what the dogs have taught me.....

 i took gilly to get her nails cut on my lunch break. i brought griffin too.  he loves to ride in the car. i left him in the car in the shade since it was a quick appointment. he had a bowl of water and was happy to hang out.

 gilly & i  walked in to the waiting room and there was this huge, ancient dog.  some kind of a great dane.  he was black with a lot of gray hair.  he struggled to get up and walk over to gilly.  she sat calmly (odd for her.)  he sniffed the top of her head for a moment and then went to lay back down by the man who held his leash slack in his hands.

the woman standing next to him smiled and said, "well old buddy, at least you got to play one last time..." and then she started crying.  i looked back at the dog and saw his bones jutting out.  he was dying, she explained, and they were there to put him out of his misery.

of course i started crying.  the man holding the old dogs leash wiped away some tears.  all i could think to say was, "he's very handsome.  i bet he was a beautiful dog in his day."

the nurse came in to call them back and the man gave up on the leash and picked up his dog and carried him back.  the woman followed behind.  before she went through the door she turned and said, "thanks for letting him meet your puppy.  take care..."

we went back and got gilly's nails cut.  she behaved perfectly and the vet techs commented on how pretty she was, and well behaved.  i was still crying and i asked them how they could stand to work there, seeing all the sad cases & old dogs being put down.

one of them answered me (i noticed she had been crying too).  she said, "we love these animals, and sometimes we cry, like today.  but we get to smell puppies and play with kittens too."

after that, i took gilly & griffin to the park for a long walk,  we found a path that led down to the water and they both walked in.  they were wet & muddy and had a good time.

we're home now.  everyone has had lunch and the dogs are napping.  gilly is on the couch snoring.  i wonder if she's thinking of that handsome old dog she met today....

all of this has me thinking about my life with dogs, and what they've taught me.  i don't have any big philosophical message.  each dog was so different.  it's funny to think of them all now... and really, what they have taught me is that i should enjoy the time we have together.  stop worrying about the bills, the house, how old griffin is getting... have fun whenever there's the chance for fun.  i think that's it.

here are the deep and meanful lessons each dog has taught me:

have fun!

work your cuteness...

be dignified at times....

be shiny and handsome....

take lots of naps........

and be able to laugh at yourself....