The Crew
Left to right Fiona, Timbah and Zoey.
(Too tired to paint today. I taught very
early, and my son is home from
university. A lot going on. If I find the
drawing I did of Zoey the other day
I'll post it. )
every day. I am not really up to it. My ankle hurts,
but the dog is so happy that I'm walking with her, that
she'll accept any conditions, tail wagging, sticking close
by my side and not pulling. She knows instinctively that
our walks are a really big deal for me. When we encounter
ice after the day's thaw has turned into a glassy sheet at
night, she stops cold to warn me -- uh uh, don't go there.
Before we got Zoey 10 years ago I was 100% a cat person.
I had two dogs growing up. Rags, who I loved dearly,
who went out one night when I was about 10 and never
returned (in those days dogs walked themselves in the
small town where I lived). Okay actually three dogs,
but Joey died of distemper at about 12 weeks and
devastated my family. Then we got Joey's sister,
Christine Sunday, (her owners' last name) who became
Chrissy, and lived a happy life to a ripe old age. There
is a family myth that if there's a heaven, she's there with
my father.
So getting Zoey dog ten years ago was a complete and
total shock to the system. My sister, the therapist, says
that to be whole you have to be able to love both dogs and cats.
Now that I have both, I know what she means. Each
animal teaches you something different. Both cats are
cuddlers, and Zoey is wildly affectionate and playful,
but serious too. Plus they all like each other, which
is great fun for us.
Back to why I like doggers, or dog people. I was walking
Zoey the other day, swinging an Ikea poo bag, of fresh
do do, blithely unaware that I even had the bag in
my hand because I was noticing the birds, and Zoey and
the light, and I was waiting until I could deposit her
material in the appropriate public bin. We ran into another
dogger with her big, gruff standard poodle, and stood
having a nice chat. Neither of us knew the other, but
we were instant "friends" because of the dogs. Of course
not all dog people are like that. Some are chilly or
indifferent and there are the dog snobs who won't talk to you
unless you're walking a pure bred dog (Zoey is not -- she's a
Border Collie, Dalmation, Lab cross).
But for the most part doggers are friendly, and let's face it
you have to have a good attitude to life to happily stand
talking to someone who is carrying a bag of dog excrement.
Have a loving-dogs-cats-and-other-animals day.
