My Life in Dogs

Today is International Dog Day. I couldn't let it pass without mentioning the dogs that have made my life better and my heart fuller.

Before I ever had a dog of my own, I would hear stories about the dog my mother grew up with, a black Chow-Chow named Pete. Like most dogs in other people's stories, he sounded perfect, smart, cuddly, and irreplaceable. You know, like all dogs ever. ❤️

And then there was Whiskey, a wire-haired fox terrier that was on the scene before I was born. I really don't remember if he was my parents' dog when they were first married, or when my sisters were kids. But apparently he had quite a personality! 

The first dog I remember is Herman, a beagle/bassett hound mix that my father found by his workplace (a common theme for a lot of our pets) when we lived in Chicago. I remember being so excited to have a dog! His favorite person was my middle sister, Mary Ellen, who thought he was OK, but wasn't as crazy about him as he was about her, LOL.

In second grade, someone my dad worked with was giving away a dog for who knows what reason, so of course my dad brought him home. (Side note: my dad was as animal crazy as I am - I get it honestly!) That was Bud (Sir Budweiser Carlton III to the AKC), a black cocker spaniel. I remember pictures of me dressed for my first communion on our front porch, posing with Bud. ❤️

Next up was Toby, a Standard Poodle/Airedale mix puppy that my mother got from a friend whose dog had puppies. Toby, God bless him, let me dress him up, teach him some tricks, hug and kiss him to within an inch of his life, and probably never had a moment left alone if I was home. 🙂 He was stolen from our back yard.

He was the last pup that was part of the family while I was still at home. I had other dogs I adored, and would take care of for friends and neighbors over the years (;ong-time readers probably remember Doughoy!), but the next dog who was part of our family was this one:

Dug the Doodle Dog! ❤️❤️❤️

Followed a few years later by Hamlet, the Retired Seeing Eye Dog ❤️❤️❤️:

It wasn't until earlier this year we adopted our Angus Podgorny ❤️❤️❤️💔:

And then most recently, the ridiculous Miss Katie Potatey❤️❤️❤️:

I will admit that my first love has always been cats - maybe because no matter what else was happening, or where we lived, we always had a cat. And we've also had birds, fish, turtles - whatever I could talk my parents or The Tim into. I am still, at my age, wishing for more animals in my life!

But dogs are different, as you know if you've had one. It's a different relationship than with other animals - just as all relationships are different with any creature. For the most part, I would say that at least the dogs I've had are willing to put up with a lot more active attention than anyone else. Heck, even The Tim wants to be left alone more often than not! 🤣

So thank you to every dog, past and present, that I've ever even come across, for letting me love you, and for giving some of it back, even if I've just been able to pet you in passing. 

And to my own dogs, past and present - I love you more than my own life and always will. ❤️. If you have a dog or other friend in your life, remember to hug them and thank them. I would bet they will love you right back.

A Little Melancholy

And not because it's Tax Day here in the U.S.!  Though it does make things that happen on or near this day easier to remember, for better or for worse.

On this day in 1865, Abraham Lincoln died.  I am one of those people who has found him to be a fascinating, if somewhat tragic figure, all of my life.  Over the years, The Tim and I have visited many of the sites that deal with his life and death.  When you go to his home in Springfield, Illinois, you truly get the sense that he might walk in the door at any moment.  At Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, one of the things you can see is the contents of the pockets of the coat he was wearing the night he was assassinated.  Humble things - not what you would expect a President to have in his pocket, especially today.  I find Lincoln to be an inspiration, because I think he was a flawed person who strove to be the best he could be.  (And personally, I don't think he was gay.  Nor do I care anyway.)

Then in 1912, the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic.  I remember when the latest version of the story came out, James Cameron's "Titanic," that what struck me the most was what was probably a pretty accurate depiction of the last moments of regular, ordinary people - those who for whatever reason could not or would not go onto the deck to see if they could get into lifeboats.  The elderly couple lying next to each other on the bed holding one another close, and the young mother reading calmly to her young children - I find that the poignancy of those scenes has stayed with me all of this time.

Years ago, The Tim and I were in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and visited a cemetery where most of the rescued victims were buried.  The things that stayed with me were that first of all, there were so many graves.  And so many of them were marked with this information only:

("241" stands for victim #241)

Though it sounds odd to say so, visiting the cemetery was a somewhat comforting experience - the people of Halifax cared enough to make sure that these unknown people were laid to rest in a beautiful spot, where they were at least acknowledged and counted.    I always hope that there was some way that their families knew they were safe and cared for.

And then last year on this day, my sweet Doughboy died after a brief, unexpected, and very serious illness.  I think of him every day, and miss him so much.  He would have been so thrilled to know Dug, and Dug would want to be his best friend.  (Though I realize that if Doughboy was still here, we wouldn't have Dug.)  I like to think that Doughboy is happy that Dug is with us, since he can't be here every day for us to hug.

I'm sure there are many other things that happened on any given April 15 - and plenty of them were/are happy occasions.  Every day can be someone's best day as well as someone's worst day.  I like to think that it gets balanced out over the universe.

I apologize if reading this has made you feel bad, as that was certainly not my intention!  But I've been thinking about all of these things all day.  Maybe that's a good thing, as it has made me actually stop, think, and feel.  Nothing is forever, and though I don't think it's worth obsessing over, I think being reminded every once in a while is not a bad thing.