Truthfully? I didn’t want a dog. Two kids, a husband, a house and a cat who shits beside his litter box on a daily basis was enough for me without adding a dog to the mix, but Dave really wanted one. And when my husband gets his mind set on something, he oftentimes errs on the side of RELENTLESS until he gets it.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I like dogs. I grew up with them, had a dog in the house until I was twenty-four, the year my mother died. I grew up with an Old English Sheepdog named Holly, a gentle giant with a great disposition and, in her later years, a bad hip. Holly was a dog who wanted to be included in everything; when she wasn’t, she sought revenge through such charming acts as dragging garbage all over the kitchen floor or pinching loaves on the living room rug.
After Holly came Ice Cream, a mute, epileptic English Setter who was afraid of loud noises and seized during fireworks displays, thunderstorms and whenever an ambulance shot down the street (side note: growing up, I lived about three blocks from a hospital). Ice Cream was a trained hunting dog but would panic when she heard gunfire; the fact that her asshole owner locked her in his garage and threw lit firecrackers at the door didn’t help. A close friend of my mum’s got her for us and I fell in love with her pretty much immediately – Ice Cream was a wonderful old soul, a true companion. She was an amazing dog.
There was Buster, a crotchety old Cocker Spaniel my mom took in (temporarily, thankfully) who refused to let me pass him on my way up the stairs, and Brodie, a gigantic mixed-breed we rescued from the Humane Society who ate his weight in sofa stuffing and footwear, mostly mine. Last but not least was Emma, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that my mother treated like her second child. Another mute, Emma had only two teeth to her name and therefore, her tongue hung out of her mouth at all times. She had really big, bugged-out eyes – she looked like she was being squeezed too hard – and while she lived with Dave and me she developed a nasty habit of licking our feet while we were sleeping (she was also prone to taking shits while she was walking. She wouldn’t like, stop, sniff out a patch of grass and then do her business like a normal dog, she’d just trot along and have a bowel movement at the same time, leaving a trail of turds on the sidewalk behind her).
Emma was the last dog I had; she died shortly after my mother and although it was strange not having a dog around, I kind of liked it. Within a year after Julia was born both of my cats had gone on to the big litter box in the sky and for the first time in my life, I was living in a house with no pets. I wanted to keep it that way for a while, but Dave had never owned a dog before and he wanted one something fierce.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t resent Foxy at first. I did. I resented her and all that she inevitably brought with her: training, cleaning, picking up turds, regular exercise, that wet dog smell, paw prints and barking…I’d gotten used to leaving food on the kitchen counter and had misplaced the vacuum attachment I needed to suck dog hair off the furniture. She was really skittish when we brought her home, which nearly drove me to drink and distraction. Initially, I found myself feeling quite negative about having gotten a dog.
But in the last few weeks Foxy and I have bonded a bit, thanks in part to my neighbour, the one whose dog mistook me for a fire hydrant. Most days she gets up at six with her dog for a brisk pre-dawn power walk before starting her day; when she asked Foxy and I to join her I had a hard time not throwing up in my mouth a little. “It gives you a whole new lease on life,” she said at the bus stop one morning. “Think about it.”
I did, and in the last week I’ve gotten up a few mornings to go with her. She’s showed me several great trails, including one she took me on over the weekend that had me wondering midway if I was in full-on cardiac arrest. She was right – having time alone before the day starts, especially that early in the morning, is refreshing. I’m tired, yeah, but I feel good. Some days I walk Foxy twice, morning and evening, and I think even after my neighbour moves – their house is up for sale – I’ll still get up early a few times a week to walk the dog.
There’s something about getting up while everyone else is still asleep and tiptoeing down the hall to the bathroom, the sound of their deep, even breathing filling the hall. There’s something about slipping out the front door and in to the damp, sharp morning air that breathes new life in to me. There’s something about having an adult conversation first thing in the morning, something about sharing silence and companionship and crisp, cool air that I find incredibly calming and peaceful. My worries, my fears, the things that stress and overwhelm me, they slip out of focus and I am simply outside in the early morning, walking alongside my dog and the sun as it rises, breathing and being and living, right there, in that moment.
And even though that feeling doesn’t last much longer than about forty-five minutes, it is, I’ve found, a rather decent way to start the day.
