It's A Dogs Life

I never owned a dog before until Tonya came here, well let me clarify that, when I was a kid we had a dog, but that was some time ago. I have continuously owned cats, although as anyone who has had cats knows you don’t own them they own you, but never a dog.

I never wanted a dog because I have always felt that a dog should be allowed to go out and run around and do whatever he or she wants to do and not have to be tied up all the time but unfortunately the rule here in the little town where the little house on the lake is say you aren’t allowed to let your dog run around unleashed. So for the first few months we would put the dog out on his run and take him for little walks to go potty. A few times he managed to run out of the house when the door was opened or even get out of his collar and he would always do the same thing, run around the “block” a few times with this look on his face like “hey, look at me, I’m free” and then he would always come back. Every time he would get free Tonya would worry about him even though I told her he would come back. See it’s pretty simple dogs and men are pretty much the same, they will always come back to wherever they get two things: love and food. As the weather got colder we decided to let the dog out at night, we figured he was afraid of the dark and he wouldn’t stray too far and for the most part he didn’t. But even when he did, when he was ready to come home he would always arrive at the back door with his head cocked and his “OK, it’s cold I am ready to come in now” look.

Now we let him out during the day as well. He still does the same thing every time. He goes out the door, stops and turns around to look at us as if to say “Aren’t you coming with me?” then he takes off like a little brown rocket and runs around the block a few times. Then he’ll patrol the yard and sniff things out, maybe scratch a few places, leave his calling card (not true that dogs don’t dump in their own yard) then he’ll commence his running. I never see him lying in the yard, he will sit on the stoop sometimes but he never lays down.

In a few months we will probably have to put him back on his run and not let him be free though. The neighbors will be back from Florida and they will bitch and complain if the dog goes in the yard although it is okay if their succession of dogs have always come into mine. But then some people have special rules just for them and they don’t have to follow everyone elses. Sort of like liberals huh?

I bet you were wondering if this was going to have some point didn’t you? Well actually it wasn’t, I just threw that in there because it seemed to fit.

I do admit I was worried that the dog might run onto the ice, which would be okay for now but in another month, the ice will get soft and it won’t support him, but so far, at least to the best of my knowledge, he hasn’t ventured out there. That will be one of the first signs of spring, the ice will turn a funky grey and it will start to melt, All in all it hasn’t been that long of a winter. I guess it makes a big difference when you have someone special to share your life with. I know you all get sick of hearing it but what the hell, I am so in love and I am the luckiest man in the world. What more can a man ask for but to have a wonderful, loving woman and a dog who asks nothing but loves you no matter what? Who’s going to clean the yard though?