Ode to My Dawg
My intelligent, millennial niece that has cameo’d in some of my blogs recently told me that she loves her dog so much that it is insane. Then she added that that truth might play a factor in why she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Per usual, she made my mind take a ponder break on that second notion… (a.k.a. well shit). Also recently, a friend posted a short read in which a certain line struck me: “Bring your dog and observe the dog’s behavior. Realize you can learn from your dog.”
Way back in once upon a time time (pre-children, pre-divorces, post-high school) I had Roxy, a coon/Alaskan Malamute mix. She ate the aglets off the end of every shoelace in the house and was my BFF. Roxy was lost when her care taker left the gate open while I was away on a trip to Florida. I came home with a broken heart and a commitment to only adore dogs from afar. Until now…
On a gorgeous, Friday summer afternoon, my new boss (that actually blesses people when they sneeze) noticed I was going to be over the allotted 40 hours. When he inquired if I wanted to go ahead and head home for the day, the door may have actually hit my ass before he had time to finish the question. The extra gift of time led to a Baskin Robbins 3 scooper and a walk to the pet store with my 13 year old. Every trip to visit animals that preceded this one had resulted in me being even more confident that I didn’t need another life under my care. This excursion, however, ended with a puppy moving in with me by Sunday evening. I blame this out-of-the-blue decision on the high vibes of warm weather, mint chocolate chip ice cream and cheating the 9-5 work schedule.
I’ve read before that dogs choose us more than we choose them and this certainly was the case with Zoey. For years, every time I heard a pet owner mention sleep interrupted by vomit heaves, I was strongly convinced that I didn’t want a dog. And yet, I now enjoy my nightly slumber by cuddling a pitbull/lab mix.
Zoey admittedly has a growing list of things she’s destroyed, which include (but is not limited to): a basket, a few baseball caps, a toothbrush, the kitchen rug, a few plastic cups, a couple of phone & computer chargers, pillows, a wine glass, the teeth of my winter coat zipper, and an electric blanket. The 20 something year old version of me would have been all bent out of shape over at least one of those items; if Roxy were here, I’m sure she would attest to that fact. But with age and mothering, my perspective has a better view. A colleague once gifted a book to me by Carlson, titled: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff. I finally get it. In our few months together, my dog has reminded me that living beings always trump material items. When she chews on yet one more thing, I know she isn’t doing so out of spite…which leads to the realization that most trespasses by other humans are accidental as well.
Zoey has an absolute appreciation for all walks of life, which is a goal I strive for but still fall short of from time to time. She literally loves every living being equally, including: fast food workers, neighbors (who may or may not partake in activities that I consider sketchy), drop-in guests, everyone in the Kroger parking lot, Great Danes, Pitbulls and Zuchons alike, squirrels, grasshoppers and stink bugs. My dog also simply enjoys life. When she wakes up, she takes time to stretchhhh and rolls over expecting a tummy rub. (If she doesn’t get one, she doesn’t complain. It’s no worries and she will try again the next time.) Zoey takes time to bask in the sun, whether outside or near a window. She doesn’t worry about the calories of the carbs she nabs off of the counter. To her, it is simple- she eats when she’s hungry or because something tastes delicious. Zoey doesn’t complain when food is sub par, she just doesn’t eat it. When she’s tired, she sleeps. When Zoey is feisty, she plays.
My niece may be right in that having a dog fill my heart and my bed could delay the oncoming of a human male taking on that role. Since I’ve fallen too deep to be able to care about that at this point, I’m heeding the advice to take my BFF with me whenever possible and to learn from her. I’ve started a list of dog-friendly establishments in Indy (please share your favorites) and, if I find a Dating App for the Canine Crazy, I just may be forced to join a 2nd site.
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