Every Boy Should Have a Dog

Well, it's late and as I ponder the day and those things I am thankful for, I am keenly aware of the hairy thing that warms my feet and sleeps silently beside me while I work on school stuff. I must say that in my younger days, I was a cat person. I had several cats and took two into my marriage (to my husband's demise). However, when my younger son was 7 or 8, and struggling with some learning issues, we decided that he needed a dog. So, we looked in the newspaper and answered a classified for a family that was looking to find a new family for their dog. Turns out, their new baby was severely allergic to the 18 month old mutt (part rat terrier, part beagle, part Australian sheep herder) they had had since he was a puppy. After an extensive interview (during which, said boy took the dog outside and threw the ball), two visits and the signing of a contract (yep, these folks were serious and now I know why!), we brought the dog home. From the moment we came home, the dog instinctively knew that he belonged to my son (perhaps the ball throwing in the back yard?). To this day, he follows the boy around, mopes when he is gone, looks longingly from the boy to the ball in hopes of playing and sleeps in a queen sized bed like he is a human.

And when the boy goes away, depression sets in.

Yes, I'm getting back to the fact that the hairy thing is sitting on my feet. Well, soon after the dog moved in and became settled into his new life, he began to explore his relationships with the rest of the members of the family. With my husband, he wanted to growl and bare his teeth. Apparently, my husband needed to show him who was the "alpha" and there has not been a problem since. With the children, he became protective and if voices were raised or punishment was coming, the dog would intervene. And, with me, well...he is like another child. He has his routine and part of that routine is the nightly visit to be scratched and to snuggle with mom!

I think one of my favorite parts of the day is when I come home...actually when any of us comes home! You would think we had been gone for weeks. The dog can't wait to get up off his couch perch, barking with his shrill VERY LOUD bank and nearly runs into the door to greet us. Now that's a homecoming and it is a cherished part of my life.

So, maybe I should entitle this "Every Family Should Have a Dog" since this mutt named Guinness has become such a huge part of ours. And in the journey of becoming a dog-person, I discovered that our dog is a "cat-person" (yes, remember he thinks he is human) and he LOVES cats. So, maybe between the dog and me, we can convince my husband to adopt a couple cats!

June, 2013