 Or is the other way around?
We couldn’t help but wonder as we watched the Animal Planet channel if we weren’t the luckiest people in the world. We have a beautiful dog (don’t call her that, she is sensitive) who had just gotten a bath, something she really doesn’t care for. Her fur was shiny and somewhat white mixed with a brownish cast. She is an 11-pound maltese-poodle mix that we adopted from PAWS in Middletown.
We named her Asta—my choice of names—after the dog that appeared in the classic Thin Man series of long ago, which still gets a run on cable TV. Asta means star and that she is. Now, that doesn’t mean that she runs the family, although she does sit in our family council meetings and barks once in awhile.
There is a big WHAT IF when I look into those black eyes. I wonder WHAT IF we hadn’t adopted her. Several days after getting her home, we discovered she had the deadly PARVO disease which our vet told us later means the afflicted dogs in most cases don’t live too long.
But Trenton’s Dr. Patrick took exceptional care of Asta and my wife administered her medicine several times a day and gave her loving care and she survived. WHAT IF she hadn’t made it? A question we would never have to answer. She did make it and has brought joy and fun to our lives for the past six years.
She almost seems human, of course. She doesn’t grow old or grow up and loves to play with her furry animals that make up Asta’s Zoo. Some are big, some are small but all get her attention at one time or another. It’s fun to watch her as she chooses which one she wants us to play with. Her reward for us when we do something extra for her—like feeding her something special—is to grab a small gray elephant and sneak it off to the bedroom and drop it on the bed. That’s really how we know she loves us.
One of my personal joys is to watch her jump onto the sofa next to me. She is a study in grace and style as she makes the leap.
I guess the question is: What would we do without her? Hopefully, she will live forever, at least in our mind’s eye.
Drop us a line and tell us about your doggie. Send a photo. Happiness should be shared.
|
