Some Dogs I Know

When I was a little little kid, I had a number of dogs in succession. I loved my dogs, but one event or another would conspire to me having to lose my canine companions. Since my parents weren’t really big with the whole pet thing, it finally got to the point where they were no longer a part of our house. Even so, they were still part of my life.

There was a huge German Shepherd down our block when I was eight or nine, who would escape from his fenced yard at every opportunity to come and be with me. And I loved it and him. He may not have been my dog, but sure as sunsets come at the end of the day, I was his kid. I know that he’s long since passed, but if it is true that all dogs go to Heaven, I’m hopeful that maybe I’ll see my friend again.

Now, I have some new dog buddies…one in particular, a chow/yellow lab mix, about the size of a typical lab, is just as much a buddy to me as that German Shepherd was so many years ago.

I first met this golden friend (with some of the softest fur, let me tell ya) about a year and half ago when I got reconnected with some lost-but-not-forgotten friends of mine. We didn’t have the quietest of introductions. This dog is very protective, and barks and postures in a way that would scare someone not comfortable with dogs. It took several hours before this adolescent dog finally stopped her continuous barking…but she still growled a little. This happened on several other visits (weeks or months apart) as well. I was beginning to think I was never to be friends with this animal.

And then, one Saturday afternoon, she got used to me.

We weren’t buddies yet, but this soft-furred beast now started calming down soon after I arrived, and would start lying next to me when she relaxed. We continued growing closer, and then I had the opportunity to housesit for a week. This put me in constant contact with this dog, another just out of puppihood, and an eight-week-old puppy of theirs that the family decided to keep. After a few rough patches, we all bonded. Me and the golden one most of all. This is when she became my buddy. She now seeks me out when I visit, and I give her the attention I’m more than happy to share. (Just so you know, I do heap a fair amount of attention on the others, as well, but she gets the clear plurality.)

I’d gotten so comfortable with this that I hadn’t really thought about it until yesterday. I hadn’t visited in about a month (much too long an absence), and the minute I walked in the door I was beset with three very attentive dogs. They actually missed me! The next ten-to-fifteen minutes were spent letting them welcome me back to their den. It hasn’t been since I was a kid that I was lavished with this kind of doggy attention. It was wonderful. Overwhelming at times, but wonderful. And here’s the remarkable thing…this golden mix, the same one who barked continuously at me a little over a year ago, didn’t bark once the entire time I was with her. It’s not like she’s mellowed in temperament or anything–she still barks protectively at any perceived intruder or stranger–it’s our relationship that has changed. So when I tell her that she’s my buddy, I know that it’s true.

My buddy is definitely one of the living things in my life that makes me happy. Life is good.