They Call It Puppy Love
"One who possesses beauty without vanity
Strength without insolence
Courage without ferocity
And all the virtues of man without his vices.
This praise, which would be unmeaning flattery
If said of a human,
Is but a just tribute to my dog."
~ Lord Byron
This poem by Lord Byron is on a plaque that hangs on my wall. It has a picture of four adorable puppies having a good time playing with balls. I often look at it when I need a mental break, it always lightens up my spirit!
It wasn’t always like that for me. When I was a little girl I got attacked by a dog as I sat on my aunt’s front porch. The dog came in off the street and just went for me! My father ran out and chased it away. That began a lifelong journey that took me from understandably being terrified of dogs to being absolutely and totally in love with them today.
There was a time that if I saw a dog walking down the street, I would cross to the other side. In addition to that, my family never had pets so I wasn’t raised around them. I had a “you leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone” attitude.
There is a theory that goes something like when you get to know the enemy you find that the enemy isn’t so bad after all.
That’s what happened to me. I became good friends with two families who happened to have one dog each. One day I found myself babysitting with one of the dogs, a little grey poodle. We found ourself left alone, I looked at him and he looked at me. I really saw him since I wasn’t fleeing down the street. You know what, he was cute! Tootie didn’t have a mean bone in his little body. By the time they came back to get him, I was falling in love with the little guy. My other friends had a very big dog Jason who was part Great Dane. Again I often found myself in close proximity with him and came to realize what a really neat dog he was. It’s been uphill from there. Today I am very grateful to Tootie and Jason who introduced me to the wonderful world of dogs. They are no long here in body but their spirits certainly live on.
My journey has led me to my dogs Sarah, Stephanie, PJ, Katie and Sammie not to forget my cats Martin Luther Kitty and Sofie Tucker. The picture featured here is of my nephew Tony The Tiger, my sister’s kid. Of all the dogs she has had he's the first boy dog and he is adorable! My sister has had Bridget, Blondie, Candy, Sonny and now Tony not to mention her cockatiel Chewy that she recently lost.
I have mentioned a few of the dogs and other pets that have passed through my life to show that I’ve come to know a thing or two about the value of keeping your pet in good health. The primary reason being that we want to keep them with us as long as possible with a good quality of life. Secondly, Vet bills are off the charts! Ask any pet owner who has had to take their sick pet into the vet, it always seems to be when the office is closed or on holidays and thus an emergency office visit. They’ll probably tell you that they would have paid any amount of money but it’s still a sticker shock when the bills come in. Just as with us humans, I have come to see prevention as the key to a longer life and in the long run is less expensive.
WhiskerFeathers is all about taking care of your pets health. Prevention can be as basic as routine grooming, staying on top of flea & tick infestation, exercise and dental care.
Exercise helps with the growing problem of pet obesity. This can be something as simple as regularly walking your dog and getting off the couch for a play session! Good for you and good for your best friend.
