The other morning as I was sitting in my chair having coffee and finishing up some daily readings, I was watching our little pooch snooze away on her doggie pillow.
She’s every bit of nine pounds and has been with us since we rescued her a number of years ago.
Looking at her all curled up on her pillow got me to thinking about all the pets I’ve had and Pat and I have had throughout my life and our lives together.
It seems pets have always been a constant during my life. When I think about it, Pat and I have been without a pet only a short period since even before we were married.
My first pet was a little dog named Mitzi. My parents got her from some good friends whose little dog had three puppies.
I wrote about her in a previous column some time back. She lived to be about 16 or 17, so I was actually gone from home when they had to put her to sleep.
Like Mitzi, I’ve written about many of our pets. At one time in our lives, when our daughter Meghan was still at home, we had five dogs and a cat.
Two of those were Brittany bird dogs, a toy poodle, a Lhasa Apso we rescued and a half Brittany, quarter Chow, quarter lab.
Meghan also has been fond of cats. We had several. Pat even rescued one and brought her home.
Each pet, like humans, has and had its own personality.
Even the Brittanies and one of the pointers spent many nights in our utility room during cold, rainy, stormy or snowy weather. They all have been pets and just part of the family.
We treated them as such. We’ve enjoyed them all. We are down to one, little Bailey.
All of these pets have been sweet and we’ve had a lot of fun with them throughout our lives.
When the time comes that you have to put one to sleep, it’s really tough. I’m not ashamed or too proud to admit that I’ve cried over most of them.
I’ve buried many of them in a special spot about 80 miles from here on land owned by a cousin.
The joy and comfort our pets bring us is really irreplaceable. There’s just something about having a pet underfoot.
At times they may seem bothersome. But in reality, the joy they bring makes it all worth it.
At least I think so.