Five Years...Half A Decade And Our Lives Have Never Been The Same Since

 Another memory popped up on my social media feed this morning. I find them amusing, sometimes surprising. This morning, the memory melted my heart.

Five years ago today, my son and I drove to Sandy, Utah and picked up a puppy, a rescued poodle puppy that was available for adoption. He was so little, and with most puppies, we fell in love with him immediately. This was to be my son's dog. He found the puppy online and we arranged to meet the handler at the PetSmart a few miles south of us.

My son fell in love instantly. I made a call to my wife because the puppy was a little more than we expected, cost-wise. We discussed it and agreed it was worth the cost. I went back to the handler and said we wanted to get him. She said there were several people waiting for us to make a decision because if we passed, they'd take him.

It was one of the best decisions we've made.

It's not our dog's birthday, but it's a day of celebration for our family. Since we brought the puppy home, he's grown, both in size and in intelligence. Today, he's as much a part of our family as anyone. He entertains us, he tests us, he comforts us, he annoys us, and most of all, he loves us...

And we love him.

It's been five years. Here's to hopefully many many more.

National Dog Day...2022

 I'm one day late. If you spent any time on social media yesterday, you may have seen posts with the #NationalDogDay tag. I usually don't pay attention to National Days because there's so many of them. Pick something and there's a national day for it.

But, I decided to add my post to the others.

Dogs are just that important.

We've got a good one. I'm sure millions of others can say the same thing. Our dog is a standard poodle and a rescue. We got him four years ago and our family's not been the same since...in a good way. He's actually my son's dog, a companion animal for him, and for us, I suppose. Our first family dog was a shih tzu, much different than a poodle. Each have their strengths and weaknesses.

After having a small dog, we couldn't imagine having a large dog. A poodle is by no means the largest of dogs, but it's big for us. He's big enough to steal food from the counter and socks from our closet. He loves our yard now that we've installed a fence and he's loyal beyond my understanding.

Just as I cant't imagine our family without our dog, I can't imagine this world without dogs. They are our protectors, our companions, our confidants, our therapists, and our friends. They will seek the approval and love of people who abuse them. They seem to live only to serve. I'm speaking in generalities, of course, but it feels that way.

Humans have, at least in our society, set aside one day to honor dogs. I believe they deserve much more than a day.