Friday, November 30, 2012

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






14 comments:

heyjudephotography said...

Adorable photos of Toby! He does look like the smartest, best dog! I've always (almost) had dogs too. Right now we have an 80 lb Chocolate Lab named, wait for it.... Cocoa. I do love her, I do. I just have to remind myself of that when I'm vacuuming up what seems like piles of dog hair every day - well every time I vacuum! When she was a puppy, on the first day that we had her out of her crate while we all went to school and work, she ate, not even chewed, but ate, the corner of the kitchen table. :( Gotta love her though, even if your dog is smarter than her! :)

Danielle said...

We lost our 'best dog ever' last Christmas...he was just awesome...thankfully we still have his 'playmates'....an Aussie Shepherd named 'Snickers' and a miniature Doxie named 'Joey....who is sleeping beside me on the couch as I type this...I would be lost without these precious companions...I have always had a dog...even though my mom was not a dog lover (she had gotten bitten by a German Shepherd when she was young)..she still always made sure we had a dog in our home....they were always Bassett Hounds. Oh...look what you started...sweet memories...I love the photos of your wonderful friend!!!

Dotti said...

One thing I can tell for sure: Toby is a charmer!!! Yes ... he'd charm the socks right off the most determined dog-hater.

One of the first things my daughter did when she graduated from college and had her own apartment was to get a West Highland Terrier, whom she named Fitzgerald, called Fitzy. He, too, was a charmer, and like Toby, very smart. Fitzy was with her through some very rough patches in her life so I can fully understand what you're saying when you tell us that Toby is your confidant and your comfort. Fitzy certainly helped my daughter when she needed him and I know Toby helps you as well.

Isn't that an amazing thought? That dogs can do that for us? Wow!

Please give Toby an extra dog biscuit for me.

Barbara said...

DOG lover here BIG TIME, always had a dog as long as I can remember and too many names I don't remember, darn Old AGE. My latest is Sasha a Maltese and got her the day after my husband died, may sound really bad but I needed someone who needed me like a little 2 pound puppy does. She got me through a lot and still does. She will be 12 years old this January and I know the days are coming when I have to say goodbye to her and it kills me to think about it. The last time I had her teeth cleaned this year, she died on the table and they brought her back. The vet said it scared him to death well almost since he is still alive. They will not put her to sleep again so I know if anything series happens I will have to let her go. Oh, she is my boss, tells me where she wants to walk in the morning (which direction) totally has a mind of her own and sometimes hard to change it. She is the cutest little 9 pound companion. Love her.

Kim Stevens said...

Loved this Deanna! Yes, a royal, black, standard poodle...and yes mine CAN read! haha Seriously, he can read his tricks from a card, and he knows how to open the bread drawer, take out the bread, and close the drawer behind him. I have always worried that he might figure out how to just get his water from the dispenser on the outside of the fridge. I once read that if you don't want to be outsmarted by a dog, DO NOT get a poodle. Even had someone tell me that when she got home from work, she found her two standards had dragged a dining room chair to the doggy door, but couldn't quite get it outside. Maybe they wanted to play duck, duck, goose? Because of allergies, we have always had poodles growing up, but my baby (now 5) is the first we have had in our family and I much prefer the standards. So protective and loyal, and right by my side when I'm sad ..... well who am I fooling, poodles are just always by your side. And your Toby is as always so photogenic!! xo

terriporter said...

Oh my, Deanna, I hope you can tell how your post has affected all of us animal lovers already! It's just WONDERFUL! Although I am a cat lover (not a dog hater, just like cats better) I can identify with everything you are saying. I have always (almost) had a pet or two (or three) and a few years ago when we lost our only cat, it was so strange around here! We found some Maine Coon kittens for sale and brought home two. Oh, what fun! We didn't even turn on the TV because it was so entertaining just to watch them. I'm sure you've all seen photos of them on Flickr at one time or another. My Max is my constant companion -- much more doglike than my female. Whatever room I'm in, he's there too. And animals -- even cats :) -- have such a way of sensing when we're down or when we're not feeling well and being there for us.

My oldest son, always a big cat lover, has a girlfriend who is allergic to cats and so they got a schnoodle -- poodle/schnauser mix -- who is the smartest thing on four legs (sorry, Toby!) He has definitely won over my son who says he USED to be a cat lover but now is a dog lover.

Your photos are just stunning, Deanna! Who wouldn't love those faces? So glad you have Toby in your life!

Terri

terriporter said...

Kim, it's not often that something I read makes me laugh out loud, but your comment did! I had a poodle once that we had to spell around because she had such a big vocabulary. I think she even learned to recognize words when we'd spell "walk" and "dinner". However, not to be outdone, I had a cat who knew where the "mice" were kept and learned how to open the drawer to get them out. I woke up one morning to a kitchen floor littered with toy mice! Ah, what would we do without our pets, hmmm?

Kim Stevens said...

LOL - that's funny! Cats are pretty clever little devils aren't they - I am horribly allergic though and it's so hard to not be able to cuddle them!

Viv@Thoughts from the Desktop said...

What a sweetie, I would love a dog but, I know I am too selfish and we do tend to go out a lot and it'ts just not fair. I do have friends with dogs so I can play and then return ....

Dotti said...

I'll vouch for Terri's Max! He is really a sweetheart.

Carol said...

Glad you said "Toy" mice Terri - I thought for a minute there you loved her so much that you kept a drawer full of mice i you kitchen! (ew that would be so gross!)

Carol said...

You guys know how much I love my buds. My wonderful Tess is an 11 year old golden retriever. Like Barbara, I hate to think of the future . She's limping painfully these days from arthritis, and really getting gray. But she is just so gentle and calm - she's been a lovely presence. And my cat, Speckles is now 15 years old. They are such wonderful friends! I'll post a pic from the hurricane when the three of us were piled up together on the couch for warmth! And you guys are right- they sense your feelings very definitely. They bring such comfort and friendship.
Deanna, your pics are spectacular! I love the action shot! and that second one just stole my heart! Enjoy them!

kybarb said...

Great post and photos Deanna! I have been a dog lover as long as I can remember. Looking through old family photos I can see that I probably inherited this love from my mother's side of the family and I loved being able to make that connection! I'm always looking for ways to take more interesting photos of my 2 dogs--love the action shots! I need to try more of those. Thanks for sharing your Toby with us!

Karen Lakis said...

Terrific photos, and sweet story. My husband and I want a dog in the worst way - but our work schedules make us feel that it would be unfair to the dog. We had a sweet Labrador while our kids were growing up, and I was home a bit more than imam now. Someday.... Sigh. Until then, I enjoy posts like this and visiting friends who have dogs.

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