A Dog's Love

A friend of mine had to put their dog down yesterday.....and that has got me thinking.

I wonder how a pet dog comes into our families and changes the inner being of who we are. I have had a lot of pet dogs in my lifetime and most of them have touched me in ways that I really can't put into words.

Jock- this was really Todd's dog. I was a very about 6 when Jock was around. He was a white poodle who really didn't like me. I was little and didn't know better but I would pick him up and pretend to throw him down the basement steps. Needless to say, every time I picked him up he would try to bite me. He died unexpectedly during a family camping trip. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

Todd, Dad, family friends and I had just loaded up in our run about to do some skiing. My mom came yelling to my dad to come back ashore. "A dog got a hold of Jock." she said. I remember saying to my dad, "Oh, Jock will get a hold of the other dog." My dad said something like no he could be hurt. That was the first time that I realized my dad could not fix everything. Todd and I were told to put our heads down on the picnic table while my dad and family friends got Jock and took him to the car. ( I did peek). Dad tried to take Jock to a vet but he died on the way. Somewhere he is buried beside a barn.

Sebastian or Bass- He was an apricot poodle who was purchased the night we returned from our family camping trip. Now Bass was my dog. I loved that little puppy. He slept on a pillow on my floor until I was about 19. He would bite any and everybody who came around. It got to be a joke. My dad would tell everyone that he only bit you if he liked you. Well, yes I was bitten quite a lot. Bass taught me to be wary of people, watch yourself, no matter who you are around.

Casey- She was my project dog. I had moved out of my parent's house and into an apartment with friends. I wanted a dog but knew I couldn't afford the price of a pure bred. We started looking at dog pounds. Joel found her in a pen somewhere around Oldham County. I remember going out one evening to see her. We got there after the pound was closed but she was in a pen and I could still see her. The next day she was mine. She was a mess. She was a mix between a poodle and some type of Spaniel. Her hair was matted, she had flees and worms. She looked terrible. After a vet trip the next day, I walked out with a vet bill of over $150.00 plus grooming fees of $50.00. So much for the cheaper way, I could have gotten a pure bred. I can still remember the day I took her home to see my parents. She had literally be shaved completely down except for the tip of her tail. My mom and Todd rolled to the floor laughing. She taught me that it didn't matter what you looked like on the outside, it was the inside that was the most important. We had to put her down 12 years later.

Oscar entered the picture after Joel and I were married for about a year. We had moved into our first house. He joined our family and Casey in May of 1991 as a graduation from college present to me. We had been shopping one day, walked into a pet shop and walked out with Oscar. Oscar was a Lhasa Alpso. Joel named him Oscar because of Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. He was not a grouch, I loved that dog, he by far my most dear pet. He loved like nothing else. He would bark Aroo, roo, roo when we entered the house. He taught me to make sure I greeted everyone I met with a smile and a warm hello. We had to put him down 13 years later.

Two weeks later we had Benson. Now, this story doesn't have an ending yet. But Benson is a piece of work. He is stubborn, a yapper, but the biggest lap dog I have ever had. Benson is a black and tan Miniature Pincher. I didn't know much about Min Pins until I got Ben. I am not really sure I know much at this point. Benson has made me really look at God as He tries to mold us and make us into the people He wants. Just like I try to train Ben into the dog I want him to become. I haven't succeeded yet but I am thankful God isn't finished with me yet.

So to make a long story even longer...pets especially dogs, have taught me some valuable life lessons. I hate putting our pets to sleep but my feelings on that are that they have brought us so much selfless joy while they were ours, the least we can do for them is to give them the last selfless love from their masters. Believe me when I say that we don't take putting dogs to sleep lightly. It is the very last thing we want to do. What would I do without DOGS! They truly are our family members while they are on this earth.