The REAL List

Now that my conscience is soothed, having posted my National Pet Week tribute to the dogs in yesterday's sappy-but-heartfelt poem, I can give the real list of how the dogs make a difference. Here it is:

Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge, without you ...

• we'd have nothing to trip over when cooking dinner
• no one would slobber over us when we come home
• our friends could walk in the door without being "sniffed"
• we'd have the entire sofa to ourselves--we could even stretch out; what a novel idea!
• we might even reclaim the recliner
• we'd enjoy a cup of coffee without our arms being nudged and our beverages sloshing
• we'd read a book without it being bumped from our hands
• we'd peruse the Sunday paper, arms fully extended, without being startled by a paper-thumping tail
• we'd have no nose prints to smudge our back door or car windows
• we'd have no land mine piles dotting the back yard
• we'd have no toys to clean up before vacuuming, no twigs and stigs and other debris to remove before mowing the lawn, and no dog hair--mountains of dog hair--to decorate our floors
• we wouldn't invest our life savings in lint rollers
• we'd awaken to music or the radio or an alarm instead of to a chorus of canines
• we could sleep in late if we wanted
• we could go to be early--as early as we'd like
• Snickers, the cat, could roam freely--without terror--in our home once again
• we could keep the house clean
• we could leave food on the counter and have it still be there upon our return
• we could go away for a weekend without worry
• we could stay out all day without wondering if we're gone too long
• we could work all day without interruption
• we could have a tidy, sterile existance of predictability and routine

But then we'd also have

• cold feet in winter
• higher blood pressure
• no one to nuzzle us when we're sad
• empty laps when we're relaxing in front of the TV
• no one to make us giggle or smile
• no one to stroke and pet to calm ourselves down
• no one to help us see humor in this world
• no one to make us pause throughout the day
• no one to remind us to take pleasure in simple things
• no one (in this world) who models unconditional love so well
• no one who wiggles with delight at our return
• no one to greet us with kangaroo-hops at the gate
• no one who wiggles all over with excitement and pleasure
• no one to show us what contentment and satisfaction look like
• no one to alert us to danger (real or imagined)
• no one to keep the cat in his place
• no one to tell us when the postman (or UPS or FedEX...) is here
• no one to teach us about God's sense of humor
• no one to follow us around all day
• no one to pre-wash the dishes in the dishwasher
• no one to make us feel like we're the center of their worlds
• no one to force us outside to enjoy the outdoors
• no one to teach us about life's little pauses
• no one to model true loyalty and faithfulness
• no one who will remind us to play
• no one who will calm our hearts and help us forget the troubles of the day

The list could go on and on...

It's a trade-off, I'll admit, but it's one I'd make again in a heartbeat.

'Til next time,
Joan