My Dogs, 2015

My dogs are a gift I gave myself. They supply me with the greatest untold admiration, loyalty, undying affection, love unconditional, gracious tolerance and eternal friendship. They berate me with their eyes when I am being lazy and implore me to get up to trek down the road, play in the creek, or simply walk the yard. They move from room to room following me as my mood dictates upstairs, down stairs even to the basement or the bathroom where they often lay patiently watching me rearrange dusty things or maybe watching me shower. They do not judge me or want to change me.

Pushing their cold wet noses into whatever activity I am involved in gives them as much interest and pleasure as it does me. Who else would do that? Never have I had a friend whom I could trust more. Who could be as much a companion and confidant as any one of my dogs? When it comes to company, give me the paw of a dog, a cold black nose and an eager wet pink tongue. I will be a happy man.

There is one significant downside to dog ownership and that is that in most cases you are going to outlive the beloved pet. I have outlived more dogs than I care to admit and each one’s memory I still carry in my heart like a treasured golden coin. Each lost dog has left an immeasurable black hole in my life that will never be completely filled. 

I pity the person who doesn’t know that dog spelled backwards is God. They have lived only half a life and like sleep walkers, don’t even know what they are missing.