I love dogs

I love dogs; big secret eh?  So what is it that we, and I mean we as in those who love them as much as I do, what do we love about dogs?   I love everything about them, sure there are things that are not my favorite things to deal with.  Like looking for the foot covered in poop that got stuck on one of twelve feet; that ran through the house.  Then of course following the lovely poop path and pains takingly cleaning up each spot, that's all fun.  Okay; let's move past my evening lastnight, k?

Dogs are amazing listeners, they rarely talk back.  They don't interupt and will listen to you babble about whatevers on your mind for hours at a time and appear as though they are interested.  They are ready to go for a walk at the drop of a hat.  They'll sit and watch t.v. as long as you want to.  Dogs are very good at keeping you warm on a cold night.  I remember when we lived in Canada, I'd ask Tilley to lay on my spot of the bed everynight as I prepared for bed.  By the time I crawled into bed in the dead of winter my spot was cozy and warm, nice. 

Teaching dogs is a ton of fun, if you do it right that is. It should be fun, otherwise why do it?  I know paternal instinct plays a big part in having dogs, the need to care for others.  Having dogs keeps you humble, we all know that.  Hard to be all that when your dog stuffs his schnoz into your guests crotch eh?  How about when they leap in the air and plant a big muddy one on the neighbor who is dressed to the nines for a dinner party?  Pretty humbling. 

Sitting with dogs is amazing.  Just this morning I wrapped my arms around Luke as he lay sleeping.  I could feel his deep, slow breathing, it was enough to put me into a trance.  Seeing Jessie and Tilley curled up sharing one bed, brings such a huge smile to my face.  It is uplifting, and such a small thing.   A couple of months ago I was at the park with the dogs, I walked down a path to see an elderly gentleman and his dog who was also elderly.  They sat in silence, obviously enjoying the simple pleasure of each other's company.   Although they were saying nothing, doing nothing, it was quite a moving scene.   Seeing dogs run in the park is wonderful, I take as much enjoyment as I'm sure they do out of it.

I often think "what if I didn't have dogs?"  The house would be a lot cleaner, the lawn would be perfectly green, I'd have a ton more money, time and nice clothing.  And.................I can't even imagine it.  As I glance down at the food smudge on my pants and the tiny white hairs that speckle my shirt, I smile.  It doesn't take much to enjoy each other but when you try to explain it, it may seem an impossible task.  Just what is it that we love about dogs?  If you really think about sharing your life with the canine species, it is hard to find something that isn't incredibly, unbelievably amazing about a dog.