Unconditional love

Have you had a pet?  One that you feel takes over your life and you cannot live without?  My family and friends are that way.

Over the years there have been pets that have come and gone.  The coming is the fun part, and the going is the hard.  Over the past 50 some odd years, I have had a number of pets.  First there was Trixie.  At least she is the first dog that I remember being in my life.  I don't remember a lot about her, except laying on her belly under the kitchen table.  We lost her, after she was hit by a car on the way to the corner store.  We moved shortly after that.

In Nelson, we were lucky enough to find a wonderful Husky pup, named Tuffy.  Now this dog had that name for a reason.  Little did we know that over the years, he would become just like his name.  He was a great protector.  He watched over us kids, like we were his.  I guess in a way we were.  He was a great big ball of fur, with beautiful eyes.  He was so soft and loved to play.  He also made sure that the animals stayed away from our yard.  His bark, was way more intimidating that he was.  He moved to town with us when I started high school.  We lost him to old age.  He was around 15 when he left us.

Now comes the monster.... Scout.  He was fun, but very rambunctious and loved to play, but you did not go near him when he was eating.  Scout was the house protector.  He watched out for all of us kids and let us know when anyone was around.  He did not much like anyone in a uniform.  We figured, at some time there must have been someone who had been mean to him that wore one.  He was hard to train and a few years after my brother was born, Scout turned mean and bit my brother.... That was more than my dad and mom could stand.... Scout left our house never to return. 

All of us have had furry children(pets)over the years.  Michael and I have loved many, Ali an Aierdale, Socks a Malamute, Simon an English wolf hound, Blondie a Heinz 57, Freckles a Britney Spaniel,  Scooter a mini doberman looking pup, Whiskers a Le Cairn terrier, Bear a Lhasa Apso and Rudy a were not really sure terrier, sort of.  Bear and Rudy are the babies that run our house right now.  They complete our family.  We love the fact that no matter how long you are gone, they are always happy to see you.  They run to meet you when you step out of the car, or when you step out of bed in the morning.  They watch and wiggle whenever you come around.  My floors are always clean when the pups are there.  Anything, and I mean anything that hits the floor, is down Rudy's throat.  That little monster dog will eat anything, and does.

Rudy is our little digger.  On a regular basis he brings into the house, "his prizes".  Birds, mice, moles and snakes that he has caught, killed and dragged in to show us.  He prances all over with the kill of the day.  So proud of what he has done.  He will lay it on the floor for you to step on in the dark.  Funny, you laugh.  Wait till it happens to you.   When we first brought him home from the "dog jail" (the animal shelter), he left us all sorts of presents all over my rug in the living room.  Needless to say he was not completely house trained.  A couple of days of feeding him then immediately outside, and he learned quickly to go outside to do his "buisness". 

Bear however is a different story.  My husband in his loving way calls him "pokey mon".  This wonderful little companion of mine is the quickest dog you have ever seen, but only if he is running or sneaking away from you.  Now if you want him to come into the house, you have never seen a dog move soooooo slow.  You almost have to drive a stick beside him to see if he is moving.  He can sniff one spot forever.  He is my sweet little boy.  He stayed with me when I moved to work at my last job.  He slept up beside me and warned me if anyone was coming to my house.  He is my grey curley hairball.  He loves to be up.  I think he figures he was born to short and needs to be up in your arms all the time to see what is going on.  He is forever sitting either in your lap, or standing there looking out the window of the car. 

Our dogs know what "go for a ride" means.  You want to see something cute, just say those words and watch the boys try and turn themselves inside out trying to get out the door before the other.  They will go straight to the car and try to paw their way in.  Open the door and in they jump.  Both sitting patiently waiting for you to get in and start the car.   Not sure what I would do without them.  They give you a feeling of warmth and love, and even the smallest of them can take up more room in a bed than any full grown man. 

Our families have always had dogs around.  We love them while they are with us and mourn them when they are gone.  The dogs we have had over the years have given us comfort, security and more joy than we could have hoped for.  They make you smile every day and cry at their loss. 
There will always be a soft spot in our hearts for our four legged friends and the "unconditional love" that comes with them.