The Best Part About Owning a Dog is...
...the way he will come over to see me, for no reason, just to let me
know I'm important to him...
...the way he is always ready to lick the jelly off my nose...
...the way he looks into my eyes and finds contentment in simply being near me...
...the way he will run all over the yard, fetch a soggy tennis ball &
bring it back to me as if to say "look mom, it's all I have, but it's yours"...
...the way he wakes me up in the morning by pushing his cold wet
nose in my ear & snuffling loudly...
...the way he shreds toilet paper all over the house, because it's fun
even though he knows he shouldn't...
...the way he's sure he can catch the ducks in the lake...
...the way he comes over to me when he is sad...
...the way he wedges himself near me when I am sad and pushes all
others away, to console me with his love...
...the way he pounces on crickets in the backyard...
& looks perplexed when they escape...
...the way he is terrified of the evil pink hula hoop...
...the way he doesn't mind how much of that horrid perfume I'm
wearing just because it was a gift from my relative who's visiting...
...the way he doesn't care about bad hair day or overdue bills...
...the way he loves me, even when I am impatient with him &
have no time this morning for a game of tug-a-war...
...the way his coat feels like liquid silk under my fingers...
...the way he finds wisdom beyond words...
"The Best Part" --Author Unknown
How is Your Dog Different?
Your dog will always be
cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
He will resist complaining & boring you with his troubles,
He can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
He understands when his loved ones are too busy to give him any time.
He overlooks it when those he loves take it out on him when,
through no fault of his, something goes wrong,
He can take criticism and blame without resentment,
He can ignore a friend's limited education & never correct him,
He can resist treating a rich friend
better than a poor friend,
He can face the world without lies & deceit,
He conquers tension without medical help,
He can relax without liquor,
He sleeps comfortably without the aid of drugs,
He can say honestly that deep down in his heart that he has no
prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics.
He will love you more than you love
yourself.
....Cause he's Your Best Friend
Dogs Living Love
If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life
you will always remember...
The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring
home your young new friend. You may have spent weeks
deciding on a breed. You may have asked numerous opinions
of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or,
perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that
silly looking mutt in a shelter--simple because something in
its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen
pet home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in
your hall or front room--and when you feel it brush against
you for the first time--it instills a feeling of pure love you
will carry with you through the many years to come.
will be a day like any other. Routine & unexceptional. But,
for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend
& see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow
deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see
sleep where you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust
your friend's diet--and you may add a pill or two to her food.
And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which
bodes of a coming emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy
feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives.
And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for
you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your
own--on behalf of your lifelong friend, & with the guidance
of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way, your friend
eventually leaves you --- you will feel as alone as a single star
in the dark night.
If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely & as
often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that
not many in your circle of family or friends will be able to
understand your grief, or comfort you.
But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished
through the many joy-filled years, you may find that a
soul -- a bit smaller in size than your own---seems to walk
with you, at times, during the lonely days to come.
And at moments when you least expect anything our of the
ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against
your leg -- very very lightly.
And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps
dearest, friend used to lay --- you will remember those three
significant days. The memory will most likely be painful, &
leave an ache in your heart. As time passes, however, the ache will
come & go as it has a life of its own. You will both reject it
& embrace it, & it may confuse you. If you reject it, it
will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either
way, it will still be an ache.
But there will be, I assure you my friend, a fourth day when---along
with the memory of your pet---& piercing through the
heaviness in your heart---there will come a realization that
belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our
relationship with each animal we have loved, & lost. This
realization takes the form of a Living Love --- like the
heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have
wilted, this Love will remain & grow - & be there for you
to remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our
pets leave us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with
us as long as we live. It is a Love which is ours alone. And
until we ourselves leave, to join our Beloved Pets - -it
is a Love that we will always possess & cherish.
-Written by Martin Scot Kosins, Author of "Maya's First Rose
A special thanks to my dear friend, Ruth Ann Mahaffey, for allowing me to use her personally-designed background for this page.
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