The Early Years...Man's Best Friend

...or should I say "a child's" best friend? When in doubt, give the child a dog.

I can't tell you how many times I found solace in the arms of a dog (or my arms wrapped around one), during times of mental pain as a child. I could fill an entire blog on just childhood memories of me and one of my many dogs. But a couple of them rise to the top to make my point.

I can't remember any time during my childhood or my life when I did not have a dog, other than brief times between the loss of one and getting a replacement. My first dog recollection was of a tiny Dachshund named "Leisha". She was a red smooth coat and was left free roaming her whole life (things were different when I was a child). She followed me everywhere when I was home and slept in bed with me and my sister at night. To this day, I do not know how a dog can sleep under the covers at the end of a bed and breathe! But she did. And now, my current dog "Teddy" (full circle back to a "mini-dox"), does the same thing - sleeps at the foot of the bed under the covers with me and my husband. I still ponder how he breathes! 

Another story that comes to mind is a German Shepherd mix we had when I was young named "Misty". Misty was an outside dog (my father never allowed another dog to live inside of our home after Leisha), and she lived on our patio in a dog house on a chain her whole life. When I had my most painful moments, I could find comfort with Misty. I remember when she had puppies once (my father did not believe in spending money on a dog so spaying was not an option). Male dogs that wandered the neighborhood would find Misty's scent when in season, and of course she was on a chain...

This one puppy incident was memorable because she had a record 13 puppies. In fact, I believe it was so noteworthy that it made the local newspapers at the time. It was memorable for me because no one seemed to care when Misty would deliver ("she's a dog - she knows what to do..."). I cared. I spent one night, sleepy and cold, outside with Misty through her entire delivery. I helped her break the sacs open and get the puppies stimulated - she had her paws full. One such sac was quite large and it freaked me out a little as a child. I closed my eyes, held my breath, and hand opened the sac, not knowing what would come out of that sac. Well, to my glee, it was a pair of puppies! I always joked they were "twins" because they came out of the same sac and looked identical in every way. Not being a Vet, I never really knew if that was possible or not. But its not important - to me it happened. I even made sure that one person took both puppies together as to not break up the "pair". I had no idea what I was doing during that birth, but it didn't matter.

It's difficult to measure a child's love for their pet. In my case, my pets did far more for me than I ever did for them. They gave me unconditional love. There are few things more precious than that.