Anyhow, onto my natter for the day. I know I have mentioned my dog before, I am sure all of you have heard he means the world to myself and my family, that said, since the day I became attached to him, I was scared to death. What frightened me? Believe it or not, it was the knowledge that chances were pretty likely, my dog would leave this world before me. Of course in a lifetime of doggies, I have certainly suffered that loss, more than once, but it seems each time, it becomes more difficult. The dogs have become a larger part of my world, with all my children becoming adults.
Because I had such a long pause between children (a decade) I had at least one roaming about the house for 30 years, none stop. Your humans take an awful lot of time and energy. They often inform you how much they "hate" you, or even small things, how much they really, really want something that is at the top of your price range, and generally means you will have to forget that brand new pack of fruit of the loom for women you had been dreaming about at Wal-Mart.
My years of thread bare undies have passed. My children all purchase their own desperately needed costly necessities, and for the past few years, my Honey and I have doted on the dog. Cripes, the other day we spotted a pet store (in fact, now we have two close by) in we go, he really needed some treats, oh look, they have some with stuff that is good for his joints , must get those. Walked out $60 bucks poorer, and drove right up to the new store for pets! Yes, look, they have all sorts of healthy goodies made right here in our country, best get another $40 of that, and....he needs a new heavy duty frisbee, $14!!
Yes, he is spoiled, but...the only pressure that animal puts on us, is for attention. He jumps out of his skin at the sound of car keys rattling, or shoes taken from the closet, a jacket put on is like a ray of hope. He loves to go for walks, and rides. In fact, all he wants is to be included in every moment of our day. Of course his food bowl must be kept full, along with his share of everything we intend on putting down our throats. A trip to the fast food place, means chicken fingers for him. Hey, he doesn't care what the heck chicken fingers are made of, he loves them!!
He has a BFF that lives up the hill from us. This friend has a huge fenced yard, and his friend is a totally different breed (of the darker persuasion), he is also, like my handsome fellow, not fixed. In another world, this friendship would never happen, two alpha males do NOT get along, but these two decided their lives would be better if they became buddies. It is laughable to watch, when we mention the BFF's name, our dog goes insane, he jumps about, barking and wagging his tail. The drive up, gets more insane the closer we get, the last corner, he is barking non-stop. His BFF meets him at the gate, we open it up, and they are gone, like bullets. We can sit inside, have 2 cups of tea. a nice long visit with our friends, and the two dogs will run themselves ragged.
We now have time to learn our dog's personality, he has become our child, the focus of our lives. I have seen friends lose their focus, and, the loss of my last dog after 16 years, still stings. So, at times when I least expect, I get that sense of dread, what will I do when Rupert ages and I have to say good-bye? Silly, you say, he is only 4! Well, too bad, so sad, I highly doubt I will have a decade more time with my dog, and that thought just sickens me.
I can't give him immortality, so.....maybe, if there is another, younger dog when his time comes, the pain and empty feeling will not be so incredible? Oh, it can't be just any dog, it has to be one like him. One with his quirks and genetically weird habits (like diving for rocks). Because I can't make a clone, perhaps I can manage the next best thing? Maybe I can ensure there is a little bit of him left.
I can see many of you shaking your heads. There are a ton of unwanted dogs roaming about, why bring more into the world? Well, folks, my 16 year old dog was a rescue puppy. He was an amazing dog, smart as a whip, and he managed to meld into our lives, forgetting the abuse he suffered when he was young. I had two other "rescue" dogs that could never get over the abuse they suffered, and I accepted all the issues they lived with. This time, I am simply going to insure I have, not a replacement, as there will never be another dog quite like my Rupert, but, we will have a part of him, one more male dog to last me my lifetime.
We have brought a new puppy into our home. She is a mix, just like him, mother and father both full breeds, of a different type. She is a vision of him as a puppy (just a few differences) and it is clear, she has personality. He seems to accept this fur ball, and now he will never be alone. One day, we will allow her to have one batch of puppies, and then she will get, as they say, fixed. Out of this batch of puppies, we will chose one male, so someday, we will have 3 dogs. Hey, no problem, we managed 3 children, and it is likely I will still be able to buy enough of those nice new packs of fruit of the loom for women, as I want!
So, has the dreadful thought of the future loss gone away? Nope, it still lingers , some times when I wrap my arms around him. I cannot believe the love we have for this animal. I have to think that what parents have for their children, needs a place to overflow when they become empty nesters. I don't think I had this much extra love to give an animal before my children became adults. The difference between children and pets, is, normally a child will outlive a parent. Of course as a mother I worry about my kids, and of course I still love them, as a parent always will, but...if life's cycle runs true, my children will be around far longer than me. As a "glass 1/2 empty" person, this is not true of a pet. The Girl Guide Motto is ingrained in my head...Be Prepared, and I am doing my best.
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