Why We Have A Dog

When I was growing up my siblings and I learned quickly that we were not the type of home to have a dog. If, by chance, we talked our mother into letting us have a dog, it was not allowed inside the house. So, for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks, we would race home from school to play with the new dog or puppy outside. Then, as always happened, we would come home one day to find the dog gone - no explanation - just gone.

My husband’s family was just the opposite. They took in every stray they found. When I met his family they had three dogs and three cats, and a few stray humans too. If I spent the night in his family’s home (long distance relationship) I made sure there was some kind of footwear right by my bed so that if I stepped in a surprise, it was my shoe and not my foot that discovered it. I braced myself for the smell when I entered the house, and I did my best to mentally ignore that I found animal hairs in my food.

When my husband and I married, we both agreed we did not want dogs, cats, gerbils, fish or any animal of any kind. Eight years into our marriage, we had a car thief that was traveling with a carnival escape the police by jumping into our backyard, stripping himself of his outer clothes and run down the street in his jockey shorts. Why did he choose our yard? Because we were the only yard without a dog. We bought a dog.

We bought an Australian Shepherd. Hubby wanted an intelligent dog and Australian Shepherds fit the bill. We named him Skyler. Skyler had a wonderful habit of smiling with all of his teeth. It looked ferocious. Any stranger would fear for their life looking at the vicious scowl. We, however, knew Skyler was smiling, jumping around thinking “Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Won’t you please rub my ears, feed me, play with me?” We never had a traveling carnival thief strip in our backyard again.

When we moved further into the desert, we decided to keep a dog because they helped keep the yard clear of rattlesnakes. I still keep them outside. I don’t spend money on grooming them because, quite frankly, I would rather spend the money on grooming myself. The dog (current Australian Shepherd is named Elly) is allowed in the laundry room if there is a hard freeze predicted or a lengthy monsoon downpour. She gets no special treats unless you count a hamburger or hot dog that drops on the ground when we are grilling outside. She has always been treated as an animal, not part of the family.

Until now . . .