I have been blessed to have a dog my entire life. I know many would shudder at that thought, but I now am on my fifth and sixth dog and I can’t imagine my life without them. I imagine that most people who own one would agree. But for those who own cats or no animals at all, I write this for you.
Recently I opened my Facebook page to see this adorable family rejoicing in their first day with their puppy. Four children, one dog and two parents, who after years of begging, succumbed to the pleas of the children to give them a dog, all wore the most radiant smiles ever. As the youngest held the puppy in her lap, she whispered, “I love him.” Every child needs that someone special that touches only their heart
the way a dog can. The feeling of pure loyalty and love just because. Don’t get me wrong, a cat or other animal can give great love but I’d venture to say that no animal is as loyal as the dog. And so, I smile back at my phone as I share in the family’s happiness. It was a big decision to get the dog, there were allergies to consider, military life and moving that also had to be discussed, and the fact that mom was adding another child to the family.
Before my children came along, my husband and I chose to get a dog as a companion for me while he was gone with the military. The year we got Sheba, my husband was gone 285 days out of that year, and yet I was not alone. I had my beloved golden retriever Sheba. She was my first baby and I learned how to be a mother through her. We spent days playing and nights cuddling. And when my children arrived, Sheba became their mother too. She cleaned up after them, snuggled them when they cried, told me when they were hurt, and loved them as much as I did. She was always there and even snuggled with them at night until they would fall asleep. Then she would sneak out and lay on the floor with me and have her alone time
with mom. The day she passed away was perhaps one of the most traumatic days of all of our lives. As we said our goodbyes, my children saw their dad cry for the first time in their lives. They saw the love that even a grown man could have for a dog, and they realized it was okay to cry for someone or something you love. Although it was difficult, it prepared them for death that would come in their lives, those of relatives, friends and other pets.
Both of my children struggled without the love and security that Sheba brought to them in their young lives. Â It was hard transitioning away from having a home with a dog. After two years of begging my husband and I , and then convincing their grandmother that we all needed a dog, we agreed to it was time for a pet. Grandma took my husband and I to a breeder in California. We were all going through a difficult time; grandma had cancer and was dying, grandpa was feeling lost, and the kids were living in a home without their own belongings. You see, Â we moved in to the grandparents house to help out while we were stationed in California. My mother-in-law saw the kids struggling and said it was time for all of us to have some joy in our lives.
I’ll never forget the day we surprised the kids with Sequoia. We were on the way to take my husband to the airport  when we stopped at a house for my husband to pick something up. We waited in the car as he went into the house. Soon he came out smiling and waving for us to get out of the car.
“Come see what they have!” he hollered to the kids. As we rounded the corner of the house, the kids stopped suddenly, seeing golden retriever puppies playing in the backyard.
“Would you like to pet one?” the owner asked the kids. Of course they did. She picked up a sweet little girl and placed it in their arms. As they bent over it, kissing it and petting it, my husband asked.
“Do you like her?” The kids both nodded, yes. “That’s good, because she’s yours.”
Both kids broke into tears, crying for joy and hugging the little puppy as if there were no tomorrow. The breeder began to cry too. She said she had never had anyone ever want a puppy more than
these two children. And from that day on, she became playmate, confidant, and best friend to all of us. She was an amazing dog and both children struggled when they left for college without her. It was hard not having their best friend with them. I had retired from teaching and had planned on spending my days with her when she suddenly had a stroke. I was devastated. She was my baby! She was the muse for
my children’s books, and I couldn’t believe my little love was not going to be my sidekick any longer. When she passed, our son drove like a maniac from college to be with her, our daughter was on the phone from California, and I and my husband joined the kids in tears of despair. Even our neighbors cried, and their pets who played daily with her sunk into depression. And yet, all of us were all the better for having her in our lives.
As another two years passed with only my daughter’s dog to spoil from a distance, my kids and husband surprised me at Christmas with the joyful news that they had secured a golden retriever puppy to keep me company during the days my husband was away. I was so overjoyed with the news that I cried like a
little kid. It was then that I realized how much my dogs had shaped me
into the person I am today. From my first dog as a small child, Opie, to my dog Napoleon, (as a teenager) to Sequoia, I was taught how to have responsibility for someone else, how to share with others, how to trust, to be loyal and to love. I learned to respect animals, to appreciate them, and eventually write about them so that others could learn what I had through my interactions with my dogs.
And now I have Summer and Brandy… yes, two dogs. When I cuddled Summer for the first time in my arms as a seven week old, it was like having a sweet innocent baby all over again. I wasn’t suppose to take home one of the breeding moms, but when she snuggled up to me and refused to leave my side, I knew she would be coming home with us too. Somehow Brandy was Sheba and Sequoia rolled up in one, and she knew I was her forever mom.
I’m not going to lie and say a dog isn’t work. They are. But they are for a reason. They are in our lives to bring out the best in us, to remind us to be patient and kind, to be energetic when we don’t want to be, to make us do things that we don’t want to do… they teach us to love unconditionally and without judgement. They are what we as humans strive to be. So when you think about a dog, whether to get one or not, remind yourself of this blog… Can you handle learning to be a better person? Can you imagine being loved without restrain by a dog? It’s the greatest feeling ever, I promise you that.
To that wonderful family who just got a puppy, I wish you many years of happiness. You will never regret your decision, for you will know unconditional love, love like you have never known before.