20 Comments, Comment or Ping
the thing i love about my pup and most dogs is that unquestioning affection and non-stop quest for another scratch behind the ears. dogs are like kids that poop outside (hopefully)
October 14th, 2008
Bwwwhahahahaha! I’m laughing so hard co-workers are staring! Pinching loaves! Big, bugged-out eyes – she looked like she was being squeezed too hard! OMG! Stop! STOP! I can’t standit! Oh, too funny!
October 14th, 2008
Good for you, mamaT. I think that those walks will be good for your mind and your soul (not to mention your body… assuming she doesn’t take you on another heart attack trail).
October 14th, 2008
That sounds like a very nice way to start a day! Too bad I can’t get up that sort of motivation..I should really try once this new baby gets big :-)
October 14th, 2008
I also grew up with dogs (and cats. and birds. and hamsters. and chinchillas. and … I’ll stop now). Point is, we always had animals.
And yet, I find I am SO GRATEFUL to be currently pet-less. Oh sure, my two year old is afraid of every animal we encounter. But no one is peeing on my laundry! No one is horking tin foil in the middle of the night! No one is scratching to be let out at 4 am!
Yeah, I don’t miss being a pet owner. AT ALL.
October 14th, 2008
Damn girl! Now I feel guilty about not taking mine for walks more often! Muchless early in the morning! But I bet your right! If sitting alone with a cup of coffee is wonderful, I’d bet taking the dog out early in the crisp morning air would be great – and healthy!
Hummm, may…be I’ll give it a try. The only problem is I have a St. Bernard who doesn’t wake up until noon. Maybe I can take the Golden.
October 14th, 2008
That is exactly what I need to be doing (but something tells me the cat will be noncompliant). I’m glad you are finding some zen in the AM.
October 14th, 2008
Heh, that’s the only reason I would ever be tempted to get a dog (if I lived somewhere other than a microscopic condo, that is) – HAVING to go exercise with the dog, no excuses accepted.
October 14th, 2008
i love your love.
But talk to me in February.
October 14th, 2008
I never had a dog or cat growing up, but I married a guy who loves animals. Slowly, s-l-o-w-l-y I’ve learned to love them, too.
October 14th, 2008
We’ll have cats again someday, but I can’t face the ‘work’ of a dog. Just can’t do it.
But I’m really impressed that you can.
October 14th, 2008
I always told my husband that I would live with a dog, but not own one myself. That any dog that came into the house was totally his.
But you are kind of making me reconsider this.
Maybe the dog could be his when it rains?
October 14th, 2008
…and this is the exact reason I get up at 5 a.m. May not always go running but I get up all the same.
a.
October 14th, 2008
I hate hate hate to get up early but I agree when you do it for the reasons you describe it is so worth the effort.
October 14th, 2008
So now I know.
At the moment I’m minding my Mum’s Cavalier, and next week I babysit a friends Cavalier while she’s in hospital for a hip replacement. So that makes 3 dogs.
Next year we’re getting a puppy. Probably another Cavalier because they’re so easy. (Apart from the hair.)
October 14th, 2008
I like dogs on temporary loan so couldn’t live with one though. I love the early morning – it is time to myself when pao is still asleep and quite a treasure.
October 15th, 2008
I can see you there, big strides and cool hands, your dog just so damned happy for a new day.
And I think about my dog. 100 pounds of brain-damaged lab pulling me with his face like I’m a flea and he’s all itchy. Friggen dog. But yours sounds just lovely.
October 15th, 2008
My husband took over dog walking duties when I started dealing with morning sickness, and I have to say that I really miss it (the walking, not the morning sickness). I’ll have to get back out there soon.
October 15th, 2008
I have been trying to take walks at night, after dinner, with our neighbor, Katie. It’s been kind of nice, having someone new to talk to, getting to know the nieghborhood, and walking with our two dogs, and her two dogs. I’ve really come to love it. I’m glad that you found something like this too :D
October 16th, 2008
Hey! You know what would give ME a new lease on life?? If my kids slept past 5:30 am. That would be great. Get up before that to walk the fucking dog?? I would rather shoot myself in the foot. Thanks. lol!
:)
October 19th, 2008
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