 years old. He started developing numerous health problems, could not get around very well and would not eat. We actually would try and spoon feed him and he still would not eat much. We tried everything the Vet told us to do, but nothing helped. We literally were at the Vet's office once or twice a week to seek help. The day came to make the decision to put him down. Seeing this wonderful pet suffer was more than we could handle. My daughter had moved out, gotten married and had a young daughter that loved Hunk. It was heartbreaking. My baby granddaughter would lay down on the floor beside him and put her head on his belly. He would put a leg over her - I guess for her to know she was protected - and they would nap together. This was the hardest decision of my life to put this dog down. I cried for three days afterwards.
After two weeks, I missed having a dog to walk downstairs to every morning, so my Mother (who lives with me) and I went to the "Mingle with the Muts" day at the Humane Society. We fell in love with this little Beagle. He was so calm, didn't jump around and never barked or howled. In the end, after three days, I called the Humane Society back to find out if he was still there. He was and we went and adopted him right then and there. The Humane Society told us to get a crate for him because he was used to being in a cage. We bought the crate and it became his home. At first, when we would leave the house, we locked the crate door. Then we realized there was no sense in that, so we never locked him up again and he could come and go as he pleased. We keep a baby gate up so he can come and go in the room as he pleases. This little Beagle was a blessing for my Mother that was missing Hunk so much. We named the Beagle "Sonny Boy" because he brought so much sunshine into my Mother's life. Yes, he still does bad things every now and again, but nothing you cannot forgive him for. And yes, he gets scolded for the bad things, but all in all, he has made our lives a joy. Unfortunately, you can tell that he was mistreated before he ended up at the Humane Society. He doesn't know how to play or even be a dog for that matter. My granddaughters are disappointed about that, but oh well, that is something I can live with. He has the funniest habit of wanting petted and puts up a paw that I call a "fag" paw - no pun intended - for you to shake his paw. Now how could you not love a dog like that? We were so blessed to find this dog. He is Mom's best friend and everyone loves him.
Like the author said, if you want a dog, consider the Humane Society. They have so many dogs that will end up dead if people like you and me do not adopt them. We saved a dog's life and in return, have a loving, caring goofy Beagle. Who could ask for anything more?
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