I was out at a client's site a few days ago, taking pictures of the property for a website I am constructing. I came home, plugged the camera into my computer, and started to download the images. I saw a couple of pictures go by that I didn't remember taking. I called out to my beloved and asked if he had taken some pictures. He said no at first, then came over to see and confirmed that yes, indeed, he did take the pictures. I thought he had just caught the dogs being cute, but as he explained to me what I was seeing, I started to tear up a little.
Yes, the dogs are being adorable. But that red lump you see at the bottom, covered in 8 layers of blankets – that's me. When I was sick. And the dogs are showing their care and offering comfort in the only way they know how: by being there. Reku kept vigil the whole time I was sick. He never left my side. I am not sure he even ate or went to the bathroom. Every time I started to cough or moan a little, he raced off and brought Chuck back on the double. I am so blessed to have dogs that love me.
I have to confess that I wasn't really a dog person for most of my life. In fact, I was a little anti-dog. Dogs jump and bark and lick your ankles. They are rambunctious and chew things and need lots of attention. I just never saw the draw. I much preferred cats. I had two cats when Chuck and I met, and even though he grew up with dogs, he embraced life with my cats as much as he embraced life with me.
When my much-treasured cat died of cancer, Chuck was fully prepared to get another cat. But I figured it was my turn to bend a little and decided we needed to get a puppy for Chuck. The dog of a friend of ours had puppies, and we were the first to pick. We went over to play with the puppies and choose. I stayed in the background, wanting Chuck to find the dog he would bond with. But he kept encouraging me to participate, to help choose. He kept stressing that it would be our dog. I got down on the floor with him, in the middle of 12 puppies, and we selected our dog.
You can probably tell by the italics that I thought I was humoring Chuck with the our dog thing. I really expected Reku to be Chuck's. But very quickly, Reku did become our dog, and after not too much longer, my dog. I discovered how completely rewarding a relationship with a dog is. And, like most converts, I swung to the extreme side of dog love. Dogs are the Best. Thing. Ever! Everyone should have at least one. In fact, I asked for – and received – Tasha for my very next birthday.
Getting dogs transformed Chuck and me from a couple to a family. Our dogs are one of the greatest things that have ever happened to me. They are so loving, loyal, and protective. It's not one of those things that I stop and consider every day, but seeing that picture reminded me.
As I was writing this post, I thought it might be fun to include a couple of pictures of the dogs as puppies, but when I was going through the pictures they were all so cute that I couldn't narrow it down to one of each. So here are a bunch. Just deal with it. Click on any picture to enlarge it and get the gallery.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferThank you! I had a lot of fun going through the pictures, remembering them as puppies.
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|72.35.114.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s MicYep, having a dog to belong to is definitely one of the best things in living. Lucky you to have two :-)
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferI am very lucky. And to think I might have missed out on it. Good thing I married Chuck
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|200.66.50.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s AnonymousDogs can make a bad day good, a sad person happy and fill all the emotional nooks and crannies inbetween. We have four; two sleep at John's feet and two sleep at my feet and although a "wake up yap" at two a.m. is not my idea of fun, it's all part of the package. Yours are gorgeous.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferYou are so right. I wasn't going to post this, but I just can't resist. This is an email that circulated awhile back.
A Dog's purpose - from a 4 year old
Being a veterinarian, I was called to examine a ten year old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a
few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, "People are born so they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
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|200.66.50.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s AnonymousAwwww jeez, Jennifer, the least you can do is provide a box of kleenex with that story! How true, though.
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|Registered |m-d-Y H:i:s AngelDogs are given their own space in most country patios, are seldom petted and are more tolerated rather than made into pets. As such they are given daily food, they protect their patio food territory and are retained in a semi-wild state. It's interesting to watch how well they make friends with children living in the same patio. Angel.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferThat is something I will never understand, along with roof dogs. Even accepting that some people get dogs not for pets, but for protection, that type of isolation is counter productive to the goal. Dogs are pack animals. If they are to be effective protectors of a family and property, they need to feel like members of the pack. And that means petting them and feeding them well and making them feel like they belong.
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|200.66.50.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s AnonymousI was a supervisor for many years at a major SPCA outside of San Francisco. During our adoption interviews, if a cliient stated the animal would be outside, or alone much of the time, we would not adopt and let me tell you, we had a few angry people. They just don't get it. There is more protection from a dog INside than out in a yard, anyway. Dogs NEED to be with their people but then we all know that, don't we.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferWe got Tasha from the Humane Society and had to fill out a questionnaire detailing why we wanted the dog and where it would live. There were a bunch of check boxes for why we wanted her with options like pet, gift, companion, to keep an existing pet company, working dog, security and some other stuff I forget. The form said to check as many as apply, so I checked security along with the other applicable choices. The pet counselor questioned us closely about that one. They were afraid we were going to lock the dog outside. She finally scratched out the security mark on our form and went ahead with the adoption.
Yes dogs need tobe with their people. Moreover, I NEED to be with my dogs
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