Having a Dog

My Toby, what would I do without you.  Do you have a pet?  Or I should say, do you have a dog?  Not that I have anything against cats, but there is just something about a dog running toward you with his ears flying in the breeze, ball in his mouth ready to play as long as your arm can throw.  I love my dog....he is my companion, my confidant, my bed partner, my shoulder to cry on, my joy. 

I have always had a dog.  Oh there were times there was no dog in our home, but those times were mighty brief.  When I was a child, I had two dogs.  The first one was a little black dog that I named "Stormy" because of his black coat.  We were great pals, those were the days when there was no such thing as leash laws, so Stormy and I would wander the neighborhood together, me riding my bike, Stormy running by my side. One day, one of the boys in the neighborhood who did not like dogs, started swinging his toy gun at Stormy, hitting him.  Stormy fought back and bit him, totally in self defense.  Somehow the parents nor the police seemed to think Stormy was not guilty of biting an innocent child.  HA!  No matter how hard I cried and tried to convince everyone that it was not Stormy's fault, the police took him away.  That was devastating as a child to lose your pal like that. 

We have had at least 5 dogs since I got married.  Each one different, each one with their own personalities, each one loved, altho I had a difficult time loving our Cairn Terrier....he chewed on anything and everything (can't tell you how many pairs of underwear he got ahold of, don't get me started on that), even chewed thru a chair in search of his ball.  So Casey was a little more difficult to love than the others, but loved still the same.

Toby, on the other hand...is the best, smartest, easiest dog (I sound like a Mother bragging about her child) I have ever owned.  He comes when called, sleeps until I wake up, snuggles with me on the couch, barks when someone comes in the yard (another form of a doorbell), reads & writes....no just kidding, getting a little carried away.  But I do love my dog, he is truly the best companion and much easier than a child.  I can tell Toby, "You be good, and I'll be back" and walk out the door and return hours later to a wagging tail.  Can't do that with a child.  Yes, children do bring light to our lives, but now that I am passed the child-bearing-rearing stage in my life, I'm happy with my dog, Toby. 

Do you have a pet....specifically a dog?  Have you felt the love that dogs can bring to you?...that unconditional love.  Nothing better....but I know my dog has to be smarter than your dog. 

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~  Henry Wheeler Shaw