Sam

Sam was here to visit....  for the past two weeks my parents have been in town and Sam is traveling with them.  He is a three year old Yellow Lab and I got him when he was only 10 weeks old.  It was a tough decision picking the best male from his litter - they were all so sweet and good natured.  In the end it came down to markings - Sam had white toes on his back feet and to me that was precious.  I vividly remember the ride home:  I was in the back seat with Sam... this little sleeping bundle of fur, and I was so nervous.  I had never raised a dog from a puppy and I did not know if I would be a good "parent", but little did I know that being a good puppy parent takes so much more than I had anticipated with Labrador Retrievers.  I had been warned that they stay puppies until ages 3 to 5, but no one told me what little devils they are in the first year!  My goodness!  Sam was a handful to be sure....  and I had no idea how much time should be devoted to them in the first eight months when they do not have a full size bladder yet!  The rule of thumb is an hour for each month of age... so if your puppy is three months old, they need to be taken out every three hours.  How in the world do people who don't work at home raise puppies?  Furthermore, how do they bond with their dog if they are not there to be with them when the puppy is learning about the world? 

Anyway, Sam was a handful and from what I understand, still is to a certain degree.  I had to let him go when I met my fiance and moved in last year.  He has an older dog, Daisy, and she does not get along with Sam.  It was heartbreaking giving him up...  he was my companion and since I will probably have no children of my own, he was my baby.  Fortunately, my parents were close to retiring and had plans to travel the country in their RV and agreed to adopt Sam as their own and take him with them.  They loved Sam and didn't want to see him go to some stranger... and I am so grateful for that.  They've been traveling now for four months and Sam is loving it!  They were here for the last two weeks and it was wonderful and bittersweet seeing Sam.  I got to take him swimming and throw the ball for him;  two of his absolute favorite things in the world!  But, it was just so good to see his sweet face.  I sure do miss him....  hopefully, someday I might be able to take him back. 

Dogs

My absolute favorite pet is the dog....  I have grown up with dogs - having never lived without one except for the first few years of college.  I cannot imagine a house empty of a dog's life force; their ability to have a presence without having to speak or draw attention to themselves.  Dogs are the ulitmate unselfish creature - only wanting to please their owners and always happy to see them.  The wag of a tail, the tongue hanging out in greeting, and the jump up and down in excitement (depending on the dog, of course) - we can't help but smile at the sight of a creature whose only care in life is to belong to a "pack" of humans and be accepted. 

There are several types of dog owners, but I'm going to keep it simple for the purposes of this blog.  I categorize dog owners into the Family Dog Owner and just the Dog Owner.  The Family Dog Owner is someone, or someones who welcome a dog into their home as another member of the family.  They love and cherish the life of their dog and give them a place in the house to call their own.  Depending on the owners, the dog may have their own chair to sleep in, or have cute clothes to wear, several toys to play with, are taken on errands in the car, are bathed and taken to the vet on a regular basis, and may even have their very own birthday parties.  The Dog Owner is someone or someones who still see dogs as just dogs. They don't give them any credit for having feelings or intelligence - the dog is either brought into the home for a young child who eventually grows tired of the new "play toy", or they are inherited, or they are obtained for guard duty only.  They are often abused, or disciplined harshly and are usually not allowed in the house.  For me, I am a Family Dog Owner....  I cannot fathom why anyone could not recognize the intelligence in a dog's eyes.  It upsets me to see dog owners who chain their dogs up all day out in the yard - this is not what dogs were bred for.  Dogs are pack animals - their ancestors and wild dogs today travel in packs with a definitive heirarchy establishing who is Alpha and who is not.  Dogs need the pack to have a sense of identity - to know their place in the world.  The alpha in the dog's human family is normally the one who trains the dog what is accepted and what isn't.  Dogs also have a strong sense of loyalty and protection for their pack - and in the family, that is any member of the household.  Any time you hear a dog bark at the doorbell or someone knocking or a strange noise - it is a warning to it's pack members - it is protecting the pack.  It is amazing the subtle and often missed body language of dogs - if you have one, just watch it one day among other dogs or people.  Watch the tail, watch the ears and tongue, watch the entire body.....  I'll bet you notice things you hadn't before. 

To better understand dogs, you need to educate yourself on what they are all about.  I recently took a class on how to read a dog's body language - it was fascinating!  So many dog owners would benefit from this knowledge - from any knowledge really.  Taking the time to learn how dogs think and react to their environment would help a great many dog owners go from just a Dog Owner, to a Family Dog Owner.  Realizing that dogs are not just dumb creatures that belong on a chain outside would save many from the thousands of shelters and humane societies in our country.

I will leave you with a memory that I have never been able to shake.  On my first trip to Italy, we visited the ancient city of Pompeii.  Surrounded by history, the only thing I could focus on were the hundreds of homeless dogs living within the city itself.  These creatures were malnourished and often injured in some form or fashion.... so sad and forever imprinted in my heart.  Please, if you love or even like dogs....  take the time to learn about one before taking one into your home.  It is almost like having a child - they take care and responsibility, and as with parents of a newborn baby, not just anyone can be a dog owner.  Make sure having a dog in your home is the right choice.

Daisy

Woke up this morning with a knot in my stomach.... our dog, Daisy, was missing.  We hadn't seen her since around 6:00 last night, and it's very unusual for her to miss a meal.  At around 9:00 when we noticed she was not home, I walked up and down the street (we live on a dead end) calling out to her, but nothing.  I put a posting on Facebook for people to pray for her safe return - and I'm not usually one to ask for prayer, but in this instance I felt it coudn't hurt.  So, this morning, after waking up I put on some comfortable clothes and headed out once more to look in the daylight.... walking up and down the street again, plus walking along the water's edge hoping against hope I would not find her there.  She's an old dog (15 years ), and I wasn't sure if maybe with age her sense of direction is not as good, so I even drove into the neighborhood behind us to see if she wandered into someone's yard.... but again, nothing.  Feeling hopeless, I came home and started making some calls to local animal shelters.  The house was so quiet - it was weird not hearing the clink of her collar when I came in.  Having done all I could at that point, I went upstairs to make breakfast and received a call from one of our neighbors who told me they think they found Daisy.  She was at a house down the street in the fenced in back yard.... hmmmm, how weird that I was tempted to look in that fence earlier because I heard a dog barking and it sounded a bit like Daisy.  I resisted because it was fenced in and I thought she wouldn't be in there....  if only I knew!  So, I walked down the street and there she was with the lovely people who found her.  I was so happy!  She's home now, asleep at my feet currently, and nothing sounds more happy than the clink of her collar when she moves around.
I love dogs, always have.  And even though I've only lived with Daisy for about a year, she's become a fixture in my life that I would sorely miss if she was gone.  Her time is close, I'm sure - being 15 years old, I am amazed she is in such great health for a dog her size - but for the remaining time we have her, I hope her days are happy and healthy.  She's a sweet soul, and she deserves the love and attention we can give her.  All dogs deserve that - they are companions to man and as such we should treat them with respect and affection.  If you have a dog in your life, go now and give them some attention....  you never know when they'll be taken from you, and you never know how much you'll miss them until they are gone.  Man's best friend is truly appreciated in our house - Daisy is home where she belongs with her family.