The picture says it all. It’s a dog’s world and we’re just living in it. Let’s be glad we are. The picture that is associated with this blog is the work of Andrea Zimmerman Nusinov, her talents are on display on her Facebook Page at AZN Pet Pics. Unbelievable work, right? The rich texture she can pull from a simple photograph of a dog served to remind me the richness they bring to the lives of anyone who is lucky enough to own one.
The dog in the picture is named Ollie. He’s a Shichon, a mix of Shih Tzu and Bichon. Ollie came into our lives about four years ago and we’ve never been the same… in a good way. Talk about giving and getting back. Give a dog a home, feed him, bathe him, play with him and he/she brings you unconditional love and affection you won’t find anywhere else. Sure you love your children like that – but do they greet you at the door every day like it’s the first time they have ever seen you? There’s nothing quite like a dog.
Whether you purchased or rescued, it’s really the same. Although I give a ton of credit and respect to those who go the rescue route. Especially after you own a dog, you realize how hurtful it is to see another one abandon or abused. A dog deserves a good home and to be well taken care of. They’re just so darn innocent and forgiving. We bought Ollie, and I’m not going to apologize for it. Believe me if you saw his picture as a puppy, you would have bought him too. What he has brought to our lives is immeasurable, as I know any dog owner can relate. The first three months of training were a bit rough, much like a new baby, and our boy was like Houdini. The places he would escape from when you tried to keep him confined to one area, are legendary and worthy of a short book sometime. I kept telling my wife, who was exasperated at his antics and some other activities he was doing, is that it will all be worth it. One day we’ll recount these stories and laugh about it. I couldn’t have been more right. And it couldn’t have been more worth it.
Somehow someway the good Lord makes these animals, one cuter than the next, and thankfully he does, because if they weren’t they couldn’t get away with so much. Do they get away with a lot? They run around outside, pee, poop, put their nose in other dogs “stuff”, sniff and lick other dogs, get dirty, smelly, muddy, they put their paws in who knows what, they have bad breath, the list goes on and on. Yet they come back in the door, give you a “kiss” (well most dogs do, not Ollie, again a story for another time), prance around the house, get on the bed, sofa, etc and you still love every inch of them. Would you let your kids do all this then hug them when they walk back in the door?? Not at my house.
Yet the dog gets to have all that fun and you just don’t care. It’s simply the power of love. The dog loves you like there’s no tomorrow, because they have no idea if there will be. Imagine if we all lived that way… so we put up with all that he/she is capable of. Hey, they’re acting like animals, cause they can! The more I think about it, the tougher it is to put into words, what Ollie, or any dog brings to our lives. Tough to remember life before him, tough to think about life without him. Damn dogs. They make you love them as much as they love you. In the big scheme of things, what’s wrong with that? I knew from the day we brought Ollie home that he would enrich our lives beyond measure. He’s one of the kids… and we know what they mean to our lives. We don’t bring dogs into the world, but we’ll stand by them ’til they leave it. Maybe because it’s such a short time on this earth, that the love is so unconditional, in both directions. Maybe if we all thought about each other the same way, we would love just a little bit more. Who knows?
It’s a lot to think about, so while you are.. check out some beautiful pics of man’s (and woman’s) best friend over at Andrea’s Facebook Page… AZN Pet Pics. E-mail her and maybe she can bring your dog to life as well, even more so than they have done for you already.
Thank you Andrea for the inspiration. A dog-gone good job.
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark